I just completed a 10 part seminar series over the last four months that has truly transformed my life. Our final lesson was “Acknowledgment.” It is so important to express appreciation for the people in your life who help you accomplish your goals. The truth is that none of us make it through life successfully on our own, we have people holding us up at various times and assisting us along the way.
The year 2010 has come to represent a year of completion for me. I have successfully navigated through the testing phase, and matured to the point where I am being promoted to the next level in several areas. I completed my MBA studies, completed my Landmark Forum In Action Seminar and will complete my life as a single woman this summer. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way my life is going right now nor with the network that I have been plugged into.
I acknowledge many people for their input in all that is going right in my life. My loving family, my wonderful fiancee, my children – natural and spiritual, my amazing friends, awesome co-workers, inspiring people that I have shared classrooms and seminars with, my Pastors, teachers, mentors, the people who prayed for me and held me up during times in my life when things were not going well, all the new people I have met who offer encouragement and support, the people who think they have done me wrong but have actually given me valuable lessons.
This may be contrary to popular belief, but the world is full of beautiful people who have much love and support to share with others. I’m grateful to be on the receiving as well as the giving end!
Hebrews 12:1-3 (New King James Version)
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Sometimes the Lord requires us to strip down to the bare essentials so that we can focus on the task at hand. That is precisely what He is doing in my life right now. I was in a season where it was fine for me to be involved in several things because He was using me and training me in those areas.
Now He is directing me to focus on the vision that He originally gave me. At first I felt like I was being punished or put in timeout. I didn’t really want to put some of those things aside. However, I also see how focusing my energy in those areas was taking away from what He had given me specifically to do.
Lord, thank You for the seasons of training and preparation that You bring us to so that we will be ready when Your plan unfolds. Thank You for Your hand that both guides and provides every step along the way. I trust that every word You have spoken, You shall bring it to pass. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Hebrews 12:1-3 (New King James Version)
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Even as my Pastor was encouraging us to move forward in obedience today, I thought about some areas where I had been dragging my feet. I knew what I needed to do but I kept putting it off as if things would change and God would change His mind. Really at the base of my reluctance to obey was fear. I was afraid of what I might lose or what certain people would think if I followed through.
It’s not like I don’t recognize the season that I am in. This is the season where God peels away the things that cannot come with me to the next season. If I don’t give up these things it will delay my entrance into the next thing He has for me. Every other time I trusted God and did what He said, the results were miraculous. So why is it still so difficult to trust at times?
From what I have observed, we as humans usually start from a foundation of lack. This is a behavior that many of us must unlearn. When things change we wonder if there will be enough resources or if we will be good enough to adapt. When God requires a sacrifice, we worry there won’t be enough left over us. Somehow we trust our own logic rather than the Kingdom principles that have been in effect from before the beginning of time.
What I have also observed is that there is no plan I could work that will produce better results than the plan that God has for me. In other words, when I do things His way, I find myself living the life that I truly want. When my obedience to His way is delayed, I find myself frustrated, aggravated, discouraged and ashamed.
I make this decision often, but I made it again today: I will move forward to the next level. The comfort zone is not good enough for me. I am living my life to make a difference – for me, my family and anyone else who wants it. This kind of life requires total trust in the Lord and submission to His Will. Are you in?
Deuteronomy 9:22-24 (New International Version)
22 You also made the LORD angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah.
23 And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, “Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You did not trust him or obey him. 24 You have been rebellious against the LORD ever since I have known you.
2 Corinthians 5:16-19 (New King James Version)
16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
The key that will unlock happiness and success in your tomorrow lies in your willingness to forgive today.
That’s right. No matter what you have endured, no matter what they have done to you. No matter how they may have used you. No matter how much they stole from you; restoration is yours if you will only humble yourself and forgive.
God knows what you need; He knows the answer to every question in your mind and He can make your life completely brand new. However, your anger and bitterness is holding you back from even seeing all the great things God has prepared for you.
You are actually standing in the middle of an awesome blessing right now. Happiness that you never thought possible is within your reach, today. It would be yours this second if you could stop rehearsing the things they did in your mind.
If you would focus your thoughts on the goodness of God rather than the faults of men you would be poised to claim your heritage as a child of God. If you would release your grip on a desire for revenge, your hands would be ready to receive what God is pouring out. If you could give up the need to have the last word or the harshest insult you would begin to understand.
If you tried to find a reason to love them rather than hate them, that seed of happiness within you would grow. Please understand that the only reason they treated you so badly is because they are completely miserable and full of self hatred. Can’t you see how much they are hurting? Can you find it in your heart to forgive?
You only hurt yourself by carrying grudges around. That weight is too heavy for you to bear. Give it to God in exchange for peace, love,happiness and a beautiful life. In Jesus’ Name, forgive them and move on so that you can become all that you were created to be.
Mark 11:24-26 (New International Version)
24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
I find it amazing how we sometimes want the finer things in life when we aren’t willing to be refined ourselves.
How can you wish for a wife when you are not faithful to your friends or family? How can you pray for a new home when you don’t know how to take care of your current one? How can you pine for a husband and children when you can barely take care of yourself?
Why should I wish for God to dress me in the finest fabrics and most dazzling jewels when I am ugly on the inside? That would be like having a bride dressed in the most exquisite gown but she has no regard for it so she gets it dirty. She arrives at the wedding all disheveled. Her hair is a mess, her gown is ripped, her fingernails are cracked and her shoes are falling apart. The groom is standing there waiting for her in a beautiful garden in his radiant white tuxedo. It is such a beautiful scene, yet here comes the bride hissing obscenities as she walks toward him in her broken heels. Something is terribly wrong with this picture!
I don’t want to be the eyesore in the new life that God has prepared for me. I don’t want to take this beautiful love that He is blessing me with and make it ugly with my old behavior and attitudes. I want to be just as dazzling, precious, beautiful, loving and gentle as the portrait that God has painted of me.
I pray today and every day that God would continue refining me. Cleanse me Lord, fix the cracks, the imperfections, the blemishes and the stains. Make me new and beautiful each day Lord so that I may be a reflection of Your Glory for the world to see.
Luke 5:36-39 (The Message)
No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. And you don’t put wine in old, cracked bottles; you get strong, clean bottles for your fresh vintage wine. And no one who has ever tasted fine aged wine prefers unaged wine.
Lord, it is my prayer today and every day that I will never leave Your Presence the same way that I entered. May I never become so cold and unrepentant that I come near You and nothing changes or shifts in me. When I hear and read Your Word I pray that my mind would be renewed. When I sing Your praise I pray that my love and reverence for You would be deeply stirred. I also pray that being amongst Your people would always motivate me to become more like You.
The woman with the issue of blood in (Luke 8:43-48) had struggled with her sickness for 12 years and spent every dime she had trying to get a cure. Yet one glimpse of You and she knew her day of healing had come. She knew that one touch of Your garment would change her life forever. She had that much faith in the transforming power of Jesus that it caused her to reach out and touch Him so that she could be forever changed.
You told her that her faith made her well. Lord, I have faith today that no matter how broken and messed up I am, one touch from You will change my life. I am reaching out to You Lord with the expectancy that Your Holiness will touch that which is impure in me and make it clean.
Let us never go a day unchanged by the presence of God.
Philippians 3:10 (Amplified Bible)
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]
Dear Lord,
I come before You now thanking You for the work You are doing in me. Thank You for the reminders that no matter how good I think life is, there is still more in You. Your plans for me have only just begun; I have so much more growing to do and so much more to see.
Even as I write this, I am yearning for more of You: An alternate view of Your Glory, a different expression on Your face, a deeper look into Your character, a stronger impression of what is in Your heart. I don’t want to be comfortable with my knowledge of You. I want to become so intimate with You that nothing else could ever shake me. I want to know Your thoughts toward me so well that the opinions of others do not matter. I want to become so acquainted with Your Love that it just flows from You through me.
Wrapped in Your Love, I am safe from the trouble of the world. You gently navigate me through life and shield me from harm. The obstacles I face will only make me better because I am grounded in You.
Lord let me be satisfied in Your presence but never content with staying the same way. Thank You for pushing me to be all that You created me to be. As long as You want me to go, I will not stop!
Psalm 63:7-8 (New International Version)
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Can you see God in every season of your life? King Solomon of the Bible taught that there are seasons for everything:
1 There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
2-8 A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 (The Message)
This passage of Scripture tells me that we should expect all of the above to occur in life. We should not be surprised or dismayed when we encounter difficulties. Sometimes we will experience what feels like loss. Sometimes we will need to fight for what is right and other times we need to keep peace. We should expect life to come with changes and throughout all of those changes, we should seek to remain grounded in the Lord.
Instead of focusing on what seems bad in life, let us recognize the God in our situations. You may feel that you have been in this season for far too long but do You see how God is building you up in the process? Do you see how you have become stronger and wiser as a result of this season? Do you see how valuable your testimony is for others who need some hope?
God has the answers you need to make it through this season. Praise Him and thank Him for what He is imparting to you now. Ask God to make it plain what you need to learn at this time so that you can move forward.
Ecclesiastes 3:11-14 (New International Version)
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
What are you holding onto that is holding you back?
A wealthy man told Jesus that everything he had belonged to him since he was young. Jesus saw the grip that the man’s riches had over his life, told him to give it all up, take up the cross and follow Him. The man sadly walked away. He just could’nt part with those things, even if it meant trading it for eternal treasure and a place in God’s kingdom.
This passage made me think about the things that can stop us from allowing the kingdom of God to come in our lives. I don’t believe Jesus told the man to give away his wealth because there was something wrong with having those things. I believe the problem was in the stronghold that those things had over his heart and mind.
I may not have many material possessions, but if I am obsessed with gaining wealth, I cannot possibly be wholeheartedly commited to doing God’s will. If I am so attached to my ideas about what life should be, I am not open to the path that God has for me. If I am stuck on feelings of doubt, fear, insecurity or pride, it must go! No matter how long I may have felt this way, even if this is the only way I have ever known, I must yield these thoughts, feelings and attachments to the will of God.
Any thought or desire that has become bigger than what God desires for you, must go in Jesus’ Name! Give it up and open yourself to God’s perfect will. His plans for you are Good. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Mark 10:20-26 (New King James Version)
20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
With God All Things Are Possible
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
In this fast-paced society, people, (especially me) usually want what we want when we want it – in other words, “we want it done yesterday!” It took ten years for us to dig ourselves into the ditch we’re in, but we expect to be out of it as soon as we decide we are ready. We want express, drive-through service for everything, it seems.
I’m thankful that God is such a wise Father that He would not give in to our every whim. He knows that to hand us everything we want before we are ready would be a disaster waiting to happen.
As we submit ourselves to be changed by God into His image, the important thing to understand is that it is indeed a process. Is God able to transform a person overnight? Yes He is and He does miraculously transform individuals. However there is a process that we must all go through in order to continue to grow and mature spiritually.
Since none of us will ever be perfect, we will be in this process of transformation for our entire lifetime if we determine that we want to chase after God’s will for our lives. Give yourself some understanding while you are in the process. Your Father understands your struggles and He knows your pain. If you fall down and make a mistake, get up, ask for forgiveness and keep moving forward. Don’t be distracted by your tumble and stay down there. Keep moving and keep your eyes on Him, the shining example of what you are striving for. He is your Coach in the big race; He is running beside you to help you, He is on the sidelines cheering you on, and He is at the finish line, waiting with open arms.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (New King James Version)
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (The Message)
16-18Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
