No Options!

the liberator by dbking

Few weeks ago pastor Susan Allen taught a lesson on "Beating the Odds". My apologies in advance for my almost plaigiaristic post.

In the information age it is so easy to stumble over statistics, facts and figures. The odds are that a certain percentage of people will develop cancer, get the flu this season, die in a car accident, get divorced, etc. We live with an almost constant stream of negative programming from the entertainment industry, from.the medical community, law enforcement officials, the news media, even well-meaning friends and family are eager to tell us what the odds are that we cannot succeed, and they usually let us know that the odds are stacked against us. 

How do we tip the scales in our favor? 

Why?

Tears are tasteless by magyarsh

In the blink of an eye, everything can change. Often, we look at the things that happen in our lives and the lives of others, and inevitably someone asks the question...

"Why?"

Take No Thought

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking though can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin; And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to  morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knowest that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."~Matthew 6: 25-34

Take no thought... It's important to realize what Jesus is saying here. He isn't telling us not to think ahead, he isn't telling us not to plan for the future. The word "thought" in this passage is the Greek word merimnaō which means to be anxious about, or worry. What Jesus is telling us is that God has my back, he's watching over me, he will provide for me, he is my Jehovah Jireh.

God of Abundance

"Overflowing Hospitality" PhotosByDavid under Creative Commons License

I am a God of abundance. I will never run out of resources; My capacity to bless you is unlimited. You have access to as much of Me as you have faith to receive. Rejoice in My abundance--living by faith, not by sight.

~Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

It is so easy to lose our perspective when we take our eyes off of God and look at our circumstances instead. We get caught up in what we see and, while those are facts, those things exist, they are not Truth. 

And, the real problem is that what we concentrate on, what we look at, what we think about, tends to grow. So, if you are worried about a lack of finances and concentrating on that, you are, in effect, watering that plant of lack so that it will grow.

Lessons from the Past

2012: A Year of Thanksgiving and Praise

Day 16: Today, I'm Thankful for Lessons of the Past

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day. The banks and post offices were closed. Some offices were closed. But many of us went to work just like any other day.

I was a young girl when Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed. It was a brutal, deadly time in American History. It seemed we went from one tragedy to another.

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 2, 1963.
Lee Harvey Oswald was killed on national television 22 days later, November 24, 1963.
Bobby Kennedy was killed on June 5, 1968.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated only 5 days later, June 10, 1968.

It was a lot for a small child to take in.

Songs of Praise

2012: A Year of Thanksgiving and Praise

Day 8: I'm Thankful for Songs of Praise

I love music. I guess I always have. And I love to sing. Ever since I can remember, I sang in church. Even as a little girl, I sang in groups, or in duets, or by myself.

I used to like just about all kinds of music, but as I've grown older, I've pretty much narrowed my musical preference down to one genre:  praise and worship.

I still sing in the choir, if I'm not running projector. Either way, I love to participate in that very special -- and important -- part of the worship service.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Have you ever noticed that the things you believe in you usually also feel strongly about? They are tied to an emotion, either good or bad. 

You know the old saying, never discuss religion or politics. Why not? Because generally speaking, people have strong feelings about those subjects and discussions frequently turn into arguments that have bee known to tear apart family and friends.


So, what does this have to do with faith? 


I think that often our emotions give us a big clue as to whether or not we really believe, or have faith in, what we profess (or confess). 

Facing (and Fearing)

"Greatness appeals to the future. If I can be firm enough to-day to do right, and scorn eyes, I must have done so much right before as to defend me now. Be it how it will, do right now. Always scorn appearances, and you always may." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Kind of an awkward quote by Emerson... not one of my favorites.]

#Trust30 Day 19 Assignment: Facing (and Fearing) by Dan Andrews

[My initial thought was, fear again??? There must be a LOT of fearful people out there for so many of the prompts to deal with this topic.]

Trusting intuition and making decisions based on it is the most important activity of the creative artist and entrepreneur. 

Fear

"These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 12 Assignment: Fear by Lachlan Cotter

I'm really struggling with yet another prompt on fear.

Frankly, I just don't see myself as being that fearful.  I already dealt with the psychological, subtle fears having to do with self-esteem.

Now Lachlan Cotter asks: Is fear holding you back from living your fullest life and being truly self expressed?

Afraid to Do

“The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 9 Assignment by Mary Jaksch

Emerson says: “Always do what you are afraid to do.” What is ‘too scary’ to write about? Try doing it now.

The Effect of Worry on Faith

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
  -- Matthew 6:25

What was Jesus saying?  Was he telling us to live our lives without thought? To just go about our days without planning or thinking about what we are doing?  No, the word "thought" in this scripture is the Greek word merimnao which means "to be anxious about".

What Level Of Faith Do You Operate In?

I originally published this article on Ezinearticles.com in October of 2007.  But, I thought it was worth re-posting here.  I hope you agree.

Romans 12:3 tells us that God has given to every man the measure of faith. What is the measure of faith? I believe the measure of faith is the Bible, God's word spoken to us. We are told that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It is important to note that faith comes by "hearing" not by "having heard".

Merry Christmas

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." 
     -- Luke 2:10-11

Wow!  What amazing things could happen in our lives if we would continue to stand on these words today.  What was the first thing the angel  told the shepherd?  "Do not be afraid"!  This command is still valid today. We are charged to not be afraid. Fear is faith in reverse.  Fear opens the door to our enemy.

Faith: How Do I Get It?

...God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
     --Romans 12:3

So, if God has given everyone the measure of faith, why are there differing amounts of faith?  Even in scripture, there are three types of faith referred to:  no faith, little faith and great faith. What is the measure of faith that the Apostle Paul is talking about?

Faith: What is it Anyway?

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

     -- Hebrews 11:1

So, what can we see about faith in this verse?

First, faith is now.  It says "Now faith is".  There is some debate over whether or not the word "now" was actually in the original Greek text.  So, let's say that it wasn't.  That leaves us with "Faith is..." The last time I checked, the word "is" is present tense. So, even without the word "now" faith is still obviously rooted in the present.

Why is this important? Because a lot of people believe that God will fulfill their needs and desires some day -- even if it's only in the sweet by and by. So, here's our problem: if we believe that God will answer our prayers at some point in the future, then when we use our faith to pray, we are putting the answer off into the future.

Let me see if I can explain this a little better. If you believe that tomorrow God will answer your prayer, and tomorrow never comes (because it's always today), then when will you receive your answer?

If this is still a bit muddy, take a look at this scripture from Mark:

We Walk By Faith

For we walk by faith, not by sight.
-- 2 Corinthians 5:7

Or, at least, we're supposed to. But, sometimes it seems like that's easier said than done. I know the Bible says that Jesus died to redeem me from the curse. (the curse being three-fold 1) spiritual death, 2) sickness & disease, and 3) poverty. But, when I'm in the midst of those last two, sometimes it's easy to forget that I've been redeemed and to believe instead what my sight or senses tell me rather than to rely on God's Word. After all, seeing is believing, right?

How do I walk by faith when the world and my circumstances are screaming the exact opposite of what God's Word says?