Take control of your thoughts

Proverbs 23: 7 “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Taking control of my thoughts has been a daily thing lately in my own life. In the past I have been so reactive and allowed people to upset me. The best part is that when I realize someone is taking up my thoughts I push them out immediately. I don’t see the use of constantly worrying about what they think of me, or whether I offended them or not. These thoughts are useless and not necessary they don’t help me grow in any way.

I want to improve my thought life and am constantly reading and focusing on God’s word. I want to grow spiritually and the word (the Bible) is my focus point.

Something that struck me was a German proverb which says: “Better an empty purse than an empty head.” Now more than ever I am constantly thinking about things, looking at how I can improve myself and become a better thinker.

I am constantly thinking ahead and I believe with foresight I might be able to change things. I don’t want to be left in the lurch. It has always been my policy to look for the best in people and not the worst.

Prayer

Lord God Almighty, I AM WHO I AM, today I want to humbly pray help me to focus on this principle in my own life. LORD I want to learn to think on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – I want to think about such things.” Please help me LORD in renewing my thought life, because I want to become more like YOU. In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen

The Names of God #I_AM_WHO_I_AM

Exodus 3: 13-15 ESV “Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: “I AM has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: “The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.” This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered through all generations.”

Today we are focusing on the Jehovah’s names. The name of the Independent and self-complete being is “I AM WHO I AM” – this name only belongs to God.

I wonder whether we truly understand God and if we truly worship Him the way we should when we hear this awesome name do we actually fall down in fear and awe of WHO God truly is? Let’s be honest now days we have become too familiar with God, He is the Old man upstairs and He is the Creator.

LORD I am trying in my own way to come and worship YOU. I want to make it know that I love and adore YOU. I dedicate my life into YOUR hands. You LORD are the One who created the earth and everything in it. YOU create man and woman. YOU are the ONE who sustains us and I want to bring YOU praise. 

LORD I love and adore YOU. I want to come before YOU in humility and worship YOU. Thank YOU LORD for this day. Thank YOU LORD for answered prayers. THANK YOU LORD for giving me this opportunity to praise YOUR HOLY NAME. 

HOLY HOLY HOLY is YOU LORD GOD Almighty. LORD “I AM WHO I AM” I praise YOUR HOLY Name.

Prayer

I AM WHO I AM, thank You that I am able to come to YOU. I want to bring YOU praise and thank YOU for this day. You are in control of my life and I want to pray for family and friends. Protect each person I love dearly and watch over each one of us today. Bless YOU LORD I worship and adore YOU. You are my All and All. In the Holy name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen

#God is #Omniscient.

Psalm 139: 1 – 4 O LORD, you have searched me and know me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up: you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, beholding, O LORD, you know it altogether.”

As we sit down and think about this scripture and what it means I want to remind you today to keep in mind God know everything.  The meaning of Omniscient is “Omni” means “all” and “scient” means “knowing.”

This idea that God know all is comforting to me as it reassures me that God know when I am struggling and when I call out to Him in prayer He knows what my issues are.

I keep reminding my kids that God knows where you stay, God knows your name, God knows what you were doing and is always watching. Because God knows all I can come to Him and confess what I did wrong and ask Him to forgive me. He knows the motives and thoughts I have and knows when I am genuine and will help me.

Prayer

LORD please forgives me today if I have offended you in anyway. I am not perfect and my thoughts aren’t perfect either. I miss the plot many times and I seem to trample on peoples toes too often. I also think that I just don’t always fit in but by your grace I am still around. Help me with my problems of self-excepting and show me the way forward. In the holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

What is your foundational identity?

Romans 9: 25 “As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call “My people,” and her who was not beloved I will call “beloved.””

As I reflect on this message for today I want to share something with you. One of my Pastor friends came and said that they wanted to pray with me.  Placing a red blanket over my shoulders and as she walked away I read the scripture that was embroidered into the blanket. “an who was not beloved I will call “beloved.”” 

Truth be told at that time in my life I was down and out and I felt so betrayed and hurt but the one thing I realized is God is always watching. He knows my story and He saw my checkered past, all my flops, my hurts and my painful history and all my deep flaws. The thing is God still loves me. I cannot change what I did in the past, I cannot make things right and I am who I am because of my past.

I believe that God is working in me each and every day. Life isn’t always a bed of roses and there are some thorns. Pricking me every now and then, which drives me in sane at time. Keeping me humble and keeping me real.

As to what my foundational identity is, I believe I am in the Lord Jesus Christ and as a Christian I find my foundation identity in Christ. I believe the Lord Jesus Christ loved me so much that I am part of Him right now.

Prayer

Lord God I am nothing if I am not part of You. I am born again through the Lord Jesus Christ and there is no other way forward in my life. I find my identity in You Lord, help me bear the right fruit. In Jesus Christs Name, Amen.

Who do you give the #right_to_speak_into_your_life?

1 Corinthians 2: 13 – 14 “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man received not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.”

I took a decision a very long time ago and I still stand by it. I do not allow people to speak negatively into my life. I recently experience something negative and I took a decision to cut the person off. I feel that it was uncalled for and that I was being targeted. I decided to move on with my life and not be influenced by this person at all.

People do things to justify themselves and project things on to us. We need to discern the situation and pray about it. I prayed and moved away from this person. It is clear they didn’t know me and also do not understand me.

I check out people, I listen to what they say and how they treat people in general, form this I can make a decision on whether I want to trust them or not.  I do not allow people to just touch me and pray for me. I need to be sure they are legit. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus You know me better than most people, You know my heart and understand my thinking. Please forgive me if I have offended anybody, help me to be a shining light for people and give me the wisdom to teach and preach as You want me to, in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Do yOu loVe #yOuRsElF?

Matthew 22: 37 – 39 TLB

Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.”

The love question; is something that I want to avoid most of the time, it’s so easy to say “I love you” to my husband and kids but when it comes to myself, I avoid that immediately. Because of my bad self-esteem I struggle with loving myself. I am constantly weighting myself and checking my weight, I am constantly worried about my appearance. My self-esteem is very low and it’s difficult for me to accept myself just the way that I am.

I do realize that God wants us to love Him and our neighbors and me. My sister-in-law said that I need to relax a little bit and not be so hard on myself. I should think about forgiving myself and stop keeping myself in prison. She said try and release my true self from this prison in which I have placed myself.

With these facts in my hand I now actually need to consider how I can begin to love myself better today? I think by accepting myself. I confess my sin of not forgiving myself. Lord God forgive me I forgive myself.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I have come to realize that I have been keeping myself in prison and that I have not been more forgiving towards myself. I have held myself captive for far too long and I am humbly confessing my sinful nature. I forgive myself and set myself free. Lord I come into Your presence asking forgive me, teach me to understand who I am, where I am and what it is You want me to learn and understand. Give me the necessary understanding, wisdom and insight for today. I love You Lord teach me to love myself too. In the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.