Dream Big!!!

by Rick Warren

“Now glory be to God, by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of — infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.”Ephesians 3:20 (LB)

Faith is choosing and believing God’s dream for your life. Nothing starts happening in your life until you start dreaming. God gave you the ability to dream, to create, to imagine. Dreaming is an act of faith. Everything you see on this planet started as a dream.

So, how do you get God’s dream for your life? You do three things:

First, you dare to ask for it.Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now glory be to God, by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of — infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” (LB).
If you want God’s blessing on your life this year, you must dare to ask for it. You must say, “God, what’s your dream for my life? What do you want me to do?” Then you ask yourself, “What would I attempt for God if I knew I couldn’t fail?” Let that expand your vision.

Second, you believe God’s promises. The Bible says in Jeremiah 32:27, “I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” (NLT)
Never let an impossible situation intimidate you. Let it motivate you to pray more, believe more, trust more, experience more, learn more, and grow more. Faith always works in the realm of the impossible.
Hudson Taylor said there are three stages to God’s will in your life: impossible, possible, and done.

Third, you dream big. “Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” Psalm 2:8 (NIV).
The size of your God should determine the size of your goal. You haven’t really believed God until you’ve attempted something that can’t be done in the power of the flesh. If you want to know how big your dream should be, ask yourself two questions: How much time do you have to give to it? If it’s a dream you can give the rest of your life to, then you can really dream big.
Second, what are you shaped to do? What are your spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences — the five things that make you you. What do you love to do? What are you gifted to do?

Dream great dreams for God. It’s the first step in your walk of faith.

finally im penning down some thoughts. some years ago i learnt that it's fruitless to pen down depressing thoughts, because they are like a spiral that drags one down even further. even sharing of these with frens don't yield. yes, getting them off the chest does help tat tiny winy bit, and having someone to sulk with over these provides alot of comfort.. but.. but.. what's next? we are all out there alone to face these challenges in the end. 'alone' but not really alone, and yes, all that talk (and posts) on christianity..yada yada...works for me, and to each his own. if my sharing on these 'positives' doesnt comfort others anymore, whats the point of sharing? so, be it sharing of positives or negatives, it all came to a halt. sometimes even to the one closest. just enjoying the days of silence.. quietly.. with God and God alone. and it doesnt matter on days when i dont 'feel' Him that much.. it really doesnt matter. because it's in my own faith that He is always there for me, whether or not i need Him, whether or not i wish for.

 

but silence can get so nerve-wrecking at times. like there's something i should do.. or do more... mind against body...

 

the fight continues.

 

need to learn, to really REST in peace. in the current state and circumstances. even if on days when i read, the words don't feed my soul.. when i pray.. its blabbering out of routine.. when i sing/listen, its just another melody in my ears... i will persevere. with patience. to trust. in days ahead.

Look Again and Think

Do not worry about your life . . . —Matthew 6:25

A warning which needs to be repeated is that "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches," and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.

"I say to you, do not worry about your life . . . ." Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing-our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, "That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink." Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.

"Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, "What are your plans for next month— or next summer?" Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the "much more" of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).

Five Winning Choices

by Rick Warren

"Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come."2 Corinthians 5:17 (LB)

We learned yesterday that, ultimately, your identity is based on your choices. Here are five winning choices you can make that will help determine your destiny:

You can choose to get healthier. Instead of bemoaning the fact that you don't have an Olympic body, find ways to increase your energy, lower your stress, get more sleep, and have more power. Psalm 119:73 says, "Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands" (NIV). Improving the controllable factors in your life helps you reduce the impact of the uncontrollable factors.

You can choose to deepen relationships. The fear of rejection prevents connection, and the only way to get rid of fear is to do the thing you fear the most. Learn communication skills, replace bad relationships, and reach out risk connecting with someone. "Let love be your highest goal!" (1 Corinthians 14:1a NLT)

You can choose to trust God, no matter what happens. "I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises" (Psalm 34:1 LB). When you get to the point in your life where you can say, "I praise the Lord, no matter what happens," that is a confidence that you won't find anywhere in Hollywood, on Capitol Hill, or on Wall Street. That is a confidence built on a relationship with God!

You can choose what you think about. Throughout the 20th century, scientists believed the adult brain could not be changed. When the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner proved that you can rewire your brain, science finally caught up to the Bible: "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." (Romans 12:2 NLT). Your self is created by your memories, and your memories are created by your mental habits. Feed your brain with truth — God's Word.

You can choose Jesus as your Savior. I'm not just talking about Jesus saving you from your sins. I'm talking about letting Jesus be your Savior every day. Letting Jesus save you gives you the power to follow through on the choices you make. "Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come."2 Corinthians 5:17 (LB).
You get to choose how much God blesses your life; he is just waiting on you to use your wild card. It is never too late to change. When you make these five winning choices, God gives you a winning hand.

Pray this prayer today: "Dear God, there are some things you've dealt me and life has dealt me and others have dealt me that I don't like. But I thank you for the wild card. Thank you that you made me in your image and that I can make choices. Today, in your power and your strength, I choose to get healthier. I choose to do the things that will give me more energy and a healthier mind, body, and emotions. Lord, I choose to build healthy relationships. I'm scared to death, but I'm going to risk building new, healthy connections. I want love to be my highest goal; I want my life to be built on love.

"God, I choose to trust you, regardless of the circumstances. I will praise you, no matter what happens! I will trust that every detail of my life is being worked out for good. Lord, I choose what I will think about — no more junk. Help me to fill my life with positive memories and the Word of truth. Most of all, Jesus, I choose you as my Savior. I need your salvation, but I also need you to save me from myself. I need you to help me rewire my body, my heart, my mind, and my relationships so that the rest of my life is the best of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen."

You are what you think

Your Life Is Shaped By Your Thoughts

by Rick Warren

"Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." Romans 12:2a (NLT)

You cannot become all God created you to be until you understand the five factors that influence your identity. The first two are chemistry (how you are made) and connections (your relationships). You are a product of the way God created you and of the relationships in your life.

Your identity is also influenced by your circumstances and your consciousness.

Circumstances are the things that happen to you and around you — none of which you control. You are a product of the trauma, troubles, suffering, shame, shock, pressures, and pain that have shaped your life. Perhaps even abuse has affected your identity. If you've ever had a series of failures or a catastrophe, it has left an indelible mark on who you are.

Consciousness is how you talk to yourself. You know what? If you talked to your friends the way you talk to yourself, you probably wouldn't be friends anymore, because our thoughts are filled with the lies we've heard from other people that we've let simmer and fester. When we repeat other people's thoughts in our head, they go deeper and deeper in our consciousness, and they begin to shape our identity.

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts" (LB). Your thoughts don't have to be true to hurt you; you just have to believe them. If you tell yourself your marriage won't last, then it won't. If you're afraid you can't do something, then you won't. Your thoughts run your life!

Your circumstances may be out of your control, but God is in control of everything. Your thoughts shape who you are, but you can change the way you think. Your circumstances and consciousness have shaped who you are, but the way you respond to your circumstances and the thoughts you choose to believe will shape the rest of your life.

Talk It Over

What is your natural response to a difficult situation or circumstance? Do you run away or face it? Do you worry or trust God?
How do you need to change the way you think?
Who or what around you influences your thoughts in a negative way?

Sweet goodness

Been thru the ups and downs.. never had such extremes before in a frenship. And to this one, 3 cheers for the many years past present and future. Changes so far in our lives are good, very good indeed. Even the bad ones, we take away learnings.. so let them go..free ourselves..and.. needa learn to enjoy day by day.

With love..

Set not resolutions but goals

The Kind of Goals God Blesses

by Rick Warren

"I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something — not just the air." 1 Corinthians 9:26 (NCV)

Without goals you have no chance of a different 2014 than you experienced in 2013. The default in your life will always be more of the same. Long-term goals keep us from being discouraged by short-term setbacks.

We all have setbacks. I deal with them every day, but those setbacks won't slow you down if your focus is on something you're trying to achieve down the road. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 9:26, "I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something — not just the air" (NCV).

You don't want to spend 2014 hitting the air, so ask yourself the following questions:

What's your goal for your marriage?
What's your goal for your family?
What's your goal at work?
What's your goal in your spiritual development?

Without goals, you'll simply coast and never live the life God intends you to live. But goals alone aren't the answer. God doesn't appreciate every goal you set.

God blesses goals that:

Bring him honor: The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (NIV). You can do everything — other than sin — for the glory of God. If you've got the right motivation, anything can be done to his glory.

Are motivated by love: God is far more interested in why you're doing something than what you're actually doing. God won't bless a goal established because of fear, but he will bless a goal established because of love. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 16:14, "Do everything with love" (NLT). Your goal must either be an expression of love to God or people.

Fulfill one of his purposes for your life: God put you on Earth to do five things: bring God pleasure, be a part of his family, become like Christ, serve God, and share your life message. If your goals are part of fulfilling one of these purposes, God will bless them.

Are set in faith: Your goals must be big enough that they'll take God's help to fulfill. Instead of setting a goal of losing 10 pounds in 2014, why not decide to lose 50? You'll need to depend upon God for that one. The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6a (NIV).

Are achieved by God's power: You will not stick to your goals for 2014 without God's power. You won't get healthy on your own. You won't improve your marriage on your own. The goals that really matter in life can't be achieved without the power of God.

Take a look at your goals for 2014. Are they goals that will honor Jesus? If you don't have any goals, start today and create some.

What are some of the goals you've set for yourself in 2014?
Are the goals you've set for 2014 the kind that God blesses? Why or why not?
What do you want to be different about 2014 than last year?