Overlooking Offenses

Did you know that when you allow someone else’s words or actions to upset you, you’re allowing them to control you? When you say, “You make me so mad,” you’re really just admitting that their actions have power over you. As long as that person knows they can push your buttons, as long as you keep responding the same way, you are giving them exactly what they want. Sure, people have a right to say and do things that are upsetting, but we also have a right to not get offended. We have a right to overlook their actions.In fact, the Bible says that it’s an honor for a man keep “aloof” from strife. In other words, we have to remove ourselves, either physically or emotionally, from strife and offense. It’s not easy, but we can choose to let it roll off of us like water off a duck’s back! Remember, you don’t need everyone to agree with you all the time. You don’t have to have the approval of others in order to be approved by God. You’re job is to be the person God made you to be, so overlook offenses and strife so you can live in peace and victory all the days of your life!

Pastor Francine Hannah

Stir up your dreams

Do you need some freshness in your life today? It’s probably time to stir up what God has placed on the inside of you. It’s time to stir up those gifts, stir up those dreams, stir up those talents inside. Start stretching yourself. You are meant to dream and to pursue the desires God has placed in your heart. The Scripture tells us that without vision, people perish. If you don’t have a dream, you’re not really living the way God intends. You’re merely existing.

Maybe at one time you had a dream, but you went through some disappointments or setbacks. Things didn’t turn out the way you planned. But here’s a key: when one dream dies, dream another dream. Just because it didn’t work out the way you had it planned doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have another plan. You cannot allow one disappointment or even a series of disappointments to convince you that your dream is over. It’s time to dig your heals in and hold on to the promises in your heart. As you stir up those God-given dreams and desires, He’ll pour out His favor and blessings and fulfill every desire in your heart!

Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote

Our prayers are always answered, but often God, or the Universe, knows what is best for us better than we do. Sometimes we are very sure that we know what we want, and what we want seems very important to us. Later in life, however, often we look back at those desires and wonder why they seemed so important at the time, or question why we wanted them at all. For example, in high school there may have been a boy or girl that we would have given anything to date. If only I could be Johnny's girl friend or Sally's boy friend. Later we look at Johnny's face on a wanted poster or hear about how Sally's life turned out and wonder what we ever could have been thinking.

Consider the distinction between affluence and riches. Affluence is a state of mind. I can perceive affluence regardless of my external circumstances. The Universe responds favorably when I request affluence. I receive the feeling of having everything I need. Sometimes I actually receive earthly riches. Always, I receive a satisfied feeling with whatever the Universe deems is best for me. Whether I receive financial gain or not, I truly receive affluence.

Whenever you turn to the power of prayer or to the "Law of Attraction" or to the power of intention, consider making your request more general and less specific. Ask for health, inner peace, love, and affluence, rather than asking for fewer wrinkles, a trip to Hawaii, a hot date, or a new car.

Jonathan Lockwood Huiejlh@sail7.com727-421-3146Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote

Rick Warren's Interview

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren,

Rick said:People ask me, What is the purpose of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity.
We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy..We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for..

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before.

I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease..So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back.

It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism?
Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do...That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

THE GREATEST ADVICE -Rick Warren,
The Purpose Driven Life

Don't date because you are desperate.

Don't marry because you are miserable.

Don't have kids because you think your genes are superior.

Don't philander because you think you are irresistible.

Don't associate with people you can't trust.

Don't cheat. Don't lie. Don't pretend.

Don't dictate because you are smarter.

Don't demand because you are stronger.

Don't sleep around because you think you are old enough & know better.

Don't hurt your kids because loving them is harder.

Don't sell yourself, your family, or your ideals.

Don't stagnate! Don't regress. Don't live in the past.

Time can't bring anything or anyone back.

Don't put your life on hold for possibly Mr./Mrs. Right.

Don't throw your life away on absolutely Mr. / Mrs. Wrong because your biological clock is ticking.

Learn a new skill Find a new friend. Start a new career.

Sometimes, there is no race to be won, only a price to be paid for some of life's more hasty decisions.

To terminate your loneliness, reach out to the homeless.

To feed your nurturing instincts, care for the needy.

To fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy.
Don't bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons.

To make yourself happy, pursue your passions & be the best of what you can be.

Simplify your life. Take away the clutter.

Get rid of destructive elements: abusive friends, nasty habits, and dangerous liaisons.

Don't abandon your responsibilities but don't overdose on duty.

Don't live life recklessly without thought and feeling for your family.

Be true to yourself. Don't commit when you are not ready.

Don't keep others waiting needlessly. Go on that trip.

Don't postpone it. Say those words. Don't let the moment pass.

Do what you have to, even at society's scorn. Write poetry.

Love Deeply. Walk barefoot. Dance with wild abandon.

Cry at the movies. Take care of yourself.

Don't wait for someone to take care of you.

You light up your life. You drive yourself to your destination.

No one completes you - except YOU. It isn't true that life does not get easier with age.

It only gets more challenging.

Don't be afraid. Don't lose your capacity to love.

Pursue your passions. Live your dreams.

Don't lose faith in God. Don't grow old. Just grow YOU!
When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back.

Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give to someone is your time. Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is T-I-M-E because the essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves.

Trust No One

It may seem cynical to say, "Trust No One," but it can actually be a reassuring and positive thought. I am not presuming that others wish you harm. A few may and most don't, but that's not the issue here. For the purpose of this discussion, let's assume that everyone has honorable intentions, and is not doing anything self-serving. Let's further assume that they have your best interest at heart and are volunteering to help you with no consideration of benefit to themselves. This is a bit of a stretch, but it sets the stage for the real point.

In their most generous moments, people are attempting to provide you with what they think is best for you. That's a problem. Have you ever been happily curled up on the couch on a Saturday afternoon when there was a knock on your door and several cheerful and enthusiastic people offered to show you their way to achieve salvation? They sincerely believe that they know what is best for you. Apply this thought to everyone in your life from the life insurance salesman to your mother. Under the best of circumstances, they sincerely want to provide you with the advice that they believe will enable you to live the life that they think you should. Disregarding any doubts of their sincerity and ability, the question becomes whether you choose to live the life someone else wishes for you.

It is impossible for anyone to advise you on anything without presuming that they know what you should want. For example, this article is prompted by my belief that you should want to make your own decisions about your life. But don't trust me on that, it's your life.
Don't decide who to trust, decide which ideas to trust.

Jonathan Lockwood Huie
jlh@sail7.com
Inspiration - Daily Quote

People

To get through life we all need people, some more than others, just as long as you remember that these people are in your life for a reason and or a season. So when they decide to go, please do not waste time trying to hold on to them. Instead just think of the reason why you met them and has meeting them being a positive experience, if it has, then their work is done and they must move on to the next needy person. I believe in earthly angels, and when I do run into them, I know it right away and I cherish these people. I love them and let them love me back knowing that when they go I will never be the same again. If in fact I did learn anything, It can only make me a better person with the ability to "pay it forward"

One Love<3

"Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 ).

In this day and age, our culture has become so accustomed to having constant activity going on; computers, cell phones, television, email, video games. And there’s nothing wrong with that stuff but sometimes, we have to stop and be still so we can focus on knowing God. This is especially true during the difficult times in life. When you are facing a challenge, it’s easy to want to run to a friend or talk about it with a neighbor, but at some point, you have to stop and say, “God, I rest in You. I know You have me in the palm of Your hand.”

Remember, our battles are spiritual battles. The people in your life aren’t your enemy, the forces of darkness are. When you choose to be still and know that the Greater One lives on the inside of you, you are saying to the whole world, “I trust God. He is my Defender.” When you choose to believe in Him you will enter into His rest. Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord. As you are still before Him, You will see His hand of victory and blessing in every area of your life!
Thank you Pastor Fran

So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step." (1 Corinthians 9:26)

When you're living according to your purpose, there's nothing in this world that can stop you. You can develop a vision of victory in your life knowing that God can handle anything that comes your way. The Bible says that "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." Simply shake off anything that the enemy throws at you and don't let it hinder or bother you. Lift your eyes to God - when you magnify him, the obstacles in your life will become so much smaller.

What's ur purpose?

Greetings, >
In the words of my loving pastor, I will take this moment to share some thoughts with you.

Purpose is what gives life meaning. Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. Purpose open doors of awareness and provide insight concerning our specific mission in life. You'll find that once you are working in harmony with your true purpose, your life will unfold in seemingly miraculous ways. You will finally discover what it means to live a life of Abundance and Happiness. > Until We Meet Again,

Hi there

I new to this whole blogging thing but I know it is a forum where one can say whatever is on their mind, without giving a second thought as to how it makes you feel (hopefully better).