"Don’t Give Place To Envy"

26, May 2017

"Don’t Give Place To Envy"

‘Lord … You guard all that is mine.’ Psalm 16:5 NLT

Have you allowed envy to form a ‘stronghold’ in your life?  Do you find yourself avoiding or feeling resentful of certain people because of their success? The Bible says, ‘Envy rots the bones’ (Proverbs 14:30 NIV) ... and the New Living Translation paraphrases it this way: ‘Jealousy is like cancer in the bones'.

If you find yourself constantly criticizing someone and craving what they have, read these words and think about their implications for you and your family carefully and prayerfully:  ‘I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen’ (Jeremiah 29:11–12 TLB).

In essence, envy says to God, ‘You made a mistake when You made me like I am.  I want to be like that other person, and have what they have’!  No, God has a unique calling and destiny for you.  So instead of giving place to envy, let it motivate you to become the best possible ‘you’—the person God intended you to be.

If you’re fighting a losing battle with envy, here’s a prescription from God’s Word you need to take every day:  ‘Lord, You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.  You guard all that is mine. The land You have given me is a pleasant land.  What a wonderful inheritance!  I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.  I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.  No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice' (Psalm 16:5–9 NLT).

"Walk In The Light"

24, February 2017

"Walk In The Light"

‘If we walk in the light … the blood of Jesus …purifies us from all sin.’ 1 John 1:7 NIV

Twice in Scripture God spoke into our darkness.  In Genesis chapter one He said, ‘Let there be lights’ (Genesis 1:14 NIV).  And in John chapter three Jesus declared, ‘Light has come into the world’ (John 3:19 NIV).

To walk with God you must reject the ways of darkness and walk in the light.  Fungus grows best in the dark, but when you turn on the light it withers and dies. This is more than a metaphor—it’s a spiritual fact of life!  Jesus said, ‘People loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil’ (John 3:19 NIV).  As Ester Nicholson says, ‘Secrets keep us sick. They keep us in shame and uncertainty’.

Secrecy is the ideal environment for sin to grow until ultimately you’re taken captive by thoughts, deeds, and habits.  And staying in darkness intensifies your cycle of secrecy and slavery to sin.  ‘If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth' (1 John 1:6 NIV).

Once you step into the light everything changes!  So confess your secret sins to God, and, if necessary, to a trusted friend or counsellor who can pray with you.  Then through God’s strength reclaim your power to overcome sin and live victoriously.  Once you’ve turned on the light, the fungus begins to wither.  Its grip loosens, and freedom dawns.

Each time sin comes knocking at your door bring it into the light immediately.  When you do, cleansing and fellowship with God will be yours. The Bible says, ‘If we walk in the light …we have fellowship … and the blood of Jesus … purifies us from all sin'.

God is (Part 3)

03, October 2016

‘God Is’ (Part #3)

‘The Lord is … the Creator of … the earth.’ Isaiah 40:28 NIV

Contrary to what we’ve been led to believe, science and Scripture aren’t necessarily opposed.  The ranks of Bible-believing scientists have grown rapidly since the discovery of quantum physics, which demonstrates the amazing symmetry and order that make up the universe.  Did you know that one of the most brilliant scientific books of our time was written by no less than sixty notable scientists, including twenty-four Nobel Prize winners?  The book’s title is Cosmos, Bios, Theos, which means Universe, Life, and God.  And one of the contributing authors, Yale physicist Professor Henry Margenau, concludes, ‘There’s only one convincing answer’ for the intricate laws that exist in nature.  And what does this brilliant man think it is?  Evolution?  Coincidence? Happenstance?  No! Margenau believes that ‘creation is by an omnipotent omniscient God.’

So to believe in God is to believe in science… and the infallible Word of God. The Bible says: ‘The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth … He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak … those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’ (Isaiah 40:28–31 NIV)

That means through prayer you can tap into the greatest power and most loving care in the universe.  Amazing!  How you face each day depends on Who you’re looking to.  So look to God.  Put your trust in Him.  ‘Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed’ (Proverbs 16:3 NIV).

‘God Is’ (Part #2)

02, October 2016

‘Lift your eyes … to the heavens; Who created all these?’ Isaiah 40:26 NIV

Many of the world’s greatest thinkers believe that God not only exists, but that He created the universe and its inhabitants. So the next time someone tells you that only simple, uneducated people believe in God—don’t buy it.

Dr. Robert Jastrow, founder and director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies at NASA, writes in his blockbuster book, God and the Astronomers: ‘The astronomical evidence supports the Biblical view of the origin of the world … The details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and Biblical accounts of Genesis are the same … Science has proved that the universe exploded into being at a certain moment … What cause produced this effect?  Who or what put the matter or energy into the universe?  Science cannot answer these questions … and for the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream.  He has scaled the mountain of ignorance … is about to conquer the highest peak, and as he pulls himself over the final rock he’s greeted by a band of theologians who’ve been sitting there for centuries'. Pierre-Simon Laplace, another of the world’s great astronomers, said that the chances of a universe coming into existence without a Creator were like the chances of a set of writing implements being thrown randomly against parchment and producing Homer’s Iliad.

The evidence for God as opposed to the evidence against Him as the creator of this universe approaches infinity to one.  It can’t even be measured.  So rejoice: ‘God is’.  He’s accessible and available, if you’ll just take time to pray and invite Him into your life

‘Be an Esther’

26, September 2016

‘These things happened to them as examples for us.’ 1 Corinthians 10:11 NLT

It’s a mistake to think the great achievers in the Bible were somehow different from us and say, ‘In my situation, a life like that isn’t possible.’

Esther’s freedom was taken from her because of her beauty, a pagan king made her one of his wives. Talk about feeling out of place!  But no place is out of place when you’re in the place God wants you to be!  When Haman plotted to have the Jews exterminated, Esther was strategically positioned by God to save them.  She discovered her life’s purpose when her uncle Mordecai told her she had ‘come to the kingdom for such a time as this’ (Esther 4:14 NKJV).  And what was her response?  ‘I will go to the king [on behalf of my people] …and if I perish, I perish’ (Esther 4:16 NKJV)! But instead of perishing, she prevailed!

So what can we learn from Esther?

(1) When you first start out, God won’t give you all the details. That doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a plan. It’s in seeking Him that you discover His plan and draw on His strength.
(2) Knowledge is power. Whether you’re a slave or a sovereign, when you know God has called you, it enables you to overcome each obstacle as it arises.
(3) Knowing God’s in control gives you boldness. When Esther said, ‘If I perish, I perish,’ she was simply putting herself into God’s hands, knowing that even death can be faced with confidence when you trust Him. Not only does God have a place for you here on earth, He has an even better one for you in Heaven.  And that puts you in the ultimate win-win situation.
I love the stories of the Bible.  I find them to be most helpful in business and publish one every day before I get going.

I am by no means Religious but I am Spiritual.

RPH

Hip Hop Motivational

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