Inspiration, Faith, life Coach, – Page 4

December 2, 2018March 18, 2019

RESILIENT

“When you use this, you will be younger and shinier”, said the persuasive salesman to the prospective customer. Wow! A lotion that will make me “Younger and Shinier”! I was almost pulled into the vortex of their conversation as I walked by. After all, who wouldn’t want to be “Younger and Shinier” by the mere application of this, miracle lotion! Thank God I came to my senses quickly and kept on walking! I have to admit though, that I admired this salesman’s commitment to his product.

Recently, I was reminded of this salesman’s claims of being made, “younger and shinier” by using his product, when the Lord brought the word, “Resilient” to me along with this scripture:

Psalm 34:5 (TPT);

“Gaze upon Him, join your life with His, and joy will come. Your face will glisten with Glory. You’ll never wear that shame face again”.

The Lord is clearly interested in us being made, “younger and shinier”, not through superficial means however but in a “Resilient” manner. He is letting us know, through His Word that when we look to Him we will literally, “Glisten with Glory”, from an inward joy because we have chosen to, “Gaze upon Him” and “join our life to His”. The results of this kind of total trust, love and commitment to The Lord? “You’ll never wear that shame face again”. Shame will age you, my friend, on the other hand, keeping our gaze upon Him, “The Author and Finisher of our faith”, (ref. Hebrews 12:2 (b) are rejuvenating!

The definition of the word Resilient is, “Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions”. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines Resilient this way, “Capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture”. Perhaps one of the most impacting descriptions of the word Resilient from The Merriam Webster Dictionary is this, “Implies the ability to recover shape quickly when deforming force or pressure is removed”

In Acts 14:19-20 (TPT) we witness an incredible event in the life of Paul the Apostle, one of the most “Resilient” men that ever lived:

“Some of the Jews who had opposed Paul and Barnabas in Antioch and Iconium arrived and stirred up the crowd against them. They stoned Paul and dragged his body outside the city and left him for dead.” “When the believers encircled Paul’s body, he miraculously stood up! Paul stood and immediately went back into the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe”.

Talk about “recovering quickly when deforming force or pressure is removed”! The Apostle Paul is the epitome of the word “Resilient” and we can learn a lot about being resilient from his life and testimony today. As a matter of fact, Paul reveals to us in his own words in 2nd Corinthians 4:8-10 (TPT) the cause and effect of a “Resilient” life.

“Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option”. “We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out”. “We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the Resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity”.

The Apostle Paul went through so much, yet he did not grow weaker, he grew stronger and more “resilient” as he learned to “lean not on his own understanding, but to acknowledge God in ALL of his ways”. Ref. Proverbs 3:5-6. ” You are more “Resilient” than you think! Just keep getting up no matter what the trial, test or challenge may be. Like the Apostle Paul, Jesus wants to reveal His Resurrection Life through your humanity! Continue to keep your gaze upon Him and you will, “never have to wear that shame face again”! Yes, my friend, your Resilient Best Is Here to Stay, because God through His Son Jesus Made The Way! As a matter of fact, don’t be surprised if you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror looking more,
“younger and shinier”every day!
Questions For Your “Resilient Glow”.

1. How quickly do you recover from offense and tribulation in your life?

2. How do you respond to offense and tribulation when it comes your way?

3. What can you do to improve in your relationship with others?

4. Is there some area of your life that you need to get up and just keep
going in?

August 12, 2018March 18, 2019

Fresh Oil

The car engine blew up and everything went into slow motion. With angry flames shooting from under the car’s hood reaching for the sky, I glanced over at my friend riding with me, the look of surprise, shock, and horror on her face told the whole story. Suddenly a white pick-up truck appeared on my left and the driver started motioning for me to pull over to the side of the road.

We were in the middle of a miracle and didn’t even know it!

Psalm 91:11 (TPT) says it this way: “God sends Angels with special orders to protect you wherever you go, defending you from all harm”.

To this day I can’t tell you how the flames stopped, the name of the guy, the (Angel), who I really believe helped us, or how I was able to calmly park my car on the side of the road. What I do remember is a young guy around my age walking over to the car, he asked us where we were going and I told him, he then said that he was going to that exact same area which was a good four hours drive from where we were at that moment! He then asked us if we wanted to get in the truck and that he would take us to wherever we needed to be, and that my car would be okay where we left it.

In a daze, my friend and I followed his instructions and got in the pick-up truck, the rest of the ride was a blur. However, I do remember him offering some insight and feedback on the car. He said that the car engine probably blew up from a lack of proper oil changes….I don’t remember EVER taking that car in for an oil change! I SHOULD have known better!

The moral of this true story? My car needed to have had regular, “oil changes” in order for the engine not to blow up and put me and my friend’s life in danger. So it is with our walk with The Lord, without “His Anointing”, “His Fresh Oil”, The “Holy Spirit” CONTINUALLY empowering us, our lives can explode into an angry blaze of, “self-effort” and “self-preservation”. Only to end in the smoldering ruins of “dead works” and “lifeless idols”.

How do we avoid this spiritual crash and burn? The answer can be found in,

Psalm 92:10 (TPT): “Your Anointing has made me strong and mighty. You’ve empowered my life for triumph by pouring fresh oil over me.”

There are several important points that God provides for us in this scripture that will keep our lives well oiled and running smoothly here on earth.

First of all, it is the recognition that it is “His Anointing” not our own human efforts that provide us with the strength and might that we need in order to run our race well.

Secondly, our lives are empowered for triumph by a continuous flow of “Fresh Oil”, a conscious continual yielding of our live’s to The Holy Spirit’s guidance on a daily basis. This permits Him to cleanse us, heal us, correct us, strengthen us and as I learned the hard way, protect us in our life’s journey as we abide in His Presence.

Thirdly notice that the Psalmist says that “fresh oil” is poured OVER us. My friend we are not just sprinkled with His Anointing we are Drenched and Saturated with Him as we yield to the ongoing leadership of The Holy Spirit in our lives! King David gives us a beautiful illustration of this truth in,

Psalm 23:5-6 (AMP), “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.” “Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days The House of The Lord [and His Presence} shall be my dwelling place.”

This Mighty Child of The Most-High God is how we can, “Be Strong and Live Free….Boldly For Him”!

Is It Time For “FRESH OIL”? Let’s do a systems check and find out.

1. Do you have the motivation and strength to carry on?
2. Are you easily provoked to anger and impatient with those around you, even total strangers?
3. When was the last time that you really enjoyed “The Presence of The Lord”, and sensed “His Pleasure” in you as His beloved son or daughter?
4. Are you allowing, “The Joy of The Lord to be your Strength and Stronghold”? Ref. Nehemiah 8:10.

June 10, 2018March 18, 2019

HighSight

I can remember so many times growing up my mom telling me to have “foresight,” to think about my actions and what the repercussions of those actions would be.

As a Born Again child of God, we can now, “exercise foresight” as the Bible tells us in Hebrews 12:15 (AMP):

“Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual Blessing) in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it.”

I now have the privilege along with you, if you have made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, to exercise “HIGHSIGHT,” a term that the Lord revealed to me several years ago as I was sitting in a business meeting and listening to the conversation taking place around me. As I prayed and asked the Lord about the term “HIGHSIGHT,” He immediately led me to Ephesians 2:6 (AMP):

“And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together {giving us joint seating with Him] in the Heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, The Anointed One.)”

What the Lord revealed to me is that the term, “HIGHSIGHT” refers to our ability to see clearly from the vantage point of our joint seating with Him in the Heavenly Sphere! Glory to God!

When we as Believers in Christ Jesus rest in this seated position with Him, we will be able to clearly see with laser accuracy the landscape of our live’s from Heaven’s perspective. Think about what it is like to look out of an airplane window. From your seat on the plane you can look down upon the geography of the landscape below and see everything within that terrain from cities, houses, pools, cars, parking lots etc. and even people depending on the altitude of the plane.

From your Heavenly Seat with God, (and there is no Higher Altitude than this), His perspective for your life comes into full view and you will be able to clearly see with your “Spiritual Eyes”…. your ”Kingdom Eyes,” the path that God has already “Planned Beforehand” for your life here on Earth. Ephesians 2:10 (AMP) illuminates this truth for us:

“For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His Workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, {Born Anew} that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He pre-arranged and made ready for us to live.]”

By exercising “HIGHSIGHT” from our seated position with God in the Heavenly Sphere, we develop through the intimacy of the Holy Spirit our, “Kingdom Eyes”. As all of our senses both spiritually and naturally are awakened to His Presence, we become consciously aware that He is actively leading and guiding us throughout our days, weeks, months and years on earth.

Romans 8:14 (AMP) is a beautiful description of this truth: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

As children of The Most High God, let us daily take our seated position with Him in the Heavenly Sphere utilizing the, “HIGHSIGHT” those “Kingdom Eyes” that perfect vision of Heaven that God has given us access to:

“Press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and Heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.” Philippians 3:14 (AMP)!

Key Questions for Kingdom Seers:

1.) What do you see when God speaks to your heart?

2.) Are you experiencing clear vision, double vision, blurry vision or no vision in your walk with The Lord?

3.) If your Spiritual sight is impaired, what could be the “spiritual cataracts” that are keeping you from seeing properly?