Month: January 2013

“Dream Big!”

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“And Joseph dreamed a dream . . .” Genesis 37:5

There I am, floating like a ballerina in mid-air. Or, I’m running in the woods. Sometimes I am facing dinosaurs. Or, I am defeating a foe. And yes, the ultimate, most embarrassing of them all, standing in front of the classroom not dressed up to par. These are some of the dreams I have dreamt over the years. (The ballerina one was sedation-induced for dental procedures when I was a kid, but it was a dream nonetheless.) I am glad that most of these weird visions of the mind have not come true. Let’s face it, I really don’t have the stamina to outrun a great T-Rex, chasing me up and down the steps of my house after ripping the roof off. No thank you!

I have had some strange ones as I am sure you have, too. Thankfully for Joseph, his dream was encouraging. His dream pronounced blessings over his life. It told of promotion and advancement. But, what his dream didn’t tell was the betrayal he would experience. It didn’t tell of the hardships of being ripped away from his family. And, it most certainly didn’t clue him in on feeling like an outsider. His dream did not reveal that though he was faithful in his life, things still weren’t always going to go his way.

Dreams, whether visions in a sleeping head or goals and aspirations in life, have a funny way of doing that. They show you the “what-could-be” without revealing the obstacles that may arise, blocking you from getting to that point. Dreams give you glimpses of “something more” but rarely reveals the work it takes to get there.

Life can get pretty yucky sometimes – and, I do mean pretty yucky. Schedules, people, thoughts, and messes get in the way of those aspirations we have. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try we feel like we are really going up a river without a paddle. It’s not only hard but seems nearly impossible!

But, I say to you today, “Dream Big Anyhow!” It’s not over until it’s over! Is it a cliché? Yup, but it’s true! Until they say, “Ashes to ashes and dust to dust,” you are still in the running to see great things come to pass. Why sit on the sidelines and watch? It is time to be a participator! You have to be your own dream’s advocate! You have to stand for where you believe God is leading you!

Who do you think gave Joseph his dreams? When the children of Israel kept trying to get to their land of promise, who led them there? God did! God wants His people happy and successful. He wants to see them blossom and flourish in all the abilities that He has sown in their lives. He wants them to Dream Big!

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!” (Philippians 4:13).

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“Don’t Blow Your Top!”

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“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil,” Ephesians 4:26

I had the weirdest thing happen to me the other night.  I was making what I call a “cheat dinner.”  Something that is incredibly easy and fast because my day was just that kind of day.  On this “cheat dinner” night I decided to make buffalo wings and fries (with no complaints from my family, obviously).  After cooking the little wing portions in the oven and heating the sauce, I combined them together in a bowl and mixed them with a spoon.

I left the wings to the side to cool off a bit while I got some other work done.  I came back a few minutes later, put the lid on the bowl to give them a good shake so that the sauce could coat them more evenly.  After putting the lid on, I flipped the bowl upside down to proceed with the shake when all of a sudden: POP! SPIT! SPATTER!  Apparently, the wings had not cooled enough and the built up steam caused the sauce to blow up all over me.  It was so not funny, even though my kids got a good laugh from it.  My hair, my face, and my floor showed evidence of what can happen when there is too much pressure in the bowl.

With that being said I must ask, “How much pressure is in your bowl today?”  Are you dealing with a lot of pinned up steam?  Do you feel like you are ready to blow?

Well, DON’T!

Don’t blow your top!

Anger is one of those emotions that can really get the best of you if you let it.  It can seep into every area of your life making you and those around you miserable.  Anger also does another devastating thing.  It gives “place to the devil.”  Anger is an opened door that gives that old serpent an opportunity to manipulate you, pulling your strings as if you were some sort of marionette puppet.

That’s why the Bible encourages us to “let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”  Resolving issues and not letting them fester closes the door so that the enemy can’t sneak in.  Think about how much better we would feel to lie down in peace at night without those tumultuous thoughts running rampant in our heads.

Jesus admonished us to “First be reconciled to your brother . . .,” (Matthew 5:24).  Reconciliation brings healing and healing brings peace and peace slams the door on the devil’s face.  The best way to stop letting someone in is to shut the door they keep using.

Isaiah 32:17 tells us, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurances for ever.”  If you are in Christ you are righteous, (2 Cor. 5:21).  Therefore, your works should be works of peace, and to that end, bringing “quietness and assurances.”

Isaiah 32:18 goes on to say, “And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”  Who doesn’t want their home and their life described like this?  There’s no magic method here.  Just seek reconciliation.  Don’t blow your top or you will end up with that hot sauce of life all over you.  Go after the work of righteousness and there “shall be peace.”

Follow Paul’s advice about not letting the sun go down on your anger so that you can wake up to a home and a life filled with peace.

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“Be Confident”

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“Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident,” Psalm 27:3

I’d say, beyond a shadow of a doubt that confidence is something that is truly lacking among many. It’s a trait that seems to be disappearing as generations go by. The forefathers of our nation were made of sterner stuff. They had within them a pioneer spirit that allowed them to forge forward into unknown territories and discover new worlds despite the many obstacles that would try to block their progress.

How many times have we wished for that same fortitude of mind? How many times have we endeavored to push forth into our own unknown territories just to be pushed back again because we lacked the confidence we needed. God has many plans and many purposes for each individual but unfortunately many will never see them come to fruition because they don’t believe enough in themselves or enough in the God they serve to keep moving forward.

David declared in Psalm 27:3, “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.” Can I tell you something? David may have been quoted as “a man after God’s own heart,” (Acts 13:22), but he was also a man of great troubles. Sometimes to the point, as the verse states, of feeling totally surrounded by enemies, struggles, and just the plain old everyday stuff in life that can strip an individual of that wherewithal to make it through. That tries to strip away the fortitude that it takes to prevent one from quitting and venturing into their dreams, stopping them from stepping out to be the person they want to be.

Rather, David said, “In this will I be confident.” In other words, no matter what else is going on around me in my life, my faith will not be shaken. I will stand tall as a good soldier, as a pioneer for God, and move forward despite the obstacles that try to hinder me.

David knew where to place his trust. In Psalm 27:1 he said, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”  Because of where his trust lays he was able to make the personal statement of “In this will I be confident.” I will be confident because I know that no matter where I am in life or where I’m trying to go; no matter the hosts against me or the stumbling blocks in front of me, GOD’S GOT MY BACK! One can never speak of that personal confidence that David had if they cannot declare this foundational truth: “The LORD is my light and my salvation . . .the LORD is the strength of my life.” That’s why Proverbs 3:26 opens up our understanding by telling us “For the LORD shall be thy confidence and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”

Whatever is trying to snatch the footing out from under you to knock you off your course, hold on today, be confident in God, then that will allow you to be confident in yourself. Once you have that sure footing you also can venture forth into your new territories, with your head held high because today you are confident!

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com (Sharing any posts or lessons can only be done through the share buttons provided on this site from the original posts, lessons, and articles only. You can reblog from the original posts only using the reblog button provided, or share using the share buttons provided from these social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, etc., and they must be shared from the original posts only. All other repostings are prohibited. Posts and other items of interest found on this site MAY NOT BE COPIED AND PASTED, downloaded, uploaded, etc to another website or entity not listed (physical or electronic).  See COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.