Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 1240-1241). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I love this thought and I wanted to pick it out before I go to the next book I am reading.   Are you living in fear of something?   The Enemy so many times uses what-if’s to hold us back.   What if my job doesn’t turn around?   What if I don’t have enough money for retirement?   What if the economy doesn’t turn around?   What if my spouse doesn’t love me?   What if I never find anyone who will love me?   What if, what if, what if? Steven says, “The world of what-ifs is a black hole, and it will suck your joy, peace, and hope into its vortex if you venture near its vicinity.” And “your heart cannot be filled with faith in God at the same time it’s singing the refrain ‘What if …’” Maybe you need to change yo

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 3380-3381). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) It’s Wednesday, the middle of the first week of June and I thought you might need some encouragement to keep fighting, to not give up, and to not listen to the lies of the Enemy.   I don’t know what you are going through but God does and He wants you to not forfeit a victory the He has already given to you because you don’t feel like fighting.   Today is a new day, there are new victories available for us but there are also new battles.   That is the reason why I always start my day with a Psalm from the Bible.   This is what I found today, Psalm 33:20 (NLT), “We put our hope in the Lord.   He is our help and our shield.”   And I wrote down in my journal the words, hope, help and shield.   Today is a new day. L

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 3231-3232). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Here he continues, “When entitlement is high, gratitude is low. When gratitude is high, entitlement is low. Gratitude begins where our sense of entitlement ends.” It is so easy for us to step into this world of entitlement.   Have you stopped and thought about some of the things that you believe that you are entitled to, especially if you are a Christian and an America?   Some people think because they are a Christian they are entitled to being free but does that mean that that Pastor in North Korea who was given this week a life sentence for sharing Christ is lacking spiritually?   Of course not.   This is so good what Steven says, “When thoughts of discontent storm my heart, it’s important that I have set up

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 3186-3187). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. I had my 67 th birthday yesterday.   There I said it, I am 67.   I had problems when I turned 50, I had problems when I turned 60 and it seems every year since I’ve had problems, so I quit counting and even having a bd after I turned 65.   I said that was the last year I needed to count so I had started saying that I was 65+. I mean my life and effectiveness in making a difference was slowly being taken away.   I have through the years been able to turn what I perceived as a negative into a positive so to me not counting anymore was a way of handling a negative but the truth is it really was living with a heart of ingratitude.   I should be celebrating instead of in despair or denial.   Being 67 is a tremendous opportunity of telling God thanks and of sharing with others

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 3113-3114). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) There are so many qualities of God that make such a difference if we focus on them especially in difficult times and I have found focusing on God’s goodness is especially uplifting.   I mean everything that happens to the committed Christian must go through God’s love and His goodness. Let’s say that the Enemy throws something at us to hurt us which is his way of getting back at God whom he hates.   Now my kids getting hurt gets at me more than if I am hurt.   But when that happens as it goes through God’s love and His goodness the purpose is changed from my harm to my good.   T he circumstance may also change, God can do that but He can also change the purpose even if the circumstance doesn’t change.   Every

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 3019-3020). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That is very hard to do.   You are going through it and you have prayed and prayed and you thought you were believing but you are not getting what you are expecting from God. And that can mess up your relationship with God and your belief that He really cares.   I mean if He really cared about me He would do something.   But “believing means assuming that He is always working” even when we don’t see it.   That can be very hard to do. Where do you get that kind of believing?   Well experience is a good place to start.   You can read the Bible and see the experiences of people there.   You strive to put yourself in the story without knowing the end and you then read the end and see how God was working.   That can

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Location 2977). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. What a great uplifting thought.   As I was walking back home from the Starbucks where I read this it stayed with me with deep emotion.   God has been and is so good to me. So what is your expectation of God?   Has He always met your expectations?   I f He did in my life it would still be way better than I deserve but He has taken me way beyond my expectations. Steven continues, “Sometimes God takes us to another level by building higher. Sometimes He does it by digging deeper. But at all times He is working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” And that is where faith and trust come in.   Many times people are disappointed in what He gives them but that is where trust comes in.   Does He have a plan and do I trust Him in that that

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 2857-2858). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. And we all have a bunch of those don’t we?   And there is real danger in there. One of the phrases that I have quoted to the point I’m sure of annoyance to my family is the phrase, “too high expectations bring about frustration.”   And we all have experienced that haven’t we? For some it is their mate, to others it could be their occupations, or maybe life itself.   But there is real danger in there. Steven continues, “Disappointed expectations, when full-grown, give birth to chronic discouragement. If you allow this discouragement to run rampant in your life, you’ll lose your hope.”   Again this is the follow ground that the Enemy sows his lies.   Now here is the key and I quote Steven, “Giving in to discouragement pacifies your disappointment— at first. Then

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 2799-2800). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. I have had the potential for discouragement a few times this week.   We overspent this last weekend and I knew that we were going to be real tight till the next paycheck.   I don’t do real well with that.   But we set up a plan and we are making it.   Many of you understand the discouragement of not have enough money to live on. My wife, Margaret has been having some real trouble with her shoulder.   It even wakes her up in the night.   The physical therapy is real painful and doesn’t seem to be working and that can be very discouraging for her.   We’re working through that and headed into another plan of attack.   But many of you understand the discouragement of pain. Yesterday I had some trouble in finding the right thought to write on and I was tempted to stop.   T

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Location 2568). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Have you found that true in your life?   You are looking for something and you are still looking and it keeps coming into your mind that you are not going to find it, that the effort is useless and it really isn’t worth finding anyway and there are other more important things to do so why not go on, it is just not worth your time but you keep at it and then you find it.   But you were close to quitting.                                                                                                            And I was really close to quitting today.   I just could not find a thought to share that really clicked.   There are some days that I just read a few pages and there it is, the thought.   It just falls into place.   I just know it is the right thought so I find my computer

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 1768-1769). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. It is so easy as a retired person to stay in our caves.   To just stay in bed as long as you want to, go to bed when you want to and never go anywhere.   I mean you are retired.   You don’t have to do anything.   But that can be so dangerous.   That’s why I have a certain time that I go to bed, a certain time that I get up, get ready, read my Bible and then get out.   I know that staying in my cave would drive me to depression and discouragement real fast. I appreciate my daughter, Stefanie.   She is a stay at home mom and what I mean is she doesn’t have to get up to go out to work.   She has an 18 month old girl who is her constant companion and responsibility and it would be very easy for her to stay in her cave but she doesn’t.   She has a Bible Study at her church she

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 1081-1082). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. That is one of the lies that Satan throws at us.   He didn’t really mean you.   Steven says what we think, “Other people are meant to have joy, hear from God, and be used by Him in ways that are significant and memorable. Other people are equipped to do good works, endowed with spiritual gifts, and blessed in order that they can be a blessing.” Satan wants you to believe the lie that it is for other people, not you. In my reading in Psalm 20 this morning I wrote these words from the Psalm in my journal, “victory, desires, succeed, answer, rescues, rise up, stand firm”.   Those were words of truth that God said through David to me this morning.   That is how I started today.   Not with lies of Satan but with the truth of God for me. Steven also says, “The serpent

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Location 1065). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. So how is your Monday going?   Let me ask you two questions… 1) did you go to church this weekend?   And 2) have you read your Bible this morning? Now that can come across as being superstitious but it doesn’t have to be that way.   Why these two activities are so important on your view of today is that as this thought by Steven says, “When your perspective is preloaded with the Word of God, lies lose their power over your life.”   Here is another thought he gives, “…the more of God’s Word we know and the more we’re reminding ourselves of His truths, the less dependent we become on others to snap us out of our self-induced negative spirals. We can begin to rely on God’s Spirit to renew our minds.” So many people use the excuse of not going to church or of not getting up

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Location 1009). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. And he, Satan does it, doesn’t he?   I mean, some person who claims to be a Christian hurts you then Satan starts messing with your head about who God is not the fact that the Christian is imperfect.   The same is true with some of the Christian stands on Facebook.   Satan can tempt us to use the imperfect Christ-follower to question who God really is.   I mean those Christian don’t have any love for their fellow man.   Is that what God is like?   But as Steven says, “Before the serpent starts interjecting questions, you must already be preloaded with the Word of God so that whatever he tries to lead you into, you’re taking a stand— not on what he’s suggesting, but on what God has already said in His Word about the issue you’re facing.” How did Jesus handle imperfect

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Location 528). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. And that is totally different from ourselves and what we perceive of others in relationship to us.   We feel too many times we are what we do or cannot do.   And none of us can do everything and we try to hide what we know about us. I like how Steven says it, “This is one of the main reasons we struggle with insecurity: we’re comparing our behind-the-scenes with everybody else’s highlight reel.” We see us from the inside out and others just from the outside.   We see us in the mirror right after we get out of bed but we see them when they are all put together.   Wow, they look good but I have bad breath.   Steven says, “We know all too well the stuff in our lives that should disqualify us from God’s love and keep us from fulfilling His purpose. We know that we’re disorga

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 292-293). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. It is sometimes so difficult to choose the voice inside that we need to hear and need to experience.   Steven said earlier is this book that “God has given us the ability to choose the dialogue we believe and respond to.” Now if we spend time in His Word, The Bible that will help us in not choosing the unchecked and undetected lies in our lives. He says that, “When our minds and hearts are being assaulted by the suggestions and lies of the Enemy, we often don’t even know what’s causing our funk or what’s behind our frustration. We just know we’re stuck in a cycle of spiritual self-sabotage.”  Do understand what he's talking about?   Maybe you are in that cycle right now and if you stay there then the great deeds that God has prepared for you to do will remain undon

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2014-02-25) from his book, The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art (p. 168). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. Have you found that so?   That is if you hang out with someone who really enjoys life you find your spirits lifted and you enjoying life too.   But if you are around that person who is always depressed and always rehearsing the negatives in their life then you see your spirit start going down and you discouragement going up.   I am reading Job right now and his time with those negative friends.   Granted Job had it rough but those friends made it worse. Let me ask you, what kind of friend are you?   Do you help others enjoy their life or do you bring them down.   Let me tell you, if you bring people down then you will probably be alone a lot.   Life is tough but I don’t want to live in despair about it.   I want to live in hope and joy.   That is what happens when you have a deep strong relationship with Christ.