My Moment of Truth

 

You would think going after a goal and achieving that goal would bring about the happiness we desire. I suppose it does to some degree. You set a goal because you have a desire for the satisfaction it will bring. But how many times do we seek something, and then attain it, only to find that it wasn’t what we thought it was.

The goals we set for ourselves are so elusive sometimes. Even getting to where we want to be can be a never-ending challenge. And many times we never get there. This makes it difficult to know whether this will even make us happy. We set these goals for ourselves thinking we’ll be happy when we get there. But how do we really know? Is it just a belief we have? Believing in something we don’t yet see? Almost like a faith? Hmmm. I say this, sort of tongue-in-cheek, because some people denigrate others with faith. Yet, they don’t realize that they have a faith, of sorts, themselves. They are believing in something that they can’t see. But they are often believing in the wrong thing.

Anyway, if we have beliefs like this, then we should examine some of these things to see if they make sense. Those endgames we have in mind—Do they bring about the result we expected? Maybe we have it backwards. We’re pursuing the happiness and not the thing which results in happiness. It’s interesting that our Declaration of Independence talks about the ‘pursuit of happiness’. I actually think they might have misstated that. Maybe they should have said the ‘pursuit of what brings about happiness’. But I understand, it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Maybe they had to shorten it up for marketing purposes.

Really, happiness is a byproduct and not an end in itself. So when you just pursue the happiness, it eludes you. We really become happy when we are fulfilling the purpose we were meant to fulfill. Maybe we should find out what we were meant to do and pursue that. I would say, “Don’t worry about the happiness so much.” When we fulfill our purpose, then the fulfillment comes. And fulfillment will often lead to the happiness. Many times we don’t think about these things. Many of us are running around pursuing happiness without realizing we’re pursuing the wrong thing.

So, the ‘pursuit of happiness’? What do we do with that? Well, let’s just chalk it up to an oversight on the part of our founding fathers. I’m sure they had a lot on their minds. But as for us today, maybe we just need to shift our perspective. We can start asking ourselves the questions about the purpose for which we were meant, or meant to pursue. But this has even deeper connotations to it. If we were meant to fulfill a purpose—whose purpose? And if we have a purpose—who determines that?

…Let’s go deeper

 

 

 

 

What God has in mind is for us is to seek Him first. The pursuit of things in this life was never meant to provide us with true happiness and fulfillment. We need to be seeking the source of life rather than the benefits of life.
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AV Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” God knows that we need Him. The problem is that we often forget this fact. We end up being mesmerized by all the things we see around us and begin pursuing those things. We forget that these things aren’t the source of life. They can never bring us happiness or fulfillment. They can never fill that God-shaped void in our hearts. Only He was meant to fill that void. When we try to fill it with other things, it just doesn’t work.

AV Psalms 37:3-5: “Trust in the LORD, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.” Our relationship with Him begins when we start to trust Him. That starts with us trusting Him as our Savior and Lord. But it begins to grow from there. We learn to trust Him more and more. As we learn to trust Him we learn that He is trustworthy. We learn about Him. We begin to delight in Him and the relationship and not just the things He can give us. We become a committed believer in Him when we become firmly rooted and grounded in His love. We have a knowledge and experience with Him that supersedes everything else. We aren’t in it just for what we can get because we realize that when we have Him we don’t need anything else. Whatever else we need He will take care of it. We can commit our needs and desires to Him.

AV Psalms 27:8: “[When thou saidst], Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” Why do we seek His face? Because we want to seek Him and who He is. We don’t want to just seek His hand. The fulfillment of our desires is realized when we truly know Him. Seeking His hand is just seeking what He can do for us. Seeking His face is really seeking Him and who He is. See, it’s about a relationship. It’s not about a transaction. So we need to stop pursuing the happiness, and start pursuing the source of happiness.

AV Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

AV Psalms 37:3-5: “Trust in the LORD, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.”

AV Psalms 27:8: “[When thou saidst], Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”

 

Having a tendency to just see things as all black-and-white is something I’m guilty of. I think that there just must always be only one right answer to any given situation. However, even life experience tells us it’s just not the case.

Do you remember taking those multiple choice tests in school? There was a question followed by about 4 or 5 possible answers. All you had to do was choose the correct one out of those options. Then, sometimes they’d really throw you a curve ball and give you the option of ‘A’ and ‘C’, or ‘A’ and ‘B’. Then you’re thinking, “What?” and your mind goes ’tilt’. You thought this was going to be easy. Now they’re giving you multiple choices of the multiple choices. You want to think that just one of the answers is the only correct one. It makes it simpler that way.
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You know, I think what all this comes down to is having this fear of making the wrong decisions. You don’t want to live in regret of making a wrong decision. So, when these scenarios arise you are in a state of denial and saying to yourself, “No, there has to be only one right answer.” That way I can know for sure I made the right decision. But when you’re left with choosing the better of two good options, then how do you know which one is best. I guess you don’t. That’s the excitement life presents. I guess it’s kind of the same thing when we have to choose the better of two bad options. It seems like that scenario always presents itself every time we go to the voting polls. We’re really not too excited about any of the candidates. So, the only question left is, “Hmmm…which one of these people do I want in office the least?” So, it becomes more a matter of who we’re voting against rather than who we’re voting for. I didn’t really inspire to ‘get out the vote’ right there, did I? Oops.

So, we’re presented with a lot of situations where we can choose multiple different options and still be making a good decision. But instead of looking at this as a bad thing, I should look at it as a good thing. That’s what makes life exciting and enjoyable. A High School graduate can choose from 5 different universities to attend. None of them may be wrong choices. Just different. But that’s often where we get stuck, isn’t it? We want that absolute best of the best choice. But with our limited knowledge of the future, there’s just no way of knowing that. We have to make the best decision we can with the knowledge we have at the time. Each choice is going to present us with different opportunities down the road. There’s no way of knowing where it will lead. So, what I’m starting to think is that, with the options presented in some situations, the best choice is just whichever one you make.

…Let’s go deeper

 

Vulnerability. That’s not a word that has much value placed on it. Especially not today. And it’s a scary word, isn’t it? But there’s something about it that can change a situation around. And it can change the entire dynamics of an encounter with someone else.

Many times we are trying to put a good face on ourselves and our situations. It’s even a part of our culture. If you pass a friend or neighbor on the street—out in public—we ask the other person how they’re doing. And inevitably they always say, “Good.” Then there’s the compulsory question back asking how we’re doing. And not to be outdone, we respond by saying, “Good” as well. And part of that’s understandable. It’s just a part of the culture. It’s a traditional greeting. And we’re just being cordial to one another in that way. Meeting an acquaintance when we’re out and about is usually not meant to be group therapy. In this context, we don’t generally ask how someone is doing and then sit and listen as they spill their guts to us. Quite honestly, that would probably be overwhelming to us. We can end up asking how someone is doing and then end up being sorry we asked—thinking to ourselves, “Hey look, I was just saying, “Hi.”

That being said, I think this tendency to be cordial, and greeting people in this manner, can lead us to keep our walls up all the time around others. And then we think we have to be that way all the time. Now we’re left with a group of people who don’t really share anything meaningful anymore. We’re afraid to be vulnerable. Some of this can come down to pride, or maybe just fear.

The thing about vulnerability is that it can open doors. Being vulnerable to someone else can help them to open up to us. Sometimes we have to be willing to open the door first. Maybe some time when we do meet someone on the street we can just make that extra effort. We can dig a little deeper and ask how they’re doing in a little more meaningful way. We can give them a little bit of information on what’s going on in our lives. Then they might be willing to do the same. And we wouldn’t even have to do it right then and there. We could just say, “We should get together for coffee some time.” Now we have a more open forum and the context to really talk to each other.

When people see us willing to express some vulnerability, I think they actually find it refreshing. And I think they also respect you more for it. And there’s a comradery that’s built in the process as well. These are some of the things that allow us to connect. We get to understand each other a little better. And that’s really what empathy is—when we can see and feel another person’s perspective.

…Let’s go deeper

 

Jesus was really the model for us in this manner. One amazing thing was that He was willing to make Himself vulnerable to people. He did this by taking time for them. And He also showed this by being willing to be rejected.

AV Mark 10:44-45: “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” The way God’s Kingdom works is much different than this world. Our position in His Kingdom is directly proportional to our humility. We need to be willing to serve in order to learn true greatness. And Jesus was our perfect example in this. He showed the ultimate vulnerability when He laid down His life for us on the cross.

Rely on fresh fruits, vegetables, high fiber foods, nuts, seeds and viagra online prescription fish. If one open packet of the http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/monkeys-eating-ice-cream/ order levitra generic drug is encountered, make sure the chemist is informed so it can be worth considering remedy or other treatment. During sexual activity, if you become dizzy or nauseated, or have pain, numbness, or tingling that begins in the lower back and upper soft cialis online hip area of the body-areas that are engaged in a sexual act. You should take certain precautions before consuming the tablets for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. india levitra http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/cheetah-cub/ AV Galatians 6:2: “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Our love for others is displayed when we are willing to walk alongside them through difficult times. When we let them know that we are there for them, we are fulfilling Christ’s command to be servant of all. We are making ourselves not only vulnerable, but also available.

AV Philippians 2:3: “[Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Having an attitude of putting other’s needs first really changes your mindset. Getting our minds off ourselves, and our wants and needs, is an act of humility. The idea isn’t for us to gain recognition but to be of benefit to other people. This also has the added effect of brightening up your own life. I think we find that often we reap a greater reward in serving than we would otherwise.

AV Colossians 3:23: “And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” The ultimate idea of all this is to have a mindset of serving the Lord. We serve others because we want to serve the Lord. And His glory is the ultimate glory. The great thing is, living like this really frees us to stop worrying about ourselves. It gets our mind on others, and most importantly, it keeps our mind on the Lord.

AV Mark 10:44-45: “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

AV Galatians 6:2: “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

AV Philippians 2:3: “[Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

AV Colossians 3:23: “And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”

 

Since our thinking guides our lives, it’s important. However, it’s not the only thing that defines our lives. If our lives were merely thought processes and how we arrive at certain conclusions that would be a pretty shallow life.

My mind always seems to be going. It’s always contemplating some topic or idea. Even when I’m idle and sedentary I usually have something going through my head that keeps my mind busy. I suppose it’s good in a way. But I also think I get off-balance in that regard. Like maybe I’ve somehow just reduced living to just a series of thoughts and ideas. But I know life is certainly more than that. It’s also about acting on things and feeling things. And some things we feel very deeply. And those things we feel deeply we often call our convictions. Convictions are a kind of deeply-held belief. So, life is really all these things put together. We have thoughts. But those thoughts are defined by our belief system. And we act based on those thoughts and beliefs.

So, life is more than you think. Meaning, life is more than just what you think about. It’s also what you do and what you believe. So, maybe thoughts are like an incubator for our action and belief system. Belief often originates with our thoughts. In fact, much of our belief system is what it is because it has gone through the grist mill of our mental gears. We have worked these things out in our minds. We’ve examined them and have come to some kind of conclusion that they do make sense.

But for some of us there are also things that we believe that really go beyond what we even think or understand mentally. We have a certain belief about something or someone and we can’t really mentally explain why that is. If someone would ask us why we think that, or believe that, we would just say, “I don’t know. I just do.” Now, sometimes I can say that these are just things we say based on feeling or emotion. But there are times when we just have this belief in our hearts that isn’t defined by reason or mental cognition. Those are things that we know in our hearts. It’s called a heart knowledge. It’s not a head knowledge. In fact, it’s much more than a head knowledge. Because it’s something that goes beyond all that.

Now, when we get into this realm is when you are getting into a deeper life. Some people don’t want to get into these things. Partly, because they might be afraid of it. But if we want a deep and meaningful life we need to begin to get into these things we truly believe in our hearts. Knowing something mentally is ‘OK’ and can be a good thing. But what do we really know deep down inside? Do I really believe what I believe in my heart? Or am I just mentally assenting to that belief? We need to begin to ask ourselves, “What do I truly believe? What do I truly know in my heart?”

…Let’s go deeper

AV Ephesians 3:20: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” There’s a realm where things can happen beyond our mental understanding. This is the realm where God dwells. That’s why He can do ‘exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think.’ We can wonder sometimes, mentally, how God can get us through and still know, in our hearts, that He will. That’s a heart knowledge. This is the knowledge that should be the leading and dominant force in our lives—this heart knowledge. This becomes more dominant as we hear His word more. These truths of His word become so strong in our hearts that we know that we know. And this knowing supersedes any of our head knowledge.

AV Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” The emphasis in this verse on believing in our hearts is an important reminder. We need this knowing of the resurrection to be real in our hearts. And this real knowledge opens our eyes to more of His truth. This knowledge is where it all begins.

AV John 4:24: “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.” The reason a heart knowledge is so important is because the heart, which is also known as the spirit, is how we relate to God. Our connection to God is through the spirit. So, that’s where our believing has to happen as well.

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AV 1 Corinthians 2:15: “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” When you are into God and the deeper things you are living a deeper life. Other people may find this hard to understand. You become a sort of enigma to them. But this makes sense. A spiritual person is living on a different plane. Also, a spiritual understanding brings a deeper understanding. A spiritual person can have a deeper and more complete understanding of people and situations than others have. His Holy Spirit will even reveal things to you that you would have no way of knowing, otherwise. You have a fuller perspective than just seeing everything at the surface level. And it goes beyond, and is far ‘more than you think’.

AV Ephesians 3:20: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”

AV Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

AV John 4:24: “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.”

AV Proverbs 20:27: “The spirit of man [is] the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.”

AV 1 Corinthians 2:15: “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.”

 

Tonight I will be attending a 50^th wedding anniversary celebration for my neighbors. That’s quite a milestone. I think it’s often overlooked what a great blessing that is. Especially in today’s culture, that’s not a common thing. At least not as common as it once was.

When we think about the difficulties of two people making a life-long commitment to each other, we think in generalities. But I know each couple’s individual experiences are different. We can’t know, from the outside, all the individual struggles they went through. Only they can know all those things. And that’s partly what made the relationship deeper. They went through those things together. They have a better understanding of each other because of those things they went through.

Of course, there are those good times as well. I hope there were more good times than bad. But that’s part of the wedding commitment, isn’t it? For better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. The love is lived out within the confines of that commitment. The reason these anniversaries are worth celebrating is because, over the course of 50 years, two people have a lot of opportunities to quit. But they didn’t. They kept those vows they made a long time ago. And that’s something to celebrate.

I think there’s something else that we often miss. Those vows made in a wedding aren’t vows just made to each other. Those vows are made to God as well. Let’s not forget, this was God’s idea after all—one man and one woman together, making a life-long commitment to one another. And maybe that’s the difference maker. We used to have a better understanding of this thing called ‘marriage’. Even what you would call the irreligious, in the past, had a better understanding of that commitment being made before God. But that aspect has increasingly been diminished over time. And we can see the evidence of that today. No-fault divorce has made the process of breaking that commitment that much easier. When you make a commitment to another person, it’s not quite so difficult if you don’t follow through. Two people can even mutually agree that this relationship is no longer working for them. They might say, “Hey, we’re both in agreement here. Neither one of us wants to continue on with this. So, what’s the problem?” But when you have an understanding that the other person isn’t the only one involved, that changes the equation a little bit. It wasn’t just the two of you and a bunch of friends and family who were watching you on that wedding day. God was also watching. He saw the whole thing and the commitment you made to each other. And the pastor even says in that ceremony, “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

But maybe if we stop and think about it, and see this from God’s perspective, these things would take on a deeper meaning. We wouldn’t be so quick to run for the exits. It might cause us to pause and consider—Knowing God is in the equation would maybe make us consider how He feels about it. And that, in turn, would cause greater consideration for the other person as well.

…Let’s go deeper

AV Ephesians 5:31: “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” This was God’s desire from the beginning when He realized that it was not good that the man should be alone. So, God giving a man a wife, and a woman a husband, was an expression of God’s love. He wanted them to have each other through good and through bad.

These side effects are common and you will face it in the starting. buy cialis line The cost-effective medicinal devices are available in the generic levitra online market. Before going to robertrobb.com viagra soft 50mg or 20mg cialis or the tablets of Kamagra Soft are uncoated. Some sildenafil super active have even speculated that Pioli sabotaged the roster so that he could justifiably fire Haley. AV 1Corinthians 13:4-7: “Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” The definition of love the Bible gives is really all-encompassing. It’s true in life in general, but especially true in a marriage relationship. When I think of love, I think of it being selfless. It’s something that puts the other person’s needs first. It’s based on humility. So, it’s not only thinking about the other person, but also thinking less about yourself. Maybe that’s why love is such a great thing. It gets us outside of ourselves. Because love is something that is others-focused. Love is also in line with the truth. That means it agrees with the truth. It also means that the ones we love we also tell the truth. It also means that it rejoices in things when they are the way they should be. It means we are willing to take slights from another person with grace and we don’t respond by retaliating. Love believes the best and hopes the best for the other person. It doesn’t give up on people. Love is willing to go through the difficulties because it knows that the other person is worth it.

And maybe that’s the greatest thing about love. It places a value on us. It lets us know that we matter. The love and the sacrifice kind of go hand-in-hand. It’s how God let us know that we matter. It’s why AV John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

AV Ephesians 5:31: “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.”

AV 1Corinthians 13:4-7: “Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

AV John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

    
 

I was thinking about how we sometimes want things to be perfect all the time. And when they’re not we are extremely disappointed and tend to think, “What’s the point?” However, things are often that way in this world. And coming to terms with this reality is important in order for us to move forward and maintain effectiveness.

Given that we are celebrating the birth of our nation this weekend, I was thinking about this reality in terms of our country—this United States of America. I don’t know that we truly realize how rare and unique this nation is in the context of all the nations that have ever existed, and even nations that exist today. Many nations have a democratic-style system today. But most of them modeled it after us. They saw the value of what we were doing and wanted to emulate it. But even though they want to emulate results, they still didn’t possess the American Ideal. Regardless, it seems that the trend has been catching on. But while they adopted some of our ideas, this ideal was begun at the very start of this nation. The idea that all men are ‘created equal, endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights’—these were revolutionary ideas. No, not in the general sense, but in the founding of a nation—yes. A ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people’ was unique. Other nations had dictators. And if not dictators, then emperors. The end result being that the people didn’t have a lot of control over their destiny. What’s inherent in the American system is that people have the freedom to realize their potential here. It’s part of what makes America unique. There’s no caste system, no hierarchy, no ranking system to overcome. They come here and know that their greatest opportunity for success is here. It’s why so many are fighting to get in.

And when we watch much of what’s going on in our nation today we can be tempted to say, “It’s no longer what it was—It’s becoming something else”—or even, “It’s not what it’s meant to be.” But even our founding fathers realized that these very characteristics were not fully realized at the time of the writing of our founding documents. There were fights over many issues that weren’t resolved until much later. Certain realities, at the time, kept the ideas set about in these documents from fully coming to fruition. Just like there were fights that had to take place in order to get America to what it was meant to be, there are fights that need to take place to keep it from becoming something else. We can still believe in what this nation stands for even though it’s not perfect. We can believe in the founding document’s principles while we stay and fight the ones who would try to morph it into something else.

…Let’s go deeper

Whether some want to admit it or not, many of the ideals upon which this country was founded originated from the Bible. The Faith of our founders was an integral part of, not only their lives, but what they believed this country should become.

AV Acts 10:34: “Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:” Much like we treat people with the same opportunities here, God does the same with us. He doesn’t care what nationality we are or what social class we come from. It’s our character and the condition of our hearts that concern Him the most.

AV Acts 17:26: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” One of our greatest challenges has been getting along with those who are born different from us. Another thing this nation has that’s unique is that we weren’t formed on the basis of a race or ethnic group. We were formed around an ideal. This is our common bond. This is what we agreed on. We focused on the things we held in common. Starting a nation on the belief that we were all created by God and that gave us each inherent value makes all the difference in the world.

AV Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].” Sometimes we wage battles with some that would try to move us in the wrong direction. We often forget that these battles aren’t fought and won in the natural. These battles are fought and won in the spiritual realm. When a country is founded on biblical principles you can be sure that the devil is fighting to keep it down. That group of people trying to bring this country down, or change it into something different, aren’t the real enemy. The real enemy is one that has to be fought in prayer.

We realize that finasteride is just a extremely popular treatment option for several customers. viagra generika This medicine contains the synthetic of Sildenafil cialis overnight citrate. However, you should gap out consumption of these pills by 24 hours, and cheap viagra in canada only use it when facing impotence. A number of problems may be affect the cervix, order viagra usa making it tough for sperm to achieve the egg cell. AV Proverbs 13:4: “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and [hath] nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” We also know the value of hard work here. This country was built on the back of hard labor. We found this verse to be true and lived it out, knowing that our diligence has the opportunity to be rewarded here. God has blessed us with prosperity. But it was biblical principles that allowed this prosperity to happen.

AV Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” This nation has been the beacon of hope and light for the rest of the world. They have been able to look at us and see there is something unique about us. The rest of the world wanted what we have. And they were able to see our charitableness with, not only ourselves, but every other nation. People may wonder, “Where did all this come from?” In the end, the idea is that it all points to God. The purpose should be that our light would shine before all the world and that it would ultimately bring glory to God—that it would point people to God.

AV Acts 10:34: “Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:”

AV Acts 17:26: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;”

AV Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].”

AV Proverbs 13:4: “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and [hath] nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”

AV Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

 

What if you could do more than you thought? What if you could do more than you’re doing right now? There are limits that get placed on us that many times originate within ourselves. But what would happen if we removed the limits and began to think bigger?

So, why would we begin to place limits on ourselves? There’s really one main reason: fear. Fear keeps us from doing a lot of things. Some fears are based on the situation. Other fears are based on the unknown. In fact, fear of the unknown can sometimes be the most crippling fear. We have the potential to make an unknown fear bigger in our minds than a known fear. That’s why they have the potential for more harm.

But once you take off the limits induced by fear, you have to get a bigger picture of the possibilities. And getting rid of those limits begins to allow you to do that. Many times most of our lives have been so ruled by fear that we haven’t even allowed ourselves to ponder these questions. Our minds have the potential to provide windows to great opportunities, or blockades to those same opportunities. That’s why our minds and how we see things are so important.

What if we allowed ourselves to dream? I don’t mean some crazy dreams that aren’t realistic. But what if we asked ourselves what we would like our lives to mean when it’s all said and done? What would we do differently if we began to believe we had the potential to fulfill those dreams? If we began to remove the fear, we would at least get up out of our chairs and begin to move. That’s at least a start.

So, the dreams we have, the things we feel compelled to do, maybe would could begin to move on those. The reason we feel we we’re placed on this earth could maybe become a reality. The fear of living life can now yield to the fear of living an unfulfilled life. We can get to the point where our zeal for life is greater than our fear of living it. Yesterday doesn’t have to define our future. We can start with a new perspective from this day forward.

Begin to ask yourself the question: What would you do if you had nothing to fear? I would venture to guess that you would surprise yourself if you began to think in these terms. How long have we been holding ourselves back from greater things? Maybe too long. When you begin to think like this, it may be scary at first. But once you start in on this it becomes more exciting. You don’t have to start out big. Just start by setting small goals for yourself. Begin with something that’s achievable in your mind. Then once you start to do those things you begin to see it’s not so difficult. Then you can begin to set bigger and bigger goals for yourself.

…Let’s go deeper

AV Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Many times when God wants to do something in our lives He begins by telling us not to fear. This is because fear can be one of the biggest things stopping us from doing what we should do.

AV Habakkuk 2:2: “And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make [it] plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” Once we have a vision it’s a good idea for us to write it down. This helps to keep the goal in front of our eyes. I think writing things down helps to begin to make them a reality in our lives. It’s a start at something tangible. Then we have an action plan in place.

AV Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” The thing about vision is that if it’s just our vision, it’s still not big enough. We need to get ourselves on board with God and His vision for our lives. Knowing and trusting that God has only good things for us in mind is a great place to start. When we know and believe this verse it gives us a lot of confidence. This helps us to go out and do the things He has for us to do.
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AV Joshua 1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” The word of God has a purpose in helping to guide our lives in the right direction. When we meditate and speak what it says it helps us to walk in ways that are right and, also, in ways that help us to become successful.

AV Psalms 32:8: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” We can always trust that God will instruct us and guide us when we allow Him to do so. The vision He has for us is greater than any vision we could have for ourselves. It’s interesting that this verse says He will guide us with His eye. Maybe it’s speaking of vision—the vision He has for us.

AV Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

AV Habakkuk 2:2: “And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make [it] plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”

AV Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

AV Joshua 1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

AV Psalms 32:8: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

 

Truth has a balance to it. Because truth is so precise it has to be clearly defined. One statement can be true about something, while another statement that can sound the same may not be true.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. I can make a statement to be true on one side, but not true on the other side. I can say that all FBI agents are law enforcement officers. That’s true. But not all law enforcement officers are FBI agents. See, you have to be precise. What makes one statement true can make another statement false. I think this is a fallacy we all fall for at times. We like to think in generalities. It makes it easier to wrap our brains around ideas and concepts. But, unfortunately, that doesn’t make them true.

There’s also a logical fallacy that goes along these same lines. It’s called hasty generalization. We tend to do this a lot in life. This can happen when we have a bad experience with one type of person. Then we label all persons of that type as being untrustworthy. And that’s easy for us to do. Because then emotions are involved. It’s easy for us to allow emotions to lead the way. But those emotions can easily lead us to wrong conclusions. While emotions are valuable, they can often lead us into dangerous ground where truth is concerned.

That’s also why truth has to be clearly defined. The balance is in defining things on both sides. And when one thing is true, it also makes something else false. Actually, it makes a lot of other things false. There’s this line of thinking out there that goes something like this: What’s true for you isn’t what’s true for me. But this type of thinking, while enticing, doesn’t reflect truth itself. In fact, it goes against the very definition of truth. The reality is this: What’s true for me is true for you as well. If only our society could grasp this concept, we would all be in a lot better place.

See, the idea that truth can be relative is a misnomer. Truth is by its very nature definite. We can’t redefine it. We can’t mold it into something of our own liking. That’s another form of living in denial. And it’s another way for us to lie to ourselves. You have only two choices with truth. You an outright reject it. Or you can accept it and get your life in line with it.

I think it’s also important to make clear that partial truth is also not the whole truth. Like I was saying at the beginning, one statement can be true about something but not true in all parts. That’s why we have to clearly define it. Truth is a whole and complete entity. And we also can’t redefine it by taking it out of context.

…Let’s go deeper

AV 2 Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The reason we study the Bible is not to approved unto man, but approved unto God. And there is a right way and a wrong way to read the Bible. When we read verses out of context, we aren’t rightly dividing the world of truth. When we read only one verse and apply it to everything, we may not be rightly dividing the word of truth. We need to be sure we’re applying scripture to our lives in the proper manner.

AV Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The powerful thing about the Bible is that it shows us who we really are. It reveals who we are to ourselves. It shows us the things we do, and also why we do them. We can look at the word of God and find out the truth about ourselves as well. A sharp knife is good at carving the things out of our lives that don’t belong.

Definitely then there will be great improvement in http://icks.org/n/data/ijks/2010-8.pdf cialis usa buy orgasm. Kamagra Pills viagra 20mg help have proper intimacy with your Partener’s. International patients prefer the subtotal Thyroid removal process due to the physiological and psychological factors that slows the flow of blood in specific areas of the body.Generic medicine online India can be accessed by patients to purchase the medicine through online generic cialis discover address now a chemist but choosing online services can be quite advantageous. Anyway the fundamental profit cheapest price viagra of the medication contrasted with traditional Kamagra tablets is the fast assimilation of Kamagra Oral Jelly through the mucous film of the mouth. AV 1 Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” This is the reason why we need to have a good grasp of truth. When we have a good understanding of truth, we can easily spot the counterfeit. When someone else comes along telling us something other than what we know to be true, we can reject it right away. And many times the deception can be subtle. But if we’re careful and pay attention we can still spot the error and keep ourselves on the right track.

AV Ephesians 4:15: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:” The verse preceding this one speaks about not being deceived by other doctrines. When we are not deceived then we are able to speak the truth to others as well. And we are able to grow into that truth. This allows us to grow spiritually and become what God wants us to be—to grow in Christ.

AV James 1:25: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” We often think of the law as being restrictive. But the liberty it provides is often ignored. Living our lives in line with the truth puts us in position to be blessed by God. We are now free to have a good life because it’s in line with ‘the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth’.

AV 2 Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

AV Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

AV 1 Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”

AV Ephesians 4:15: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:”

AV James 1:25: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

 

I was strolling through the shelves of the local Barnes and Noble bookstore. I saw a title of a book in the self-help section titled ‘Wherever You Go, There You Are’. It made me laugh a little. It’s one of those obvious statements that also happens to be profound. I think there was a country song by the same name. What was I doing in the self-help section? None of your business. No, seriously, the self-help section of a bookstore is a great reminder that you don’t have it all figured out. There’s just so much information out there that gives us the possibility to learn and grow. Of course, we need to be discerning, and also limit it to the things that apply to us.

But getting back to the title of that book. This title is basically a reference to the fact that we are ever present with ourselves. Whatever problems or issues we may have, we take them with us wherever we go. We are the only person we can’t run away from. So, the implication is that it’s best that we try to deal with those problems. Although, that’s not often our natural response is it? Depending on the issues we have, or are facing, our first response can often be one of denial. We just don’t want to face the reality of ourselves sometimes. And even if we are willing to face our realities, we often don’t want to go through the hard work of working through our problems.

The advantage we have with other people is that we can keep our distance from them. We may think to ourselves, “You’re annoying me.” So, then we choose to part ways with that person. But when we start to annoy ourselves, we can’t just run away. We either have to change our annoying behavior or live in denial. I think that’s why we develop a kind of disconnect with ourselves sometimes. We’re not seeing the full picture of who we are. What we don’t see, we’re not aware of. And what we’re not aware of, we can’t change.

So much of our personal growth is based on our becoming self-aware. Once I see the areas I need to work on, then I can begin to work on them. If I begin to recognize I have a problem with being judgmental of others, then I can start to address that area. But if I don’t see it as an issue, it’s pretty tough to deal with it. That’s an interesting one, by the way. We are often the last ones that we want to judge. Our tendency is to judge everyone else first. Then, when we get around to it we’ll start working on ourselves. And that’s if we ever get back around to ourselves at all. We might just end up skipping that person in the mirror. That person gets an exemption—a ‘get out of jail free’ card.

…Let’s go deeper

 

 

The Bible has quite a lot to say about how we relate to ourselves, and how we see ourselves. We don’t always see the truth of who we are. But even when we can’t see that truth, God can help us with this as well.

AV 1 Corinthians 11:31: “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” This verse gets to the heart of this issue. We can avoid judgement by others if we go through the trouble to judge ourselves first. Or, at least when we change others won’t have reason to judge us. But more importantly, when we judge ourselves and make positive changes, then we don’t come under judgement according to God and His word. Because now we are living in line with His word and what it says.

AV Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This speaks to the truth that we all have gotten out of line with the truth at times. We have all thought at times that we knew what was best. But it mostly speaks to the truth of our need for a savior. Jesus bore our sins on the cross. And this is what allows us to begin to make the positive changes that we need to make in our lives.

AV Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.” When we each turn to our own way, we are making that decision based on what seems to be right. This is a tricky thing. The reason is because things aren’t always what they seem. The reason we need God and His word is so that we can know what is true. Without it, there’s just a never-ending number of choices that only seem to be right, but actually aren’t.
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AV James 1:22: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Sometimes we deceive ourselves because our actions don’t line up with what we say we believe. This is also one of the greatest deceptions. The reason this verse says this is deception is because we can know what we believe by what we do. That’s our faith in action. And this is living a truly authentic life—when we act on what the word says.

AV Galatians 6:3: “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” When we think we’re greater than we actually are, this is another form of deception. Pride is often the cause of this. We tend to want to see ourselves in a greater light than is actually there. But when we do this we are in denial. God will show us who we actually are if we ask Him to. He will reveal the reality of who we are to ourselves. This is often scary. But it’s the best thing for us in the end. We don’t have to run from ourselves. We can have the courage, with God’s help, to stay and bravely face who we are and make the changes that need to be made in us. And this is how He begins to change us into the likeness of Christ.

AV 1 Corinthians 11:31: “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

AV Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

AV Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.”

AV James 1:22: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

AV Galatians 6:3: “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”

 

Often times, each of us are overly concerned with how we appear to other people. This is normal. We all have an innate desire to fit in with others. It stems from wanting to be a part of a community. No one wants to be an outcast. And, certainly, no one wants to appear foolish.

There’s a quote from Abraham Lincoln where He said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” It’s a good quote. If we truly don’t know what we’re talking about, there’s no reason to put that on public display. It’s best for us to just sit back and learn from others. Take in the knowledge from others—the ones who do know what they’re talking about.

There’s also the flip side to this. There are times when you really do know what you’re talking about, but it’s just not readily apparent to everyone else. You may, in fact, look foolish to them, even though you aren’t. Sometimes when you stand on the side of truth you aren’t on the side of majority opinion. This can make you appear foolish at times. However, just because you aren’t on the side of the majority doesn’t necessarily make you wrong. There are things that seemed crazy at the time but were later proven to be true. And then public opinion caught up later on.

So, it’s many times the ones who were willing to look crazy that helped us to discover the truth. They helped us discover the truth about science and nature and the world around us. They didn’t care how they appeared to the outside world. They just cared about finding out the truth. And that’s how we should be. Maybe if more of us were that way we would know even more than we do today.

But being willing to look for the truth no matter where it takes you can be a risky venture. You sometimes might not like what you find. And when you get down to it, I think that’s what makes a lot of people afraid of truth. They don’t want to find out what’s at the end of that road. They are like the proverbial ostrich burying its head in the sand. Now you tell me what doesn’t look foolish about that. Really, the foolish ones are the ones who willfully deny truth. Being ignorant of truth because you just don’t know is one thing. But being willfully ignorant is something else altogether.

That’s not to say that we stand for things that have no basis in fact. But when we know we have a good handle on the truth we need to stand firm in that knowledge. Even if we may look crazy to some people, it doesn’t compare to knowing what is true. I will take truth at the expense of public opinion any day of the week.

…Let’s go deeper

 

AV Proverbs 17:28: “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: [and] he that shutteth his lips [is esteemed] a man of understanding.” I believe Abraham Lincoln’s quote probably originated from this verse. Our level of intelligence is never quite so exposed as when we begin to open our mouths and speak our minds. And we need to speak our minds at times. However, I know there are times when my level of expertise in an area is found wanting. And in those instances I’m better of just being quiet.

AV 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” It’s important that we stand for truth. Once we know truth we need to stand firm in knowing the truth. We hold onto it and are on guard for anything that would try to take us in a different direction.

AV Ephesians 6:14: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” This is often referred to as the belt of truth. In the military of the day this belt was known to hold the scabbard. And the scabbard was where the soldier placed their sword. So, in essence, no belt meant a soldier would be left without a weapon to fight with. The belt was kind of the holder of the truth.
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AV Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)” Once we have a firm grasp of truth, it’s important that we keep it and guard it. The reason we can stand firm in our faith is because of God. God is faithful that promised. Our faith is rooted and built in Him. And when our confidence is in Him, we won’t be ashamed.

AV 2 John 1:7: “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” There are those throughout history, and especially today, that would try to deny, not only the existence of Jesus Christ, but also the deity of Jesus Christ. The ones that deny this are reflecting the spirit of antichrist. They are deniers of truth. And this is because the truth is not in them.

AV Proverbs 17:28: “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: [and] he that shutteth his lips [is esteemed] a man of understanding.”

AV 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”

AV Ephesians 6:14: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

AV Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)”

AV 2 John 1:7: “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”