We are a blessed people! We have been given more than we need or deserve, but many times we lose perspective of how much we have and instead we focus on the little that we lack. Instead of giving thanks and praise to God for blessing us, for favoring us and for giving us the abundance that is in our lives, we choose to murmur and complain about the temporary trial, the discouraging situation or the challenging obstacle that is in our path. What we must always remember and keep in mind is that murmurers don't please God. Constantly complaining about all that is wrong in our lives brings a curse with it which will keep us from having the true joy, peace and contentment that God wishes for us to have. (1 Corinthians 10:10) (Philippians 2:14-15)
Deuteronomy 30:19 declares “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” We have a choice on how we see our life. We can look at all of the positives and give thanks and praise to God or we can look at the few negatives and choose to murmur and complain about how tough our life is. I have found that a grateful heart will be a contented heart and will overcome an obstacle much quicker and easier than choosing to murmur, complain and worry about that problem. When we act out our faith and show our confidence is in God's ability, He will show up on our behalf and meet our needs in ways that we never thought of or imagined before. (Psalm 34:1-10) (Daniel 3:25)
We are to boast in God's abundance and we should proclaim with our words that we are a blessed people, we are highly favored and meant to overcome, to triumph, to succeed and rise above every challenge, every obstacle and every mountain that we come across. See your glass as half-full. See the blessings that abound in your life. If you are able to read this message, count yourself blessed because there are almost 1 Billion people who can't read. Think on all that you possess and be grateful for what you have. Give thanks to the Lord for your family, your friends, your job, your home, your health and anything else that you can think of and with your whole heart give God praise for the abundance that is in your life. (Psalm 111:1-5) (Joel 2:12-13)
I encourage you to see with refreshed eyes how fortunate you really are. Count your blessings and not your problems because the good in your life greatly outweighs the bad. Keep an attitude of gratitude and you will see your life change in the most positive of ways.
–Dwayne
My New Book: Messages Of Hope: Words of Encouragement That Will Inspire, Lift Up, Challenge and Edify Your Spirit available on Amazon.
Click here to get your copy http://amzn.to/133gc7k
Showing posts with label Strength. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strength. Show all posts
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Continuing On No Matter The Obstacles
There are many people in this world who feel like giving up because of the trials and challenges in their path that seem too difficult to overcome. They feel as if they have endured enough and they just can't take it anymore. What they fail to realize is that with our own strength we can accomplish nothing, but with God's strengthening nothing shall be impossible to us. When we take our eyes off of our own ability and focus more on God's ability, we will be encouraged to try again knowing that God favors those who trust in Him and He will make victory their own. The key however is within our hands; we must dig our heels in and refuse to give up or give in no matter how discouraged we may feel and no matter how high the mountain before us seems to be. (Isaiah 40:28-31) (Mark 10:27) (Luke 1:37)
The apostle Paul knows about weakness. He knows about enduring pain. At one point he asked the Lord three different times to take a thorn from his flesh and God answered Paul and said “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” At God's response, Paul rejoiced and said “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” God's answer of grace and strength meant more to Paul than his own healing. We should take comfort in knowing that God will be just as faithful to us in our tribulations. And that is why we must never give up. We must continue on in faith knowing that our victory surely lays ahead. (2 Corinthians 12:8-11) (2 Corinthians 11:22-33)
When Paul came to the end of his life he said in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul didn't say I quit the race or I got tired and will continue the race another time. He said I finished the race. He stayed faithful despite the beatings he took, the ridicule he endured and the suffering that he went through to preach Christ. He stayed faithful despite all the discouragements and because he did, we now call him a giant in the faith. We learn from his writings that take up half of the New Testament. We are encouraged and inspired by the testimony that he has left us and I pray that we learn to be as faithful to the Lord even in the midst of our raging storms just as the apostle Paul was. (Job 13:15)
No matter what we may go through, we can stand up again, we can try again, we can continue on no matter how bleak the situation may seem. Giving up should never be a part of our mentality or our vocabulary. We who have entrusted our life to the Lord know that a new beginning is possible with Him and God will be faithful to strengthen us, to encourage us and to equip us with all that we need to finish the race just like Paul did. No matter how hard the storms are raging, matter how tough the battle may seem, be encouraged to continue on and fight the good fight of faith. The Lord who hasn't left you in times past won't leave you now. Stay faithful to Him and know that God will never leave you nor forsake you. (Mark 13:13) (Philippians 2:13-16)
–Dwayne
My New Book: Messages Of Hope: Words of Encouragement That Will Inspire, Lift Up, Challenge and Edify Your Spirit available on Amazon.
Click here to get your copy http://amzn.to/133gc7k
The apostle Paul knows about weakness. He knows about enduring pain. At one point he asked the Lord three different times to take a thorn from his flesh and God answered Paul and said “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” At God's response, Paul rejoiced and said “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” God's answer of grace and strength meant more to Paul than his own healing. We should take comfort in knowing that God will be just as faithful to us in our tribulations. And that is why we must never give up. We must continue on in faith knowing that our victory surely lays ahead. (2 Corinthians 12:8-11) (2 Corinthians 11:22-33)
When Paul came to the end of his life he said in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul didn't say I quit the race or I got tired and will continue the race another time. He said I finished the race. He stayed faithful despite the beatings he took, the ridicule he endured and the suffering that he went through to preach Christ. He stayed faithful despite all the discouragements and because he did, we now call him a giant in the faith. We learn from his writings that take up half of the New Testament. We are encouraged and inspired by the testimony that he has left us and I pray that we learn to be as faithful to the Lord even in the midst of our raging storms just as the apostle Paul was. (Job 13:15)
No matter what we may go through, we can stand up again, we can try again, we can continue on no matter how bleak the situation may seem. Giving up should never be a part of our mentality or our vocabulary. We who have entrusted our life to the Lord know that a new beginning is possible with Him and God will be faithful to strengthen us, to encourage us and to equip us with all that we need to finish the race just like Paul did. No matter how hard the storms are raging, matter how tough the battle may seem, be encouraged to continue on and fight the good fight of faith. The Lord who hasn't left you in times past won't leave you now. Stay faithful to Him and know that God will never leave you nor forsake you. (Mark 13:13) (Philippians 2:13-16)
–Dwayne
My New Book: Messages Of Hope: Words of Encouragement That Will Inspire, Lift Up, Challenge and Edify Your Spirit available on Amazon.
Click here to get your copy http://amzn.to/133gc7k
Monday, June 10, 2013
Believe In Yourself Again
We should live our life with purpose and have a deep and assured knowing that we are meant to achieve greatness with our life. We must always remember and keep in mind that God does not create anything without a plan and purpose behind it. We must believe in ourselves as God believes in us and when we do nothing shall be impossible to us. It is easy to tell someone that they are meant to achieve great things in life, but if they don't believe it for themselves then the victory has already been taken away from them. We must see our life as meaningful and full of potential. We must let go of our past failures, setbacks and shortfalls and know that a new beginning is always available with God. (Jeremiah 1:4-5) (Psalm 139:14-18) (Matthew 17:20)
For me it has never been difficult to believe that greatness was within me. Confidence in myself was never lacking, but when I became paralyzed in a boating accident in 1996, all my confidence and assurance of greatness was taken away in a split second. My secured and sure future was completely changed in that moment and all I knew soon after that accident was uncertainty. I became uncertain of my ability and of my future. I didn't know how my life would be beneficial to myself and to others. Thankfully all of that changed when Jesus entered into my life. Hope was restored. Confidence was returned. My future was eternally secured and a gift of encouragement was imparted into my life that was to be used to encourage and inspire others around the world to believe in themselves again as God believes in them. (John 15:5) (Isaiah 40:28-31)
We must nurture a belief that we are not our past. We are not defined by our failures and setbacks. We can however use our past for our benefit today and in our tomorrow's to come. The lessons we learned that made us better, wiser and stronger serve a purpose to not repeat the past, but become better because of it. What I have learned about overcoming is that just as a plant needs water to survive so to our life needs to receive nourishment. We must have a deep knowing that we are worthy and well able to make a difference in our own life and in the lives of others. (2 Corinthians 5:17) (Jeremiah 1:6-9) (Ezekiel 18:30-32)
No matter what you have gone through; no matter your failures or setbacks, no matter your trials and tribulations, you can rise up again. You can make a difference in this world. You can teach what you have learned, you can encourage others in their discouragement, you can inspire someone else to know that a new beginning is always possible with God. Using your life to make a difference in the lives of others will leave a legacy that will live on long after you are gone. Believe in yourself. Nurture the gifts within you. Try again even if you don't feel like it. When you do you will see your life reach heights you never thought possible. I know this truth because I try my best to do it each and every day. (Ezekiel 11:19-20) (Psalm 103:10-14)
–Dwayne
For me it has never been difficult to believe that greatness was within me. Confidence in myself was never lacking, but when I became paralyzed in a boating accident in 1996, all my confidence and assurance of greatness was taken away in a split second. My secured and sure future was completely changed in that moment and all I knew soon after that accident was uncertainty. I became uncertain of my ability and of my future. I didn't know how my life would be beneficial to myself and to others. Thankfully all of that changed when Jesus entered into my life. Hope was restored. Confidence was returned. My future was eternally secured and a gift of encouragement was imparted into my life that was to be used to encourage and inspire others around the world to believe in themselves again as God believes in them. (John 15:5) (Isaiah 40:28-31)
We must nurture a belief that we are not our past. We are not defined by our failures and setbacks. We can however use our past for our benefit today and in our tomorrow's to come. The lessons we learned that made us better, wiser and stronger serve a purpose to not repeat the past, but become better because of it. What I have learned about overcoming is that just as a plant needs water to survive so to our life needs to receive nourishment. We must have a deep knowing that we are worthy and well able to make a difference in our own life and in the lives of others. (2 Corinthians 5:17) (Jeremiah 1:6-9) (Ezekiel 18:30-32)
No matter what you have gone through; no matter your failures or setbacks, no matter your trials and tribulations, you can rise up again. You can make a difference in this world. You can teach what you have learned, you can encourage others in their discouragement, you can inspire someone else to know that a new beginning is always possible with God. Using your life to make a difference in the lives of others will leave a legacy that will live on long after you are gone. Believe in yourself. Nurture the gifts within you. Try again even if you don't feel like it. When you do you will see your life reach heights you never thought possible. I know this truth because I try my best to do it each and every day. (Ezekiel 11:19-20) (Psalm 103:10-14)
–Dwayne
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)