Another Night With The Frogs?

Only thirty more days left in this year. Did I just say that? This season is always an exciting time for us to reflect on the birth of our Savior and to think about the prospect of a fresh start. Yes, a new year. A clean slate. A do-over. Time to get some things right and time to let go of the regrets of the past. I’m little puzzled by that. Why do we feel like we HAVE TO wait until the new year to start making changes that could impact our lives forever? Why do we have to wait for the new year to start working on goals, dreams, and visions to improve ourselves? To save our lives? Can We Talk?!

In Exodus 8, God releases the second plague in the land of Egypt. The frogs. Frogs, frogs everywhere! Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron to pray to God and have the frogs removed from the land. Moses asked Pharaoh WHEN do you want me to submit this petition. Pharaoh said “Tomorrow”. I’m not kidding you. That is in the Word of God.

Tomorrow? You mean to tell me that you have enough belief in God to ask me to ask Him to stop the plague, but you’d be willing to spend another night with the frogs rather than to have me to ask Him to do it today? That’s exactly what we do when we wait for the new year to make changes. We’d rather spend 30 more days unhealthy, 30 more days with our addiction, 30 more days with our pain, 30 more days with our unforgiveness, and 30 more days in our sin than to ask God to heal us now and begin the journey to wellness today.

Sure, most of us might not be like Pharaoh, we would at least pray the prayer today. But what we wouldn’t do is put our necessary action with God’s power to make that prayer begin to manifest in our lives today. Whenever we ask God for change, He is going to require some change on our part too, before we see the evidence of that change. What can you start doing today that will impact the next 30 days? Don’t wait.

What’s plaguing you? Listen, you don’t have to spend the next 30 days planning how your life will be better in 2013.  You don’t have to spend one more night with the frogs.

GospelFit #THANKSgivingDiet Challenge Day 10 ~ In Forgiveness There Is Peace

I forgive you. Three little words that carry so much power. Power to heal, transform, and uplift when spoken and practiced. Power to destroy and confine a person to the past when pain, bitterness, and silence are chosen instead. Can We Talk?!

As the new year is closing in on us fast, we think about fresh starts and the chance to begin anew. We can’t help but think about starting a new day, a new year with a fresh outlook. Forgiveness tops the list as one of my all time favorite discussions when we talk about starting over. It hadn’t always been that way though. When God allowed a situation to happen in my life where I was challenged to forgive and be reconciled, then I truly understood what it meant to forgive.

Today in Gill’s post, she talks about peace in forgiveness. I can vouch for that. There is freedom and peace in letting go of past hurts and looking at the person or person’s involved through Christ’s eyes that is unmatched. Freedom, Grace, Repentance, Love, Humility, and Compassion are words that come to mind. Let the same mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus. If you are holding on to past hurts today, there is no time like the present to release it and release them. But for the grace of God, we would be the one seeking the same forgiveness. If we weren’t all capable of hurting one another deeply, if we could save ourselves, we  would not need a Savior.

http://www.fitnessbuster.com/gospelfit-thanksgiving-diet-challenge-day-10-in-forgiveness-there-is-peace/

GospelFit THANKSgiving Diet Challenge Day 2 ~ Changed Part 2

Day 2 – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NCV) 16 Always be joyful.17 Pray continually, 18 and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.

Yesterday, we talked about being grateful for the changed life we received when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  Today, we want to think in more detail about what those changes might look like in our lives. If we can’t name the changes, we can’t fully express gratitude. Can We Talk?!

Before Christ set you free were you a quitter? NOW you have the power to persevere. Did you procrastinate? NOW you  have the power to plan your work and work your plan with time to spare. Did you have unforgiveness and bitterness in your heart? NOW you have been set free to love,  forgive, and be reconciled. The power of God changes us and empowers us to do things that we could not do before. We can give thanks for our new lives and for the power of God working in the lives of those we love and interact with daily. Everyone should have access to this power. Our hearts ache for the lost who do not know the power of Jesus to save, deliver, and set free.

How has God’s power changed your life?

Make your prayer today ” Lord, make me an instrument in Your Kingdom to save the lost”.

Red Hot Smoldering Unforgiveness

Last night I decided to light a fire in my fireplace. The fire was warm, inviting, and relaxing in this unusually cold Texas weather. As all of the wood was being consumed, the fire began to smolder; all that remained was the red-hot embers, white-hot embers, and the glow of the fire on the wood, but no flames. I gazed into the fireplace and noticed how intense, purposeful, and consistent the fire smoldered to consume all of the wood until only cool white ashes remained. I remember thinking that must be how unforgiveness smolders in our lives and our hearts consuming all of us (time, emotions, energy, attention, heart, and money) until only ashes remain. Ah…forgiveness…a great topic to begin a new year! Let’s talk!

If an accelerant (like gasoline) were added to the burning embers of a fire, the fire would likely reignite or at least blaze up quickly once again. Our unforgiveness acts much the same way. Someone says or does something that triggers (adds accelerant to) our unforgiveness, manifested through pain, grief, resentment, bitterness, hatred or, anger and we ignite. We act out in many ways when we hold on to past hurts and offenses. We might live our lives distant and angry, fearful, resentful and bitter, deciding to stop interacting or speaking to the person(s) who hurt us, or even plot revenge for their demise. None of these actions is beneficial to us. They only serve to fuel the red-hot smoldering, causing the embers to burn hotter, and causing our pain, hatred, bitterness, resentment…to intensify.

Forgiveness is not easy, but it is a required of us and necessary for us to live in peace (in our mind) and freedom. Forgiveness may not “feel” good at first, because forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. Some of us do not want to forgive, because we cannot imagine letting the person who hurt us off the hook or giving them a get out of jail free card. Forgiveness is not really about their freedom, it is ALL about our freedom.

Unforgiveness is the resentful, angry, hateful nurturing of our grievances – it is a harmful transgression against our own being. We hurt ourselves more than we hurt the person who we choose not to forgive. Release THEM and YOU will be set free. (You are probably asking, how does that work?)

Unforgiveness is a blessing blocker that binds us to the person(s) and the event(s) that caused us pain. We unconsciously relinquish control of our emotions, actions, and healing to the person or people who hurt us. They may not physically be in our lives, but emotionally we are trapped in the place where and the time when the offense took place. If we are going to move to forgiveness and live in peace and freedom, we have to acknowledge the pain, (yes, it happened) forgive the people involved, allow God to heal us, and DECIDE to move on.

Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself.

The red-hot smoldering of the fire in my fireplace eventually stopped. All that remained was cool white ashes that could be touched and handled to clean the fireplace. Once we forgive, all that remains is cool white ashes of the past, easily touched and handled, unable to hurt, burn, or hinder us any longer.

This time of year, people are making resolutions to lose weight, save money, quit a bad habit, or start exercising and eating right. All of those are great resolutions to make, by the way. Unfortunately, more people will fail at keeping those resolutions as early as the springtime then those who will be successful. (This is one reason I do not make resolutions. I seek God’s guidance, make plans, and set goals to change my life). New Year’s IS a time for new beginnings, a time to begin fresh and new, to wipe the slate clean, to start from scratch, to “do-over”, to start over (I know…enough with the clichés already).

A more productive and fulfilling resolution is practicing forgiveness in our lives…leaving the past in the past and not allowing the past to control or dictate our future. Interestingly, change is constant in our present lives; but one thing that change cannot affect is the past. Nothing can change the past. We can change how we view the past and how we let the past affect our lives and we do have the power to change the future by letting go of the past.

As the New Year rings in, make a plan to forgive. Make forgiveness part of your life. As you practice forgiveness, you will learn to forgive in the moment. Yes, that means in the moment the offense occurs, you will have the power to forgive and move on with your life, refusing to be held hostage by the offense or the offender. Do not take anything with you into 2010 from 2009 (2008, 2003, 2000, 1990, 1986, 1970, 1967…you get the picture) that could contaminate your new year’s success, health, blessings, and prosperity.

Happy New Year friends!