January 4 Thought for the day...be disciplined, to fulfill your destiny

It takes time to develop new habits and eliminate old ones. You may have committed to working out, eating right, reading your Bible every day, spending more time in prayer, whatever the changes you want to make are, they will not be easy. The writer of Hebrews told us so Chapter 12 verse 11 says...


"No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it's painful! But afterward, there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."


The Greek word the writer uses for discipline is the idea of transforming an undisciplined child into one that is disciplined in all areas. The word used for discipline while certainly has to do with spiritual discipline is not limited to just spiritual it can refer to financial, physical, mental and all forms of discipline. The writer is saying "at this moment in time" it is not enjoyable to be transformed from where I am to where I need to be, in fact, it is a tough task, it causes me agony (painful in the Greek).


The writer is saying, "anytime I need to begin to change to become more of who God wants me to be and bring my flesh under subjection to Christ, it will cause me agony". It is not easy to change, but if you are willing, the promise is, you become more Christ-like, more the destiny that has been planned for you, and you feel more like who you were meant to be. This will bring you into a real place of peace and contentment in all things.


Sometimes when God is calling us to change, it might not seem very spiritual but is necessary to our becoming all the Lord has ordained for us to be. Perhaps the resolution or revolution you have underway in your life is bigger than losing weight, learning something new, eating right, getting into the Word and prayer. It has a broader role to play in God's big picture for you. Deal with the pain of change, knowing your destiny is coming! 

January 2 Thought for the day.....pressing on

Yesterday we started out the New Year with talking about letting go but there is a bit more to this verse that we need to grab onto, to understand what Paul means here...

Philippians 3:13

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead"

When Paul is talking about "reaching forward" it is not just a gentle stretch. The emphasis is like an Olympic runner straining with every bit of strength to cross the finish line with victory. It is the idea of 100% commitment to winning the prize. Paul's sense is that the determination is greater than anyone else, others may be in the same race but we are to push past, run harder, and stronger because we have such a determined desire for the goal.

The prize only goes to those who are most determined and have pushed the hardest. When you look at the resolutions you are making or the revolution you want to begin in your life, forgetting the past is key to not allowing it to control you but more importantly you have to want to fulfill the destiny, the dreams, and goals you and God have set for you.

The world system wants to place every kind of negative thought, every kind of limitation. The world wants to bring the "Eeyores" into you life to always focus on the trouble and impossibilities. God challenges us, through Paul, that we need to be more determined than the world. We have to want to accomplish our destiny, dreams, goals more than we are willing to listen to the nay-sayers.

Push forward this year! Win the race!

January 1 Thought for the day....letting go and reaching forward

Happy New Year!

This is a new day and a new year. Don't you dare waste another moment of what the Lord has given you in regret! Paul tells us to not go there at all!  Philippians 3:13

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead"

This is a great verse to meditate on as we start the new year. What are you carrying in the form of regrets, sorrow, failure, or other such things into this new year?

The word Paul uses for "forgetting" means to turn completely away, to put something aside, to totally and completely disregard. His word for "behind" means things that are completely obsolete that they have no possible usefulness. It is the same word that Jesus used when rebuking the devil, "get behind me Satan" Matthew 16:23.

Some of the regrets you face may not be just mere memories but could be the enemy trying to hassle, harass, and torment you over past failures. When you have reconciled to God, asked for forgiveness, and/or have been fighting temptation, the enemy has no right to harass you. You need to make the decision to force the "forgetting" by standing on God's Word. It is time to remind the enemy that those things are in the past and you have been forgiven. They are under the blood of Christ and are no longer applicable to any area of your life.

The enemy wants to hold you to your past but God wants you reaching forward. Choose to believe that His blood and power are more than enough for you. Those sins, regrets, sorrows have no place in your life. God has so much more ahead of you, you can't fully comprehend the greatness of His plan but that is what you stifle when you choose to live the regrets, sins and sorrow. So don't do it! Reach forward!

December 30 Thought for the day....complete the work

There is always so much on my plate, as I am sure there is on yours. The enemy often can not get a maturing Christians to fall away, but he will do his best to keep us distracted or busy, so we do not complete the work the Lord has for us. I heard this many years ago and have believed it since, "the enemy of best is good." I never want to settle for good when God wants my best. Paul makes it clear that if we are willing, God will make that happen. Philippians 1:6

"being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"

We have two days until we start a new year. What do you have that has been left undone, spiritually? You might be thinking its impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Paul's word for "confident" here means "to be completely sure, to have an absolute conviction" that He is going to complete the work you started together at the beginning of the year.  Think for a moment, what had God begun to walk you through? If you are a willing vessel. If you are open to the Holy Spirit's guidance. You should, like Paul, have total confidence that He can and will complete that work in you.

He doesn't want you bringing last years work, garbage, limitations, or stuff into this year. His plan for the New Year is amazing, if you will allow Him to complete this year's work in you over the next two days.

Consider this promise, He began a good work in you and He will complete it! Your job; believe, agree, and allow Him to do it!

Start the New Year with a fresh start! Complete the work and look for the new coming your way!

December 29 Thought for the day.....letting go

Periodically, Paige and I will clean things out. Throwing away things that we had saved but really are of no value. At one time we may have thought they were important, but as time goes by, we realized they aren't or they have out lived their usefulness. Paul encourages us to do that with our emotional and spiritual lives as well.

"....For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." Philippians 3:8

The word that we translate "rubbish" in Greek really means, "the most disgusting vile things you can think, human waste, rotting corpses, vile garbage, animal dung", the things that are most disgusting of refuse.

Paul is challenging us to look at all the hurts, bitterness, wounds, unforgiveness, and even our accomplishments prior to Christ and to let them go. We should count them as garbage in order to receive from the Lord all of the amazing things He has for us.

Prior to Christ we did our best and in the process picked up a lot of bad habits, trust in ourselves (rather than God), hurts, wounds and rejections. All of which, will limit our openness to allowing God to flow through us in great anointing and power.

Make room for the Holy Spirit and all the Lord has for us but starting the New year out right. Let go of your abilities, attitudes, wounds, unforgiveness and all the human trappings. Choose instead to grab onto God with both hands and prepare for His power to flow through you. Your old stuff may have seemed important long ago but if you are willing to let go, God will amazes you with the new He wants to give.

December 28 Thought for the day....overcoming negative stuff

As we prepare to enter another new year, are there some changes in your life you would like to make? Is there some emotional or other baggage you don't want to carry into the new year with you?  Jesus was having a discussion with His disciples about dealing with sin and offenses. They struggled with having enough to overcome these things so they asked how to increase their faith, Jesus' response...Luke 17:6

“If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

The word "say" here means to, "shout out loud with conviction and authority", "to make a firm command". Jesus is telling us, if there is something in our lives we want to get out of our lives we must have enough conviction to believe it so completely in our hearts that we speak out loud with authority, saying we will not have this bitterness, unforgiveness, selfishness, lust, greed, whatever the baggage we are carrying, controlling us anymore.

We have to begin to accept personal responsibility for our sin, bad moods, areas of emotional baggage. We need to understand God's promises for our lives, His word for our lives and say "No more". Standing on His promises and taking our authority in Christ, daily, changes everything. We choose what offends, what sins we allow, what unforgiveness we bear. Jesus is telling us to speak against those things with conviction of heart, believing God's promises, His Word and they will be pulled out by the roots. The key is we must decide and we must do it.

Make the change this year. Be come the free person God wants you to be. Make the decision today to start the new year fresh.

December 27 Thought for the day.....being thankful

How quickly have your children or grandchildren forgotten about the excitement of Christmas morning. Do you remember even what you had gotten just a couple of days ago. For a bigger challenge do you remember what you were given for your last birthday or Christmas. Someone gave time energy and thought into finding you the gifts you have received. How many wonderful gifts does the Lord give us everyday? How often are we truly thankful?  Paul writes

"in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Paul is using the word for "everything" that means, "in every detail, in the smallest of things", or in other words "in every circumstance", be thankful

The word Paul uses for thankful is a combination of two words one that simply means to have a "good feeling" and the other means "grace" When combined Paul's sense is this, someone who is grateful for an outpouring of overwhelming good feeling". Add to that "in every circumstance".

Thankfulness is a choice. Because of how blessed we are and God's great love for us, we need to begin to choose to be thankful in every circumstance. We need to remember that God is in control of our lives and He has a plan. Thankfulness is also built around trust, we will only be as grateful as we are able to trust the Lord.

Take time to look at all your blessings. Take time to look at all of your challenges. Know that God has blessed you and you can be grateful, in advance, that He can handle your challenges, if you will only trust Him!