O LORD that I would become a better steward of ALL that I have been given and ALL that I have been given to do with my time, money, energy and concentration!

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by MARSHA BURNS

July 3, 2014: Stop and take a personal inventory of how you manage your resources. I speak of time, money, energy, and concentration. Productivity in the world is not the same as spiritual productivity. You are set in this world to establish My kingdom in all things. It is My desire for you to become a better steward of all that you have been given and all that you have been given to do. I will direct your steps, says the Lord. 

Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

http://ft111.com

I loved the last days devotion of my Jolt of Joy Devotional!

The scripture today's reading is based on:

Proverbs 1:20-33 "

20-21Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts.

At the town center she makes her speech.

In the middle of the traffic she takes her stand.

At the busiest corner she calls out:

22-24“Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance?

Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism?

Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn?

About face! I can revise your life.

Look, I’m ready to pour out my spirit on you;

I’m ready to tell you all I know.

As it is, I’ve called, but you’ve turned a deaf ear;

I’ve reached out to you, but you’ve ignored me.

25-28“Since you laugh at my counsel

and make a joke of my advice,

How can I take you seriously?

I’ll turn the tables and joke about your troubles!

What if the roof falls in,

and your whole life goes to pieces?

What if catastrophe strikes and there’s nothing

to show for your life but rubble and ashes?

You’ll need me then. You’ll call for me, but don’t expect

an answer.

No matter how hard you look, you won’t find me.

29-33“Because you hated Knowledge

and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-God,

Because you wouldn’t take my advice

and brushed aside all my offers to train you,

Well, you’ve made your bed—now lie in it;

you wanted your own way—now, how do you like it?

Don’t you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots?

Carelessness kills; complacency is murder.

First pay attention to me, and then relax.

Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands.”

 

Isaiah 26:3-4 "

1-6At that time, this song

will be sung in the country of Judah:

We have a strong city, Salvation City,

built and fortified with salvation.

Throw wide the gates

so good and true people can enter.

People with their minds set on you,

you keep completely whole,

Steady on their feet,

because they keep at it and don’t quit.

Depend on God and keep at it

because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.

Those who lived high and mighty

he knocked off their high horse.

He used the city built on the hill

as fill for the marshes.

All the exploited and outcast peoples

build their lives on the reclaimed land."

Worry or fear can simply be defined as a lack of trust in the God Who loves you unconditionally and Who works all things together for your good. When you are consumed with worry, you are falsely believing that your problems are too big for even God to take care of. If you are filled with fear, you are mistakenly assuming that your sin is so great that even God cannot forgive you. If you are dealing with anxiety, you sadly and erroneously have convinced yourself that your life is so out of control that it is beyond God's power to bring order to your life.
If you are a compulsive worrier, you will never experience the joy that was meant to be yours. Worry and joy are mutually exclusive. Worry, in its rawest state, is a pathetic form of atheism. How does one overcome worry, fear and anxiety?
The Bible tells us that peace is a result of trusting God. Can you trust Him? Will you trust Him today? Will you declare, out loud, "Jesus, I trust You with my whole heart! I believe that nothing is impossible for You and that You have plans for good for my life!"
When you you saturate your mind and soul with the Word of God, you will be free from the fear of evil. When you confess Who God is and what He is able to accomplish in your life, it is then that anxiety, worry and fear will miraculously disappear. And what will be left in the place of those dreadful emotions? You will find yourself the blessed recipient of joy!

Forgiveness Releases the Past ... A beautiful post by Jonathan Lockwood Huie ...

Forgiveness means letting go of the hope for a better past.
- Lama Surya Das

Forgiveness ... is the finishing of old business
that allows us to experience the present,
free of contamination from the past.
- Joan Borysenko

There is a great future in front of you,
you can leave your past behind.
- Joel Osteen

Forgiveness is not always easy.
At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered,
to forgive the one that inflicted it.
And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.
- Marianne Williamson

He who spends time regretting the past,
loses the present and risks the future.
- Quevedo

Before moving on, you have to clear away your cherished beliefs.
- Dick Raymond

Live life with no regrets and no resentments.
Whatever happened in the past,
forgive yourself and others. Choose love.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

A great lesson by Dr. Laura Markham about how to reach/teach our children. I love this! It's wonderful!

Obedience:
Why Do You Have To Tell Them Five Times?

"In one fairly typical encounter, a father asked his eight-year-old son five times to please go take a bath or a shower. After the fifth plea went unheeded, the father picked the boy up and carried him into the bathroom. A few minutes later, the kid, still unwashed, wandered into another room to play a video game." - Elizabeth Kolbert, in Spoiled Rotten: Why do kids rule the roost? in the New Yorker.
This situation may be extreme, but most parents I know have some version of this complaint. It's a good question: Why don't kids just do what we say the first time we say it?! And there's a good answer. Several, in fact.
1. They don't share our priorities. No child understands why a bath seems so essential to you. And every child has something else he's in the middle of doing, that seems more important to him. It may not look important to you, but a child's play is his work -- that's how young humans learn. That's a good thing--you want a child who's self-motivated, rather than expecting you to entertain him.
Solution: First, connect with your child by noticing what he's working on and acknowledging his priorities: "Wow, look at this elaborate train track you're building! Can you show me how it works?" Then, give him a warning that you're about to overrule his agenda with your own: "Sweetie, it's bath time. Do you want to take your bath now, or in five minutes? Ok, five minutes with no fuss? Ok, that's a deal -- let's shake on it!"
2. We've trained them not to pay attention until we yell and threaten. Your child is no dummy. She knows she can milk extra time before bath if she just ignores you. That doesn't make her bad, just human. So if your child is like the eight year old who ignored five requests, it means you've trained her that you aren't serious until you yell.
Solution: Don't give directives from across the room. Move in close to your child and touch her. Connect by commenting on what she's doing. Then say "Excuse me, Sweetie....I need to tell you something," and wait until she looks you in the eye. If she's staring at a screen, warn her that you're going to pause the game or the TV. Don't give your directive until you make eye contact, so she knows you're serious. Give only one warning, then stick to the time limit you've agreed on. Follow through. If you don't, you're training her not to take your requests seriously.
3. They need our help to make the transition. When you're engrossed in your computer screen, don't you find it hard to pull yourself away to tend to a whining child? Kids experience our repeated nagging the same way we experience their whining, meaning they try to tune it out.
Solution: Give one warning. When you go back in five minutes, connect again by commenting on his play: "Wow, look at those trains go!" Remind him of your deal: "Ok, Sweetie, it's been five minutes. Remember our deal? Five minutes and no fuss. It's bathtime now." Then, create a bridge from his play to what you're asking: "Do you want the two engines to leap off the track and race all the way to the bathroom? Here, I'll take this one and you take that one; Let's zoom!"
4. Their frontal cortex is still developing the ability to switch gears from what they want to what you want. Every time you set a limit that requires your child to give up what she wants in order to do what you want, she has to make a choice. When she decides that her relationship with you is more important than what she wants at this moment, she follows your request. Every time she does that, she's strengthening her brain's ability to rein herself in. That's how kids develop self-discipline. But this only works if your child switches gears somewhat willingly. If you drag her kicking and screaming, she's resisting, rather than choosing. She's not building those self-discipline neural pathways. (That's why there's a "self" in "self-discipline. It's chosen from inside.)
Solution: Set limits with empathy so she WANTS to cooperate, and gets plenty of practice.
5. They don't feel heard. We can't make children obey, unless we're willing to hurt their bodies and break their spirits. They have to want to cooperate. Luckily, our kids usually give us the benefit of the doubt and follow our rules, as long as they feel heard.
Solution: Acknowledge her position, even when you can't accommodate it: "I hear you. You're saying it loud and clear-- NO BATH! You really don't want to take a bath. I bet when you're older you'll NEVER take a bath, right?....Tonight you do need a bath, though....Which do you choose-- a bath or a shower?"
Sometimes, hearing your child's perspective might even convince you to compromise or change your position. That's fine. Just explain your reasoning, so your child knows it was his win/win solution that changed your mind, not his obstinacy.
6. They feel disconnected from us. When kids don't follow our lead, it's because they feel disconnected from us. Why on earth would he feel disconnected? Because he was away from you all day. Or you lost your temper at him this morning. Or he's angry at you because you always have the baby on your lap. Or you rely on timeouts and consequences for discipline, instead of connection. Or maybe just because he's a little person in a big world, and that gets scary, and all those scary feelings get pushed down inside, where they block the child's ability to lovingly connect.
Solution: Empathize with your child's experience, both when you're giving a directive and as often as you can. That rebuilds the connection. Be prepared for any upset feelings to surface once your child feels that warm connection more strongly, and stay compassionate through the resulting meltdown. After he's had a chance to "show" you the upset that's been weighing on him, your child will feel re-connected and cooperative.
7. They've given up on us. Children naturally look to their parents for nurturing and guidance. If they're convinced that we're on their side, they want to please us. So if your child is defiant, or you keep finding yourself in power struggles, that's a red flag that your relationship needs strengthening.
Solution: Every time your child initiates an interaction, remind yourself that she's trying to meet legitimate needs. Empathize and find a way to meet those needs, even when you're setting limits. That convinces your child you're on the same side. To deepen the relationship, start spending half an hour of Special Time, one-on-one, daily. This seems so simple that most parents under-estimate the impact. But I have never seen special time fail. Be sure to do a lot of giggling and roughhousing on the days when you get to choose the activity. On alternate days, follow your child's lead and just pour your love into her. You'll see an immediate difference in her willingness to cooperate.
8. They're human. Force creates push-back. All humans resist control, and kids are no different. The more they feel "pushed around" the more they rebel. That's a good thing. Training a child to be obedient means you'll always have to be there to give orders, and as an adult she may not stand up for herself. Teaching a child self-discipline raises a child who can think for herself, stand up for what's right, and isn't likely to be taken advantage of.
Solution: Choose your battles. Make sure your child knows you're on her side and she has some choices. Coach your child rather than trying to control her.
Kolbert doesn't mention any of these reasons in her article. She says kids ignore parents because “Parents want their kids’ approval" and "worry that we're going to damage...kids by frustrating them.” This accusation surfaces in every discussion alleging that kids today are spoiled. But I just don't buy it. The man who picked his eight year old up and put him in the bathroom wasn't afraid to set a limit because he wanted his son's approval or was worried about damaging him. No, his son didn't follow his directives because the dad didn't follow through on his limit. He had trained his child to ignore him. And he most likely finished the evening with screaming or walloping, which decrease the child's respect and connection, and therefore decrease future cooperation.
One more thing we need to consider when we talk about obedience. Discussions about whether kids are spoiled always indict parents for raising kids who aren't obedient, as if obedience is the holy grail to which parents should aspire. But don't you want to raise a child who's self-disciplined and WANTS to cooperate? That's very different from obedience, where the discipline comes from outside the child. As H.L. Mencken said, "Morality is doing what's right no matter what you're told. Obedience is doing what you're told no matter what's right."
Does setting empathic limits sound like a lot of work? It is, in the beginning. It would certainly be easier if kids would immediately comply with our every directive. But the good news is that following these practices consistently not only raises a self-disciplined child, it raises a child who knows you'll follow through, so he doesn't need to be asked five times to do something. Which makes it a whole lot easier to get him into the bathtub.

Choose love!
Dr. Laura

Rick Joyner's Daily Devotional - Day 75 - The Beginning of True Church Life

 

Yesterday we considered II Corinthians 2:16, "But we have the mind of Christ, and John 17:23 where the Lord prayed that we would be "perfected in unity." We then briefly discussed the three basic stages of personality development, which are: co-dependence, independence, and inter-dependence. Today I want to view this a little deeper, applying it practically to a major thrust that the church is about to go through. In Ephesians 4:11-16 we read how this is supposed to happen in the church.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man,

to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves,

and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,

from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies,

according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

We see that the five ministries named here are given to equip the members of the body who are called to do the actual ministry. Therefore the primary job of an evangelist is not to just evangelize, but to impart a love for the lost to the whole body, and help all believers to be able to lead others to the Lord. The main job of a prophet is not just to hear from the Lord, but also to help all believers to know the Lord's voice and be able to prophesy. The primary job of a teacher is not just to impart knowledge, but also to impart a love for the truth and the spiritual tools needed for all believers to be able to mine the truths of God's Word. The primary task of a pastor is not just to lead people, but also to equip all believers to be able to help one another. The apostle is called to do all of these.

As we read in verse 13, this is to be done "until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ." Note that he does not say here until "some" attain, but "all." We cannot get where we are supposed to go without each other. We are therefore compelled to love and help one another if even for selfish reasons. If we fully understood this we would look at the weakest Christians, or churches, as those that we must reach out to help. We cannot write off those who may have some wrong doctrines and practices. This does not mean that we have to accept their errors, but we must accept them, pray for them, seeking any way that we can be used to help them.

When there were only two brothers on the earth they could not get along, but one killed the other. Today almost all unity is based on the selfish need for one another. When that need is no longer there, division and fighting is usually inevitable. However, this need will never cease to be in the church. Selfishness is not the highest motive by any means, but it can at least help maintain enough unity until we mature in love and the higher motives. We must understand that whenever we hurt another member of the body of Christ, we are hurting ourselves as well. Whenever one member is hurt in any way we too are hurt, and we therefore must begin to protect and defend one another in the faith.

If we have the Holy Spirit then we have the One who is called "the Helper" (see John 14:26). If we are taking on His nature it should become our nature to help one another. Why not begin to pray for the denomination, church, or even individual Christians that we may have the most problems with? Why not ask the Lord to show us practical ways that we can begin to help them? As the Scripture affirms, what is accomplished if we only love those who are lovable to us? Let us try to grow in love by loving those that may not be as lovable to us, and then excel in love by loving and helping, those who have even offended us. Pursuing love in this way is the path to finding our true identity in CHRIST.

A post by Jonathan Lockwood Huie about Mastering my Emotions ... Just an idea ...

If I feel depressed I will sing.
If I feel sad I will laugh.
If I feel ill I will double my labor.
If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.
If I feel inferior I will wear new garments.
If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice.
If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.
If I feel incompetent I will think of past success.
If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.
Today I will be the master of my emotions.
- Og Mandino

Do all things with love.
- Og Mandino

Count your blessings. Once you realize
how valuable you are and how much you have going for you,
the smiles will return, the sun will break out,
the music will play, and you will finally
be able to move forward the life that God intended
for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.
- Og Mandino

What you plant now, you will harvest later.
- Og Mandino

When you feel worried and depressed,
consciously form a smile on your face and act upbeat
until the happy feeling becomes genuine.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Practical application of Philippians 4:6 ...

Philippians 4:6 "Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell GOD what I need and thank HIM for all HE has done."

Worry is a call to prayer. The moment I become aware of the churning anxiety af ANYTHING, go immediately to my heavenly FATHER. Present my requests to HIM. Then turn my thoughts and prayers to thanksgiving.

• Thank HIM for HIS promise to never forsake me.
• Thank HIM for the power of HIS name.
• Thank HIM for HIS intimate knowledge of every detail of my life.
• Thank HIM for HIS track record in my life when HE has been there for me in the past.
• Thank HIM that HE works ALL things together for my good.
• Thank HIM that HE is at work establishing HIS kingdom in my life.

My faith and trust in GOD will override my fear and HIS peace will actually put a guard around my heart and mind so fear cannot over run me. It's supernatural and real.

FATHER GOD, I confess that I often allow YOUR peace to slip from my heart. Fear is often my 1st response to challenges that come my way. May I be conscious today of choosing to trust YOU with every detail of my life. Help me to have faith to leave the question marks in YOUR control and to trust YOU to carry me and to sustain me with YOUR peace that is beyond understanding. Today I choose to put my trust in YOU. I choose to walk in YOUR peace, Fill my heart with childlike faith. ALL in YOUR precious name JESUS!