Proverbs 23:7 – “For as he thinks within himself, so he is…”  NASB

In considering this subject and picking up where we left off last time as we discussed the reality that We Become What We Think.  Today, I want us to go a step further and consider some additional realities in our pursuit to Soar like the Eagle rather than Quack in the Crowd and Fly with the Flock.

THE NUMBER ONE TARGET OF THE DEVIL IS OUR MINDS…

The devil knows that if he can keep us bound in our thought processes, he can keep us from becoming what God has designed and desires.  Ephesians 6:10-11 declares, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”  

The ‘wiles’ or ‘schemes’ of the devil are important to note.  The word comes from the Greek [methodia] from which we get the word, method.  The Amplified renders it “strategies of the devil.”  We know from Scripture that the devil is crafty and utilizes a well-thought-out plan of attack.  He is never just shooting in the dark hoping to hit something.  We are told in (v.12) “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood…”  

We must remember that the devil operates in the realm of the mind and wants to inspire and induce negative, mediocre, non-challenging thinking.  In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, he is called the “god of this world” and his activity is identified as “blinding minds.”  In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, we are instructed to take control of our thoughts, through the Holy Spirit.  As we do that and allow the reprogramming of our thought processes, we can begin to Soar with God rather than Flying with the Flock and Quacking with the Crowd.

WE MUST CONSIDER THE BATTLE AND THE BATTLEGROUND…

The passage in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 utilizes military language, and that imagery usually suggests physical combat.  Everything that takes place in this passage happens in the mind.  Let me offer an illustration that will help us see this truth.

In ancient days, cities were built inside thick and massive walls. The wall provided a formidable barrier to protect the city.  Before an alien force could conquer a city, it had to first overcome that protective shield. Towers were erected in strategic places along the wall for early warning and observation. 

In times of battle, seasoned men with an understanding of military warfare would be positioned in those stations and from those vantage points could see the advancing forces and shout back strategies for a counterattack. In order for the enemy to take the city, several things had to become a reality. The wall had to be scaled or penetrated. The towers had to be invaded or taken down. The military men had to be destroyed or captured.  In the NASB there is a reference to the “destruction of fortresses” and “destroying speculations.”

If you understand this passage as representing the Wall around the Mind you gain an edge.  Speculations may represent the reasoning (thought patterns or traditional thinking) that have been built in us by the enemy.  The immediate question should be, “How does God’s truth win this battle?”  These speculations that encompass our minds must be penetrated but how?  The Holy Spirit penetrates those walls with the truth of God’s Word and makes an opening.  Then, He (Holy Spirit) encounters, “Lofty things” which are mental blocks that have been erected against spiritual viewpoints.

The enemy encourages you and me to revert to carnal habits when under pressure, under attack, or experiencing a trial or test.  These “Lofty things” are natural thinking and humanistic to the core.  Too many, for too long, have convinced themselves that they lack the ability, or the risk is too great, and failure is sure, therefore accepting the status quo is the only logical pathway.  Those Lofty Things must be cast down!  What is God’s Ultimate Goal for Us?  That we take every thought captive. God wants to transform those old thoughts that defeat us into new thoughts that liberate us.  He wants to Reprogram us.

Consider the commitment God is presenting to us.  He will take the old habits and old thought patterns and Transform them.  If in our struggle to become like Him we face lust, pride, jealousy, envy, perfectionism, cynicism, and criticism.  God must penetrate those thought patterns, pull them down and break the chains that have us bound. There is Hope and He Can and Will Help.  God wants to enable us to take every thought Captive to the obedience of Christ and enable us to Soar like the Eagle rather than Fly with the Flock.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – “It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives. The weapons we use in our fight are not the world’s weapons but God’s powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds.  We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.”  TEV

What do we do?  First, we admit we need God’s help.  Next, we ask for God’s help.  Then we commit to excellence.  May God, give you the wings of an eagle and enable you to soar to new heights.  

May the Rich and Bountiful Blessings of God be upon you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Jesus!

Proverbs 23:7 – “For as he thinks within himself, so he is…”  NASB

I, personally, desire to be an eagle and soar to those new and exhilarating and exciting heights that God has for me spiritually, emotionally, etc.  I have no desire to fly in a flock and quack with the crowd.  I want to rise above the level of mediocrity and the clutter of this distressed world and enjoy God’s best.  That is my desire! 

However, desire is especially important, but it is not sufficient.  If we are to accomplish this lofty goal, we must fight some fierce battles and endure some tremendous struggles.  We must realize that what and how we think is important.  Additionally, what we think about is important and we must gain control of our thought processes and bring them into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 

We will find it necessary to learn to Think Clearly (uncluttered minds), Think Courageously (filled with faith and courage) and Think Confidently (I can through Him. Victorious thinking). 

You will not become an eagle by simply deciding you no longer want to Quack with the Crowd or Fly with the Flock.  It takes work, effort, commitment, and discipline.  It takes determination and it takes courage.  It takes Faith.  I heard an illustration several years ago, that was incredibly inspiring.

The story is told that Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general and then the President of the United States. They knew of other men who had greater talent but who never succeeded. One of Jackson’s friends said, “Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the pike from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now.” Another friend responded, “How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times and out?” “Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat — he would never stay ‘throwed.’ Jim Brown would get tired, and on the fourth try Andrew Jackson would throw him and be the winner.”  Picking up on that idea, someone has said, “The thing that counts is not how many times you are ‘throwed,’ but whether you are willing to stay ‘throwed’.” We may face setbacks, but we must take courage and go forward in faith. Then, through the Holy Spirit’s power, we can be the eventual victor over sin and the world. The battle is the Lord’s, so there is no excuse for us to stay “throwed”! 

The world is full of people who give up too quickly and sit back with arms folded, deep frowns on their faces, and skeptical stares in their eyes.  Their favorite words are “Why try? Give Up!  We can’t do that.  Nobody ever does those things.  They get all the breaks.”  We can rise up and be what God has designed and desired us to be, but It Takes Work! 

There are some important things to realize if we are going to Soar Like the Eagle rather than be Quackers in the Crowd.

WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK.

The truth is that we tend to act out or manifest what we take in or focus on.  Truly, we become what we think.  That is God’s words as seen in our text, not just my personal opinion.  In Romans 12:1-2 we are instructed to not be conformed [ducks, geese, turkeys] but transformed [eagles].  This involves our desire and God’s supernatural work.  We are to be Renewed (reprogrammed) in our minds (thought processes).  That truly is where it all begins.  That battle is literally won or lost in the mind before it is won or lost.

There is an interesting passage in 2 Peter 2:22 and I do not mean to be gross, but it reads, “It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to the wallowing in the mire.”  The question that comes to mind is Why?  Why does the dog or hog go back? 

The answer is that they do not think differently, they follow their unchanged nature.  You can give a Royals Royce to a person with no concept or appreciation for its worth, how to use or appreciate it and it will be no more than a VW Dune Buggy in short order.  Clothes, cars, possessions, or station in life without a change in thinking results in the same destitution as before.  We must be Renewed (reprogrammed) with the kind of information that will set us free.  We want to become eagles and soar not ducks and fly with the flock, quacking with the crowd.

I have observed that a sizable number of people, even in the church, are entrenched and bound by defeatist thinking.  I do not believe in ‘mind over matter‘ but in a very real sense, we think our way out of difficulties.  No, thinking will not change things that require effort and work, but it changes our attitude and enables us to focus on Him who brings us victory and shifts our view from the crowd to the clouds.

God, bless you as you embark on today’s leg of life’s journey, and I will have more to say in the next devotional on this matter!

John 7:37-39 – “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ” If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'”  39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  NASB

WOW!  Today is another beautiful morning, as I awaken and sit before the Lord enjoying the solitude of my quiet place.  Darkness fills the air in the natural and light fills my heart in the spiritual.  My coffee tastes especially good this morning, the Word is especially fresh and the communication with the Lord is enlightening.  He asked me the question above from the passage in John’s Gospel. 

Jesus cried out on the last day of the feast a question that would have been applicable to every person there.  “Is anyone thirsty…”  Then He gave the solution to quenching that thirst, “let him come to Me and drink…”  

This is not the first time that we have seen water regarding the people. We saw in Exodus 17 that Israel was encamped in Rephidim, but there was no water to drink, and God through Moses’ hand provided water from the rock (a type of Christ).  Here, Jesus was telling the crowd if you have a thirst there is water that will quench it permanently once you drink this water there will be an inner river flowing out of your being to continually satisfy. 

Remember the woman in Samaria (John 4) whom Jesus asked to give Him a drink and ultimately told her that there was water that she did not know about that would quench her thirst permanently?  Water that would become a foundation of water from within that would spring up into everlasting life was what He was offering her.

That Water of Salvation is available to everyone but ONLY those who THIRST find it.  If any man thirsts let him come unto Me and drink.  He speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit within our lives who will provide that continual flow of the waters of salvation in our beings.  He is offering that continual connection to Himself and the Father to whoever will come to Him and drink.

How do we drink?  We confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.  We confess our sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins.  We find that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  We drink from the fountain filled with blood that flows from Emmanuel’s veins. 

We come to the Cross and receive the sacrifice that Jesus offered to pay for our sins.  We receive Him into our lives as Savior and as Lord!  He is the Water of Life, a continual flow from the throne of the Father to us who are thirsty!  But we must become thirsty, or we will never seek that flow!

Today, allow your hunger and thirst for righteousness to be satisfied by turning fully to Jesus with your heart, your soul, your mind, and your spirit.  Once you taste this water you will never thirst again! As you begin your day, go forth from the fountain of life having drunk from His waters, and be satisfied!  Once you have quenched your thirst at His fountain go forth and share that water with others who are searching and thirsty!

Blessings as you go through your day!  May the Lord provide all that you need to do all that your heart desires on this day!

Isaiah 59:19 – “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.”  NKJV

It is another beautiful morning here in the DFW area in Texas.  I have been running behind this morning because after my time of prayer and fellowship with the Lord some things came up to delay my coming to the computer.  I love these cool fall mornings when I can rise before it is yet day and bask in the sunlight of His presence.  My heart has been heavy for some time over what I see in this present world and the Lord witnessed to my heart the following:

I look around at the world, our nation, much of the world of Christianity, and at individual lives and am troubled.  On the one hand, I see the Glory of the Lord moving, and on the other; I see the onslaught of the enemy coming in like a flood. 

For me to say that our nation is in trouble would be an understatement; it is a disaster!  For me to say that our world is troubled would also be an understatement, it is being dismantled!  For me to say that much of the Christian world has lost some of its direction would be an understatement, much is out of focus and out of order! 

I am not trying to be critical of the Church but when I look at what I see, I am not seeing what is depicted in the Bible as being the Church that Jesus is coming back for!  Since the Church is the people within it, my concern is not for the organized church but for the individual cells, members, or people within that great organism called The Church!

There have been times when I have felt overwhelmed by what I see and, in those times, the Lord will give me something to stand on.  This is one of those times and this passage is one of those passages – “When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.”  

That is my rallying cry today!  That is my inspiration today!  That is my declaration of faith today!  Therefore, it does not matter how big the battle, how fierce the attack, or how widespread the seeming destruction – GOD will and is Lifting up a Standard against the enemy.  Simply put, God will Stop him, and provide protection and we know that we have weapons that are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. 

Therefore, my word to you today is to relax and know that GOD is in Control and Will Not Fail.  He has promised to Never leave us nor Forsake us but is with us Always even to the end of the world!  No weapon formed against us shall prosper and every tongue that rises against us in judgment will be condemned.  We have been attacked on many sides regarding our faith, but we must never quit.  The only way the devil can win in our lives is if we quit.  The enemy is ramping up his assault, but the Spirit of God is rising up within the hearts of believers worldwide to stand in the gap and make up the hedge.  I, therefore, rest in the protection and provision of the Almighty! 

I urge you to approach your day with the confidence that even if the enemy comes in like a flood, God will raise up a standard against him.  Go in peace and rejoice our redemption draws near. 

Blessings to everyone! 

Genesis 5:24 – “And Enoch found favor in the presence of God, and disappeared; for God took him away.”

As we began this consideration of Enoch, we noted that we would highlight three things, his walk, his word, and his wind-up.  Last time, we considered his walk or life.  Today we will address the other two elements in this account.

WE MUST CONSIDER HIS WORD…

It is important that we never lose sight of the reality that God is faithful in all things and at all times.  In Hebrews 11:5 we read, “By faith, Enoch departed and did not taste death, and he was not found, because God transferred him: but before he took him away, there was a testimonial about him, that he pleased God.”

In Jude 14-15 we read, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the LORD cometh with ten thousands of his saints, ¹⁵ To execute judgment upon all, and to punish all who are ungodly for all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and for all the harsh words which the ungodly sinners have spoken.”  The implication is that Enoch taught and preached to those about him the right way to live and to avoid being rebellious to the Creator. 

• He Taught By His Life or Walk.

His life was a constant reminder of righteousness, morality, and purity.  His life was a stark contrast to those around him.  He lived a life that was totally opposite of that which was being practiced by the society around him.

• He Taught By His Word.

His word had added weight due to his walk, or life.  His word and life were a warning against the lifestyle being practiced in his day.  His word was a promise to the faithful.  God has always been desirous of purity and morality.  He has always had redemption in his heart and plan.  Enoch Walked with God and Was Not, Because God took him!

His walk and his word bring us to the next important truth and event.

WE MUST CONSIDER HIS WIND-UP…

The Bible says, “and he was not, because God took Him.”  This was the dividend for complete and total commitment to the Creator God.  He is eternally existent in the presence of the Creator.  Enoch had been heading that way all his life.  His walk was directed by a heavenly destiny.  His word spoke of a land beyond this earth and a time of final judgment.  “Enoch Walked with God and Was Not, Because God took him!”

In conclusion, I hope this resonates with you and you realize that there will come a time when all small and great will stand before the Living God and give account for our lives.  The determining factor as to whether we are acceptable or not depends on our Walk, our lives in Christ Jesus, our Word our testimony and those two will determine our Wind-Up.

We will never be pleasing to God unless we accept Jesus as our Savior, but once we receive Christ our Walk and our Word will determine our Wind-up.  Enoch please God in His Walk and His Heart.  What about you and me?  Does our Walk please God?  Does our Word (Testimony) please God? 

My cry is – “Lord, I want my Walk to be right, my Word to be right, and my Wind-Up to be right.  I want to totally surrender to you!   I want my testimony to be that I pleased God and as it was said of David that I fulfilled the purposes of God then I went home to Heaven.”

God bless you as you enjoy this day in Jesus!

Genesis 5:24 – “And Enoch found favor in the presence of God, and disappeared; for God took him away.”

Here in the early pages of the Bible, we find an amazing account of a man who, although living in the midst of incredible wickedness held a testimony that he pleased God.  He was living a godly life in the midst of extreme sinfulness and disobedience.  The Bible says that Enoch Walked with God!

During a time when self-gratification and selfishness were the accepted norms, Enoch walked with God!  In a time when men were allowing sin to have full and free reign in their lives, Enoch walked with God!  In a society in which sin was not only considered acceptable but even respectable, Enoch walked with God!  What a Testimony!  What a record of Hope! 

This suggests that if he did in that time before Christ the Savior’s coming, we can!  Enoch Walked with God and he was not for God took him!  What a testimony!  What a story!  What a goal for us to shoot for!

There are several things to be gleaned from the account of Enoch that I would like to highlight.  Three things in particular – His Walk, His Word, and His Wind-up!

LET’S CONSIDER HIS WALK

Enoch Walked with God!  If we understand that walking with God is living in a deep personal relationship with Him, we find insight and a challenge.  To walk with God is to walk with His Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence.  It is to walk in Divine Love in a manner far beyond what most realize.  It is to walk in a Divine Anointing that unveils truth and breaks chains.  It is to walk with the Living God, the King of kings, and the LORD of lords.  

The wealth of what is implied in this phrase is invaluable and inexhaustible.  But let’s consider what it means to Walk With God.  There are several things I would like for us to consider.

• To Walk With God Implies Right Relationship.

Amos 3:3 – “Can two walk together except they are agreed?”  There is agreement as to the ultimate goal, end, or objective.  There is agreement as to the means or method of reaching that goal or end.  There is agreement as to how to live and practice the purposes of God. 

An agreement involves an act of the will. It is a decision where two or more elect to follow the same course and do the same things.  I suggest that to will something is to do it.  Therefore, to will to serve God is to serve God. Failure to serve Him with the aid of the Holy Spirit is to will not to do so.  It is truly a matter of choice.  He invited us to enter in and we have to come into agreement with Him and choose Him as He has chosen us. In John 10:27, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

• To Walk With God Involves Willful Obedience To His Moral Law.

When a moral agent perceives the good and valuable, he instantly, necessarily and without condition, acknowledges his obligation to choose it.  Failure to do so is disobedience and rebellion against God’s moral law.

To choose implies preference whereas refusing in choice in the opposite direction.  To choose God and His holiness is to also reject sin and its vileness.  How can we claim to love God and choose, as the ultimate goal of our life His best good and not consecrate all our strength to it?  If that is the thing for which we live, then we must aim at and live with Him as our first choice in everything.

Therefore, to walk with God is to make Him supreme above all else all the time!  To achieve this goal, we must embrace His love and reciprocate with our devotion to Him.  This Love is Voluntary.  It is rooted in Liberty, and it is Intelligent, thought out, and knows why it chooses to commit that love to Him.  This is a Love that is void of Self.

Walking with God involves loving God enough that we desire His good and kingdom above all else.  We love Him enough to pursue with our entire being those things that will please Him and reject those things foreign to Him.  Enoch Walked with God – Enoch Loved God!

• To Walk With God Is To Love In A Manner Pleasing To Him.

In Hebrews 11:5 we read that the patriarchs had the testimony of being pleasing to God through faith.  To please God, we must walk in the Light that we have, no excuses, no justifications but with honest effort.  To please God, we must pursue Christian perfection – (To Aim At It and Strive for it).  We must maintain a right relationship with God, others, and ourselves.

God desires that we walk or live in a manner as to fulfill all the known demands of moral law and live above reproach.  Remember Enoch Walked with God!  If Enoch did before the coming of Jesus and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we can too!

I want to address this a little more but will pause here and pick this up in the next devotional.

God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Jesus!

Proverbs 21:19 – “It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and vexing woman.” NASB

Proverbs 27:15-17 – “A constant dripping on a day of steady rain and a contentious woman are alike; 16 He who would restrain her restrains the wind, and grasps oil with his right hand. 17 Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  NASB

Ladies I am not trying to pick on you here as you will hopefully see.  The Wisdom of Solomon shines forth in these passages about relationships and can be or should be viewed in light of what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:25-33.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.” NASB

First, if the husband loves his wife in the manner and to the degree that Paul described, I would not be afraid to say that she will not be as Solomon described her.  If she is then heed Solomon’s words and take to heart the old saying, “If Momma ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy.”  But if you notice Solomon added in verse 17 “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” 

He said that as he was talking about a contentious woman. Therefore, was he talking about men with men, or was he talking about the husband-wife relationship?  Frankly, I believe it applies to both.  It is incumbent upon both parties in a loving relationship to care for the other. 

If we husbands love our wives as Christ loves the Church, then the wife can and should feel completely comfortable with recognizing our position in the family and responding with loving support.  Adam and Eve were created and placed in the Garden of Eden as co-regents of the planet.  They were a pair, a team, or as Genesis declared ONE FLESH but two separate people.

Wives if you are guilty of being contentious, nagging, and complaining STOP IT!  Husbands, if you are not loving your wives as Christ loved the church BEGIN IMMEDIATELY!  Before anyone protests, remember it begins with a CHOICE!  You have to choose to love, choose to be loving, choose to not be contentious, and choose to be godly in your relationships.  It is your choice!  If you make that choice God will respond by providing you with the help, encouragement, and guidance that will make it possible.

Attention, men!  If you are in a relationship where the wife is contentious before you condemn and criticize ask yourself if you are “Loving her as Christ loved and loves the church”?  But above all make your relationship a matter of serious prayer and soul searching.  It is too precious to you and God to just allow you to stumble along from day to day.

God bless you as you go through your day!

Psalm 90:12 – “So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”  NASB

As the song of years gone by, ‘Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die,’ we often live our lives with a sense of permanence that is deceptive.  Most people I have dealt with or worked with in my years of ministry seem to believe that they will have ‘more than enough tomorrows’ to do the things they either did not do or did not want to do today.  Too often people neglect the vital, focus on the important or trivial, and demonstrate little concern because they believe that they will have time to do it later.  We call that Procrastination!

Any student of the Bible knows that there are promises from God in His word that are seldom claimed, appropriated, and stood on in individual lives.  It has been my observation that too many live ‘beneath their privilege’ in God.  I have had people tell me that I focus too much on God’s Promises.  I do not consider that a flaw, but I believe that God gave the promises because He wanted us to enjoy, appropriate them, stand on them, and live them in this present world.  I believe that with each step closer to becoming “like” Jesus we find more Spiritual Power in our lives, touch more Souls of men, and experience more Victory in our daily lives!

This Psalm is attributed to Moses.  He was interceding for God to remove the curse that every Israelite over the age of twenty would die before the nation could enter the Land of Canaan.  He even identified that most were dying at seventy though some are reaching eighty years of age. 

If verse ten could somehow be attributed to us as a gauge of longevity it would produce an interesting possibility.  [80 years or 16 – 5-year segments].  You could make that 100 years and you would have 20 – 5-year segments. I wonder how we would live if we evaluated our lives in 5-year increments?  How many have you lived?  How many do you have left?  (Please understand I do not believe that this means we only can live 70-80 years, but I use it as an illustration).

Time is either the greatest asset or enemy that we have.  Paul urged his listeners to redeem the time.  Time is one thing we must learn to use effectively if we are to become the most effective in our lifespan.  We are notorious time wasters, at least most of us are.  In order to tap the resources available to us and utilize the ability and power, God has given us three things that must take place.

PERCEPTION – – – We must Perceive.

We must perceive ‘Who we are.’  Initially, we were sinners in need of God.  We are created in the image of God and as John 1:12 tells us we are sons/daughters of God.  Romans 8:17 identifies that we are heirs of God and Galatians 3:29 that we are heirs according to the Promise.  We read of the Promises of God in Deuteronomy 28 and find in Hebrews 8:6 that we have a better covenant established on better promises.

We must perceive ‘Where we are.’  Or the condition or level of maturity we find ourselves.  Some of us are like the little boy that fell out of the bed and when asked why he replied, “Because I stayed too close to the edge.”  Some of us have stayed too close to the condition we were in when we first came to Christ.

We must perceive ‘Where we are going.’  That applies both spiritually and in this natural life.

PREPARATION – – We must Prepare to get where we are going.

It is vital that we know the Promises of the Book (Bible).  It is imperative that we understand that the Bible is a tool, a weapon, a light, and a resource. It is vital that we know our inheritance as children of the Most-High God.  We must prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually.

PROCEED – – We must Proceed Along the Planned and Purposed way.

It is important that we see our potential in God, understand and believe the possibilities, and trust God!  If God says we are to be a Moses, Elijah, Paul, John, Peter, or Daniel why can’t we?  The thing that made them unique was that they were fully surrendered and teachable.

It is important that we believe we can be overcomers because God says we already are in Jesus.  It is important that we believe that God can work miracles through us.  Remember who God says you are – – “A Child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”  Remember that His charted destiny for you is to do His will in this generation.  Therefore, it is important that we allow God to guide and guard our hearts, thoughts, and lives.  Remember, except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.

So, as you go through the rest of your life will you go as a POSSIBILITY or PROCRASTINATOR? The choice is yours.  

May God be with you as you go through your day!

Ecclesiastes 11:1-4 – “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. 2 Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. 3 If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.  4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” NIV

The Bible is not lacking in references to hospitality and charity, and this is one of them.  The writer tells his listeners to “cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”  I believe this is an illustration that could be visualized in the rice being sown on flooded ground and then trampled into the soil with the feet, then after a time, it would return in a bountiful harvest. 

Spiritually we find if we have tried, that you cannot out-give God and that when you give you receive and the reception is “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”  You receive what you sow, later than you sow, and more than you sow. 

The thought of charity and hospitality continues in the next verse “give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.”  Your hospitality, generosity, and charity will not be forgotten in the days that follow and you do not know when you might be the one in need of a helping hand.  However, I contend that should not be the reason for our hospitality but a result of it.  We should be hospitable, charitable, and generous because of our love for God and our fellow man and in so doing we will experience the rich blessings of God as a side benefit.

He then asks a question that is transformed into a statement and an answer in the next verse, “If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth.”  I understand this as a comparison of our hospitality and generosity to the natural clouds that are full of water.  The result is rain which is nourishment to the land and the people will be the result.  We are blessed to be blessings and we dare never forget it. 

He then makes two incredible statements that should reach the core of our being and spur us to take stock of our condition and our position.  “Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.”  This is a direct reference to the fact that only in this life while we are alive can we chart our eternal course.  In the condition or state that we die that is where we remain.   

He follows that with a charge to action in the next verse, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.”  If you allow circumstances, obstacles, attitudes, and conditions to determine what you do you will suffer spiritual paralysis.  God can speak to the wind, and it will obey, and if we fear the rain we will never reap.  It is time that we move out of our boxes and into the world God has set before us fearless and full of confidence that God is God and always will be God.

May God be with you as you go through this day!