Posted on Sep 6, 2017 in Anxiety, Faith, Peace, Philippians, Prayer |
Philippians 4:6 –
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
When we are anxious we are not praying. And failure to pray is often symptomatic of a failure to believe in God’s ability and love and goodness and control.
The fertilizer for anxiety is unbelief demonstrated by prayerlessness. Then fertilizer for peace is belief demonstrated through prayer.
Which do you want to grow: anxiety or peace?
Fertilize accordingly!
Posted on Jun 8, 2017 in Philippians, The Future, The Past, Thinking |
Why are we more inclined to dwell on the past than to consider the future:
Perhaps the reasons to get stuck on the past include: Fear, Un-Forgiveness, Blaming, Procrastination, Trauma, Self-Pity, Sentimentality, Anger, Doubt & Unfinished Business.
Perhaps the reasons to avoid forward thinking about the future include: Lack of meaning, pessimism, laziness, perfectionism, pride, insecurity, confusion, lack of direction, debt, regret & failure to be in the Word &/or to pray.
Whatever your reasons might be, the Lord Christ calls & commands you to forward, faith-filled thinking!
When I was learning to drive my instructor urged me to look through the windshield & only to glance at my rearview mirror about every 6 seconds!
Rearview mirror over-looking causes accidents!
Eyes front! Drive safe!
Posted on Mar 8, 2017 in Discernment, Excellence, Philippians |
Food choices are fun! But they also require that we prioritize: We only have so much room on our plates and in our stomachs!
In life we have many moral and non-moral decisions to make each day.
For example a moral decision would be: Whether or not to lie.
And an example of a non-moral decision would be: What colour shirt to wear.
It should be obvious what to choose when it comes to choosing between good and evil! But sometimes it is equally difficult to choose between what is good and what is excellent!
In some cases the good can be the enemy of the excellent.
Philippians 1:9-10 teach:
“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ …”.
The Bible gives us the excellent way.
Bon Appetite!
Posted on Jun 1, 2016 in Perspective, Philippians, The Past |
This is the wake of a cruise ship. Any of the ship’s 3500 passengers can gain this vantage point from the stern. In contrast, the bow of the ship has a private, exclusive hot tub from which there is a beautiful vista. To be in that hot tub you must pay a much more expensive fare as a “Yacht Club” Member.
There is a “stern” and a “bow” in the mind of each of us. Your stern mindset focuses on your past; your bow mindset focuses on your future. It’s your choice which dominates your thinking.
Consider Philippians 3:13-14: “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
It’s clear then that the Lord Jesus has paid an extremely high “fare” (His life’s blood on the Cross) to get you a place in the bow’s hot tube!
Be there. It’s your choice.
Posted on Nov 10, 2015 in Grace, Human Responsibility, Philippians, Salvation |
This is my grandfather Witherspoon’s watch. It is at least 50 years old.
By accident I went swimming with it this week. It is not labeled to be water-resistant or water-proof. Yet it is still keeping perfect time; to me this is pure craftsmanship & grace.
Like the believer’s state as put forward in Philippians 2:12B – 13:
” … work out your salvation with fear and trembling (craftsmanship); for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (grace)”
TIC-TOC. TIC-TOC.
Posted on Jul 18, 2015 in 1 John, Philippians, Regrets |
4 Porta-Potties can really put a damper on a hot air balloon ride.
Fixating on your regrets will really trip up your walk with Christ.
“Brethren,I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:13-14)
If you have regrets, you are not alone. We all do.
After confessing your sins, accept God’s forgiveness. (1 John 1:9) And go forward with confidence and joy.
Cut loose your Porta-Potties. Enjoy the hot air balloon ride with Jesus!
