Inspiration, personal excellence, tips for purpose driven life, Uncategorized

What We Ought to Be


 

January 19, 2015 – What We Ought to Be

As I reflect on what I ought to be, I can’t help be thankful for individuals who have blessed the world in which we live. Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., not just for his contribution to civil rights, but also for his walk with God.

 Martin Luther wrote, “I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be, until I’m what I ought to beâ€.   I have heard this said in different ways many times before and mainly by God serving men and women.

 God says in Romans 15:1, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselvesâ€. This obligation encompasses the mental, physical, and spiritual help we can give to one another.  God gave us the ultimate sacrifice his son, and others like Martin gave their lives.  Let us all reflect on what we can give this year to help others be “What They Ought To Beâ€.

~Estella

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Your Attitude is Your Closest Friend OR Worst Enemy…


 

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Phil 2:5

Your attitude is your closest friend or worst enemy and you get to choose it. It is essential to understand the support we have woven within us when it comes to seeing the presence of God throughout the circumstances of our daily life.  As you read through the gospel of John focus in on the attitude that Jesus had, especially in the midst of conflict.  He was a solution seeker no matter what surrounded Him.

Jesus also avoided getting emotionally spun because of the opinions of people around Him, He lived outside the “Drug of Approval” and maintained a consistent space of wisdom and love…now, He had the “Son of God” thing going for Him which many have said makes showing up with a positive attitude a lot easier, however, we are also told in scipture that we have the same Spirit that rose Jesus Christ from the dead dwelling within us (Romans 8:11) AND we are told we have the very MIND of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), two powerful resources to pull from to help fuel a positive, life giving attitude in life.

“God, I want the very mind of Christ as I go through another gift of life today.

May I see, as he did, You in every face I encounter.

Give me Jesus’ thoughts that were not imprisoned by the yoke of slavery to unbridled ambition for status or the unquenchable desire for approval.

I want to choose love & compassion as Jesus did, over fear & judgment.

I want to think and respond as Jesus did: to love for the sake of love alone, untainted by hidden agendas or crevices of lack & scarcity.

Break my heart over the things that broke yours as you walked the earth.

I want to seek to understand over being understood, free from attachment to certain responses.

To be able to respond to criticism with even more love to make up for the lack of it in those moments.

Jesus existed above compliments & complaints, grounded in the purpose for which his heart beat: to be a missionary of love no matter what…I want that same energy and laser focus today so that my God given ability to create beauty in this world flows without restriction & reflects a focused sense of purpose.

God, I believe this is my natural state of being so as you answer this prayer of mine my joy will be complete & my peace will be profound.”

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><

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Fill Up Mind-Space Gaps with God


 

Do not worry about anything but pray about everything…this verse from Phil. 4:6 holds some HUGE promise. If we flip it perhaps it would sounds like this: Pray about everything and you won’t worry about anything.

Easier said than done; however I have been doing my own little internal practice with this using a small prayer to fill in the gaps between focused task mind-space (the mind space that occurs between tasks that require focused attention). A christian brother of mine share a simple prayer that I have made my own.  It is a prayer that has been used by many Christian warriors to help take captive each thought and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) through out history:

“I love you Jesus; I pray for the salvation of souls and I turn my will over to you.”

It is in the gaps between tasks when our mind is prone to wander into those thoughts that come from the serpents of fear; doubt and worry.  We are told that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  We are also told in 1 Peter chapter 5 that when we resist him, standing firm in our faith that he will flee. Our greatest battle occurs between our two ears, this is also the place of our greatest small victories in life that fuel bigger ones.

This week let’s focus on Edging God In to our thought life by choosing a simple small prayer that keeps our mind-focus & thoughts fixed on Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith.

Edge God In to your thoughts, words, deeds and actions today,

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><

 

 

 

Bible Study, Christian, how to, purpose, tips for purpose driven life

Purging Your Tree


 

John the brother of James and son of Zebedee wrote about Jesus God being the only savior of the world. He provides more extensive information of Jesus reason for coming to earth and gives special emphasis to Jesus’ patient treatment of the disciples. Really good reading!

John in 15:2 wrote “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruitâ€.

As we move into this year, and edge God in to our thought, words, and deeds, think about our branches. Do you bear good fruit? What fruit do you need to purge or keep?

Really interested in hearing how you are going to Edge God In this year and how you’ll be working on your branches….

Blessings

~Estella

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Edge God In: 2015


“But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11

This month we are talking about pruning for growth. Removing those things in our life (reactions; thoughts; perceptions) that result in Edging God Out verses Edging God In.  The world screams and God whispers. How the heck do we hear the voice of God behind us saying, “this is the way walk in it”, when we are captivated by all of the shiny objects screaming for our attention?

We have become imprisoned by the very things that we feel we need in order to experience freedom.  We each have our own shiny object trigger that renders us helpless, at least at the time of the animal planet moment when biologically we become less intelligent.  It is worth our attention to explore those specific things in our day to day life that flip us out of our good intentions to respond to people and life experiences as Jesus did when he walked the earth.

The other day I had a rock star Edge God In quiet time with the Lord only to face plant into reactive negative behavior 3 hours later.  See our weak nature for what it is…a spoiled child that always wants more of those things that are not good, right, true, beautiful, excellent and praise worthy.

The next time you recognize a reaction or thought that is void of Jesus character explore this simple prayer:

Stop! Dear God I choose in this moment to give more authority to your presence in and through me than I do to this thought, situation or reactive behavior that is fueling this EGO moment.  I choose to EDGE YOU INTO every aspect of this situation. Grant me the grace to flee from everything that is void of you.  I love you Jesus, I pray for the salvation of souls and turn my will over to you. 

Give God More Authority than Fear, Doubt & Worry. 

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><