Precious Gems

God's Masterpiece

2012-01-17T01:57:00.001-08:00

'For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.' Ephesians 2: 10

God has good plans for us that He wants to see fulfilled while we are on this earth but how tragic it is when we see so many lives cut short by drugs and alcohol abuse or even sickness and disease. How tragic it is when we see many lives being destroyed because of poverty and lack, greed and gluttony. The list of life stealer's is endless; prostitution, gang violence, incarceration, suicide, slavery (which is still going on today), fear, insecurities, low self esteem and low self-worth to name but a few. Jesus said "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows) John 10:10.

Jesus was well aware of the fact that the people of God were not experiencing the abundant life that God had intended them to and that is why He came to give it back to us because the devil had stolen it way back in Genesis 3. The travesty is that many of us are still not living life as God had planned for us and the main reason is down to ignorance. Hosea 4: 6 says 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge' so now that we have located the root of the problem it then becomes easier to find the solution.

Mephibosheth was ignorant to the fact that his father and David had a covenant and were best friends, he was also ignorant to the fact that David had only good thoughts towards anyone from the house of Saul. This ignorance kept him living in poverty, living in the house of someone else, living in fear that one day David might get him, basically living way beneath his privilege (2 Samuel 9). But one day all that ignorance was forced to leave as the truth of the matter was revealed.

I heard someone say that the wealthiest place in the world is the cemetery, I assume it is because there lies all the dreams that were to be fulfilled and the inventions yet to be discovered, the relationships that were to flourish and the destiny's that have not been reached. There is no excuse for us not to reach our full potential and live the good life that God has planned for us. I know that we may face hard times but we must be like a pit bull terrier that will hold on to its prey so tightly that even when dead it's jaws are still locked on it. It will also take faith and patience but if you do not quit you will get there.

For further study on this topic have a look at the extensive materials that Gloria Copeland has prepared entitled God's Master Plan For Your Life.

One Thing

2012-01-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

There are a million and one things that we could all be doing right now but practically everyone I meet who happens to be a Christian seems to be doing the same thing - fasting. Some are on absolute fasts where they are only consuming water, others are on partial fasts which includes the Daniel Fast, where they have chosen to abstain from particular foods. This to me is incredibly exciting as we know that great power is made available through prayer and fasting (Matt 9:29)and with so many members of the body of Christ participating in this at the same time we can only expect great and wonderful things to happen.
Just like Mary we have chosen the one thing that is needful and have to submitted ourselves to God, in humbleness of heart and like David our desire is to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple (Psalm 27:4). According to Hebrews 11:6 we know we will not go unrewarded!

For more information about fasting visit Jentezen Franklin's website.

God's Helping Hands

2011-03-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

Are you someone after God's own heart?
Do you even know what that means?

My interpretation of it is someone who doesn't look down their nose at a young mum whose child is screaming and throwing a tantrum in the supermarket, thinking smugly to ourselves that she is barely a child herself and doesn't have the faintest idea of what parenting is all about.

It is also someone who doesn't stare at the young man who is being stopped by the Police wondering in our minds "What has he done now?" But instead remembering that one is innocent until proved guilty.

It is someone who doesn't sigh and complain when the person at the checkout tills has to keep putting items back so that their shopping bill gets lower and lower because they do not have enough money to pay for their groceries. You simply pay for it.

This person refuses to stand behind twitching curtains looking down on their neighbours below as their home and vehicles are repossessed. No this person goes outside and asks "Is there anything I can do to help, maybe take the children inside for a snack?".

Being a person after God's own heart means that you visit the elderly man or woman who lives down the street, who doesn't have any relatives but only the TV for company, who cry themselves to sleep each night asking the same question "If I die tonight, who would know? Who would care?"

A person after God's own heart is one who will do all God's will and carry out His programs fully (Acts 13:22 Amp). This doesn't just mean large seminars or conferences. We do not have to wait until all conditions are perfect in our own lives; to reach our wealthy place, move into our mansion, get that promotion or a spouse before we endeavour to make a difference in this world. No! We all have enough to commence building our section of the Kingdom of God. We have our smile, our ears, our hands and we have our time. Be good stewards of the resources God has blessed you with and make an indelible mark on this earth that will remain throughout eternity.

Great Expectations!!!

2011-01-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

An extremely late 'Happy New Year' everyone!

Now down to business. Each new year brings with it new hopes and dreams for the future. It's a time to put the past behind and start making fresh plans and looking ahead. It is also the time of year when we start to make resolutions about dieting, moving house and going for a new job or we write goals that we have every intention of reaching. New Year is a wonderful time it is for our spirit what a breath of fresh air on a cold crisp winters morning is for our lungs, you just tingle with excitement.

It is this excitement that we should allow to be the fuel for our prayers. The anticipation of the goodness we expect to see come to pass in our lives. John says 'This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us,whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him'. Take this opportunity therefore to revive your prayer life and come before God in confidence and expectation, with joy and gladness of heart especially concerning those prayers which you were almost tempted to give up on. Hebrews says it this way 'So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded', just think how wonderful it will feel when your prayers are answered and those desires of your heart have been manifested.

Determine in your heart just like David that you will never be forsaken nor will your seed ever have to beg, God is faithful to His promises and if He said it He will do it. Never give up but be tenacious about getting results in your life, having your prayers answered and seeing the goodness of God!

Breaking Your Rear View Mirror

2010-07-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

What things keep replaying over and over again in your mind?
Why is it that we tend to continually remember the bad things that happen in life and struggle to remember the good things. Dwelling on the past does nothing but rob you of your future. It robs you of energy, inspiration, imagination and focus. Think about it practically how far could you drive or walk by constantly looking backward.

I believe that God didn't put eyes in the back of our heads (contrary to what our kids believe) because He wanted to continually go forward in life. Lets recall what Paul encouraged us to do ' I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead' (Phil 3:13,14) and he even tells us why he does this, its to enable him to reach his life's goal. If you are ever to achieve anything in life you are going to have to make this concerted decision to look ahead and focus on your future. No one ever achieved anything by looking back.

I am not saying that it is easy to plan, dream or focus on the future without thinking about what happened in the past or what happened last time you tried something new. But what I am saying is that the effort is well worth it. The thought that what is keeping you from achieving your dreams is simply your a case of your inability to look ahead is quite disappointing.

You will also find that as you focus on your future that greater clarity is gained and the things that you have been focusing on slowly begin to materialise. But if you repeatedly focus on the things that haven't gone so well in your life you are subconsciously bringing more and more of that back into your future.

So what do I do? you might be asking. There are a variety of reasons why we look back on our lives but what we must ensure is that it is only for a brief moment to reflect on what went well, and how we will do better. If your head is consumed with regrets of the past, failures, painful experiences, what wrongs others have done to you then it is time to take action:

Repent of any wrongs you have done
Forgive those who have wronged you
Forget the past by letting go of it all. Holding on to pain does nothing but cause more pain

Today make a decision to break the rear view mirror in your mind and move forward looking ahead and reaching towards your goals and dreams with clarity and focus.

Pics... 1st , 2nd, 3rd, 4th

'The Sunny Side of Life'

2010-06-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

Are you living on the sunny side of life?

To live on the sunny side of life is to live life with a good attitude and a positive outlook . It is choosing to see the glass as half full instead of half empty and to see the silver lines around the clouds. While reading a book by Oral Roberts one sentence simply jumped off the page and stuck in my head, the sentence was 'Change your outlook and live on the sunny side of life'. Basically it is a decision that must be made that says regardless of what is happening or how I am feeling I will rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4).

So what are the benefits of choosing to live on the sunny side of life? Proverbs 17: 22 states that a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. We feel better when we have had a good belly laugh, when we are around people who make us laugh and when we think about things that puts a smile on our face. I have heard it said that we use up far more energy frowning than we do smiling. Research has also shown that when people laugh, their brains release endorphins, a compound that suppresses pain, so do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8: 10).

I could reel off a whole pile of statistics and stories of people who despite horrific situations, depression, sickness, death of loved ones determined in their heart to defy all the odds that were stacked against them and lived on the sunny side of life, but I think it is more important that we stop and take a look at ourselves. We must look at where God has brought us from, look at the things he has delivered us out of, remember the addictions we used to have, the weaknesses, the illnesses and give Him thanks that we are not there anymore. If you feel that God didn't have to deliver you from anything because maybe you grew up in a Christian family, then thank God that despite all the terrible things that are going on in the world He managed to keep you from them all.

Find any reason to give God thanks, find any reason to be grateful regardless of how small or how insignificant it may seem give God thanks. The bible says that it is better to sit on the top of the roof than be with a moaning complaining person. So if you want to maintain the presence of God around you continually praise Him and love on Him (Ps 16:11).

You might be facing something(s) that totally negates you even contemplating living on the sunny side of life but remember that the Bible gives us specific instructions to cast all our cares on Jesus because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7) and when you cast them it is like throwing a fishing net into the sea the only difference is that we are not going to retrieve it, it has gone forever.

To live on the sunny side of life doesn’t mean that you will never face hardships and difficulties, it means that you resolve in your heart to be as stalwart as the prophet Micah who said "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me". Don't be bothered by the number of times you fall or the amount of setbacks you face, understand it is your ability to get up brush yourself off and get back in the race that counts, for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again (Proverbs 24:16).

Viktor E. Frankl states ‘The last of human freedoms - the ability to choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances’ so make the choice today to make your residence 123 Sunny Side.

Images: Flowers

Get Unstuck!

2010-03-02T01:26:00.000-08:00

Three months into the New Year and how are we doing on our goals, our New Years Resolutions and all the things we are standing on the Word of God for? Are you aggressively going forward to pursue your desires, are you slowly but steadily making steps towards them or are you in a state of analysis paralysis?

All too often we desire to have certain things, go to various places and be a particular kind of person but as the old cliche says 'nothing just happens', even if it is as simple as eating a bowl of cereal unless you put the effort and energy into actually chewing and swallowing each mouthful you will ultimately starve to death. Likewise with our goals, dreams, confessions and anything else we may be mentally desiring there has be a point when you have to physically get up and get moving. My Pastor always says "it is easier to steer a moving car than a parked car". All to often we place our lives in 'Park' and are sitting their expecting things just to happen for us but that is not the way things happen in real life, just ask anyone who is successful it requires hard work and creativity.

In Genesis 27: 40 Isaac says in a conversation with his son Esau "But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck". This statement says to things to 'me'; the first is that when situations in my life get to the point where I have had enough, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired, decided that I will not spend another day being broke, busted and disgusted, when I am hungry enough for success and victory in my life then and only then will I get off my butt and do something about it.
The second thing is that I have to be the one to do something about my situation, things are not going to change in spite of me but things are going to change because of me, so stop sitting down like the guy at the pool of Bethesda and waiting for someone to put you in the water, even if I took one step per day I would be 365 steps closer to my final goal.

Therefore stop waiting for manna to fall from heaven and feed you, stop sitting down desiring a first class degree while you spend all your time on Facebook, Twitter and MSN, stop confessing that you are going to the top while the only thing you keep before your eyes are soap opera's and gossip magazines 'it's not gonna happen' to put it bluntly. The worst thing that can possibly happen to us is to enter January 1st 2011 being the same, doing the same thing, no richer, wiser or healthier but have simply spent 2010 sitting in a rocking chair or running on a treadmill, wasting energy but not going anywhere.

We must come to the realisation that time is our greatest and most precious commodity, once it has gone it will never return again therefore we must place a high value on our time and do not waste it doing useless things that will not benefit us in any way shape or form. We must assess how we are spending our time and make sure that at the end of every day we can go to bed knowing that we have spent it wisely and that we have gotten all that we can and given all that we've got to that day.

Being in Love with Love.

2010-02-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

Loving others more than you love yourself will only bring imbalance to your life. You will be like a car that has different sized wheels; your journey will not be a comfortable one. You will get the same effect if you love others less than you love yourself. True balance will only come when we love others equal to how much we love ourselves.
I love this commandment from Jesus so much because it is so matter of fact. As far as Jesus was concerned there was no issue about us loving ourselves, why wouldn’t you? Knowing that you have been made in the awesome image and likeness of God (Gen 1: 26), who of course is love (1 John 4: 8), how could you not love yourself?

One of the major causes today of people’s lack of love for themselves is due to them continually comparing themselves to others. They’ve got a better house than me, a nicer car, a more loving husband, better behaved children, longer hair, and smoother skin and on and on the list goes. This kind of behaviour should be stopped immediately as it is harmful and totally unprofitable. Comparing yourself to someone else is like comparing an apple to a toothbrush, it just doesn’t make any sense. You are the only person that was born to be you and no one else can ever be as good at being you as you can, so fall in love with yourself today and every day then others will stand a chance of receiving your love also.

'How do I love myself without being selfish?' you may ask, well one way is to place a high value on yourself. Do not allow others to take you for granted, walk all over you or treat you as though you don't exist. Don't put yourself down or call yourself derogatory names like stupid, dumb or silly. Take good care of yourself; the way you look, the clothes you wear and how you present yourself to the world on a whole says so much about you, and also remember that people will treat you according to how they see you treat yourself.

Loving yourself also means how you take care of yourself in the way that you eat and exercise, not abusing your body with endless amount of fat and sugar which are potentially dangerous to your health. Loving yourself would also include educating yourself, reading, studying, getting wisdom and knowledge in the areas of life that affect you such as family, marriage, business, finance and investments.

Finally, it is only possible to truly love yourself by being in love with love Himself. God is love and to really understand love you have got to spend some time with love; reading His word, meditating on Him, giving Him thanks, praise and worship. This is the key to actually being in love.

Pics...Silhouettes

Get your priorities right!

2010-02-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Priorities, prioritize, time management, work life balance, organisation!
Do any of these words ring a bell?
What instantly comes to your mind when you read these words?

These words can conjure up a wide plethora of feelings from fear and dread, hopelessness and despair to accomplishment and triumph. It all depends on where you are presently in your life and what these words mean to you as an individual.

Personally, I have always found prioritising a bit of a challenge, due to the type of person that I am, because I always want to do a thousand things at the same time. Maybe it is typical for most women or for my particular stage in life, I just feel that there is always so many things that need doing and that they all need doing now. However, if I take a step back and a minute to think about them all, I would notice that there are some that are far more important than others.

In the book of Matthew Jesus gives us a clue as to how to organise our life and get our priorities right, He says "But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants", so what does that mean to us modern day women who live extremely hectic lives? Basically, God first! Let Him be the first thing that you think about when you open your eyes in the morning. Then before you start talking to your husband, children or even yourself have a little talk with God, say good morning to him, and thank him for waking you up and for giving you such sweet and desperately needed sleep. This is putting God first and not only do you have the satisfaction of being obedient to the word but also the benefits of getting your mind in order which will equip you for the rest of the day. By thinking about God first and thanking Him for the great things in your life you have just opened yourself up to a whole bunch of blessings; showing gratitude therefore making room for more good things, practicing to think positively which again will only bring good things into your life.

Do not take spending time in God's presence lightly or for granted, it is for your benefit and someone who knows a vast amount about the benefits of spending time with God is David. His fellowship with God was so intense that God actually called Him 'a man after my own heart'. In one of his numerous Psalms that he wrote, David talks about some of the benefits we receive and implores us not to forget them, some of these benefits are 'The LORD forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick, and protects us from death' and these are just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many benefits to spending time with God so instead of picking up our Blackberry and checking our messages first thing in the morning, our lives would profit greatly if the first person that we connected with was God.

Now as busy women a great way to ensure that we are getting everything done is by putting entries in our calendars and this includes spending time on a daily basis with God. Be just as committed to spending time with God each day and having your daily meeting and review sessions as you would with your boss, the doctors or dentist and do not allow His time to be rail-roaded by some other activity. Set your alarm and whatever it is that you were doing stop and go and have that appointment with God. Now if you are going to see this as a chore you are really missing the point and it will be worthless to you. Cultivating a vibrant and dynamic relationship with God is just the same as cultivating a relationship with any other friend. At first it might feel strange because you might think that you are talking o yourself but as you continue on a regular basis, you will begin to sense His presence and hear His voice as you pray, read and meditate on His word.

See this as a great privilege to be in conversation with the ruler of the Universe, wow, don't take it lightly. It is awesome that our God who is so huge, so magnificent, so wise and Holy should desire to spend time with us to give us the wisdom we are seeking for, the strength that we need to get through our day and to equip us with whatever it is that we need to make it in any area of our life.

Stop the Dream Thief

2010-01-19T02:23:00.000-08:00

What was it that you dreamt of becoming when you were a little child?

Take a few minutes and have a think. Did your dreams come true? What is it that you are currently dreaming about becoming, doing or achieving? Are you living your dreams?

Yes I am still harping on about dreams because I have realised that so many people have simply given up on them. So many people have settled down to living out someone else's dream for them but I want to re-awaken that dream so that you will start to pursue it.

Do you ever get that feeling deep down inside of you that nags you when you are alone and wakes you while you are asleep? The feeling that lets you know that you are better than this or that you are not burning on all cylinders you are simply cruising through life.

Deep down inside you know that there is greatness inside of you, you have not reached your full potential and at times this awareness can lead to negative feelings of sadness, anger and frustration. However knowing that we are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1: 26 ) and possess a fraction of Him within us, our spirit will not allow us to be comfortable being average or living mediocre lives. Something within is will always be desiring brilliance, that there is more that we can do or be.

However just like an onion, many of us are surrounded in layers, layers of negativity, layers of people saying unkind words to us as a child or adult, layers of being told you can never do that, you are too fat, skinny, black, blond, too stupid etc etc. These layers have choked and suffocated our dreams and many of us have simply resided with the fact that this is how things are, nothing will change and merely exist instead of abundantly live.

If our childhood dreams were a city then right now they would resemble ancient ruins. A place that has been neglected and deserted long ago. But this is the year of 'New Beginnings' and it is time to dream again without restraint and rebuild those ancient ruin. Restore that city back to it's former glory and even better. Revisit those childhood dreams, revisit the time in your life when you believed you could do and be anything you wanted to, when you didn't even consider others or what they might say or do to put you off.

Thank God for the dream of Martin Luther King and that he was bold and courageous enough to go for it and share it with the world. Dream again and do not rob this world of the brilliance that lies within you.

Pics

21-Day Butterfly Experience!!!

2009-12-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

What is it that you said you wanted to achieve?

What is it that you dream of doing or becoming?

What is it that is holding you back?

Time and time again we are told that our life is the sum total of our thoughts, so what we are experiencing today is only the result of our past thinking. This means that we are currently either enjoying or loathing the fruits of our thoughts.

Every year millions upon millions of pounds/dollars are spent on self-help books and materials that teach us how we should be thinking in order to live a better life. Why? Because this is obviously an issue with a large proportion of the westernised society. Many people battle on a daily basis with their thought life and instead of living the victorious, conquering, abundantly free life that they are entitled to, instead live a life limited and trapped by their very own thinking.

The bible says in Proverbs 23:7 'For as he thinks in his heart so is he', Henry Ford puts it another way 'If you think you can do a thing or think that you can't do a thing, you're right'. So simple yet so profound. This neutralises all excuses and renders useless all blame. You are where you are today because of YOU!

In Genesis 3:11 God asked Adam a very powerful question, He said in response to Adam telling Him that he was naked "Who told you that?". These four words should be asked whenever we are confronted with a thought that goes against the word of God such as: you are stupid; there is something wrong with you; who will ever love you?; don't think you'll ever get that; and so on and so forth.

I write this blog from personal experience. I was not the type of person who woke up each morning singing ' Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day, I've got a wonderful feeling, everything's going my way' , to the contrary. I would awake with a nagging feeling inside that something is wrong, or I didn't do a particular thing right, or did I make a fool of myself asking that question in the staff meeting. I was full of negative feelings, full of 'What if's' and 'Suppose' and 'Maybe's'. That type of thinking gets you nowhere and that's exactly where I got. Yes I was attending church and listening to excellent sermons by my Pastor, yes I was reading books by well known Christian and secular authors I still had the propensity every now and then to slip into 'Stinking thinking'.

It is possible to change the way you think but it does require effort, consistency and deliberate actions and if you decide that you want your future to be different from your past, if you decide that you no longer want to live an average mediocre life but want a taste of the abundant, full and overflowing life that Jesus paid for then I would suggest that you embark on this 21-day Butterfly Experience, where you determine from the outset that your crawling days are over and just like a caterpillar your time of transformation has arrived.

A caterpillar when it is ready to transform into a cocoon, finds an isolated place, a place of safety from predators and harsh weather. The cocoon provides a protective covering for the caterpillar, where it can begin its next phase of life. Though it may not be possible for you to shut yourself off from the rest of the world, you can stop watching junk on the T.V, stop listening to music that is not uplifting or edifying, stop reading tabloid newspapers and gossip magazines, keep away from people that only engage in conversations centred around gossip and putting others down. Instead fill your eyes, ears and mouth with nothing but the word, positive uplifting music, motivational books and quotes.

If you are fed up with not reaching for your dreams, not being the person you desire to be and never achieving your goals then please do join me and together we will enter 2010 with the mindset that will move mountains.

The 21 days start on December 10th - 31st and will incorporate daily scripture readings and simple exercises to complete. Just follow these simple steps in order to Register:

Thank you to all the participants who managed to register for the 21 Day Butterfly Experience! Registration for this exciting and uplifting course has now closed.

Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver

2009-12-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

I am not one to be a party pooper around the issue of Christmas, but this year I have decided to change my outlook about the entire season.

As a Christian it is Christmas for me every day, meaning I celebrate Jesus on a daily basis, giving Him thanks for choosing me and being in my life etc, etc, etc.

Many people put on the Christmas season like they do an outfit quoting songs such as "Tis the season to be jolly", however if this is the only season you decide to show the joy of the Lord then how sad the rest of your year must be.

As Christians we should not wait for Christmas to come to show love, happiness and generosity to others. All year round should be a time of giving, celebration, appreciating the ones you love and cooking special meals for family and friends. Taking time out of our busy schedules to hang out with the people we love and care about and build new relationships with others.

This Christmas, please don't get hung up with the false idea that everyone is happily sitting around a huge table filled with a wide selection of food, with broad grins on their faces, a log fire in the living room and snow falling softly outside. That is the silly image the world wants to imprint on your mind and make you feel bad if yours looks nothing like it.

The joke is that society does not even want to recognise the real meaning of Christmas and has reduced it down to some type of materialistic ritual headed by a man in a red suit and white beard. They do not want you to mention the name of Jesus or for Him to be at all associated with the day so why should we allow society to dictate to us what Christmas should look like, sound like or smell like. Jesus wasn't born in a Western society and none of these frills and fancies have anything at all to do with Him.

Do not feel one ounce less than anyone else this Christmas and be tempted to go and do something stupid like spend money that you do not have to fit into a lifestyle that does not exist. Remember the bible says in Proverbs 22:7 the borrower is servant to the lender and in Romans 13:8 that we should owe no man anything except to love one another. Never become complacent about debt just to impress others.

Determine in your hearts that I am going to give God thanks for this day just like any other day. I will cook what I choose, not what society tells me to cook. If I have the money then I'll decide if I am going to buy presents or not. I might decide to make presents such as cakes, pies or crafts. Pray and ask God to give you wisdom to think outside the box. Consider who you may invite or who may need a visit over the Christmas period. Make up your mind to be a blessing to someone without expecting anything in return. Be God's hands, ears, eyes and feet by ministering the greatest gift of all, the gift of love. Give somone a phone call, send out cards with words of encouragement, Proverbs 25:11 talks about a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

For those who are still in the process of making your Christmas gift list, think carefully about what you are buying and avoid purchases that will be useless in a months time and simply packed away, broken or disregarded. Instead I would recommend that you take a leaf out of the book of the wise men and consider giving a gift that not only is precious but also has a long term monetary value, give the gift of GOLD.

So whether you are giving golden words or golden gifts, make your giving priceless!

bucket, baubles, bauble, balls

A Taste of Goodness

2009-11-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

Has God been good to you?

How many times have we heard someone stand up in front of a congregation and ask that question? And usually it is followed by a resounding "Yes" coming back from the congregation. But how many people deeply believe from their hearts that God has been good to them. I know I didn't, I used to just say yes because that's what was expected of me, that's what everyone else was saying. How could I say "No"? How would I be regarded?

For years the thought that God was a good God brought me pain, not physical pain but emotional pain. Deep down inside me I wasn't convinced that God was good or that He was good to me, and so my heart ached whenever this question arose or I read something about this subject. Why didn't I believe that God was good to me? He was good to everyone else so why not me? Unfortunately I based God's goodness towards me upon my circumstances and for a long time they hadn't been very nice; dead end job, failed relationships, loneliness, money problems etc etc. Looking back now, they all seem quite trivial, but at the time these problems were seriously distorting my view. “God can't be a good God because if He was He wouldn't let me be going through this”, I would say to myself. So what turned it all round? What stopped the ache in my heart and brought about my wholeness? Well I can tell you it wasn't getting all my prayers answered and all my problems solved and it wasn't a visit from my 'fairy god mother' either. What transformed me was getting into the Word and allowing the Word to get into me.

Studying the Psalms where countless verses talk about the 'goodness of God' was the medicine I so desperately needed. A scripture that highlights my exact predicament is Psalm 27: 13 where David cries out " What, what would have become of me had I not believe that I would see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living". David was wise enough to see that it would be detrimental to his relationship with God and his life to not believe in the goodness of God. My point exactly, what would have become of me? Would I have grown cynical towards God and the things of God? Or would I have drifted from unbelief to total backsliding? Nothing good can become of one of His children who does not or cannot believe in His goodness because that is fundamentally who and what He is, regardless of our feelings, of what things look like or what we are going through. The bottom line is to believe to see the goodness on this side of life not just when we have died and gone to heaven.

Further studying of the Psalms and we come to chapter 138 which helps us to see why we are to consider God as being good. The number one reason given is because His love endures forever, other reasons include:
1. He alone does great wonders
2. By His understanding He made the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars
3. He divided the Red Sea in two for the children of Israel to pass through
4. God remembers us when we are down
5. God rescues us from our enemies

If you are struggling to see the goodness of God in your life, use these scriptures to meditate upon ans allow God’s word to open up your heart to His goodness and as a reformed character may I take this opportunity to invite you to "Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who trusts in Him" Psalm 34:8 :)

Pics...Peaches, Kiwi, Strawberries, Mangoes, Melons

Mended Hearts

2009-11-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

What is it that you are not happy with?
What is it that you are allowing to steal your joy and rob you of your peace?

In Isaiah 61 we are given an extensive list of the various things that Jesus came to do for us and also some entitlements. One of the first things we learn is that He came to heal the brokenhearted. Now we tend to think of the brokenhearted as those who were in love and something went terribly wrong resulting in the end of a relationship. However the brokenhearted covers a much wider category. The brokenhearted includes those whose hearts have been broken by circumstances and situations in life, those things that when you think about them they make you give a loud sigh and you would rather not remember them and wish that they would just disappear.

Many have lived with a broken heart for so long that it may not even be that big an issue anymore. The waves of oppressive conditions can often beat us into a passivity of putting up with things sometimes unknowingly. Examples of which can be an illness, we know that God's will for us is healing and that His word says we are healed. But often times the sickness can come upon us with such ferocity that after a while of standing on God's word, making declarations of faith and praying fervently, we often run out of steam and start putting up with it. You might be living in a neighbourhood that you are not happy with, a house that everything needs fixing, a dead end job, single for yet another year or still living from hand to mouth.

That brokenhearted feeling comes from our perception that things will always be like this because they have always been like this. It comes from our inability to see any light at the end of the tunnel. The scripture which then springs to mind is Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. This verse deals with me in a two fold manner, first I realise that I have inadvertently allowed my situation to become bigger and more prominent than my God. Instead of being totally satisfied by His love and trusting in His promises. I magnified the issues which feed on our attention and grow the more we give it to them. The antidote for me is to fall back in love with God. Focus my attention on Him and His word and allow Him to totally satisfy me. Not so He can give me what I want, but so that I get so enraptured in His presence so that what I wanted either:

Fades into the background

Doesn't become so significant

I realise that I didn't really want it anyway

Delighting in the Lord is spending time with Him, loving Him, praising Him, singing to Him new songs and being totally grateful that He is in your life. Discovering that He is indeed our shield and our exceedingly great reward (Gen 15:1). Be confident that you will see the goodness of the Lord in this life but also resolve in your heart that even if I don't get what I want, a desire is not met or a prayer does not get answered, God is still good and He is good to me. This attitude will make all the difference.

The second way that Psalm 37:4 ministers to me is that I realise just how much my loving God knows me, to the point that those intimate things that maybe only I know about, only I carry and whisper to Him quietly in prayer, He is concerned about and will make perfect (Ps 138:8).

With this in mind do not allow your heart to be broken for a minute more, bring that situation to God and leave it in His capable hands because He actually knows how to sort it all out. Your job is now to get on with the fun stuff of enjoying Him and enjoying your life.

Pics...hanging heart, hearts, heart, cranberries heart

Taming Wild Horses

2009-11-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

What is your vision for your life?

What is the purpose you are living to fulfil?

We all have a destiny to fulfil and we are all here for a purpose, regardless of how our lives are panning out or what we are going through. Our responsibility is to pursue that purpose every minute of the day, make decisions in accordance to our purpose, use that purpose as our path and do not deviate from it.

Unfortunately this life has some unexpected events that will jump out at us from time to time, and in these last days that we are living in we are going to see more and more troubled times. What will matter most is how we deal with these circumstances and situations, rather than how we allow them to deal with us. As Christians we have the advantage of knowing the end from the beginning, we know that we have already won; we know we are more than conquerors, and we know that we will always triumph. It is in not casting away our fearless confidence that will be an amazing testimony and witness to the rest of the world. And it is that vision and purpose that will be the very tool that will prevent us from going off course.

In Prov 29:18 we are informed that where there is no vision the people cast off restraint, another translation puts it that the people run around like wild untamed horses depicting a people who are in total chaos, with no direction. This is not an ideal image for a child of God, we should never allow ourselves to run around like wild untamed horses, driven by our emotions, driven by wild ideas, by the failing economy, talk shows, horoscopes and many other negative influences to make silly decisions that will drastically effect our lives and family moving us away from our purpose in life.

What is our guide, our anchor our influence in these crazy uncertain times? It is our trust in God, our ability to close our eyes and fall backwards knowing that He has got us and will not let us fall, why? Because He loves us too much. Proverbs 3: 5 is my lifetime scripture and every so often the Holy Spirit will gently remind me of it, ' Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path’. The dictionary definition of trust is ‘to have a firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing’. It is this trust that will enable us to keep our heads when everyone else is losing theirs. We can trust God to be our El Shaddai, our God who is more than enough, the many breasted one who has whatever it is that we need. Trusting God with all our hearts means not being moved by what we see, what we feel or what we hear but staying on the path of our vision, being committed to fulfilling our purpose.

Pics... 1,3 & 4, 2

' T ' and the Heiress

2009-11-03T02:23:00.000-08:00

Have you ever lost sight of your identity?

Have you ever felt that if you were the offspring of someone wealthy and influential or if you were married to someone wealthy and influential certain things might be easier to accomplish?

Well I must confess, there have been times when I have lost sight of my identity. Times when I have seen certain women launch various businesses or products and thought that of course you can do that, look who your fathers is or you are married to so and so. I would be able to do that if I were in your position.

However once after feeling rather cynical and deflated about facing a new challenge and formulating numerous arguments as to why I couldn't possibly accomplish it I heard in my mind God answering and saying, "you also have a Father who is wealthy and extremely influential". God reminded me that I am indeed an heiress, a child of The King!

I later learned that royals are taught from the day they were born how to be a royal, how not to allow people or circumstances intimidate you or to never feel inferior (wow). Being born into royalty meant that I was no longer disadvantaged. Now the most powerful thing about seeing myself as an heiress is the change of mindset that is required. When you first start meditating on this your mind will trip and that voice inside will start screaming, as this is something quite alien to the most of us. However, like everything else in the Kingdom of God, this truth has to be caught by faith and will become more and more acceptable to your mental faculties as you renew your mind by the word of God (Romans 12:1,2).

I remember the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9:6-8 and the statement that comes out of his mouth when David (a king) tells him that he wants to show him kindness and restore to him all of his grandfathers land (Saul who was also a king). Mephibosheth says, falling prostrate on the floor "What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog as me" such a statement brings tears to my eyes because here we have a man who is royalty by birth, however due to his disability and the circumstances that he has been living in, he doesn't in any way think of himself as royalty much more an heir. Instead in his mind he is simply a dead dog. How many of us who are children of the King of King's, instead of seeing ourselves as royalty, princes or princesses, see ourselves as something far lower. If it brings tears to my eyes how must God feel to see His children, His heirs begging, struggling, in debt, suffering with feelings of inferiority, low self-esteem and low self-worth?

Just like Mephibosheth a King has come to our rescue, a King has come to take us out of the sorry situations of life, place us into a new life and given us an inheritance far greater than anything else that we have ever known. We have been chosen, sought out, to be a part of His Royal Family, totally accepted and loved unconditionally.

So does being an heiress change anything? Well how you see yourself determines how you carry yourself, what things or people you will permit in your presence and in your life. How you see yourself also determines how you will allow others to treat you and what you will tolerate. When you have the mindset of an heir/heiress you will realise that there is nothing you can't do. Step into your royalty today and let me know what happens.

Pics... Afternoon Tea, Dressing table, Terrace table, Audley End House

Superfly SAHM

2009-10-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

I try not to write my blogs for specific groups of society but there is one group that I believe really do need to be recognised and they are Stay At Home Mum's (SAHM).

Being a mum per se can have many challenges, and one such challenge that most mum's constantly face is 'Should I work or Should I stay at home?' not an easy question to answer as both demand a certain degree of sacrifice.

I read a blog the other day and it was talking about women who are Stay At Home Mum's (SAHM) and how they were often left in desperate positions on the death of a spouse or after divorce compared to women who went out to work. The blog also was encouraging them to have their own account and money for eventualities such as death and divorce. While it may be a good idea to have your own account and take necessary precautions for the unfortunate twists in life, these negative situations should never be our primary motive for doing anything. You must maintain the attitude that we are in this for life and we are committed to making this thing work until we die. Fear must never be a driving force in your life.

Another thing they spoke about was SAHM's feeling powerless and like a child when it came to spending money as they hadn't earned it. Well this is complete madness. A SAHM should never feel this way as:

You are both one, so it is your money

You have earned it. You cooked for your husband, prepared his clothes, made the house comfortable so that he could think and be a productive earner.

You are his personal life coach, you encourage and support him every step of the way.

If and when you decide to be a SAHM I would suggest that you have a plan of action, don't just kiss your brains goodbye, get fat, lazy and sit around watching talk shows all day. Neither should you spend your days frantically cleaning up after your children and becoming frustrated. Instead keep your mind sharp by reading material that will challenge you, be committed to personal development, start a home business that will encourage you to learn business skills and meet new people. Manage the home finances and perhaps conduct research about additional investment products to grow your family's wealth. Whatever your passion, what's stopping you from pursuing your dreams and desires? Even if it's just an hour a day, you would be an expert in whatever your endeavour!

Being a SAHM does not mean that the children have to be at home with you all day especially if you have more than one under the age of five. Consider letting them attend a nursery or employing a nanny or babysitter. Having a couple of hours a day to yourself is so valuable.
Don't entertain feelings of guilt because of leaving your children in the hands of someone else what is important is that you ensure that your voice is the loudest voice in your child's ears. This is vital. As a former teacher and someone who has spent a lifetime in the company of young people I know that there are so many voices out there wanting to make themselves heard, some positive and some negative, and children do not necessarily have the discernment to know the difference. Ensure that it is you they listen to and admire the most. You be their champion the one they want to be like when they grow up. Do not leave your children in the hands of their peers, school, nanny, activity clubs, TV, music or games to raise and be their greatest influence.

As a SAHM whether you are single or married, never put yourself down or allow yourself to feel less than any high flying career woman. Remember, God has entrusted precious lives into your hands, you are a leader, an educator, a comforter, an encourager, a motivator and so much more. Do not underestimate yourself. God has great plans for you and your family (Jer 29:11).

Pics...Swan1, Cygnets, Swan2, Swan3

Mastering Me

2009-10-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

Do you have a goal or vision for your life?
How determined are you about reaching it?

As you know one of my goals in life is to be successful in every aspect of my life and as a consequence I am actively working on the area of Personal Mastery.

What is Personal Mastery? My interpretation of it is committing to continually improving your secret self. By secret self I mean the part of you that nobody knows about e.g. your thought life. It's about not being content with practising phoniness (if there is such a word) being one thing in public then another in private. Smiling at everyone you meet at church then going home and screaming and shouting at your family. It’s about working on those areas that you are not particularly proud of but are determined to not let them hold you back from being all that God wants you to be.

Personal Mastery is a foundational key to success and in Proverbs 16:32 it states 'He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city'. It is pointless being able to attain great accomplishments externally while being totally unable to control one’s anger, emotions and lusts.Personal Mastery is about taking charge of one's inner self. If you know you are a highly strung person and everyone around you has to constantly be walking on egg shells then what are the steps you need to take to address this. What about laziness? Are you prone to leaving everything until the last minute then running around like a headless chicken? Are you an emotional roller coaster or do you accept every invitation that arrives for you to get depressed? I know at times it can be hard and your flesh just wants to sulk and feel sorry for itself but it is in those times when you have to have a stern talk with yourself and remind yourself of who you are, who you belong to, His precious promises to you and the fact that He is faithful to carry them out.

Personal Mastery is getting a grip of oneself in view of one’s future goals and vision it’s what keeps you from flying off the handle when someone aggravates you because you always keep the end goal in mind 'No I can't punch her lights out, I am a woman of character'. Personal Mastery gives you permission to dream big; you see yourself running a multimillion dollar company, or you may see yourself as a minister of the gospel leading thousands to God, or as a doctor, lawyer or as a stay at home mum running a loving happy home. It empowers you to get a grip of fear, self-limiting beliefs and doubt in order to obtain the vision.

Think about some areas that you may need to master; Organisation - what's your home like, is it filled with peace and happiness or is it filled with drama and chaos? Does your attitude stink?
We all have areas in our lives that we need to master in order to obtain greater success and reach our full potential so when you identify any areas that need real work simply:

Repent of your previous behaviour
Create a plan of action as to how you are going to move forward

As you begin to master these areas you will at the same time be advancing towards your desired goal.

Pics... Tiffanykeys, Keys1, Keys2, Skeleton keys

Destination Success

2009-10-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

Do you know the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat?
A thermometer simply reflects the surrounding temperature and goes up or down accordingly. A thermostat determines the surrounding temperature which will then go up or down based on the pre-defined settings.

We all have our own thermostats, it’s called the mind. Proverbs 23:7 explains clearly that as a man thinks so is he (not talking about man the gender but mankind the species). If our minds are set consciously or subconsciously on failure then that is exactly what you will be surrounded with and encounter on a daily basis. Your life will alter itself in order to match your inner thermostat, your mind. If your mind can only imagine living a comfortable life and you can’t even think about existing in immeasurable wealth, then your reality will be just as you imagined. In order to check what temperature you have set for your life spend some time studying it, look at your income, your family, friends, health, home and general lifestyle because your reality today is based on your mindset of yesterday.

So what has a thermostat and a sat-nav (route planner) got in common? They are both control systems. None of which allow external conditions to determine their outcomes i.e. It’s too cold to get your house warm or it’s too wet to navigate you to that area. So it is with your mind once you establish your setting i.e. success, you must now think and live in accordance to success and nothing else. Knowing that “I am the control centre and I determine and control my destination and environment”.

Have you ever felt that success was out of your reach no matter what you did? Well have you ever set your thermostat to success? Remember success is not an accident it is on purpose. Let's do this together. For the next 30 days we are going to carry out the following three simple principles to help us to achieve more success:

1. Disciplined lifestyle – time management, personal mastery, financial organisation.
2. Commitment – Do what it takes to be successful as long as it is ethical, moral and lawful.
3. Success mindset – Constantly having success on our minds so that if something bad happens, we do not switch to the default thinking of “I knew this wasn’t going to work out” instead be surprised and say “Things will work out, they always do”.

pics ...... aeroplane, cruise ship, Earth

Go Large!

2009-10-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between an A grade and a B grade? What is the difference between first place and second place in a 100 metres race?

If the range for a grade B is for example between 60 - 77% then to get an A all you need to get is 78% which is a difference of 1%.

The difference between first place and second place in a 100 metres sprint will be a matter of milli seconds. So the point here is that the difference between being good and being great is not as big as you think. All it takes is giving that little bit more.

How many times have you been to a fast food restaurant and ordered a meal only to be asked by a friendly assistant if you would like to "Go large?" What they are really saying is that by you giving a little bit more you can get much larger portions of your order which usually is much better value in monetary terms. So it is with life, champions are not people who simply do only what it takes to get by, neither are they people who are overly concerned about how they are being perceived by others. Greatness lies at the heart of everyone but it is only those who are willing to do what it takes to draw it out that will experience it. Far too many of us our content with being average, playing small and living insignificant lives. Yuck! that's just as tasty as drinking a cup of luke warm tea.

Going large is about not being afraid to stand out from the crowd, about playing the game of life as though your very life was about to end. It is about grabbing hold of amazing opportunities and not being afraid to make mistakes.

What I am talking about is the Zoé life that Jesus died for so you could live. The more life than you know what to do with kind of life, that is in abundance, to the full, till it overflows. That's what I'm talking about.
So this is what I would like you to do for yourself;

First,Surround yourself with big thinkers, people who know that they are the designers of their own destiny rather than a victim of circumstance.

Next, STOP living life through or for other people.

Finally, decide how you would like to make your life count. Dig deep down inside and discover your brilliance, your beauty, your talents, your gifts and use them to the full. Ignore the little voice inside that keeps trying to keep you down. Shut out those self limiting beliefs and be the person you were placed on this earth to be.
LIVE and LIVE LARGE.

Pics... Red shoes, Skyscraper, Diamond ring

Your Time of Beauty

2009-09-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a bad day? Week? Month? or Year?

Has the stress and pain of this difficult period in life ever made you cry yourself to sleep?

Well if you haven't I have. I have been through some situations where I literally felt like I wanted to go to sleep and not bother waking up! Does this sound familiar to anyone?

The Bible defines it as an 'Evil Day', a time when we feel as though your world has come crashing in on top of us. It could be a painful divorce, a breakup with your boyfriend/girlfriend, the death of a loved one, whatever it is trouble comes in all shapes and sizes and is not too particular on whose door it knocks on.

The worst part of it all is when you feel smack bang in the darkest part of it or 'the eye of the storm' when no matter how optimistic you try to be or how hard you try you just can't seem to lift yourself up. You feel like you are carrying around a huge rucksack filled with rocks and the weight of it all is unbearable. Your heart feel s heavy and even breathing is an effort. How many know what I'm talking about?

Well one key factor in dealing with trouble is knowing that it is all a matter of time. All storms run their course and eventually burn themselves out. If its a husband you are praying for, a new job, healing, restoration of a relationship just know it is all down to time. One scripture that I have found to be extremely powerful is Ecclesiates 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. This verse helped me to see that when the right time comes nothing or no one can stand in the way of my breakthrough or my time of beauty.

There is a specific time when you will meet your life mate, a specific time when you will get the job of your dreams, a specific time when you will move into that new house. Our job is to flow with God's timing and not try to rush Him, help Him out or make things happen ourselves. This is difficult but remember Abraham and Ishmael, we are still paying for his bad timing today!

So when your 'Evil Day' presents itself and we know it will, don't be afraid, don't cave in, don't quit. Don't put your head in your hands and say "I can't take it any more" but raise your hands in the air and shout at the top of your lungs the following verse 'Even if the fig tree does not bloom and the vines have no grapes, even if the olive tree fails to produce and the fields yield no food, even if the sheep pen is empty and the stalls have no cattle-even then, I will be happy with the LORD. I will truly find joy in God, who saves me' Habakkuk 3:17,18.

Relax, your time of beauty is simply a matter of TIME!

Images.....butterfly & large white clocks, mixed numbers red clock, puzzle clocks

Dating or Waiting

2009-09-23T03:17:00.000-07:00

An absolutely fabulous time in your life filled with beauty and excitement, joy and laughter, meeting new people, travelling to new and exotic places, ever learning, discovering and achieving. If you are waiting on God to introduce you to your life mate or have met the one, then you ought to be having the time of your life right? Then why all to often is this a time shrouded in darkness rather than light? What has stolen the radiant light epitomising youth, life and purity?

A premature exposure to sex and sexual activity. Experimenting with heavy petting, masturbation, sexually explicit images, movies and music. Things that the 'World' would say are innocent are cunningly used to kill, steal and destroy our innocence. What is left behind are feelings of low self worth, fear, guilt, shame and condemnation. Just like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden after exposing themselves to something that wasn't necessarily wrong but was not right for them at that particular time, they felt violated, uncovered, naked. What is the conquence? Living life far, far less than God intended. Remember the Prodigal Son he came to himself when in the pig sty eating the pigs food and realised this is not what Daddy had in mind for me.

Eph 2:10 tells us that God had PREpared, PREdestined, PREplanned a good life for us. One filled with more than riches and wealth, houses and land but a good mental, emotional and physical life, where we are free to be ourselves and feel free within ourselves.

This Blog is not meant to be a rebuke or a 'I know it all so listen' type of message, it's more of a 'don't go down the same path that I went' message. If this blog can prevent one person from screwing up big time, in the same manner that I did, then I have succeeded in my endeavour.

If you are plagued with feelings of fear, guilt, shame or condemnation then, speaking to you from a parents point of view, I take no pleasure in seeing my child in this type of hurt or pain. My primary objective is RESTORATION and believe me there is nothing closer to God's heart than having His children restored back to Him. He loves you soooo very much! And desires only the ultimate best for you.

So what do you do now?

First and foremost run into the loving arms of your heavenly Father and confess all.

Next ask Him to help you to live a life totally dedicated to Him.

And finally incorporate boundaries into your life; the best way to set boundaries is to set parameters and to be accountable to someone.

Hope this is useful :)

Images.....butterlfy beauty

Alabaster Passion

2009-09-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

True love, there is nothing like it. The kind of where your beloved is held in high esteem no-one compares to them, everything fades in comparison and time, what is time when in the presence of the one you love. Nothing matters, problems strangely disappear and your appetite for food instantly diminishes. This is true love, this is what I am talking about. What will you do for the one you love? Anything for nothing is too difficult to accomplish for such a one. What gift will you bring to your loved one, can you put a price on it? For nothing is too good to bestow upon them.

In love with Jesus? Then how will you demonstrate your love for someone who has everything? Will you pour your love and adoration upon His feet like the expensive oil Mary used to lavish her love upon Him? Or will you be like Esther and prepare a fine banquet of praise and worship for your King? Whatever you do, don't hold back. The tearing of the veil means that we have open access through Christ to the throne of grace. You may now enter the holy of holy's not allowing fear, guilt, condemnation, shame or inferiority to inhibit you. Walk in boldly and bestow your love liberally on your Beloved.

Image decortherapia,

Mirror Mirror!

2009-09-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

Look into the mirror and declare boldly "I Love Me". Sounds incredibly vain I know but so many times we put so much energy into focusing on the things about ourselves that we are not happy with or that we do wrong or simply can't do. So many of us are our own worst enemy, if we were our boss we would fire ourselves.

Psalm 139:14 states that we have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Nothing about us is a mistake, our unique fingerprints, the colour of our eyes, the tone of our voice, the shade of our skin, all have been planned to perfection by our loving Father and each specific aspect of our make up is designed on purpose to create us as the dynamic individual that only we can be. Nobody smiles like you, nobody laughs like you, you are one in a million, millions.

What is it that makes it so easy, so comfortable to self destruct? A friend comments on our outfit "Oh this old thing" we reply. Another comments on our hair "It needs a wash" we exclaim. Next time we receive a compliment relish it, bask in its sunlight and if you choose to reply why not just say "Thank you".

Favourite Things!

2009-09-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

Take a moment to think about all of your favourite things. Now make a list of all of them, the things that you enjoy, the things that put a smile on your face etc. You can also break this list down into smaller categories i.e. If cake is on your list then list all the different kinds of cake that you like.

Proverbs 23:7 states 'For as he thinks in his heart so is he'. Beleive it or not your life is the sum total of all your past thinking. Is that a happy or scary thought. Is your life focused and going in the direction that you want? Or are you all over the place?

Thinking is a very important function that we do 24 hours a day 7 days of the week but how often do we stop and actually think about what we are thinking about? How much effort do we put into developing our thinking habits or spending time to think on purpose?

Bad thinking habits = bad habits. It is vital that we have good thoughts because they will bring goodness into our lives. Practice thinking good thoughts today and every day!