Change either happens to us by force or we create the needed changes in our lives. Creating changes in our lives is MUCH EASIER than having changes forced upon us. Here are some indicators that it is time to change your life...
1. Pain - when there is physical, emotional, or spiritual pain in your life or in your relationships, it is time to change something. Pain leads us to change.
2. Boredom - when a lack of motivation and overall sense of boredom is in your life, it is time to change something. Boredom comes many times from a lack of challenge concerning what you are doing. When that happens, there is no “faith room” anymore. Change is a must.
3. “I never have enough time” - when your plate is so full that you are feeling like you can’t get all done that you want to get done, change is a must! Something must be removed so that you have time to do what is needed.
4. Spiritual Dryness - when the passion for Jesus COMBINED with the daily disciplines (prayer and Bible reading) of seeking Jesus are gone, something has got to change. Everyday is a new day to live for Jesus. Without passion AND discipline, we won’t truly live for Jesus!
5. It is easy to sin - when the convicting power of the Holy Spirit is absent, change is a must, before it is too late! Without sensitivity to sin in our lives, we potentially head to a major “life crash.” If sinning is getting easier, rather than harder, please make a change by allowing another believer of the same sex into your life to help hold you accountable to what is pure and right. As you make a change to move away from sin and towards righteousness, the convicting and comforting presence of the Holy Spirit will return to you!
How do I know these are indicators that it is time to change your life? Because I have personally experienced them all! If I can help you, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thankful Everyday
I am convinced that the words from scripture are so true: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)
Our lives are the sum of our daily thoughts. You want a negative life, think about the negative. You want a positive life, think about the positive. You want a Christ-centered life, think about Jesus. You want a grateful life, think about what you are thankful for! Allow me to suggest a few things that we can be thankful for EVERYDAY...
1. Life. You are here to live another day. Each day is a precious gift. Don’t minimize it and don’t regret it. Life may not be all you want it to be, but you still have breath to breathe and for that you can be thankful!
2. Purpose. Because you are here to live another day, that means God is not finished with you and Satan has not succeeded in taking you out. Even if you don’t fully know what your purpose for living is, you can still thank God that He has a plan for your life!
3. Relationships. Yeah, I know some are good and some are bad. And I also know that some create much hurt and pain. But without relationships, we simply could not exist in life. Take some time today to be thankful for the relationships you have that allow your life to be what it is today!
4. Jesus. Okay, you knew this one was coming. Jesus is our rock. He is our foundation. He is our life. No matter how bleak things may get, He is constantly there and forever King. That my friends is worth being thankful for!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Jeff Powell
Our lives are the sum of our daily thoughts. You want a negative life, think about the negative. You want a positive life, think about the positive. You want a Christ-centered life, think about Jesus. You want a grateful life, think about what you are thankful for! Allow me to suggest a few things that we can be thankful for EVERYDAY...
1. Life. You are here to live another day. Each day is a precious gift. Don’t minimize it and don’t regret it. Life may not be all you want it to be, but you still have breath to breathe and for that you can be thankful!
2. Purpose. Because you are here to live another day, that means God is not finished with you and Satan has not succeeded in taking you out. Even if you don’t fully know what your purpose for living is, you can still thank God that He has a plan for your life!
3. Relationships. Yeah, I know some are good and some are bad. And I also know that some create much hurt and pain. But without relationships, we simply could not exist in life. Take some time today to be thankful for the relationships you have that allow your life to be what it is today!
4. Jesus. Okay, you knew this one was coming. Jesus is our rock. He is our foundation. He is our life. No matter how bleak things may get, He is constantly there and forever King. That my friends is worth being thankful for!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Jeff Powell
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
What are you believing God for?
In the Bible, Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Here are a few observations I see about this verse:
1. For faith to truly be faith, it involves things we have not yet seen. Thus the term, “take a leap of faith.”
2. For faith to truly be faith, hope is a key emotion. We don’t place faith in faith, but rather in what we are hoping for.
3. For faith to truly be faith, there must be a target, a goal. And this goal must be solid and specific. Note the words, “sure” and “certain” in Hebrews 11:1.
4. Faith is now (“Now faith is...”). Let go of yesterday and embrace what lies ahead. Today, you can have faith!
Here are some questions to challenge you:
- What are you presently hoping for?
- What certain things would you like to see in your life?
- What negative emotions are robbing you of hope right now?
- Are you looking backward or forward to what is to come in your life?
- What are you trusting God for in 2012?
I want to agree with you for the things you are believing God for. Turn in the insert in your share. Remember, WE > ME!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
1. For faith to truly be faith, it involves things we have not yet seen. Thus the term, “take a leap of faith.”
2. For faith to truly be faith, hope is a key emotion. We don’t place faith in faith, but rather in what we are hoping for.
3. For faith to truly be faith, there must be a target, a goal. And this goal must be solid and specific. Note the words, “sure” and “certain” in Hebrews 11:1.
4. Faith is now (“Now faith is...”). Let go of yesterday and embrace what lies ahead. Today, you can have faith!
Here are some questions to challenge you:
- What are you presently hoping for?
- What certain things would you like to see in your life?
- What negative emotions are robbing you of hope right now?
- Are you looking backward or forward to what is to come in your life?
- What are you trusting God for in 2012?
I want to agree with you for the things you are believing God for. Turn in the insert in your share. Remember, WE > ME!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
When Faith & Reality Collide, part 2
FAITH and REALITY collide all the time. Concerning our own finances, making the commitment to be Biblical tithers with 10% of our income probably did not initially make sense on paper! And yet, God supplies. I know in my own life, even though Jane and I's expenses have increased and our pay has decreased, God has led us to increase our giving to 13% all during 2011 - did it match reality on paper? No way, but God has met all of our needs as we have obeyed Him by faith. And what about you? What percentage has God led you to give? Is it just 10% or is it more? And regardless of the number, did it make sense naturally to you? Probably not.
So what is the key to all of this? To ensure as best we can that we are being led by God and not just by what we see with our natural sight. Hard to do? YES! It would be much easier to simply look at life and draw conclusions based purely on what we see naturally. But God wants us to walk by faith. If we pray, God will speak and we will have an opportunity to walk by faith in what He is saying and not simply by what we see with our natural sight.
The Lord is wanting us to look for His voice and leading - that my friends is a much harder task than just looking at reality. But history proves that is the best path to take!
Here is the challenge: Take time to pray and hear from God. And when God speaks, act in faith. Remember the 10 lepers in Luke 17:14 - it was "as they went" that they were healed. It will be the same for us: as we go in obedience to what God has spoken, we will see His blessings in our lives!
So the next time FAITH and REALITY collide, which is probably sooner than we would like, let us choose FAITH!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
So what is the key to all of this? To ensure as best we can that we are being led by God and not just by what we see with our natural sight. Hard to do? YES! It would be much easier to simply look at life and draw conclusions based purely on what we see naturally. But God wants us to walk by faith. If we pray, God will speak and we will have an opportunity to walk by faith in what He is saying and not simply by what we see with our natural sight.
The Lord is wanting us to look for His voice and leading - that my friends is a much harder task than just looking at reality. But history proves that is the best path to take!
Here is the challenge: Take time to pray and hear from God. And when God speaks, act in faith. Remember the 10 lepers in Luke 17:14 - it was "as they went" that they were healed. It will be the same for us: as we go in obedience to what God has spoken, we will see His blessings in our lives!
So the next time FAITH and REALITY collide, which is probably sooner than we would like, let us choose FAITH!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
What to do when FAITH and REALITY colide!
At times, I struggle balancing what I see in the realm of reality and what I hear in the realm of the spirit - they don't always match up! And to be honest sometimes I either doubt God or doubt my hearing from God! However, I know three things: 1) Without faith it is impossible to please God. 2) In order for faith to be truly faith, it will require a challenge and stretch. And 3) the Bible is filled with examples of God calling His children to trust in His leading, even though His leading went contrary to what reality was.
For instance, just take Gideon and his 300 men or Joshua and the wall of Jericho or Moses and the Red Sea - each instruction from God to be quite honest was ridiculous in the realm of the natural, but each was right on and each required a large dose of faith. Or take Jesus’ instruction to the lepers to simply go to the priest. Or His instruction to Peter to simply catch a fish in order to pay his and Jesus’ tax - all of these instructions did not match up with the realm of reality that each faced. Going a bit further, take the instruction to Ananias to go to the house Saul was staying at - how ridiculous considering that the last Ananias knew, Saul was coming to arrest all the followers of Jesus!
On and on I could go. I mean come on, Joshua just marching and shouting to defeat Jericho? Moses and a rod to cross the Red Sea? Gideon and only 300 men to defeat an entire army? In each case if we were totally honest, the leading from God did not match up to what they were facing in reality, but that is where the truest expression of walking by faith and not by sight is truly seen.
Here is the challenge: Take time to pray and hear from God. And when God speaks, act in faith. Remember the 10 lepers in Luke 17:14 - it was "as they went" that they were healed. It will be the same for us: as we go in obedience to what God has spoken, we will see His blessings in our lives!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
For instance, just take Gideon and his 300 men or Joshua and the wall of Jericho or Moses and the Red Sea - each instruction from God to be quite honest was ridiculous in the realm of the natural, but each was right on and each required a large dose of faith. Or take Jesus’ instruction to the lepers to simply go to the priest. Or His instruction to Peter to simply catch a fish in order to pay his and Jesus’ tax - all of these instructions did not match up with the realm of reality that each faced. Going a bit further, take the instruction to Ananias to go to the house Saul was staying at - how ridiculous considering that the last Ananias knew, Saul was coming to arrest all the followers of Jesus!
On and on I could go. I mean come on, Joshua just marching and shouting to defeat Jericho? Moses and a rod to cross the Red Sea? Gideon and only 300 men to defeat an entire army? In each case if we were totally honest, the leading from God did not match up to what they were facing in reality, but that is where the truest expression of walking by faith and not by sight is truly seen.
Here is the challenge: Take time to pray and hear from God. And when God speaks, act in faith. Remember the 10 lepers in Luke 17:14 - it was "as they went" that they were healed. It will be the same for us: as we go in obedience to what God has spoken, we will see His blessings in our lives!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
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