In the beginning God had a thought about creating something out of  nothing because Genesis 1:2 says that “the earth was without form.”  The world as we know it today is the result of someone’s thoughts.  Every invention was first a thought in someone’s mind, and that is the key to success.  A thought must be carried out; action must follow before it can become a reality.  We are what our thoughts have made us; so be careful about what you think about. Thoughts live; they travel far.

Henry Ford said that “whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you are right!” Your thoughts become a reality.  They are powerful because they are either dragging you down or lifting you up and you act based on what you are thinking.  And, don’t try to change someone else’s mind about what they think about you.  That person’s thoughts have no bearing on who you are.  Stay focused on the thoughts in your head and not the thoughts in someone else’s head.   Don’t spend time with negative people; it can rub off on you even if you don’t think it will.  A negative word has life just like a positive word, and if a negative word has the power to make you feel and think bad of yourself doesn’t that mean that a positive word will lift you up and empower you? Use your time and energy to be with positive people and let them encourage and support you.

You are creative whether you realize it or not because God is creative and you were made in His image! Genesis 1:26 says  “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”  If man was created in the image of God,then everyone is capable of creating something and it begins with a thought.  God has given you everything you need to be successful; it’s up to you to ‘think’ how to use what you have and then go do it!  You are one thought away from fulfilling the prophecy you have already been given but you are waiting on God to do the next thing when, in fact, God is waiting on you to think it through and act on it.

John 10:10 says “The enemy comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  Success is taking captive a negative thought and putting on the mind of           Christ. What you think has everything to do with where you go from here.   You are today where your thoughts have brought you.  You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.

Question; What are you thinking?

The Lord’s Prayer contains the following words “thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”   The only way God’s will will be done on earth is for Believers to yield to God and make themselves available to carry out God’s plan and purposes every day of their lives.  Many people have yet to learn God’s purpose for their lives.  They aimlessly go about their day doing what they want to do without recognizing that each day is a gift from God and He has a specific plan for their lives.  Or, they know that there is something more that they can do but are unable to act upon it because they are not in a position for the spirit of God to move in their lives.

It’s easy to hang onto the hurts, failures and disappointments of the past; some even get stuck there, but God wants those who are called by His name to move forward, to move on to bigger and better things.  In 2015, move forward – for your sake you must move forward.  God wants to give you beauty for the ashes in your life; but He can’t give you beauty if you are holding onto the ashes. Let it go! Let go of the things that are behind you and reach for the things that lie before you.  Want the beauty God has for you more than you want the pain of the past.  You are a part of God’s plan for this earth and no one can do what you are here to do better than you can.

It’s good to set goals for yourself, but include the purposes of God in your goal setting.  Give Him priority and then ask Him to help you achieve the desires of your heart.  As Job said God “can do everything.”  God loves you more than you can comprehend, and all He wants is for you to put Him first.  God wants you to know that you are here for a purpose, and if you get involved in His purposes, He will get involved in your plans.  God can do exceedingly more that you can ask or think but are you willing in 2015 to echo the words of Jesus Christ “nevertheless, not my will but thy will be done?”

What if Jesus was who He claimed to be?  What if He truy was the Son of God who came to this earth to redeem man from his sins?  Would that make a difference to you at this moment?  Would you act a different way?  Would you live differently?  Would you do things differently?  Many people have settled that question in their minds but many have not.  Some are on the fence going in between the natural and the supernatural.  Some believe that Jesus was an important person in history but certainly not the Son of God.  While others don’t even entertain the thought that the claims made by Jesus could be remotely true.

Every person must make a personal decision whether to believe or not that Jesus, the Son of God, became flesh and dwelt on this earth, died and rose again for the remission of their sins.   What we decide  not only determines our eternal destiny, it also determines our earthly direction as well.  We cannot accept His claims without also recognizing that He has staked His claim on our lives.  If He is who He says He is, then all of His promises are true.  He really can wipe away a painful past and take away our burden of guilt and regret.  He can give us a whole new reason to live and fill us with the fullness of His love, His life, His grace. It means it’s all true.

The Bible tells us that for those who do believe, Jesus gave them the right to be called the children of God.  Being a child of the most High God is precious and holds a great deal of responsibility for you are no longer in control.  Your submission to God’s authority in your life will change you.  You have been equipped to do the impossible.  You don’t act like others act.  You live a life of loving your neighbor as yourself.  You forgive and show mercy and kindness to all.  You bring a little bit of Heaven down to this earth and allow God’s will to be done.

A Believer has answered ‘yes.’  Jesus is who He said He is.  How about you?  Do others see something different in you that they are not use to seeing?  Do you stand out in a crowd because you are not controlled by earthly desires?  Do you stand on the Word of God when going through trouble knowing that Jesus has promised never to leave nor forsake you?  If you have not yet made a decision, today is a day of salvation for God wants to come into your heart and give you His plan and purpose for your life.  You matter to God.  God loves you and He said that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  Answer the question ‘is He or Isn’t He’ right now and you will never be the same.

Many years ago, God spoke to His people through the prophets to reveal Himself to us. He wants us to know Him, to love Him and to worship Him.  God had been speaking, but people weren’t getting the message. They didn’t understand God’s heart, nor did they understand God’s plan. So, God sent His Son to bring His message to us.  In the Lord Jesus Christ, God revealed Himself directly to us.  This is the miracle of the Christmas message – the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the living, divine Son of God. He did more than just proclaim God’s message – He is God’s message!  Jesus came to reveal God, to make Him known to us in ways that we can understand.

Jesus declares in John 10:30  “I and the Father are one.”  The miracle of the message is not just in the fact that God speaks to us today through His Son, but that the message has the power to transform our lives. Christmas is the celebration of the greatest message ever proclaimed. God is with us. God came near so that we could draw near to Him. Jesus came to proclaim God’s message that we can be set free from sin’s stronghold on our lives and we don’t have to live as prisoners to guilt and regret.  God did that because He wanted us to know how very much He loves us. He wanted us to know that He created us for a reason – that we might know and love Him.  Jesus was the Word that became as flesh and lived among us. If you want to know what God is like, look to Jesus!

Even today, God is speaking His message through visions and dreams, through natural events, and many other means, but can you hear and understand Him?  In the midst of life’s betrayals and bitter messages He whispers, “bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”  (Luke 6:28) In the midst of life’s messages of joy and celebration He shouts, “Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad!” (Psalm 118:24).

The miracle of Christmas is the miracle of the message – God loves you and me! He sent His Son who is the greatest gift that you can ever receive.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39).

Believe the miracle of the Christmas message that God does love you; that Jesus came to this earth and paid the price of redemption for you; and that God does, and will, speak to you and your life will never be the same!  Merry Christmas!

Did you know that there are only 11 days until Christmas? That means there are approximately 264 hours until we celebrate the birth of Christ.  That translates into approximately 15,840 minutes left to get done all the things we need to do before Christmas arrives.  As we begin the Christmas celebration, I want us to recognize the significance of one moment in time because timing is important.  One minute can make a difference if you arrive at your departure gate and see the plane you were supposed to be on pushing away from the gate; or you wake up late for work and discover that there was a fatal car crash on the road ahead of you that you missed only because you left a few minutes later than normal.

Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.”  God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth at just the right time.  That represents the miracle of the moment.  You were saved at the right moment and God will meet your need at the right moment.  Our concept of time is much different than God’s concept of time because heaven has no time restraints.  We worry about our problems and think that God has forgotten all about us only to find out that just at the right moment, our way of escape suddenly appears.  We have to recognize that God is in control and if we get that down in our spirit, we can enjoy our lives knowing that God will provide what we need exactly when we need it.

Don’t get so caught up in this holiday season that you miss the miracle of the moment.  Remember who we are celebrating and the reason He came to this earth.  Remember how one moment in time has changed your life and given you a destiny that you have yet to fulfill.  We love to plan what we are going to do today, tomorrow, next week and next month forgetting that nothing will come to pass without the grace of God upon our lives.  God has plans for you and I encourage you to make sure that your plans line up with God’s will for your life.  Look for the miracle that God has planned for you this day and thank Him for it.

Something to think about; there are 3 things in life that once gone will never come back – time, words and opportunity. Make the most of each one so that you will have no regrets.  Each one could contain a miracle just for you.

A reasonable and gracious way of preventing a head-on collision with others is to yield and allow the other person the right of way and avoid interpersonal head on collisions.  The Bible tells Christians to submit to one another and that is not always easy to do because it goes against our natural instinct. We live in a survivor mentality; we try to outplay, outwit, out last each other; not to submit to one another. However, learning to submit is just as important as any other discipline that we train ourselves to do.

Submission is an attitude of the heart that keeps a believer broken before God. Brokenness allows a believer to be flexible, teachable and humble before God. When we are broken, we see the fraility of human strength and come to grips with the reality that we can do nothing in our own strength. Then, new strength emerges that God uses mightily. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Do not fear brokenness, for it may be the missing ingredient to a life that emerges with a new kind of strength and experience you never knew before.

Submitting to God is the most important discipline that you will ever learn because if you are submitted to God, you will be obedient to Him and His Word and your life will honor God which is the goal of every Believer.  You become an instrument for God to use after you have been broken and know how important it is to yield to Him.  We are not fit for the Master’s use until we have been broken and reshaped through the growth experiences we go through.  You see God knows just how much and how far to stretch you; He knows your breaking point; therefore, He will always give you a way of escape.

And, when it comes to working with other believers, you have to do what you can do and let others do what they can do. You have to understand there are people that can do things you are incapable of doing. Don’t fight it, embrace it. When you try to do what others can do, you enter into competition with them. Believers who compete with others become frustrated and unfulfilled, because they lose grace. The more people stay banded together in unity, the stronger they will become. From that strength, comes synergy: the interaction of two or more forces with a combined effort that is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Remember, one can chase 1000; two 10,000.

Allow God to give you a chiropractic adjustment today. Totally abandon yourself to His will. God has something specific and special for you to do in His kingdom. Ask God to reveal to you what your part is in His master plan. Find your place and fulfill it, but remember it all starts when you are able to ‘yield.’

Take ten chickens, any ten. Put them in a pen together, and spread a little chicken feed. Soon you will witness something an amazing. In a matter of minutes, the chickens, previously strangers, will form a hierarchy based on dominance or, in everyday language, they will establish a Pecking Order.  Instinctively, they will determine, through a series of skirmishes, who the Number One chicken will be; then the Number Two; the Number Three; all the way down to the unlucky Number Ten chicken. Much is at stake in this dance of domination. Chicken Number One pecks at and intimidates Chicken Number Two, without experiencing any kind of retribution from Chicken Number Two. Chicken Number Two will take it from Chicken Number One but will turn around and peck away at Chicken Number Three, who will in turn, take out its frustration on Chicken Number Four. The Pecking Order continues all the way down to Chicken Number Ten, who, needless to say, has a pretty miserable life, he is pecked, but has no one to peck.

We all have the tendency to look at others in terms of their profession, education, wardrobe, cars, homes, and subconsciously we fit them into the Pecking Order.
So, what’s the problem? It’s natural. Every time the disciples tried to set up a Pecking Order, Jesus rebuked them and taught them they needed to be servants. “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35).  A true leader serves those under his responsibility and does not cause undue hardship to them by exercising his authority over them, and by revelation and grace he helps bring out their individual gifts and talents.

Refrain from indulging in the pecking order and see every person as someone who Jesus Christ has died for and it doesn’t matter what they have been called to do or what their position is in our society, we all have a plan and purpose to achieve.  God loves you as much as he loves me and he loves me as much as he loves you.  One is not greater than the other regardless if you are a street cleaner or a pastor of a 10,000 member congregation.  God doesn’t favor any one more than the other.  We are all important to him and the same blood that has saved you has also saved the worst sinner.

Do you want to be great in the eyes of God?  Serve mankind.  Jesus told us that God will honor those who serve (John 12:26).  Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of his Father because he came to this earth not only to save but to serve.  Follow the Lord’s example and don’t let opportunities to serve pass you by and may the God of all peace reward you and bless you for having a servant heart.

Well, it’s that time of the year when we come together as a family to reflect on the blessings of God. But I suppose that there are some who believe that in our society today, there is very little to be thankful for but they are wrong.  Every person who knows Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior has a lot to be thankful for.  God is good and His mercies endure forever, and it is because of His mercy that we have been delivered and set free from the enemy of our soul.  The blood of Jesus has redeemed those who are called by His name, and just in case you neglect to tell Jesus on your own how grateful you are, a day has been designated for that very thing.

Recognize how truly blessed you are.  Reflect on how God has provided what you needed when you needed it.  You might not have everything you want but your basic needs are being met.  Focus on the positive in your life.  Everyone faces challenges but Jesus has promised to never leave us alone, and we are never alone when we have to face trials and tribulations.  God is bigger than our problems and there is nothing too hard for Him.  If God doesn’t calm your storm, His grace is sufficient to give you peace  in the midst of the storm and remember that His eye is always upon the sparrow.

God is faithful and this is a wonderful time to stop and give thanks.  Give thanks for your family and friends; for your job and for the home that keeps you and your family safe.  Give thanks for your health.  Give thanks that what the enemy meant for evil God has turned it around for your good and above all, give thanks for your salvation.  You didn’t choose God but God chose you.  He called you by name and saved you and gave you eternal life.  Give thanks that you can trust God and that He is faithful.

Live with a thankful spirit and daily give thanks for the goodness of God in your life.  You can do nothing without Him, but with Him all things are possible.  What shall you render unto God for all of His benefits toward you? Thankfulness is a good start!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God

                                       in Christ Jesus for you.”