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Saturday, August 14, 2010

The Excuse “Impossible”

To be or not to be considered ridiculous or just plain silly is the choice that helps us achieve our wildest dreams or keeps us where mediocrity holds sway!


The word impossible is the excuse of cowards. People who do not have the courage to push themselves beyond their comfort zones, over the edge of that which is within easy grasp. To upset our well planned out life is something we are not willing to consider.


Every time I read the place where Jesus said, “… greater things shall ye do.” I get pretty upset because I can tell something isn’t right. I think, “Grand ! Easy for you to say!” Not that I do not believe Him, it’s simply beyond my human mind.


To think the outrageous and the ridiculous demands faith that says you can walk on water or raise a dead man. (Think on that for a second)


But then I read Myles Munroe and he goes off and says something as outrageous as ‘yeah doing greater things should be natural’. Ok! So this is outrageous but not unnatural!


I keep thinking to myself the world is doing it and they don’t even acknowledge God and yes, they are still missing out on something – Greatness. The old testament folks had it figured out and Jesus hadn’t even died. Something’s completely wrong.”


I am not talking walking on water here or even raising the dead which can be done. I am talking about that wild dream in your heart that keeps frustrating the ‘Mondays’ of your life. Myles Munroe says the reason you go to work feeling frustrated is because the counsel of God shall stand. What that means is, if you die without fulfilling your purpose, you die frustrated even if you had all the money in the world.


We need a paradigm shift! It’s not enough to think it’s possible with God only, it is possible with you and I and even more so because we have all this grace available.


There are obstacles but there are no impossibilities.


There are walls but there are no limits.


It's your choice to settle down and be comfortable or shake off your fears and take a risk.


Adventure!


My take is, if a man can think it, it is possible.


It takes a lot of mind stretching and perseverance and just the willingness to apply oneself to see possibilities.


It is a process and a challenging one at that! It isn’t one for the faint of heart or the weak willed and we can understand from Abraham to Jesus, why T.D. Jakes would ask if we can stand to be blessed.


Being blessed as Solomon was demands choosing to have grand resilience or limiting ourselves to a few thousand concubines and missing out on where God would take us.


Impossibilities is the excuse for lazy minds.


There are simply no impossibilities!


If you can imagine it, heaven knows you are your only limitation. That is the story of the confusion of tongues (Babel).

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

.Some distant cousins you should think of killing. Seriously it's legal!

Worry- a subtle foe one needs to deal with constantly.




Worry is the thief of time and energy. Anyone who entertains him knows he is high maintenance. He consumes your time exaggerating every little issue and magnifying every little care.


Worry saps your energy and won't leave until you understand that, "of all men, you are most miserable because you have this little problem. "


Worry seeks to put faith in a corner. ''Face the fact, he insists, your reality is sickness, lack and pain and if you think God cares, then just let me invite my friends over.''


Think on this for a moment if you please. Worry always arrives uninvited, promises to stay for only a minute or two and once you let him in, he stays a day, two or a week. Worry almost never goes anywhere without his buddy Frown.


Frown takes his place on your forehead and before you can even find a Word to counter all that Worry has said, his friends, Guilt and Shame have arrived. They are here to remind you to keep Worry because you failed, ''here and there.'' They point out, with crooked and dirty nails, your failures on this dirty map of your shameful past. ('Crooked and dirty nails' because they had to dig up this buried and forgotten map.)


And shame? Yes she is here to let you know it's ok to stay ashamed. "Forget that God has forgiven you, the shame is yours to keep forever'', she bats her eyes while reminding you with a voice that seeks to comfort or produce some self- righteous or self-pitying feeling.


Worry wants you to deny who you are and what you have in Christ. He wants you to say, 'God I know you care but I don't trust you to take care of this need that I have now.' Worry magnifies his friends, the Cares of this world and seeks to belittle God's ability to fulfill His promise.


The truth is God has already provided all you need but worry keeps you from finding the faith to receive what you need.


Worry is persistent and never gives up and if you must overcome him and his friends here's how.


When next worry comes to visit, tell him about the last time God came through and how He amazed you with His faithfulness (Praise and Worship). Tell Worry about the promises God made to take care of you, to never leave or forsake you ( confession of your faith). Tell him about the address God gave you to always drop off the Cares of this world. (Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.) Invite your friends, Peace, Faith, Hope and Joy over for tea.


Worry hates nothing more than a smile and a person who refuses to be anxious about tomorrow. He'll come again to remind you of the Cares of this world and insist you think of ways to resolve them. Take him aside and give him the address you dropped off his friends, the Cares of this world - at God's.


Isn't it amazing how we allow worry keep us awake at night only to find out in the morning that God had already supplied our needs and keeping company with Worry was such a waste of precious time.


Imagine the cost of housing worry and his gang. Get careless around them and they open your door when Depression comes knocking. Now this isn't just a petty thief like worry, shame and guilt whom you are comfortable with just because someone told you they are your distant cousins and you have to treat your family right. Right?


Wrong! Depression is an armed robber and he can kill you just as well as worry, guilt and shame. These are cousins you tie to the drum and practice shooting with, so when Depression comes, you are armed and ready.


We forfeit Peace and yet we have a friend, Jesus, who has taken it upon Himself to bear our burdens.


I've learnt that "taking it to the Lord in prayer" doesn't require beads and a long winding worry-encouraging-prayer.


I know worry can be persistent so I simply go to Jesus with a simple, 'Jesus help, this is beyond me and you promised to take care of me. Thank you.'


If worry keeps nagging, I simply remind him that God has never failed and won't start with me first. I send him to God with, "I forgot your friends, the Cares at His feet, see I'm careless! Go ask Him about it, if you can and must. I have a book to read or I need to sleep...''


Redeem the time!


Worry knows when he is no longer welcomed and he always leaves with a sullen face and if you are wondering why, it's because Frown hopped on his forehead.