Tag Archives: positive thinking

Get Up and Glow Pt. 9

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We have been talking about getting up and moving on in life. We have said that getting up is necessary and that it is possible because God’s Holy Spirit and His Word guide us and bless us. Yesterday we said that all the promises in the Bible are ours to claim…

But we can only claim them if we get up and start pursuing the promises. Today I want to state that because of His promises…

 Getting up is powerful!

 Faith honors God and God honors faith! A story from the life of missionaries Robert and Mary Moffat illustrates this truth. For 10 years this couple labored faithfully in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) without one ray of encouragement to brighten their way. They could not report a single convert. Finally the directors of their mission board began to question the wisdom of continuing the work. The thought of leaving their post, however, brought great grief to this devoted couple, for they felt sure that God was in their labors, and that they would see people turn to Christ in due season. They stayed; and for a year or two longer, darkness reigned. Then one day a friend in England sent word to the Moffats that she wanted to mail them a gift and asked what they would like. Trusting that in time the Lord would bless their work, Mrs. Moffat replied, “Send us a communion set; I am sure it will soon be needed.” God honored that dear woman’s faith. The Holy Spirit moved upon the hearts of the villagers, and soon a little group of six converts was united to form the first Christian church in that land. The communion set from England was delayed in the mail; but on the very day before the first commemoration of the Lord’s super in Bechuanaland, the set arrived.” (taken from sermon illustrations.com, author unknown)

During the terrible days of the Blitz, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father’s voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, “I can’t see you!”

The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, “But I can see you. Jump!” The boy jumped, because he trusted his father. The Christian faith enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known. ( taken from sermon illustration.com,  Donner Atwood)

There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain! We just have to persevere until the answer comes!

Relentless Pt. 4

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Today we continue with excerpts from a recent sermon I preached at Cornerstone Church. If you have missed out on the beginning of the relentless posts here are the links:

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/relentless-pt-1/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/3445/

https://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/relentless-pt-3/

We have been discussing our need to be relentless in praise. For many of us praising God is  difficult. I understand that our ability or inability to praise God is bound up in a complex series of issues including upbringing, past experience and even personality make-up. So I hesitate to oversimplify but one reason we struggle to praise God is because we do not practice intentional praise in our private prayer time.

I once went through a battle so thick that every one of my devotions turned into a moan and groan session. I came before God. I  read the Bible and complained to Him that none of His promises were being answered.

Then one day as I sat in the middle of my  moaning God stopped me and said “Get a notebook.”

I said “A notebook haven’t you been listening God! I am hurting and you need to do something. I don’t feel like writing right now.”

God said “Notebook!”

So I got a notebook and He told me “Write down all the blessings you have.”

I said “Blessings didn’t you hear me! I am hurting and I need you to fix this before I can thank you for anything else.”

Then I begin to hear the words to this old hymn playing in the back of my mind.

Soon I had a list of ten blessings that I still possessed even in the midst of my terrible circumstance. God then began to show me some of the blessings I had been given because of the circumstance.

God said to me “I do not want you to pray about the problem anymore I want you to thank me for the possible answers.”

If you are caught in a place of negativity and you are finding it hard to praise God use your next private devotion to make a thanksgiving list. Stop talking to Him about problems and start thanking Him for the answers He is going to bring!

Heaven Pt. 20

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“Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey, the foal of a wild donkey at a spring— one of the wild donkeys on the ridge. Archers attacked him savagely; they shot at him and harassed him. But his bow remained taut, and his arms were strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. May the God of your father help you; may the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above…”Ge. 49:22-25 NLT

If ever there was a man who knew hardship it was Joseph: Beaten and sold into slavery by his brothers,wrongly accused of rape and unjustly sentenced to prison. Yet he bore every burden with grace and an overcoming attitude.

His father’s blessing was certainly prophetic but I cannot help but think that there was a measure of natural observation in it as well. Something in me wants to believe that Jacob knew his son was going to prosper with the blessings of Heaven just because he knew the measure of the man who was Joseph.

Joseph had faced Hell yet had brought Heaven down into it by his winning attitude. He carried His God with him into every circumstance and so brought blessing on himself.

How about you? Are you carrying God with you into the place you are being forced to walk? Or are you merely carrying pieces of the land you are being forced to walk into the presence of God? There is a difference. The first mindset walks boldly into a territory of trouble and says “God use me in this place for Your glory.” The second mindset walks boldly into the presence of God and demands “God you made this mess. You better clean it up!”

I am becoming more and more convinced that how much we see of Heaven is determined by our attitude not our circumstances.

How is your attitude affecting your view of the Kingdom?

Let’s Pray: Father God I want to be able to see the blessings of Heaven. Where my eyes have stayed too long on problems and circumstances set them free right now to behold Your glory and Your Kingdom plan! In Jesus name A-men!

Heaven Pt. 18

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“Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:” Ge. 27:28 KJV

This verse comes smack dab in the story of Jacob and the stolen blessing. Thinking that Jacob is Esau (the oldest son) Issac releases the blessing of the firstborn over Jacob. Jacob is blessed with a lot of things but one of those things is the dew of Heaven.  In a country with little natural irrigation, rain and dew…well they were almost as important as God. Without them a family would be sure to meet the Maker sooner rather than later. So the dew of Heaven, assurance of rain, was a real worry- eraser.

What I do know of Jacob’s life though, is that even with the blessing he found plenty of other things to steal the sleep from his eyes at night. I guess for him it must have come down to what he was going to focus on. Sure he had the blessing but if I had his life to live I’m not so sure the blessing would have been enough to keep my chin off the ground: forced to flee from his home, cheated by his father-in-law and uncle, stuck in a soap opera of a life, his favorite wife dying in child-birth, his son sleeping with the mother of some of his children, his favorite son dying (at least that’s what he thought). All dew of Heaven aside his life sometimes bit the big one!

It puts me in mind of something God said to me earlier this month. “In the days to come the power of the blessing will ride alongside of the power of the curse.” In this epoch of history folks, as blessed as we might get the blessing will never do away with the curse. Both things are going to ride side by side until Jesus comes. So it’s going to come down to what we focus on. Will you look to the blessing or will your sight be blinded behind the tears of the curse?

Let’s pray: Father in the days to come I know Your blessing will be present. Help me to keep my eyes focused on that and on You even when the curse rears its ugly head. In  Jesus name A-men.

 

Heaven Pt. 15

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“That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea-shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;” Ge. 22:17 KJV

    As I read this verse I am put in mind of that old song from the movie Pinocchio:

“When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you.”  

     I am well aware of the dangers of joining the Wonderful World of Disney with Biblical reasoning. I know there are limitations and qualifiers to the power of prayer. I also know that prayer is not primarily about getting what we want (or what we think we want as is often the case). Still this verse reminds me that once you involve Heaven in a venture the results are usually “out of this world”.

     In a time when the economies of the world shudder under the weight of depression/recession and the governments of our world reel under the weight of beaurocracy and moral relativism Heaven alone remains unhampered. Heaven is not short funded. Heaven does not lack a moral compass or a divine direction.

    When we align ourselves with God’s kingdom the sky is only the beginning of the limit. Even in these dark days with the power of Heaven…the power of Jesus on our side we can walk in blessing we can see mighty multiplication in the work of our hands and we shall tread down the enemy. We are far from undone. We are just being put back together brothers and sisters!

Let’s pray: Father I thank You that You are for me! Thank You that you stand at the ready to put all the resources of Your kingdom at my disposal when I come into line with Your desires. Thank You that in You I have everything I need. Thank You that every curse is and shall be broken. Thank You for multiplication power in my life! Thank You for defeating every enemy that stands against me! I claim this power, this authority and I choose to walk in it! A-men

Pastor Wrinkles: What I Learned From Pictures

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2011 was a year of many changes for me. It was also the first full year of learning how to put pictures on “Reinventing the We’ll.”  Let’s see what happened shall we?

In January I moved back to my childhood home.

You may remember my fight with the black berries at Muddy’s house. in the spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the building of the “Pseudo-Elizabethan” garden. I learned that reclaiming and rebuilding territory is not a quick process.

 

 

 

 

 

In June I was relieved of my duties as interim youth pastor by one of my students who was newly credentialed and married. I am so blessed to have Pastor Brad and his wife Cassie on board!

 I got a great gift out of the deal and a name that has served me well since! I learned God wastes nothing, not even a good joke.

 

All three kids came home for a brief visit this summer. They still call this home but more and more their lives seem to be elsewhere.

 

 

I got to visit my brother-in-law and sister-in-law at their home in Maine…my first alone vacation. Weird! Yet in the midst of all the changes I learned that  family will always be family.

 

 These lessons all came between the wild storms of course!

 

 

 

I have wondered often about the clouds this year. What do they speak about our future? I can only say that change is definitely in the wind!

 

That notion of course was totally borne out by the fact that Christmas came at Halloween both outside and in. We had to celebrate early! After all Duddy was moving to Amsterdam to begin her career as a missionary.

So lots of changes in 2011. Virtually nothing went untouched. Some of the changes I am barely ready to look at…others I have embraced and walked into; Most I am still on the fence about. Truthfully though how I feel about ’em doesn’t really matter. I can take the snapshot and freeze forever the memory of the moment but in the end the picture is not life. No… life is that thing that draws us on into the unknown. It’s the thing we haven’t seen or photographed yet. Life makes us stand on the precious resources of memory and experience so that we may reach the hopes and possibilities it holds out to us.

     As I look at the year in pictures I see a year I never could have predicted. I guess I have learned to better hold my breath because prophet that I am I have no idea what adventure lies around the next corner.

Pastor Wrinkles: The New Year’s Resolution

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New Year’s 2012 is finally upon us. If we were Mayan we would probably be setting our affairs in order and strapping ourselves in for the end of the world; Seeing that we are not, most of us are on this day writing, or at least thinking, of all the great things we resolve to accomplish before Jan. 1, 2013.

    Since I gave a few tips on surviving the last holiday I thought I might just “pastorally” mention a few things about making resolutions for the New Year:

1. Involve God – The Psalmist says “unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1.

May I just gently suggest that if you are making the same resolution you have been making for the last twelve years and failing at, maybe it’s time to start asking God if or how you should go about accomplishing it.

2. Write It Down –  and put it somewhere  you will see it all the time. If it’s not important enough to write down it’s probably not resolution material.

3. Break It Down –  To say, “My New Years resolution is to get healthy” is a wonderful thing. Leaving the resolution in that form though almost assures you will fail at your attempt. First you have to define the goal’s end. What does “healthy” look like? Then break it down into monthly goals. Then break it down further into daily goals.

4. Schedule – The first step to reaching goals is to make them manageable and intentional. Get a planner and every week schedule according to your goals. Resolutions need to find their way into your routine.

5. Pray For success Ask God to direct you toward your goal everyday.

6. Don’t Give Up – Set backs are going to come this year. You still live on Earth and the place ain’t perfect. But don’t worry God is and He will give you the victory you need!

7. Remember Pastor Wrinkles is cheering you on! 🙂

 Tell me some of your New Year’s Resolutions!

Pastor Wrinkles: Chapter Charts Pt. 45

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I want to tell you, the power of God can change your life. One touch from Jesus and you will never be the same again. But you have to let Him touch you at the center of your pain and heartache. You have to open the door of your heart. You do that by praying to Him, entering into relationship with Him, talking to Him and by letting Him talk to you.

God’s primary way of talking to us is through His love letter to mankind, The Bible. It’s a history, mystery, suspense story, poem, rule book and friendly letter all wrapped up into one. But the Bible is not just to be read casually. It is to be  studied by all those who hope to draw close to God. Now I’m not talking about that dull boring study you did in High school history,a mere memorization of dates and figures. I’m talking about looking into the Scripture and figuring out how it makes a difference to you! And the chapter charts are a way to do just that. Let look at Exodus 39 and 40 together as an example of how to make the Word come alive.

Exodus chapter 39 sermon topics/titles:

1. How To Bring Your Family Before the Lord: Ex 39:1-14

2. Justice Above, Purity Beneath: Ex. 39: 22-29

3. Holiness Our Crowning Glory: Ex 39: 30,31

Exodus chapter 40 sermon topics/ titles:

1. How To Start the New Year Right: Ex: 40: 1-38

2. Offering For Glory : Ex: 40:29-38

3. Moving With the Glory: Ex. 40: 34-38

Now tell me what you see in these chapters! 🙂

Heaven Pt. 13

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“God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.” Ge. 21:17 NIV

Too often we view Heaven as a place so far removed from our experience that no help could ever come from there.

We think, as God is in Heaven watching us “From a distance”( as the old song goes) He too is somehow helpless to reach out and touch us in the place of our infirmities.

I think this is one of the reasons we often try to solve things ourselves first and pray last if at all over a problem.  Yet the idea of Heaven being far away is a misconception.

Jesus preached “The kingdom of heaven is near.” Matt 4:7 NIV

For that reason he told His disciples they were to , “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” Matt. 10:18 NIV

God is real and He is real close. He’s listening right now and I have it on good authority He wants to help you out. He’s just waiting for you to realize it and reach out.

Now would be a good time to pray:

God  I know your word says that you are close enough to hear my every cry. So I reach out to you today. Help me in my weakness. Heal me. Get involved in my situations and show me how you want things in my life to work. In Jesus name A-men!

Let me know what happens as a result of praying! 🙂