Archive for April, 2009

30
Apr

Struck Down But Not Destroyed :)

Good Morning Friends, 

I’m kind of taking off from blogging today… hope this inspirational clip brings you plenty of courage to face your day and make it great! You guys are champions… and champions can take the hits!

Here’s a text version of the video… Be inspired! 

“What is it you said to the kid…”

“The world aint always sunshine and rainbows…”

“It’s a very rough, mean place…”

“And no matter how tough you think you are…”

“It will always bring you to your knees and keep you there…”

“Permanently if you let it…”

“You or nobody aint never gonna hit as hard as life…”

“But it aint about how hard you hit…”

“It’s about how hard you can get hit…”

“And KEEP MOVING FORWARD!”

“How much you can take…”

“And KEEP MOVING FORWARD!”

“If you know what you’re worth…”

“Go out and get what you are worth…”

“But you gotta be willing to TAKE THE HIT!”

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; STRUCK DOWN, BUT NOT DESTROYED!”

29
Apr

Behavioral Transformation :)

Good Wednesday Friends!

I’ve been thinking so much lately about what drives people to take certain inevitable courses of action. I’m talking about the programing behind the things we do over and over again. You see, I believe that nearly every human action can be traced back to a preset behavior. Understanding this allows us to feel compassion rather than rage towards the people who mistreat us.

There is a cause behind every effect. That nasty waitress on Friday night was only nasty because she just got evicted from her apartment before coming in to work that day… or she just found out her dad has cancer and only 6 months to live… or the father of her child is leaving her for another woman!

This waitress, now being under more stress than she can bare, while trying to serve you and your friends… she handles stress the way she has been programmed to handle her stress. Her current adverse circumstance triggers a preprogrammed pattern of behavior… and the result is the nastiest waitress of your entire life. Believe me, if you think you are miserable… you should imagine what she must be feeling!    

As written in the blog, Identity Transformation - A Message From Jail, I believe that some people in this world clearly have a much more difficult time SHEDDING OFF THEIR DESTRUCTIVE PATTERNS. They are programmed for failure… and even though they feel warm and fuzzy at times over the DREAM of changing their ways… the program always knocks them back down. They are simply living the way they were programmed to live… UNTIL they are reprogrammed to live differently!  

A habit is a behavior pattern acquired by FREQUENT REPETITION or PHYSIOLOGICAL EXPOSURE that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance. It is AN ACQUIRED MODE OF BEHAVIOR that has become nearly or completely involuntary. 

HABITS are first cobwebs, then cables! –Spanish Proverb

A HABIT cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time. –Mark Twain

Bad HABITS are like comfortable beds… easy to get into, but hard to get out of. –Anonymous 

HABIT is either the best of servants or the worst of masters. –Nathaniel Emmons 

Most humans at least try to act differently than they are programmed… many times a day. We want to change because we KNOW that so many of our habits are leading us far, far away from our dreams. We know that unless we change, we will never experience life as we can and should!   

Everyone CAN change! God offers us many promises for behavioral transformation. Here are two…

  1. We can be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:1-3)  This is where we take the amazing teachings of the Bible and we program them into our minds! And so, instead of thinking and acting the way some other flawed human has programmed us to think and act, we challenge these inherited thoughts and actions… we replace them with a far better program.   
  2. We can live under the influence God’s Spirit and live in the state of knowing rather than a state of thinking. God is perfect and all his actions are always perfect. He promises that we can learn to walk under his influence all the time! The fruits of Gods Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control! (Galatians 5:22-23) These are not learned behaviors… they are the qualities of living in the NOW of Gods Spirit! We can act and react like God does because he is acting and reacting through us! 

Both of these promises require FAITH and corresponding ACTION. One must believe that God is able to HELP messed up people through the process of replacing their OLD DESTRUCTIVE habits with NEW and far more CONSTRUCTIVE ones… and that God is able to bring each of us into a state of living in the NOW of Gods Spirit.  

The only other option is to forget about all this talk of transformation and just keep moving in the direction of our current habits… and that is a scary thought for most of us. So, go away from todays blog with more compassion for the people out there doing crazy things, realizing that they really CANT HELP IT… and have the courage to enter into the process of reprogramming for a beautiful future filled with amazing actions!

Have a super day everyone!

28
Apr

Healthy People Are Happy People!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

I have a confession to make… ready for my confession? Ok… since you are so politely attentive this morning, Im going to tell you. I’ve been eating like a pig lately… yeah it’s true… and I haven’t run in something like a month or more. And since accountability is a great motivator… I thought to blog about my laziness today!

I think it all started for Emily and me back when we had to miss the Virginia Beach Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon due to a very stressful situation. That race was supposed to launch our race season of something like 6 races… a few 10K’s… a few half marathons… and a full marathon. We had trained for about 6 months, all through the winter… we were all registered and ready to go… only to cancel our plans just 5 days before the race.

Emily was far more bummed out than I was… but since she is my trainer… I stopped running when she stopped running. And here I am today just a few months away from vacation at the beach… and I’m eating like its fall… storing up insulation for a LONG WINTERS NAP! And if I don’t make some changes REAL FAST, Emily’s brother Jeff is going to TEAR ME UP all vacation long. 

What shall I do… how will I break this destructive pattern? Is there any hope for me? YES, THERE IS! And since it sounded so good, I’m going to SAY IT AGAIN… YES THERE IS!

There is no doubt about it… healthy eating and regular exercise increases the quality and length of our lives! And healthy eating and regular exercise CAN be FAR MORE FUN than living without an ounce of self control. Let’s face it… we always FEEL BETTER when we make healthy choices!

So here’s my inspirational food for the day: to increase the quality and length of your life, start making healthier choices TODAY! 

From personal experience, I can say that unless you exercise, you wont be able to eat healthy… and unless you start eating healthy, you wont be able to maintain a fun and long term exercising routine. The two are connected!

Start by changing the way you think and feel about healthy foods and heavy breathing! Start telling yourself, “I love vegetables so I eat delicious vegetables each and every day! I exercise 3 to 4 days a week because I love exercising!” We must reprogram for a better life! 

Next… you’ll need to create an achievable 6 month plan… and start somewhere! If you’re WAY out of shape… start with a short walk every morning and lengthen that walk each week or two. If you’re addicted to sweets… replace the junk food with FRESH FRUITS! Clean out your cabinets… get the junk out of the house so you are no longer tormented with temptations you’re not yet able to overcome! 

When we started training for our first marathon… Emily had NEVER run a mile in her entire life! And within 11 months she was able to RUN 26.1 miles! Not only did we achieve a lofty goal… we HAD A BLAST getting to that destination! Exercise is VERY FUN when you have a FUN PARTNER. Get outside when you can… join a gym if you can afford it… gyms are so much FUN and GYM PEOPLE are HAPPY PEOPLE… because HEALTHY PEOPLE ARE HAPPY PEOPLE! 

I wanted to write this blog because I want YOU and ME to live a LONG and HEALTHY life! It breaks my heart when people I care so much about die young… when diabetes, clogged arteries, various forms of cancer, and other conditions arise as the result of not gaining control over their health. I leave you with the words of Richard Simmons, “YOU CAN DO IT!” LOL

Have a healthy day! Tootaloo!

27
Apr

Surviving the Snapping Point

Good Monday Friends,

James 1:19-20 “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

I know you may be thinking, “Wow Chuck, what a random verse to begin this blog with. Has somebody made you mad?” My simple response is that this is real life and there are many opportunities for each of us to be angry… every day. These are just two verses I read this morning that really jumped off the page and I thought to expound upon the topic for my first anger management blog. Enjoy!

So… when was the last time it happened to you? Think back to the last time soooo much pressure built up inside and you did everything you knew to do to keep turning the other cheek… and then it happened… you SNAPPED with a capital S! Be honest here… you are amongst friends! Let’s face it everyone… we’ve all been pretty peeved a time or two in our lives haven’t we? The first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem.

In todays stressed out society, there is so much SNAPPING going on! So many people seem to be living right at the edge of their SNAPPING point. And SNAPPING never helps a situation does it? It only makes things far worse.

James 1:19-20 “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

EVERYONE should be QUICK to listen… SLOW to speak… and SLOW to become angry. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? Just three simple steps to a SNAP free life! 

Listening is a vital part of conflict resolution… and when we lose our ability to listen, we disable out our ability to gather the vital information we need to make proper decisions. One of the first signs of anger is that we are no longer able to hear anything but the fire raging in our mind.

Once we stop listening, we simultaneously speak… louder and faster… and faster and louder… not realizing that we are heading for a certain disaster. A mouth seized by an angry spirit is one of the most dangerous weapons known to man.

So then according to these verses, listening MORE and speaking LESS go along with being SLOW TO ANGER. If we can open our ears and adequately direct our words, tonality, and body language… if we can do this and learn to do it well… we will keep God in control of our most stressful circumstances.  

Self control is listed in the Bible as one of the nine FRUITS of the Holy Spirit… it is a promise for every follower of Jesus. Let us pray and believe to have this promise and let us aim to become the BEST listeners, the MOST CAREFUL speakers… and the slowest people on the face of the earth to SNAP. 

I know this sounds much easier than it actually is. All spiritual victory begins with a new revelation, a new commitment to change, and a PRAYER OF FAITH! So, just reading this blog takes you a great big step closer to a far more peaceful future. You can do it… you can overcome… because with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! 

Have an amazing day everyone! We love you guys and we just finished praying for you all!

26
Apr

Bringing New Life 2 Old Routines!

Happy Sunday Friends!

Instead of going to the office for my final sunday morning sermon preparations as my usual 7 year routine requires… I have broken my chain everyone! For the past few Sundays, I have been staying home and working from my family room. That way , I am here when my family wakes up. I couldn’t do this without my new Macbook Pro… so thank you God, for my new beautiful aluminum laptop! 

Today… I decided to prepare out on the patio. The weather is perfect for it. Right now it’s still dark… the birds are already awake, the fish are all fired up, thinking I am going to feed them… it’s a beautiful day… you guys are going to LOVE IT! 

My reason for mentioning all of this seemingly meaningless bloggage is to make a very good point about ROUTINES. 

Whereas routines are healthy, making it possible for us to settle into productive patterns and build up momentum towards achievement… routines have a shorter shelf life than most people realize… they need to be altered usually while they are STILL WORKING for us!

What I mean is this: Most humans create routines that become the death of them. We set a routine that starts us heading toward something beautiful… and because we fail to challenge these routines frequently enough… what started out as a blessing becomes the rut that sends us plummeting into a ravine!

Because we are created by God and we have been given so many of his amazing qualities… we crave for new sights and new experiences. Routine then, should SERVE us as the means to these NEW SIGHTS and EXPERIENCES… the happy journey to a beautiful destination. And when the routine becomes LIFE itself for us… our inherent craving for sights and experiences becomes smothered… sucking the life right out of us! 

For SEVEN years, my routine has been to go into the church at 5am EVERY Sunday morning to pray and study for the 10am service. I must confess how little I have enjoyed this routine for upwards of two years or more. Yet, it was my routine and I was DEDICATED to this routine! And, as I analyze this routine, I see that location is of VERY little importance. The real importance of this routine is the fact that I pray and study for my 10am Sunday service. 

So for me… coming out here on my patio to cary out my Sunday morning Sermon preparation changes EVERYTHING! I feel happier and FAR MORE CREATIVE! My prayers feel so FRESH… because I have updated a lifeless routine! Granted, I couldn’t have made this change of routine without the new laptop and it’s not going to work on rainy days. What will work is the fact that I am out of the office… and for now, this is a change that’s breathing LIFE back into my Sunday morning routine! 

How about your routines? Any of them SCREAMING out for CHANGE? I’m not suggesting you stop reading your Bibles, or praying, or going on date nights with your spouse, or serving in the church, or any other thing you are being CALLED to remain faithful to! I am simply suggesting that there may be a FAR MORE ENLIVENING WAY OF DOING THEM!

Have a super day everyone… church at Destiny Family Center @ 10am… after that… GET OUTSIDE and HAVE THE BEST SUNDAY OF YOUR YEAR! Tootaloo…

25
Apr

Get Outside and Get Some Fresh Air!

Good Saturday Friends,

I can’t wait till church at Destiny Family Center tomorrow! I’m feeling like it’s going to be AMAZING… more than usual! So make the trip my dear out-of-towner pals… treat yourselves to a DAY OF REST in the Shennadoah Valley! Come to church… hit the mountain, a park, or a lake afterwards… make it a day you won’t soon forget! 

I’m gonna give you the good weather advice my Mom gave me when I was a kid… ready? Here it is, “It’s a BEAUTIFUL DAY… so get outside and get some FRESH AIR! I dont want to see you in this house another second… so scram… GET OUT… NOW!” Of course she was smiling the whole time… and how thankful I am for a mom that showed me how to love the FRESH AIR! 

So today… I’m gonna give you guys a video of my friend Jason Upton in Germany. It’s not high quality… but it is POWERFUL… and a great way to dedicate your weekend to God. So, watch the video… spend some time praying… write something in your journal… read a few psalms… and then GET OUTSIDE! 

I pray to see you all tomorrow morning… either in person or on the LIVE webcast! All the FUN begins at 10am! 

24
Apr

The Secret Power of a Super Smile! =)

Happy Friday Everyone!

Hmmmm let’s see… how do I top yesterdays INSPIRATIONAL message? We set some records with that one… most unique visitors in a single day! And already today… record numbers of new visitors are standing in lines to see what all this hoopla is all about! Who would have thought that we would be able to take out MINISTRY to ANOTHER LEVEL by opening our bathroom door to the world! 

Ok so what’s going on with you guys? I write all these SUPER spiritual blogs every single day and we have moderate levels of interest… and then YESTERDAY, I blog about three brown demons wrapped in paper turbans blowing up our innocent little potty and the WHOLE WORLD PUSHES IN FOR A WHIFF! It must be the compassionate side of you guys… or the fact that YESTERDAYS BLOG WAS WAY TOO CLOSE TO HOME for EVERYONE! I mean, one can only imagine the UNTOLD potty rescues SOME OF US have experienced in our lives! LOL

Thanks for LOOSENING up and allowing yourselves to LAUGH OUT LOUD YESTERDAY! It was HEALTHY for all of us… don’t you think? I was a little nervous that some CONSTIPATED Christian would try to get all grown up on us and spank me for being so childish. So I had my trusty PLUNGER in hand all day long just in case I needed to UNCLOG a few clogged souls along the journey. But I must say how IMPRESSED I am with your levels of HUMOR these days!  

One of the very best ways to defeat stress is to SMILE and LAUGH on purpose! The only problem with this strategy is that we never FEEL LIKE laughing when our lives are falling apart do we? In fact, we get mad at people for trying to CHEER US UP don’t we? That’s right… we just want to be left alone to feel defeated and be angry. And in doing so, WE TURN OFF THE STRENGTH that breaks the chains of our oppression!  

Nehemiah 8:10 And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!

Many times when I scold my daughter Heaven… she looks at me and says, “Daddy you’re so handsome when your mad” and she smiles at me REAL BIG! Yes, I realize this is probably some form of manipulation… but its very effective and I believe there is a spiritual principle locked up in her actions. It’s very difficult to defeat her as long as she keeps on smiling! If she gets nasty and starts falling apart and defending herself… things get real bad for her. But EVERY TIME she turns up her smile and says things like, “Daddy, I think you’re so handsome when you’re mad… and Daddy I know I was wrong and I should get in trouble here… but I’m not going to let this steal my joy…” I am drawn into her PEACE and JOY and things go SO MUCH BETTER for Heaven!   

Even though JOY is a spiritual fruit of the Spirit of God… it flourishes only in a HEART THAT REALLY TRUSTS GOD. My daughter can keep on smiling because she tells herself a few very powerful things when she is in these kinds of circumstances. She has JOY because she knows that Daddy LOVES her! She has JOY because she knows that Daddy is just! She has JOY knowing that the pain is only going to last a short time! And she has JOY trusting that this whole thing is only going to make her a better person!

In all our circumstances of life, whether disciplinary, or hardship, or sickness, or personal attacks… we cannot change things that have already happened… but we CAN change our attitude and that WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING! As long as we keep our SMILES SHINING, problems cannot TAKE US DOWN! So much of our victory is WON right here in this attitude realm. As long as we keep trusting and smiling… we WIN! Look everyone, I’m still smiling… I’m still happy… I’m still trusting God in this… I’m not going to get grouchy and mean spirited… I have the JOY OF THE LORD because I trust that he is working all things out for my good and the good of his divine purposes! 

I hope this blog helps you through your next painful circumstance… try this out you guys! You’ll be AMAZED at how well it really works! 

Oh… Don’t forget – Destiny Family Center 10am Sunday morning… come LIVE or tune in to the LIVE webcast!

23
Apr

The Day Our Toilet Almost Ended My Life!

Happy Thursday Friends!

No this is not a picture of our toilet… but a beautiful image for todays topic! Yesterday, I had one of the most petrifying experiences of my entire life! Well, that may be a slight exaggeration… but still a PETRIFYING experience to say the least!

Ok, so I’m getting ready to head for my office, smiling and loving life… and Emily walks by with the following ORDERS: “Um, Charlie… you might want to go check out the kids toilet, it MAY be CLOGGED!” I responded, “COME ON EMILY… am I the ONLY ONE IN THIS HOUSE THAT KNOWS HOW TO UNCLOG A TOILET?”

So like a good loving Father who is always there to make life better for his beautiful family, I hopped up with a super smile and ran for the plunger with great passion in every step! Not really you guys, I must admit how Emily ruined my perfect morning with her devious little SMIRK and the giggle that followed my initial reaction! Yet, I am always there for my FAMILY when they NEED me the most… and this was a moment they could not seem to move beyond without my assistance!

I turned into the kids bathroom… slowing to a cautious halt as I came upon the crime scene! Living on the last big breath I had taken from the hallway… my time was limited… so I got myself together and bent down to LIFT THE LID! Even in all my mental preparedness, I was not ready for what I was about to witness!

As the lid was raised… there they were! Three brown demons wrapped in paper turbans… so intimidating they were! I gasped and groaned as Emily strutted past the bathroom door LAUGHING HER CRUEL AND HEARTLESS self into an oblivion!

The water was lowered so much that I could not successfully navigate my plunger underneath of these three evil turds! So with the plunger in one hand I reached for the flusher with the other. My instinctive Master Jedi skills had kicked in at this point and all fear left the house! It was Charlie to the rescue now… I was about to rescue our trusty potty from this hostile take over!

As I flushed, Emily kicked into “telling me how to do it mode” and in this smirky little tone, she says to me, “Um, I wouldn’t flush that again until after you unclog it… Charlie!” And being the amazing coach that I am becoming these days I used this experience as a real time coaching opportunity!

I said, “Emily, hurry come all the way in here and watch how I do this!” But she starts to walk away now that I’m the one handing out the instructions. I begged, “Wait, please Emily… I may not be around forever honey… and I need for you to LEARN how to do this! There really is a trick to this and I want to TEACH YOU. Come on… look, I flushed so that the water would rise enough for me to get the plunger UNDERNEATH those nasty little party POOP-ER’S… then I can plunge in the  CLEAR water and be able to walk away from the scene with the least amount of clean up!”

I think she was impressed at my plunging SKILLS for only being 38 years old! And sure enough… I did save the day once again!

Maybe you guys can benefit from my transparency today! My only other advice is to flush after every three wipes and eat plenty of FIBER so that none of you EVER have to FACE a stand off like this in your peaceful homes! Please pray that I don’t have NIGHTMARES over the incident… It really was a traumatizing experience!

Oh and one more thing while were talking about personal hygiene… brush your teeth a few times a day and use soap when you shower. What kind of soap you ask? Dove- Go Fresh Burst!

Sorry this wasn’t a spiritual blog… I just felt like passing on a bit of humor today! After all LAUGHTER HAS MEDICINAL PROPERTIES!

Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

Emily and I prayed for you guys and galls today… love you all! Have a HAPPY DAY!

22
Apr

I Think I’m Being Watched!

Good Wednesday Everyone!

Over the past few days, I’ve been hearing from a bunch of amazing people about how much you’re enjoying the blog site. I mean the stats are pretty impressive and I can tell that lots and lots of people are reading away… but it’s VERY encouraging to find out specifically WHO is out there in this growing circle!

DAILY blogging has been a VERY big challenge for me. This is because of the JOURNAL factor and the fact that most of us have a very hard time separating our FEELINGS from the thoughts, words, and actions we need to pass on to the people we are influencing.

I remember when this challenge was on a much smaller level. Way back in 1991 right after Emily and I had given our lives to the Lord and we were going to a tiny store front church. Since there were only a few of us… guess who got asked to teach Sunday School to the toddlers? Yes, ME!

These kids had been growing up in “Christian” homes and their moms and dads were all about “family devotions”… and all of them KNEW the BIBLE like a pack of snot nosed theologians! LOL And since I was NEW AT THIS… they chewed me up and spit me out. Every time I mispronounced a bible character, one of them would start giggling and a few hands would go up to correct me… in front of a bunch of 8 year olds!!! It was very humbling and very educational. So, there you have it everyone… I learned the Bible from a group of lovely tots!

The real challenge at that time wasn’t the lesson or the correct pronunciation of Biblical terms. It was being able to teach on an early Sunday morning after SCRAPPING with Emily the night before! I mean, we had some pretty bad fights in those early days… it was REAL BAD at times… ok, I admit it… I was a horrible person back then… and Emily was a beautiful little angel! LOL

I remember calling my Pastor at like 1:00AM to tell him I wouldn’t be able to teach the next morning because I was an evil person. And he would always explain to me that I was a working progress… he would pray with me… and explain that teaching when my heart is broken or right after I have eaten a great big piece of humble pie was a healthy thing for me to do! He told me that nobody is perfect… and that God wanted to use MY WEAKNESS to showcase HIS STRENGTH! 

Little did I know that THIS would be the story of my entire future! That someday, I would be teaching and inspiring people EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE… and that my imperfect life would put GODS STRENGTH on display OVER AND OVER AGAIN! 

Transparency is not about putting our weaknesses on display… it is all about showcasing GODS OMNIPOTENT STRENGTH! To live DAILY in front of a world thats desperate for a message, we must be able to SHOWCASE Gods strength over our weakness… Gods love over our hatred… Gods mercy over our judgment… Gods ability over our inability… and the million and one ways GOD ALWAYS BRINGS US THROUGH everything we face! 

Even though we are not all DAILY bloggers… we are all LIVING DAILY in front of an audience. Our lives are OPEN to our friends, families, co-workers, neighbors, and all the other people we have to LIVE in FRONT OF EVERY SINGLE DAY OF OUR LIVES. And we cannot quit life… so we have to figure out how to showcase Gods attributes as DAILY MESSAGES to all who READ OUR OPEN JOURNALS! 

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

So then, we are ALL LIVING BLOGGERS adding tremendous value to everyone else’s amazing life! I pray you have a super duper day… please leave a comment, let us know where you are from and what you’re all about… tootaloo!

21
Apr

Restoring Lost Fortunes :)

Good Morning Everyone! 

Psalms 126:4 “Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.”

As I read that verse, I though about all you guys out there hoping for RESTORATION these days. Undoubtedly, the financial situation of these past two years has taken its toll on most Americans. And as funds tighten, attitudes flair… causing far too many problems in the home.

Relationships are under fire… husbands and wives, parents and children, employers and employees… even close friends. 

People have lost their jobs, their houses, their families, and in many cases… their sanity, their hope, their faith, and their love. 

While I believe that some of this pain is good… and after the tribulation is over, most of us will be far better for it… there is a point at which most of the lessons have been learned and we must start standing for restoration.

Psalms 126:4 ”Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.”

This is an amazing prayer, don’t you think? Most people go through a long time of complaining about their misfortunes before actually going to GOD with FAITH that HE can RESTORE their fortunes!

Why do we wait so long before asking for Gods help? Because we don’t really believe that he LOVES us all that much and therefore we are not sure if HE WANTS TO HELP US. Other people have a way of making us feel like we can never be good enough to merit Gods help… and that is just NOT TRUE my friends.

The beginning of faith is found in Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Everyone pretty much believes that God IS… and that God IS ABLE to do some pretty amazing things if he feels like it. But do we BELIEVE that GOD wants to do those amazing things for us? This is the million dollar question!

In order to get our fortunes restored… we have to start BELIEVING that God is a REWARDING GOD… that God is a GOOD AND LOVING FATHER… that God is GOOD AND LOVING TO US… and that God is able and WILLING TO RESTORE OUR FORTUNES!

Psalms 126:4 “Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.”

The writer of this psalm believed and prayed for restoration… “As streams RENEW the DESERT!” Do you have the faith to ASK FOR THIS KIND OF BLESSING! What are you waiting for??? Refuse to keep on moping around with the rest of the mopers in this desert! PRAY FOR RESTORATION! Pray for STREAMS IN THIS DESERT… PRAY FOR GOD TO RESTORE ALL YOUR FORTUNES… and watch how fast EVERYTHING STARTS TO CHANGE FOR YOU!

Love you guys and praying for your restoration… hoping that todays blog STARTS SOMETHING in you… a new attitude of FAITH that turns your dry ground into a lush green pasture! Have a most triumphant day…