Happy Friday!
My cousin Katie’s surgery seems to have been a great success… so thanks for praying everyone!
This Sunday at Destiny Family Center, I’m preaching a Sunday before THANKSGIVING service: “Have You Been Defeated Long Enough, Yet?”
I’m going to present my theory about why so many people are stuck in a rut… and how so many people can CLIMB OUT IMMEDIATELY!
Most of the time, victory and defeat is merely a manifestation of BELIEF!
Beliefs establish posture… they manifest in corresponding actions. Our lives eventually become whatever we believe they have been, they are, and they ought to be!
Whatever we FOCUS on and monitor GROWS aggressively! Focus empowers an outcome just like water and sunlight turn a SEED into a TREE!
If we believe our world is crappy and we rivet all our focus on all the undesirable outcomes of our past… we empower the crap to multiply itself into our present and future.
If instead, we rivet our FOCUS on the GOD of our universe… if we add TREMENDOUS MAGNIFICATION to his GREATNESS and we FOCUS on his matchless potential IN US… if we FOCUS on and monitor HIS MOVEMENTS in our lives… HIS EFFECTS WILL GROW AND GROW AND GROW!
This is because, whatever we PRAISE gets bigger… and bigger… and bigger! What a phenomenal theme to cover less than one week away from Thanksgiving!
12 great questions for every person to answer:
- What do you BELIEVE about your past, present, and future?
- Have you been victimized OR have you been EDUCATED?
- Do you believe yourself a person doomed to meaninglessness or destined for a life of untold favor and blessing and meaning-fullness!
- Can God actually perform a real miracle in your life?
- How FAST can God turn your situation(s) around?
- How BIG is God in your world?
- Is your concept of a Great Big God hilariously contrasted with your concept of a teeny tiny devil?
- Do you spend your days complaining about the painful past or ANTICIPATING a fantastic future?
- Is your FAITH leading the way… or… are your FEARS eroding away at the lead you once had?
- What are you super-sizing with FOCUS… in your world, these days?
- If your life hinged on the magnitude of your praise, which direction is your life going right now?
- If PRAISE really was the most epic weapon of warfare in the entire universe, how extravagantly would you be willing to PRAISE God, and… how frequently would you do this?
Answer these 12 questions and you will be READY for this Sundays message!
2 Chronicles 20:22-26 NLT At the very moment they BEGAN to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. 25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing,[e] and other valuables-more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing,[f] which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
This is the perfect blog for you guys to leave a few great comments! I’m on the edge of my seat… waiting for someone to dazzle me! Dream big, live bold, and make a great big difference with your amazing lives today! Love you all so very much.
Pastor Chuck, What a wonderful blog. You expressed a foundational belief of my life so eloquently. Of course, in my life, believing in a principle does not necessarily mean I'm living it. Your blog re-invigorated my determination to make my mouth an instrument of praise and my life an expression of the wonder of who God is.
This blog has made my day! Can't wait to hear Sundays sermon. All my answers to the 12 questions were fine and dandy untill I got to the 9th question. lol Then I started to think about my way of thinking and gathered that I have so many character issues to work on.
A few months ago, before I got this job I was disouraged and I wasn't even really making an effort to find a better and happier job. I don't remember which blog it was of yours but I remember something clicking in my mind that set me straight once again. I think it pertained to child-like faith.
Before, I had the mindset that because the economy was so awful that there was probably no point to look for another job and that the good ones were already taken.After reading your blog I remembered that as a child of God I'm not subject to the bad news about the economy and that if God wanted me to have a better job then I was going to get one.
A few weeks later I got a call from a girfriend. She told me she was moving and knew I had wanted her job for the last couple years if she ever left. At first, we weren't even sure if the boss would even rehire anyone because of the lack of buisness. I remember emailing Erik and he kept encouraging me. He said he had a good feeling about this job even though I didn't want to get my hopes up. Another week or so passed and I got a call from the same girl and she said that the owner wanted to hire me. A week and a half later I was being trained to do her job!
Believeing that God wanted better for me was my first step. Thank you for helping me to remember that if we don't believe it can happen then it won't:)
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I think we forget that God used to heal blind eyes and parted the waters. Placing us in a new line of work is NOT a challenge for him:)
Mel
Wow Mel that is truly encouraging.
I dream of raising children up in true christian character.
I don't have anything "dazzeling"….but just WOW! We make things so complicated. The two questions that just resonated in my heart were 11 & 12! I believe with all my heart that praise IS the epic weapon of warfare. I just get so caught up in "life" that I often forget…the victory is mine! The battle has already been won, all I have to do is take back my land. The enemy IS defeated…he already knows this…if we (I) could just get that, & keep it. Everything that satan throws at us is just his desperate attempt to take us down with him. PRAISE….it's the key, the weapon of choice for those who are victorious! Send Judah first……. Thank you so much for your obedience in writing this today! Wow…did I ever need to hear it. Right on time…God is awesome!
Linda, it is SO OBVIOUS to see that this is one of your guiding principles! You a woman of GREAT FAITH.. you INSPIRE ME SO MUCH!
Mel… amazing story… wow, something LEPT within me as I read your entry! You're so much more powerful than you know! I am a huge FAN of yours… cheering you on to the biggest and greatest things. So keep running your race!
Nuala… you are doing that already… as the teacher of the nation! Great job, great dream!
Melanie… we need to get a megaphone into your hand and put you on a great big dazzling platform… great sermon!
Thanks you guys… I'm quite DAZZLED with your lively comments!
WOW, WOW AND WOW! We had a teaching on Wed. night about PRAISE and what God wants from us based on Psalm 150! We have been hearing from various places about PRAISE, THE ENEMY…WHAT HE WANTS AND HOW TO DEFEAT HIM! God is truly sending HIS MESSAGE around the world for all to hear and it is POWERFUL. If God's Children will just open their ears to HEAR HIS VOICE,He is speaking loudly through our Pastors! Thank you again for bringing forth a powerful word that gets us to thinking above and beyond what we already know and for challenging us! (wish I could be there on Sunday to hear your message)
WOOOHOOO! I tried to read this on Friday before I left, but too many things stopped me from it. I now know why. This weekend even with Tupperware this was a prime focus. We learned so much about our business, but they focused on how the biggest problem with your business is probably you! This blog just reiterated it and centered it with God.
I have been working very hard lately on every aspect of my character in my life right now. God is moving me sooo much these days I can't seem to thank Him enough! I just want to thank God for all He is doing in my life these days and I can't wait to see what God will continue doing for me and all of you as we continue to PRAISE Him the way he DESERVES to be praised!