SPEAKING!

Proverbs 18:21 - Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it (for death or life).

What are you saying? I've read this scripture many times. I've read books about positive confession, the power of your words, and confessing what the Word says. This morning I also read in a little book, "God's Creative Power" a statement that said, "Jesus said, "I HAVE TOLD MY PEOPLE THEY CAN HAVE WHAT THEY SAY"but "MY PEOPLE ARE SAYING WHAT THEY HAVE.""

They who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it. Eating the fruit of our words... the results. After years of studying the Word, reading faith based books, listening to ministers of the gospel, I feel like I have gotten good at curving what I speak. Instead of, "I have a headache." I may say, "I'm overcoming a headache." of "I'm healed of a headache." - Saying "I have a headache" is taking ownership of that headache, like "it's MINE!" Like I want it, I'm going to keep it. And headaches are not something I want to own or keep! I know that something like a headache is covered by 1 Peter 2:24, "By Jesus stripes I'm HEALED!" - I am HEALED of ALL headaches because Jesus went to the cross for them!

Anyways... I personally feel like I have gotten good at curving what I say, but the key thing I need to work on is SAY MORE! I need to SAY MORE! I need to SAY the LIFE that I want. Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death AND LIFE are in the power of the tongue and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it." LIFE is in the power of MY tongue! Am I living the LIFE that I want? If NOT then I am indulging in exactly what I'm speaking. If I'm not speaking enough, then I am receiving what the scripture says and I will sit right where I am.

I know for me, along with the proper action that is required to get my life where I want it to be, I need to make sure my WORDS accompany my actions. I know "Faith without works is dead." If I'm going to be in "faith," my actions need to show my faith. But I also know that I need to put my words to work more frequently!

What about you? What are you speaking? Are you speaking life? Are you speaking death? Are you not speaking enough? Do you need to SPEAK more?

#238 - A Billboard Kind of Vision

Proverbs 19:21 - Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand.

Proverbs 16:9 - A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

Habakkuk 2:2-3 - And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by. ³For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day. 

Proverbs 31:16 - She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard. 

Do you have billboard kind of vision? What's your vision like? Have you driven by a billboard and ever thought, "Did they really expect me to 'get that?'"  There are so many words that as you rush by at 60 miles an hour, you may get a few of the biggest words, but that's it. Then, there are others that you drive by and they just jump out at you! It may be accompanied by a picture that draws you in to it's purpose. It may be something that tugs at your heart and you can't help but want to support the cause.

Billboard kind of vision. It starts off with having a plan. We have to have a plan. In both Proverbs 19 & 16, it talks about the MAN'S mind. It talks about the MAN having a plan. The MAN has taken time to come up with a plan. It takes time, thought, energy & FAITH to determine a plan. Then our faith shows even more when we begin to ACT on the plan. It's exciting to know that we can bounce our plan, our idea of the one who created us. HE will direct our steps. HE will direct our idea. In the end, it will HIS purpose will stand. I know a man who was given the idea to write a book. He was given the idea, the title, even what the cover was suppose to look like. After much time of not writing the book, he opened up a magazine one day and SAW that very book that he was suppose to write. It was IN PRINT! Someone else had written the book that the Holy Spirit had given him to write. The Lords purpose was for the book to come out, and the book came out.

Write the vision plainly. Do you have a Billboard kind of vision? Can you read & understand it easily & quickly when you pass by it? Do you have a sign up stating your vision? Have you written it down? Does it read, "I'm going to watch what I eat & exercise and will weigh 125 pounds by June 1st, 2012." Or is it big and bold, "125 BY JUNE 1!!!" Is your vision PLAIN & EASY to read as you pass by?

A business associate of mine told me a quote that he had heard over the weekend. It went something like this. "Below average people don't have any goals. Average people have too many goals that they can't accomplish them all. Those above average have only a few goals that they are laser focused in achieving." Which one are you? Do you have so many goals that you can't even sift through them to know what they all are? Are there things getting in the way of your goals? Like the Proverbs 31 woman, she has expanded prudently. First things first. She studies and thinks about, will taking on this "project" prohibit me from accomplishing what I need to accomplish?

It starts with a plan.

Take your plan, in prayer, run it by the Holy Spirit.

Create a VISION that is only a few words! Write it. Post it. Say it. Know it. 


Act. Act. Act. Act. - GO and make your vision a reality!

 

#117 - SHOW YOUR FAITH!

Good morning! It's been quite an interesting day already. Seems like things have gone a bit backwards.... but nonetheless, it's been a great morning. I guess when you wake up late, things aren't always "on schedule" like normal. The boy enjoyed a bath this morning.... fun. I must say, he is such a joy. Sometimes I just feel like I'm a broken record.... well, OK, all the time! Every day I just say how much I love him and what a blessing he is. He is SO good. After breakfast, he played for awhile, then went back up to his room to put him in bed and let him have HIS quiet time. Well... at first, he whined for a second when I put him in bed... mom was taking too long getting his books and toys. Well, the SECOND I put his books in his bed, he immediately grabbed one and just started looking through it... reading of course (ha!). And then he waved bye to me. He's so funny! Blessed! Blessed! Blessed! Early on we determined that WE, Tyler Sr and I, were going to set the tone of our home, and set the schedule of our children.... the verse in Joshua rings clear "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." And we ALWAYS want our kids to know what the MOST important thing is, and that is Jesus. So far, so good. :-)

Proverbs 14:14 - The backslider in heart [from God and from fearing God] shall be filled with [the fruit of] his own ways, and a good man shall be satisfied with [the fruit of] his ways [with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts and in which he delights].

Proverbs 31:16 - She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard. 

We recently came out of a period in our life that they only way I can explain it is as a "Sabbatical." A period where we took a few years "off" so to speak. We were not really aggressively "in the pursuit" of what we knew God was calling us to do. It was almost like we needed a period of time to renew our mind. Tyler especially during this time was really changing. I would come home from work and in the evenings just be excited to hear about what he had been learning. It was as if God was gradually changing so much of our old thought process and renewing it with a proper mindset. I wish I could say that during this time we were still progressing forward with some of the important areas in our life, but in all reality, a lot of things stood still and were put on hold. So much was churning in our heads. We were learning a lot spiritually, but God was doing a really great work in us. A great and a deep work. It was like a digging down to create proper thought process. Out of that, came a lot of new revelations, a new fervor and a more complete belief and acceptance on the subject of faith and how it works. 


James 2:20 says this (AMP), "Are you willing to be shown [proof], you foolish (unproductive, spiritually deficient) fellow, that faith apart from [good] works is inactive and ineffective and worthless?" Or commonly read in the NKJV, "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" During the couple of years we were on our "Sabbatical", we most definitely learned a lot. We were still operating in faith, but we were not AGGRESSIVELY operating in faith. Our faith was accompanied by good works, but not aggressively so. More recently, this old concept, has become so new to me. New in a way that combined with some other great truths I have been learning, it has really started to allow a "NEW ME" to emerge. A NEW & BETTER Amy to surface. An Amy that does not hold back, does not fear, does not hesitate. But an Amy who takes FAITH at it's word and applies action to it. A faith that says, "GOD does indeed have EVERYTHING under control. He has ALL things planned out. He is carrying out the good work that He began in me as it talks about in Phil. 1:6. GOD is bringing my desires to pass. He is setting me up!" A faith that says, "GOD, even more than ME, wants me to accomplish MY Calling that is on my life." Me accomplishing the calling on my life, only feeds into GOD accomplishing HIS calling for mankind. It allows Him to trust me to do my part as a piece of the big puzzle. MY Calling is part of the BIG PLAN. MY Calling is part of God's big plan that He has to evangelize all mankind and bring us all home. 


Before, MY works were not accompanying MY beliefs. I believed, but I was not showing my belief by my actions, therefore, like it says in James, my faith was dead. Since my faith was not being backed up with actions my faith was INACTIVE, INEFFECTIVE & WORTHLESS. Whoa! That's a hard pill to swallow! Well, let's read the tale end of Proverbs 14:14 again, a good man shall be satisfied with [the fruit of] his ways [with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts... - Notice the word: actions. Sure actions are first accompanied by thoughts, but what I was excited about was this.... it was all prompted by the HEART. During the few years of renewing, I did not know HOW to get to the next place in life, I didn't know how to get that fervor back, or the excitement. Praise the Lord for a godly husband, he is much to thank for our coming out better, stronger and more excited than ever, more planted, more prepared, more ready. The consistency of taking in the Word, whether it be through reading, devotions, listening to CD's, online media broadcasts, or just sitting at dinner listening to the newest revelations that Tyler had, the Word was taking root. The WORD was doing it's part. The WORD was working! 


And now? I'm thankful to say, more than ever I KNOW what faith means. Yes it means to believe. But more than that it means backing up my beliefs with ACTION! It means BELIEVING and ACTING! God has already provided EVERYTHING I need, want & desire. NOW all I have to do, like the Children of Israel collected manna. They collected food for 6 days, on the 6th day they collected enough for the 7th day. On the 7th day they fully rested. On the 7th day, there was no manna to collect. Manna was not on the ground when they walked out on the 7th day. AND GUESS WHAT? My PROVISION is out there too! God has put my PROVISION (manna) out there for me to collect each day and I am COLLECTING IT! And, I am excited about it! We are changing people's lives. Helping them change their finances. Helping them improve their marriages. Helping them live a life of victory. And, helping change the WORLD one person at a time. Our calling is sure. Our calling is definite. If you do not know what your calling is, I encourage you, link your belief up to someone who IS doing great things for God and watch God reveal to you the details of his plan for your life!