Crushing the “Monday Blues”

DAILY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 14:28-31 - Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

DAILY INSPIRATION: Most people that I know, don’t really care for Monday mornings. Let’s be honest; most people dread Monday mornings. Well, if you know someone or if you yourself struggle with Monday mornings; then this “Daily Inspiration” is for you. Here’s the deal; the struggle with Monday is NOT always about a lack of energy, lack of sleep, irritating people or the overwhelming thought of all that needs to be done. The struggle with Mondays is unhealthy perceptions and a mismanagement of focus.

This reminds me of our key Bible verse for the day: Remember, Peter was doing something AMAZING that he had never done before, but all of a sudden; unhealthy perceptions creeped in and the mismanagement of focus took charge. Of course, Peter saw himself physically walking on water, but the truth is; he was actually walking on the WORD of Jesus; Because Jesus is the one who told him to come. Even when Peter saw Jesus on the water, his perception of the entire situation was off. He assumed that Jesus was standing on the water, when in truth; the water was standing on Him. Obviously, the miracle occurred and Peter walked on water; but he was missing the reality that Jesus is the one who had everything under control. Peter also mismanaged his focused because he was initially looking at Jesus, until the winds and the waves became violent. He started looking at the storm and shifted his focus away from Jesus; the very one who told Him to come in the first place.

So, you may be asking yourself; What in the world does this passage have to do with the “Monday Blues”? Well, just like Peter; sometimes our focus and perceptions are all wrong. Instead of seeing Monday as just a work day; see it as another opportunity that God has given you to provide for you and your family. See it as a day of provision, to fulfill your family vision! Instead of seeing Monday as the start of a long week; see it as a fresh start to conquer a new challenge and do better than you did the previous week. Change your focus! Change your focus! Instead of seeing Mondays as a stumbling block; see it as a stepping stone and a launching pad into a successful week. I’ll leave you with this for the day: On this beautiful Monday, that the Lord allowed has you to see; Let the plans that you’ve made, the goals that you’ve written down and the dream that’s in your heart; fuel and motivate you as you start this week.

DAILY INSPIRATION

“Confidence VS Arrogance”

True CONFIDENCE is when you have the boldness to declare and the faith to believe that you can overcome and win despite your weaknesses. On the other hand; Arrogance occurs when you are not humble enough to admit that you have any weaknesses at all. Those who are arrogant may start off fast and accomplish big things; but eventually the poison of pride will erode and destroy what has been built.

I believe that God desires for all His children to be “Humbly Confident”. The marriage between confidence and a humble heart is so beautiful, because it doesn’t close the door on continued learning; but expands the possibilities of growth because of a teachable spirit. Arrogance on the other hand, slams the door on continued learning because the person believes in their heart that they’ve already arrived or that there’s no room for improvement. Listen, no matter how successful you become, no matter how many awards you win and no how many people honorably recognize you; never become unteachable.

Here is what God has to say about the matter: James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but gives Grace to the Humble.” Luke 14:11 says, “those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." So, let’s embrace confidence with a humble heart and reject arrogance; along with his best friend named “pride” and his first cousin named “stubborn”. I’ll leave you with this: We should never be arrogant; but as believers, we should be tremendously confident, because our hope and the core of our strength comes from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have a blessed day everyone! Don't forget to share this "Daily Inspiration"

DAILY INSPIRATION

“Christians do have Fun”

Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine; but a crushed spirit dries up the bones”..... I love a good laugh. My favorite time of laughing is when something is so funny; that tears start coming down my face. Fellowship, fun and laughter is good medicine; sometimes better than what the doctor prescribes. One of the biggest misconceptions in and outside the Christian Faith; is that believers don’t have fun. Many people think that being spiritual means being deep, philosophical and serious all the time. This is NOT true at all. As Christians, we should laugh, dance, play games, sing, eat delicious food and have an all-out blast. We should take time to celebrate each other and NOT wait until someone passes away to give them honor. We should even find or create opportunities to smile and rejoice.

Our greatest example in this Christian life, is Jesus; and He enjoyed life to the fullest! Some people assume that Jesus was stoic, rigid and detached from His feelings: but that assumption couldn’t be any further from the truth. Jesus was full of all sorts of emotions; He just didn’t allow those emotions to control Him or derail His divine assignment given to Him from God the Father. With that being said, we mostly only focus on the side of Jesus that deals with miracles, stories, instruction and correction: but we leave out how much joy and wonderful fellowship He shared with those whom He encountered.

Jesus had so much fun and engaging fellowship, that the religious leaders accused Him of being a drunk and a glutton. On one occasion, He turned water into wine to keep the party going at a wedding feast. Jesus was cheerful and He understood the value of laughter: Even during the sermon on the Mount; He gave a promise to those who were weeping that one day they will laugh. Jesus even Barbecued: John 21:9 lets us know that He had prepared hot coals, fresh fish and bread for the disciples to eat with Him. My point is this: Jesus was tremendously focused and submitted to the Will of God the Father; but He had joyful and loving fellowship in the process. As a matter of fact; that was a part of His assignment.

I’ll leave you with this for the day: Being a Christian doesn’t mean being boring; it just means, as we are having fun, laughing and enjoying life; we do our best to honor God in all that we do. Have a blessed day and don't be boring. #SmileAndHaveFun

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DAILY INSPIRATION

“Choose to Speak Life”

When I talk about speaking life, I’m NOT just talking about speaking a few positive words; I’m talking about speaking God inspired truth, into your life and into the life of others. Too often, our words are filled with complaining, ungrateful statements and insecure comments that lead us down a path of disappointment. It may feel good in the moment, to vent or to say whatever is on our mind; but in the long run it will negatively impact our life. Let me be very clear; I’m NOT saying, that we shouldn’t give an honest assessment of a situation or that we should somehow be fake in our presentation. I’m simply saying that we should pay close attention to the words that we speak and ponder for a moment before we say what’s on our mind. James 1:19 tells us to be slow to speak and quick to listen. You would be surprised at the wisdom and life giving expression that comes forth; just from waiting a moment before we speak.

You may be asking the question; why, why, why are my words so important. Well, Proverbs 18:21 tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Wow! This Proverb is so true and is validated in Romans 10: 9,10; which says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. These verses are beauty to my eyes, peace to my mind, music to my ears and joy to my heart. Notice in the last part of verse 10; it says, “With the mouth, one confesses and is saved”. In that we moment, when we choose to confess Jesus as Lord; we are speaking life: and we are literally choosing life by what we speak.

So, since we used life giving words to bring us into a life-giving relationship with Jesus; then we should surely continue using life giving words, all the days of our life. This is one of the reasons why, studying the Bible and praying is so critical because there are times when you don’t have the right words to say; and you have to allow the WORD of God to spring forth from out of you. I encourage you to practice speaking life into yourself and into the life of your children. Encourage yourself and remind yourself; that you are blessed and NOT cursed. Speak life! Remind yourself that God placed unmatched value on you; when He sent His Son to die for you. Don’t be afraid to tell yourself and your children that they are victorious through the sacrifice of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Speak life! Speak Life! You are a winner! You are above and NOT beneath. You are the head and not the tail. You are blessed in your coming and blessed in your going. You are free, you are healed, you are delivered, you have peace and you are going to another level. Speak life!

God bless you; have a wonderful day and remember to share this “Daily Inspiration” with others. Speak life!

DAILY INSPIRATION

“Breakthrough”

What is breakthrough? Many times, when we hear the word “breakthrough”; it’s in the context of an innovative idea or some new discovery. For example: Someone might say, “He experienced a breakthrough in his research on plant based medicine” or someone might say, “There’s been a major breakthrough in technology in the last 20 years”. This type of breakthrough is good but it typically only deals with certain groups of people and it only touches the surface of what I want to talk about today. Today I want to talk about breakthrough on a more personal level.

When I say “Breakthrough”, I’m talking about freedom, deliverance, peace, and victory in a particular area of your life. You may need a breakthrough spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, or even financially. The key to breakthrough is wrapped up inside of prayer, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, repentance, humbleness and faith. Let’s talk about prayer for a moment: Prayer is such a divine privilege because we get to talk to the one who can bring great “breakthrough”. Here’s the challenge: Many times we pray for a breakthrough but we make a few significant mistakes. We are either not sincere, unrepentant, unbelieving or we do all the talking and we don’t take time to listen for an answer from God. I know that was hard to hear; but someone had to say it and I guess it was me today. Ha ha ha.. I’m laughing because God dealt with me about it before I started this devotional. Anyway, let’s talk about the breakthrough that comes from the beautiful marriage between Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom. Knowledge is the relevant information, understanding is the comprehension of the relevant information and wisdom is the proper application of the relevant information that you now understand. I could go on and on about ways to get a breakthrough; but honestly, true breakthrough can only come from an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ.

With all that I’ve shared; Ultimately, the timing of our breakthrough is in the hands of God; and I’m so glad about it. I’m glad about it, because God’s timing is flawless and absolutely impeccable; He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. There are times when God allows us to stay in a difficult situation, a little bit longer for our own benefit. I know that sounds crazy, but listen to what King David said in Psalm 119:71 – “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees”. AND James 1:2-4 says, Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3.For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4.So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing… And listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:3 ,4 – “We can rejoice, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4.And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation”.

I shared these Bible verses to encourage you; NOT to make you think that your “Breakthrough” isn’t coming. I took time to share them so that you would be able to see the possibilities of growth; while you wait on your breakthrough.

If you are reading or listening to this post; I truly believe that you are on the verge of a breakthrough today. Will you believe with me? Will you stand in agreement with me? Say it with me, “Breakthrough today” God bless you; and may you experience a life changing breakthrough today.

Take a moment to share this “Daily Inspiration” with someone you care about. Share it with them and encourage them to download the App so that they can receive INSPIRATION every day.

DAILY INSPIRATION

“Blessing within the Gathering”

Throughout the Bible, God has always encouraged and even commanded His people to gather together. So, when the Church was fully established in the new testament; it made perfect sense that they would do their best to gather daily. As a matter of fact, they would probably consider most of our Churches strange for only gathering once a week. See, the first Churches prayed together, they ate together, they studied together, they cried together, they celebrated together and they worshiped together. In case you’re wondering; NO, they weren’t perfect but they were faithful and committed to following a perfect God.

The truth is; they needed one another and they understood that there was a blessing within the “GATHERING”. Psalm 133 tells us that it is good and pleasant for us to gather in unity; and that the Lord commands a blessing because of it. When we gather; we can learn from one another, strengthen one another, care for one another and stand with one another. Hebrews Chapter 10 and verse 25 tells us that we should NOT neglect gathering together but to gather more and more because Jesus is soon to return. Gathering is so important because we can do so much more together than we could ever do a part from each other. Let’s be real, there are some things that happen when we come together; that just don’t happen when we are alone. I believe it’s because God is pleased that His children are gathering together. I can relate to this because my children are older and we don’t all live together anymore; So, when I see them laughing, dancing, singing or just hanging together it brings joy to my heart. I believe this is how God feels when we connect with each other as a loving Church.

There are some who have asked the question: Can I be a believer, without attending a particular Church or being a part of a fellowship. Well, the answer is yes, because the Church does not save you; Jesus is our savior. With that being said, NOT being in a Church is tremendously unhealthy and detrimental to your spiritual growth and development. Jesus is the one who founded the Church and He is the one who taught us to gather with one another. See, being a believer and NOT connecting with a Church, is like being married and NOT coming home. Legally, you’re still married but it would be very unhealthy and damaging to your marriage if you didn’t come home. (I hope you get the point)

Honestly, I could go on and on painting a clear picture of the significance and the life transforming impact of the Church. I could also continue to do my best to eliminate all excuses but instead I would rather encourage someone specific. I would like to speak to and encourage the person who has had a battle with connecting to a Church.

Maybe you’ve been hurt by people in the Church and you decided to stay away; Or Maybe you’ve missed several services and you’re embarrassed to come back. Maybe you sinned against God and you think that God doesn’t want you anymore; or maybe you just can’t explain why you haven’t gathered with other believers. Regardless of your reason; I want to personally invite you to come home and connect with a Church family. Also, as a servant in the Lord’s Church; I want to apologize on behalf of anyone who has mistreated you; please forgive them just as Jesus forgave you. I encourage you to go on a mission to find a loving, Bible teaching, God honoring, Jesus following Church. I pray that you find a Church where you can learn, serve and strengthen your relationship with Jesus. I’m not sure what city you are listening to this App from; But I pray that you find a place that you can call home. Have a wonderful day and remember; there is a blessing within the gathering.

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