Aug. 14, 2014–Whose Opinion?

August 15, 2014 By

sandi krakowski(Be blessed by this DWOD for Aug. 14, 2014 by guest contributor Sandi Krakowski)

When Jesus spoke to the winds and the waves, He said, “Peace, be still.” The transliteration of the word “still” means to be MUZZLED.

When we look at the word “muzzled” in its most natural expression, it means to be prevented from expressing opinions freely. The storm was forbidden to express its opinion.

When the enemy comes to taunt you and harass you, never forget that, he is expressing his opinion!

When a critic comes and seeks to suck the wind out of your sails, remember this—they are entitled to their own opinion and you are well able to IGNORE their opinion.

We can’t keep bad things from happening, or challenges from occurring. We can’t make everyone be quiet. We live in a free will society and God made us to have a free will.

HOWEVER, we do not need to agree with the opinion of the storm or the waves, or anyone standing by the shores screaming, “You will drown!”

Choose to listen to God’s opinion of the storm.

He said YOU are more than a conqueror! (Romans 8:37)

He said you are well able to handle anything that comes your way. (Philippians 4:13, I Corinthians 10:13)

He said that when we are weak, He can and will make us strong, if we trust Him. (Isaiah 40:29)

He said when we don’t know what to do, He will give us wisdom, if we ask. (James 1:5)

He said that when we make big mistakes, if we confess our sin, He will be FAITHFUL, every single time, to not condemn us, but to forgive us. EVERY time. (I John 1:9)

Be very careful whose opinion you are listening to today. Let’s choose to agree with God! Amen?

(Sandi Krakowski, the founder of A Real Change, is a social media marketing expert who serves over 1.5 million clients worldwide. Sandi’s passion and purpose is to ignite people and cause them to burn with the fire that God put in their hearts, to cause them to live in freedom and to be capable of causing them to burn on their own in their respective calling).

Filed Under: Guest Authors

Aug. 13, 2014–Destiny Through Prayer

August 15, 2014 By

Darren glory cloudOne of the ways to secure destiny is through the realization that God’s word is not just an empty basket without substance.  The word of God is about the promises of God for a life of obedience, and you are empowered by Holy Spirit to live a life of obedience when you submit your life to Christ.

It is the grace of God working in me that empowers me to obey.  All I have to do is submit, listen, obey and remain in the vine.

But when you do remain in the word of God blessings begin to overtake your life.  The same promises that were given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to the nation of Israel become promises for your life too.

What do you mean, do you ask?

Well, let’s take a passage like Deuteronomy 28 (I suggest you follow the link and read the passage in whole), which is filled with so many promises for the obedient child of God.  When I understand in my heart that these blessings are available to me because of my obedience (which again is empowered by Holy Spirit), then I can use them as a word to fight my prayer battles.  Here is an example of how I might pray using the above passage.

“Lord Jesus, you said that I would be blessed in the city and in the country and that when I come in and go out I would be blessed, therefore my God I declare that your blessing will flow through and from my life. My God, I will be the head and not the tail in all my dealings with the enemy. Nothing can arise against me to destroy me because I am obedient to Christ and His word for my life, therefore I will be victorious in all my life.” 

When these prayers take over my heart they are answered, because I am praying according to a promise in scripture, which is God’s word for my life.

And truly I am victorious in my life even when I may face valleys and mountains of many kinds.  As long as I have God’s word in my heart I know that I will overcome.  There is no fear or circumstance, nothing negative that can hold me down.  I am more than a conqueror when I have the word of God for my life.

I pray that you will feel this security too.

(This post first appeared as the DWOD for Nov. 17, 2012)

Filed Under: Pastor Darren Canning

Aug. 12, 2014–Pray with Thanks, not with Angst

August 15, 2014 By

pray with jooyDo not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

For a number of years now, I have been offering those who are going through what could be labelled “fearful” situations a Scriptural prescription.

It is one that I heard Paul Keith Davis first mention at a Conference in Toronto at a time when I was facing great uncertainty about my future. The enemy had managed to stir up fear in my spirit. I knew God would take care of everything, but, truth be known, I was not confident about it.

“Dr. Davis” prescribed a daily reading of Psalms 27 & 91. Out aloud. At least once a day. You could do it more frequently. There was no danger of an overdose 🙂

No sooner had I received the prescription than I started to take the recommended daily allowance and began to saturate my mind with verses such as these:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day…” (Psalm 91:4-5)

I experienced such great relief after following this prescription that I freely began to dispense it to anyone who was willing to take it…and most did.

However, I also began to notice that not all who took the RDA of these psalms experienced the same results as I had. This puzzled me, because God says very clearly in Isaiah 55:11 about the word that goes forth from His mouth: “It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

As I was seeking Holy Spirit for some revelation on this, He took me to Philippians 4:6 where Paul reminds us to offer our prayers and petitions “with thanksgiving.” 

That is when I realized that the attitude with which we follow the prescription had a lot to do with its effectiveness. So, for example, when someone read them out aloud with fear, expecting the worst to happen despite the best outcomes promised by God, they got what they expected—more attacks or the same attacks with greater intensity.

On the other hand, those who recited those same verses with the joyful expectancy that God will keep His promises achieved great results. Why? Because they had no fear of the enemy. They did not expect the enemy to flex his muscles and inflict greater damage upon them. They would not even allow that thought to have any life or influence. They took it captive to Christ, locked it up and threw away the key!!

They replaced anxiety with thankfulness. They started praising and thanking God for the victory that was theirs. After all, it was guaranteed by the Creator of the Universe. Why would they worry about the promise not being kept?

Dear DWOD friend, have you been reading out Scriptural affirmations similar to Psalm 27 & 91 and not seeing good results? Could you be unintentionally sabotaging the outcome with your attitude?

Stop praying with angst. Pray with thanks instead. It will make a world of difference! I can’t wait to hear your testimonies!!

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

Aug. 11, 2014–How to Transform your Mind

August 12, 2014 By

think different(Be blessed by this DWOD for Aug. 11, 2014 by guest contributor Doug Addison)

There are a lot of people telling you that you need to transform your mind or your thinking but few people actually give you some practical steps to do it. Let me share with you some things I have learned on how to practically renew your mind!

Did you know that it’s harder to keep asking yourself to not think a thought, but it is easier to give yourself something good to think about instead? It is actually hard to focus on not doing something, but easier to focus on taking a positive action. When we grasp this, we are no longer struggling and beating ourselves up for thinking and doing things that are not good for us.

Renewing your mind and developing godly character involves more than trying to avoid sin or bad habits. If you continually focus on what you are not supposed to do, or on the negative thoughts and behaviours, then that is all you will be thinking about all the time. Eventually you will feel guilty for not being able to change.

In the New Testament, Peter instructs us to set the focus of our minds on the positive things that are coming as opposed to negative thoughts: Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:13)

Most people are not aware of the fact that our brain is not able to deal with the words like “no” or “do not.” When we are told to not think about something, we cannot help thinking about it. If I tell you right now, “Don’t think of a purple giraffe —don’t do it!” you can’t help thinking of it, because in order to understand what I just said, your brain had to process the command and think of the very thing I told you not to think of.

How about a father saying to his daughter who is wearing a new white blouse, “Whatever you do, don’t spill your chocolate milk.” You guessed it. She spilled the milk. She was not even thinking of spilling it until the idea of spilling it was introduced into her mind as a possibility. It would have made more sense for this father to say, “You are doing a great job drinking your milk.” This would encourage her to not spill it.

This could be why in the Bible you will read more about what you should do, as opposed to what you should not. Yes, there are some don’ts in there, but you will find more do’s than don’ts.

If we are focusing on the negative, we will continually have to deal with negative things. Continual focus on resisting only causes the negative thoughts to persist. Instead, redirect your thoughts to something good, like Peter said, “Think about the grace that will be given to you.” I find this to be much more productive. I get better results in my own life if I focus more on what I should do as opposed to what I should not.

It takes practice to renew your mind and begin to change your character to be more like God’s. Notice that in Galatians 5:22-23 Paul refers to the “fruit of the Spirit” which implies that it does not happen overnight, but there is a growth process involved.

This is not positive thinking but instead, it is thinking positively about yourself. So start to notice how you tend to think. What are your thoughts saying to you? Are they negative or positive? Find ways to turn around your thought life and you will indeed transform your mind.

(Doug Addison is a prophetic dream and tattoo interpreter, conference speaker, author, life coach and stand-up comedian. He travels worldwide, helping people transform their lives and discover their destiny. Doug specializes in teaching people how to hear God’s voice, understand their dreams and tattoo evangelism)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

Aug. 10, 2014–He Knows Something You Don’t

August 12, 2014 By

50 km speedA stretch of highway that I take frequently has some dramatic changes in speed limits…especially as you transition from an open stretch of farmland into the village of Wainfleet. We go from doing 80 km/hour for six minutes to 70 km for 45 seconds and then 50 km for another 3 minutes before revving up to 80 again.

Our subscribers should be aware that it is as rare to see someone driving their vehicle at the posted speed limit of 80 km as it is to see Fidel Castro at the Republican Convention 🙂 Yours truly has confessed in a previous column that 80 km in Metric translates to roughly 99 km/hour in SamMetric.

All of this to say that most drivers barreling down Highway 3 at speeds in the vicinity of 100 km/hour find it very difficult to slow down when they get to this particular ribbon of asphalt. They get even more frustrated when they are forced to remove their lead foot off the gas pedal by the slow driver ahead of them.

You may find this hard to believe in view of my confession two paragraphs back, but I morph from speedster to slowpoke in a hurry and adhere strictly to the posted limit until I get through the village and spot the 80 km/hour sign again.

At times I’ve seen drivers behind me signal their displeasure when I do this by swiftly displaying one half of the peace sign. Sometimes bullies draw perilously close enough for a bumper-to-bumper smooch and back off with a screech when I do not give in to their demand to increase my speed.

Why? You see, I know something they don’t know.

What they don’t know is that our provincial (state) government has discovered a cash cow within that small stretch of highway through the village. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) love to park their vehicles at select spots and pick off unsuspecting speeders with regularity. You can see the blue lights flashing and hear the Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching! as you drive by another victim, I mean, violator.

(For the record, yours truly has not contributed to the coffers of the Province of Ontario for an offence committed on this particular stretch. I plead the fifth with respect to other locations)

There are times in life when we too may be frustrated at being slowed down just as we are cruising along on the road to our destiny. Could it be that God has a reason to make us take it easy through certain stretches because He knows something that we don’t know?

In Hebrews 12:1-2, we read: “…Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…” Doesn’t this conjure up an image of Jesus as the “fore-runner”, the “lead driver”, who is going just ahead of us?

The Christian journey begins for all of us by responding to His invitation: “Follow me.” Chances are you associate such following with the drastic decision of those who were called first to leave everything behind and go with him.

But following is really something that happens on an ongoing basis, isn’t it? Every day, every hour, every moment of your life you are following Jesus. He knows what lies ahead of us. He has been there. He is already there.

Sometimes He speeds up and bids us follow fast. Other times He slows down because of the traps that lie ahead. (Disclaimer: Radar Traps are not the work of the enemy, as evil as the OPP may appear to the offender…lol!). Most of the time He proceeds at a steady pace.

Dear DWOD friend, you are simply called to trust and follow Him. So, don’t get frustrated when He makes you slow down. It is simply because He knows something you don’t!

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

Aug. 09, 2014–How to Access Hidden Wisdom

August 12, 2014 By

hidden wisdom(Be blessed by this DWOD for Aug. 09, 2014 by guest contributor Lance Wallnau)

Paul calls it “the hidden wisdom” (I Corinthians 2:6-8). What is it? By itself, wisdom is the ability to see and perceive from God’s perspective, for “the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7b).

We cannot understand from our viewpoint. We must leave our earthly, human ability and see as He sees. You have this capacity built into you as a believer. God inside you knows what you need to know.

GOOD WISDOM AND BAD WISDOM

Note: There is a wisdom that comes from ABOVE, and there is a wisdom that is earthly and even DEVILISH (James 3:15-17). You need God’s wisdom to rise up and break up the strategy from hell that tears apart your nation. This wisdom comes from your born again spirit man…not your soul. More on that in a moment.

A remarkable insight into HIDDEN WISDOM is found in Luke 10:21: “Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, ‘I thank You Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the wise and prudent while REVEALING them to babies; yes Father, for that is Your good pleasure.”

The Father “reveals”. Hidden wisdom is revealed to those who are childlike and receptive. The childlike are humbly dependent on God’s help. This type of knowledge isn’t gained through mental gymnastics, it is the revelation of the Father. Every child of God has access to hidden wisdom stored up for them on the inside.

A SURPRISING INSIGHT INTO WHERE GOD HIDES YOUR ANSWER

“Behold, Thou desirest truth in the INWARD PARTS; And in the HIDDEN PART Thou wilt make me to know wisdom.” (Psalm 51:6)

Notice man has inward parts or compartments. Man is a triune being. Paul wrote: “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessaloninans 5:23). See that? “Spirit, Soul and Body.”

Now, remember that verse about God desiring truth in the INWARD PARTS? The two inward parts of your inward or inner man are your soul and spirit. The wisdom of God is hidden inside the “hidden part”—IN YOUR SPIRIT!

NOW can you see why “praying in the spirit” amplifies your access to wisdom stored up for you? Likewise do you see why people who meditate on the Word of God have an advantage? The Word of God is spiritual food for your spirit man. God desires “truth in the inward parts”—soul and spirit. Jesus said, “Thy Word is truth.”

We need men and women with hidden wisdom to rise up. Your country, your nation needs leaders with hidden wisdom. In fact God has kept you hidden for such a time as this!

(Dr. Lance Wallnau is a world-class trainer and consultant whose students span the globe. From bestselling authors, pastors, and billion dollar CEO‘s, he has helped to transform the lives of thousands. Please check out his resources at www.lancelearning.com)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

Aug. 08, 2014–A Son Lives Under an Open Heaven

August 10, 2014 By

Son-001-openheaven(Be blessed by this DWOD for Aug. 08, 2014 by guest contributor Barry Adams)

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  (Matthew 3:16-17) 

Before Jesus did anything in public ministry, He received affirmation from His heavenly Father. Before He performed one miracle, healed one sick person, etc., the Father proudly declared His love and acceptance for His boy. The Bible says that the windows of heaven were actually torn open as the Father spoke His words of love and affirmation over His Son’s life.I have never read where the windows of heaven closed after the Father spoke His words of love and affirmation. If that is the case, then Jesus lived under an open heaven all the days of His life on earth.We do read where Jesus tells Nathanial that he will see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:51) so that tells me that the heavens were still open! If we are called to live the same life as Jesus lived because we are in Him, then we too should live a life, hearing the words of our heavenly Dad saying to us… “This is my beloved son, this is my beloved daughter…”Those of us who still struggle with orphan mindsets might not be convinced that this is true. My encouragement to you today is that IT IS TRUE! Jesus paid the price for each one of us to live our lives under the affirmation of a God and Father who has loved us from before the creation of the world.

My prayer today is that God would give us His Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18) so that we might really believe in our hearts that we can live under an open heaven just like Jesus did.

(Barry Adams is the humble vessel chosen by God to bless the world with the revelation known as the Father’s Love Letter. Along with his wife Annelise, Barry ministers the Father’s Love all over the world. Today’s DWOD is from a post he wrote for A Son’s Life Blog. Please check out his new website: http://www.aboutfathersbusiness.com)
Filed Under: Guest Authors

Aug. 07, 2014–Surrounded by so great a cloud…

August 9, 2014 By

surrounded by so greatTwo summers ago, Sulojana and I and our sons were at Yankee Stadium in New York for the very first time, watching a game between the Yankees and the Orioles along with our sons. For the record, we were in Section 202, Row 14, seats 32-35.

As the first inning began, we heard an unfamiliar chant erupt from the section next to us. Not the usual “Go Yankees, Go!” that one would expect. We soon deciphered the chant and discovered that the fans were calling out “Dickerson, Dickerson”. Chris Dickerson, the center fielder that day, turned toward the chanting fans, promptly took off his cap and bowed slightly, acknowledging their cheer.

They then called out “Ichiro, Ichiro” and waited for Ichiro Suzuki, the left fielder to respond, which he did with his patented smile. They moved on to Raul Ibanez, the right fielder and then on to every one of the infielders except the pitcher and the catcher. It was quite obvious that every player relished their name being called out.

Later on, I would learn that we were witnessing a Yankee Stadium tradition. These are the famous (notorious?) Bleacher Creatures who occupy a block of seats in Section 203 and go through this “Roll Call” at every home game.

It reminded me of Hebrews 12:1 which begins with the words: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…”

Friends, the Lord wants us to remember that as we run towards our destiny, we are not alone.

The Father watches over us.

Jesus runs ahead of us (that is why v. 2 says that we run “fixing our eyes” on him. The Holy Spirit is within us.

And, if that wasn’t enough, we have this “cloud of witnesses”–here on earth and in heaven–cheering us on, calling out our name…

Wow! I get goosebumps just thinking about it. That is why we are able to run “with perseverance”, with that “Never Give Up” attitude. Amen?

“Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, we will never surrender to our circumstances.”

(This post first was first published as the DWOD for Oct. 16, 2012)

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

Aug. 06, 2014–To Serve, not To Be Served

August 9, 2014 By

Darren Canning“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24)

The self matters very little. What I desire, what I think I need, what I think I want to do does not matter. All that matters is God. This life that I live must be lived in absolute surrender to the will of God. Those that live for self will die to self. Those who live to promote their own agenda will die in abandonment and the grave. This longing for self is a false longing.

I will be honest with you, dear reader. There are times that I notice my self wanting to be served rather than to serve. There are times when I would rather sit at a table and have someone wrap a cloth around his or her arm and wait upon my every desire – to be treated with respect and dignity. This desire is false because it does not emanate from the heart of Christ. Christ came to serve and not to be served. He came to give his life and not to pick it up.

Even when I work hard and have success I still do not deserve to be served. Even if I have worked for 12 hours straight and feel weary and tired I do not deserve to come home and expect to be waited upon hand and foot. The heart of Christ within me must come home – pick up the towel – and wash the feet of those whom I love. In this dying to self and the desire to be served I will find my new life. Christ within me will glow and those that I love will be edified and built up rather than torn down.

When I expect something from those I love they will live in the pain of my expectation, but when I expect nothing and give, then those that I love will be free to love me in return, since there will be no expectation from me to unsettle them.

My prayer becomes: “Father in heaven, please free me from the desire to be served and radiate a servant’s heart within me. Help me to come to the place of pure desire – a place of serving you and those you bring my way. Holy Spirit, help me to die to the need to have others serve me. Help me to be a servant to the world.”

I believe if you will pray this prayer now a new anointing will come upon your life and you will be set free to serve the body of Christ in a brand new way. Try praying this prayer sincerely. It is my belief that you will be surprised by the joy it brings to your spirit.

(This post first appeared as the DWOD for Oct. 24, 2012)

Filed Under: Pastor Darren Canning

Aug. 06, 2014–To Serve, Not To Be Served

August 9, 2014 By

Darren Canning“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24)

The self matters very little. What I desire, what I think I need, what I think I want to do does not matter. All that matters is God. This life that I live must be lived in absolute surrender to the will of God. Those that live for self will die to self. Those who live to promote their own agenda will die in abandonment and the grave. This longing for self is a false longing.

I will be honest with you, dear reader. There are times that I notice my self wanting to be served rather than to serve. There are times when I would rather sit at a table and have someone wrap a cloth around his or her arm and wait upon my every desire – to be treated with respect and dignity. This desire is false because it does not emanate from the heart of Christ. Christ came to serve and not to be served. He came to give his life and not to pick it up.

Even when I work hard and have success I still do not deserve to be served. Even if I have worked for 12 hours straight and feel weary and tired I do not deserve to come home and expect to be waited upon hand and foot. The heart of Christ within me must come home – pick up the towel – and wash the feet of those whom I love. In this dying to self and the desire to be served I will find my new life. Christ within me will glow and those that I love will be edified and built up rather than torn down.

When I expect something from those I love they will live in the pain of my expectation, but when I expect nothing and give, then those that I love will be free to love me in return, since there will be no expectation from me to unsettle them.

My prayer becomes: “Father in heaven, please free me from the desire to be served and radiate a servant’s heart within me. Help me to come to the place of pure desire – a place of serving you and those you bring my way. Holy Spirit, help me to die to the need to have others serve me. Help me to be a servant to the world.”

I believe if you will pray this prayer now a new anointing will come upon your life and you will be set free to serve the body of Christ in a brand new way. Try praying this prayer sincerely. It is my belief that you will be surprised by the joy it brings to your spirit.

(This post first appeared as the DWOD for Oct. 24, 2012)

Filed Under: Pastor Darren Canning
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