Happy!

We live by a motto that says, "Whatever makes you happy!"  Well, what makes you happy?  Not satisfied! Not content. Not whatever. Truly, deeply, Happy?  What makes your feet tap?  Your goose bumps rise?   You grin stretch into a big smile! I mean a show your teeth smile?  

Is it a person?  How about a pet?  Maybe it's an item or something you have?  Possibly it's time for something?  Now wait....maybe it's something you do! Or something you do with some one else!  Think long about what makes you happy.  Sometimes it's not the first thing you think of.  Most of the time you might even need help to discover it.  

The older you get the harder it is to discover. I wonder why that is?  Maybe because we have so many experiences one thing is too concise of a topic to narrow it down to.  Or maybe because we have been too busy trying to pay the bills we forget to keep it handy.  No, I know...it's because we are so caught up licking our wounds from the last hurt we don't want to be happy.  We'd rather be hurt and mad than happy.  We're too busy trying to keep our heads in the clouds to realize we haven't been happy in a long time.  

Happiness is a choice.  A choice to do something about it.  Happiness comes from reaping what was sown.  Sounds like we have a lot of work to sew happiness in others so we get happiness back.  WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLANTED HAPPINESS? What have you been sewing lately?

bigger....dreams?

In Joel 2:28 we hear how God will pour out his Spirit and there will be prophesies, dreams and visions.  Jesus was traveling through a region where the woman with the issue of blood was healed then He raised a girl from the dead then blind men called out for healing.  They followed Him indoors and he asked, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"  They replied yes.  He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith let it be done to you."

I have learned that many of our dreams are not big.  "How can you say that," you might ask?  Our dreams are aspirations that might be within our grasp.  Things we can envision and create within our own minds.  This makes it within the norm of today or culture.  I know as a Christian we have a battle that is spiritual but we live in the physical.  Our minds cannot comprehend anything beyond our own grasp and understanding.  UNTIL...we start looking beyond ourselves and ask God to guide us.  We ask for His presence.  We start living His calling on our life.  We start experiencing supernatural occurrences that is manifested through Him. Matthew 6:33 says THEN..."seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."  This means that not only are we already receiving God's guidance and walking with Him (spiritually), but we will get all that you need in life (physically) ALSO.

So Ephesians 3:20 describes who He is.  If He can "do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us," then why can't you DREAM BIGGER.  He can do so much more than you can even understand.  If you have allowed Him into your life then His power is working right now inside you which will be tapped for the source to provide the infinity to your equation. Bigger, More, Abundance, excessive and even more.....

Collateral

It's interesting to begin to understand what kinds of items had value.  Obviously precious metals will always have some value (great or small depends on the era).  During a catestophic event where water is scarce, a bottle of water would have a high value.   Where electricity is gone, cash would be more in demand.  If food was scarce a small farm would need to be protected. 

When you read in the Old Testament of the Bible, you will find that a cloak had a high value.   It was such a high value that people of that time would put it up in a pledge or collateral for a promise.  Now look at today, the items we use as collateral would be a car, a house or equipment.  Now take in consideration that on Palm Sunday, a large crowd of people came and placed their cloaks on the ground as Jesus entered Jerusalem.  They put their valuables on the ground for a donkey that was carrying Jesus to walk on.  

What kinds of valuables are you willing to lay down for Jesus to enter upon?  

Dreams into a movie

Have you ever dreamt in color? Envisioned it in 3D?  Maybe on the big IMAX screen!  What was that dream about?  Do you remember the idea of the dream?  How about the story line?  Maybe a glimpse of the setting.  What was the mood or emotion of your dream?  Where did it take you?  How did you feel when you awakened from the alter universe?  Was it larger than life?  Did you visualize living in that realm?  

What is preventing you from realizing it?  Applying it to the real world?  Seeing it to the end?  To its fullest extent?  The Bible has your answers!  It has your APP.  Each and every step laid out in detail. Why is it that we don't apply it?  Now showing in full TECHNIColor.........

What has taken your dreams?

We all dream.  We all have aspirations of betterment.  There may be some who don't allow themselves the pleasure of being whisked away to a fanciful dream land.  If you dreams are only a dream land and not an inspiration to succeed or to accomplish something then what are they good for?   You must first understand where dreams come from.  I believe that dreams are a communication from our subconscience to our conscience.  This pathway is only open while our minds are at rest.  In today's culture we are required to multi-task everything in business, life and hobby.  Why do we not allow ourselves the time for deep thought?  What about sitting in silence with no backgrounds or distractions?  When was the last time you sat and JUST listened?  Try it sometime to see if you can differiate the noises you hear and pin point the smallest sound.  You will need to learn how to turn off your thoughts because you think of a million different things you should be doing.  Take several long deep breathes.  On your last deep breathe exhale all the air out of your lungs while completely releasing all your muscles at the same time!  

Can you picture blank space?  Do you remember your last dream?  Do you remember what your last dream meant?  How do you know what it meant?  Was figurative, or literal?  Did it wake you up?  Did it scare you? Did it motivate you to do something?  Where has this dream taken you?  Maybe what might be a better question is who have you allowed to take your dream?  Did you freely give it up or did you never have it in site?  What are dreams good for?  Find your dream, then I say, "DREAM bigger."   If it is something that you might be able to accomplish, then it is not big enough.  If it can be accomplished with a little help from others, it's still not big enough.  If it is so big it scares you to even consider it being attempted, then you might be close to a God dream.  What is your dream?  Did you take your dream to prevent something frightening from driving you to..........

Not half hearted, but.......

It is interesting when you are coaching an athlete you want their best.  You have seen a glimpse of their ability and they are young.  They have executed a technical skill to perfection, once and yet they haven't been able to replicate it again.  Why is it that the goal was accomplished, but the skill is not being reflected. 

Maybe it was just a fluke.   Maybe the muscle memory is not there.  An accidental execution on purpose?  No matter what you have done, the athlete just seems to elude the duplication of the task.  It was a perfect setup, or they just seem to have consistent bad days.  

You have pushed. Ran them until you were tired.  Tried the skill another way. You have even illustrated it yourself so they can see what it would look like, but it is impossible now for them to achieve.  You need to look deeper. We all have good days and bad days.  We cannot control the weather, nor can we control someone else.  This is a decision that only they can make. In order to prevent injury we force them to go FULL speed.  When an athlete goes ALL out, they get much more return on their investment. Why is it that people get hurt, majority of the time when they are idle.

Why is it that in life we say I'm busy so it keeps me out of trouble?  Why is it when we coach we say full bore?  In life, if we are not fully committed to the cause, we will not get our greatest good from the efforts of partial investment.  Don't go through life aimlessly wandering to your destinations or goals.  Be on point, go full speed and receive the maximum potential of your efforts.  In other words, not half hearted!

God has a plan......

I have done this several times.  Have you ever quoted scripture in a point of some one's life to encourage them?  We as Christians will do this often times as the Spirit leads us.  I am not saying that at those moments we were wrong or that what we say is misquoted.  I am saying, however, that we should have a strong relationship with God as to know His voice and His quickening of our spirit for others.

I was listening to my bible devotion this morning and realized that when we use the scripture in its full context that there is power and an understanding that we might not have realized before.  Thank you Brian Hardin and Daily Audio Bible for bringing me into the light of Jeremiah 29:11.  I claim this promise many times over my life, my family, friends, loved ones and any other people who might be experiencing difficult times.  This promise is excellent for encouragement.  We must also understand that the promise would not be fulfilled unless....  

God spoke to the exiles about planting and harvesting that crop. He spoke about marrying and multiplying.  He also wanted to make sure the children of the exiles would multiply and not decrease in number.  God talks about making sure the place where you are is successful because then the exiles will also be successful.  Seek peace and prosperity in the place you are.  Sometimes in our lives the answer is not that we will move to our promise, but that our work in the land we don't like must prosper for us to receive His blessing.  We are so quick to wish an exit strategy from a place that is difficult and not accept the plans that God has for us.  We are to do good in this difficult place, we are to seek Him and after time has gone by (for the exiles it was 70 years) He will deliver us back to the place where we began, our home.  We are to be the salt and light.  We are to create within this difficult place, something others will look to for help.  To be an inspiration to others and have others aspire to be, because we reflect Him.  Make lemonade out of lemons.  Grow where you are planted. Then He will restore your fortunes and bring you home.  Then we will be gathered back together at home.

Jeremiah 29:4-14 4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

8 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, 9 because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”