God Is The Source Of Positive Thinking

I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Or for as he thinks within himself, so he is. Proverbs 23:7

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

God is the source of positive thinking, but our hope is in him. We fix our eyes on him at always. At the same time he is asking us to not dwell on the negative, but instead to think about good and true things. Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before him. There is darkness all around us. God tells us, "Don't look at the darkness. Look at me and remember the promises I give you."

You Have Great Worth

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

You have great worth and you always have. There is nothing that anyone can believe or do that will change this. If God is for you, who can be against you? God is for every human on the planet. Like J.J. Heller sings, he loves us, "not for what we have done or what you will become." We don't have to prove our worth by trying to accomplish great things. God already says we have worth.

His love is very basic. It is the source of our existence. In fact, we couldn't exist if God weren't sustaining us. That is why nothing in the whole world can get God to stop loving you.

Because God is for us, he pursues us constantly. He offers his love and loyalty at every turn. He will not give up. No matter how many times we choose against God, he still chooses for us. He has called us to be part of his team. He wants us, not so he can use us, but because he loves us. There is no power that can separate us from his love, none.

Walk With The Wise

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:11

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8

The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Exodus 33:14

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
Proverbs 13:20

They say that you become like whoever you hang out with. Lately I have been becoming more and more aware of God's presence. I want him to be the biggest influence in my life.

All Is Well

Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Isaiah 3:10

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
Deuteronomy 28:6

This verse in Isaiah really jumped out at me this morning as my husband read it. It felt like God was literally asking me to show you this verse. It resonated with what God has been teaching my friends and I. He has been saying that hard things are coming to the world so that people can be drawn to God. In the meantime, he wants the righteous to be at peace. We don't need to be afraid, because God promises that it will be well with us.

I am, again, reminded of the time my friend and I flew to Bosnia. God promised that he would bless us when we came in and when we went out. On the way home, the turbulence was terrible. The steward told us that in all of his years of flying he had never seen it this bad. In the midst of it all, God reminded us of his promise. So we declared it out loud. We worshiped and spoke of how wonderful and trustworthy our God is. We could get away with this, because, when you are put in a situation like that you don't care what anyone thinks of you. You just do what you need to do. The whole plane was full of people praying out loud. Anyway, my point is, that God had already promised that we would make it home safely. So we were at peace.

This is God's message to you today. Life is full of turbulence at this time. Be at peace. It will be well with you. You will enjoy the fruit of your deeds. Receive his peace and joy and walk on in confidence. All is well.

High Hopes

Today, I want to remind you that your hope is in the Lord. You are little, you are weak, your situation is too big for you. God is offering you high hope. Look up to him. He will give you the ability to do the impossible. David was little, but he killed Goliath. Gideon had a small army, but they conquered. Let God give you his hope. I know that all the other voices are shouting that it can't, or maybe even shouldn't be done. If God is for you, who can be against you? Look up and let the other voices fade in the background as God gives you his hope.

Next time your found, with your chin on the
ground
There a lot to be learned, so look around

Just what makes that little old ant
Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can’t
Move a rubber tree plant

But he’s got high hopes, he’s got high hopes
He’s got high apple pie, in the sky hopes

So any time your gettin’ low
’stead of lettin’ go
Just remember that ant
Oops there goes another rubber tree plant

When troubles call, and your back’s to the wall
There a lot to be learned, that wall could fall

Once there was a silly old ram
Thought he’d punch a hole in a dam
No one could make that ram, scram
He kept buttin’ that dam

’cause he had high hopes, he had high hopes
He had high apple pie, in the sky hopes

So any time your feelin’ bad
’stead of feelin’ sad
Just remember that ram
Oops there goes a billion kilowatt dam

All problems just a toy balloon
They’ll be bursted soon
They’re just bound to go pop
Oops there goes another problem kerplop

(music by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyrics by Sammy Cahn, sung by Frank Sinatra)

Let Hope Arise

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

"Let hope arise and darkness tremble
In your holy light
That every eye will see Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised" (Joel Houston- Hillsong United)

The words from Joel Houston's song kept going through my mind this morning. God wasn't telling me to get my act together and start hoping. He was saying to let
hope arise.

There is a movie called,HOPE FLOATS. In all honesty, I can't remember what it is all about. I just like the title. It reminds me of the story in the bible where the guys axe head falls in the water, and through prayer it is made to float. It is impossible, in our own strength to make hope arise. It's impossible to make axe heads float.(2 Kings 6:1-7) This is an important point. You cannot, in your own strength make hope happen in your life. God is the source of all hope. He is asking you to turn to him, be still, and let hope arise. I pray this blessing on you today. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

He Will Guide You Under The Shadow Of His Wing

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 68:11

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

This morning, I was mumbling prayers as I made tea. I accidentally prayed, "You will guide me under the shadow of your wing." I loved it. It is so true. God promised that he will guide us always, not just every once in awhile. He promised to protect us. We can be at peace knowing of his provision for us in this way.

It reminds me of what a real estate agent said to us once. She commented, "I don't put much stock in faith, but it's almost as if someone is holding an umbrella over you everywhere you go." By the way, that lady eventually became a Christian.

So visualize this as you go through the day. Be aware of God's wing over you and his continuous guidance and care. He is a good Father. So rest and have fun seeing where he leads you.