Mini-Series: Miracle Mornings

Reject, Receive, Replace

My Miracle Morning Routine - Here is the breakdown of the terms and then exactly how I use them, in order:
T - Thanks
A - Affirm
S - Surrender
K - Kill
S - Serve

SURRENDER
In Alcoholics Anonymous, the first and second steps are to admit powerlessness, and dependence upon a higher power. That’s called “surrender.” On my own, I’ll make a mess of my life. But, guided by and in alignment with God, I can be restored and thrive.

Jesus spoke to his followers about what I call “secrets of the universe.” One was the encouragement to visualize myself as a branch and God as the Vine (see John 15). The Vine is the life source. The branch is the beneficiary—reaching out into the world and producing fruit. Branches produce good fruit to the extent that they remain connected to—dependent upon—the Vine.

Detached branches are sticks. Trying to manufacture fruit apart from the Vine...

Mini-Series: Miracle Mornings

Reinforce and affirm the promises of God

Here is the breakdown of the terms and then exactly how I use them, in order:
T - Thanks
A - Affirm
S - Surrender
K - Kill
S - Serve

THANKS
Gratitude is the best place to start. The scriptures have been bullish on thankfulness for thousands of years. Our ancestors were whispering to us at every turn, “Give thanks to God for everything, all the time. It’s better this way.” Turns out, they were right. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.-1 Thessalonians 5:18

Hear the whisper of the Lord: “Thankfulness is a royal road to draw near Me. A thankful heart has plenty of room for Me. When you thank Me for the many pleasures I provide, you affirm that I am God, from whom all
blessings flow. When adversity strikes and you thank Me anyway, your trust in My sovereignty is a showpiece in invisible realms. Fill up the spare moments of your...

Mini-Series: Miracle Mornings

Exciting. Miracles. Prayer. Outcomes.

A friend of mine, Caleb developed this morning miracle routine that has blessed my life. I’ve tweaked it to fit me and I encourage you to do the same.

Here’s the idea:
It’s made up of 4 main concepts:
Exciting. Miracles. Prayer. Outcomes.

Exciting
Exciting because every day is a gift and an adventure. When you’re connected to the Author of Life—the Master Storyteller and Maker of
the Universe—anything is possible, and you never know where a day might lead. Anything that tends to make you anxious is a growth opportunity.

Hear the Lord whisper: “Instead of running away from challenges, embrace them, eager to gain all the blessings I have hidden in the difficulties. If you believe that I am sovereign over every aspect of your life, it is possible to trust Me in all situations. Don’t waste energy regretting the way things are or thinking about what...

Focus your lens

When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. - Ephesians 1:13b

The Holy Spirit’s best work in people is seen in how He changes the way they relate to one another. You want the best parts of your character displayed in your kids. It brings us great joy when we see the positive qualities, actions and words manifesting through our children.

God's grace is so amazing, how can we ever not give that same grace to others that we come into contact with, fully knowing the price that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ paid for us on the cross. Once you receive the full grace of God and truly encounter the Holy Spirit, you could never intentionally not forgive others of their short comings....

We are reminded in the parable of the unforgiving servant of just how important the act of forgiveness is, and that the gift that is undeserving, yet given to us through grace, needs to be given as abundantly as possible...FORGIVE..FORGIVE..AND...

OVERCOMING ANXIETY 

“Be still, and know that I am God…" Psalm 46:10

Stillness is a challenge for most of us. Especially the hyperactive among us, or those with young kids. It’s often in these moments of stillness that I feel the most anxious.

Being still is not merely a suggestion. It’s essential to a Spirit-filled life. 
When we lean into GOD and learn to be still, we can train ourselves to escape the tyranny of anxiety that robs us of the God-peace that JESUS hung on a cross to give us. "...the chastisement of our peace was upon Him." (Isaiah 53:5)

When we quiet the part of our brain that obsesses about the small things, we are able to sit in the stillness and allow the deeper brain to kick in; the part of us that knows—meaningful things like an abiding awareness that the God of the universe is present…and working with us for our good.

And that seems important to remember, doesn’t it? 

I see anxiety as the negative side...

Turning defeat into a WIN  

You already have everything you need.

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. Psalm 23:1

The famous king and poet, David, wrote this lyric as a man acquainted with pain. David was told from a young age that he would be king. Nothing pointed to that promise coming true for years. In fact, the sitting king hated his guts and chased him around the wilderness, trying to kill him.

David understood that even when he had nothing, and was on the run with his life in the balance, he already had what he needed. He learned to trust that the Lord was his shepherd, provider, protector... even when circumstances were at their worst.

It seems the bigger the promise, the greater the pain on the journey. The secret is believing along the way, “the Lord is my shepherd, I already have what I need.”

 

The journey of faith insists upon rest.

He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my...

Be #EPICStrong

Chad says:

Be #EPICStrong

Judy says:

Obviously love God, love others, gratitude, praise, giving, etc. etc. All those basics we should always do, it’s like the base of the best ice cream sundae… BUT for 2021…after coming out of 2020…my sliced strawberries, chopped walnuts and chocolate syrup on top are going to be:

1. Surrender to God and Fight the good fight of Faith. Sounds like an oxymoron, but it isn’t. We surrender our will to His and then fight with the Word of God. Because the battle IS real; but the victory is assured.

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

I Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Paul uses active and forceful verbs to describe the Christian life. Flee. Pursue. Fight. Take Hold. Christianity is not a passive religion that says to wait...

Blessing upon Blessing

"All together now - applause for God! Sing songs to the tune of His glory, set glory to the rhythms of His praise. Say of God, 

'We've never seen anything like Him!'" (Psalms 66:1-3 LB)

David says he blesses the Lord at all times. 

In another place he says seven times a day I praise the Lord. 

The Apostle Paul says he prays without ceasing, "I pray with my understanding and I pray in the Spirit. I sing with the understanding and I sing in the Spirit."  

Jude tells us to pray in the Holy Ghost to build ourselves up. 

We're admonished over and over throughout the scriptures to give God the glory. He is worthy. How about stopping right now...sit back in your chair or stand up and begin to applaud the Lord and sing Him a song of praise.

Maybe you're reading this at work or at a local coffee shop with internet access and feel you can’t make a public display of your praise. Well, do it silently...

Take Out The Trash

"Do not be mislead: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'' I Cor. 15:33

We're living in a day where good is being called evil and evil is OK if it feels good to you. 

You decide what's morally right and wrong. 

Never mind what God says is His standard of Holiness.

Three times God told His priests to give careful thought to an example He used to explain holiness and unholiness. (Haggai 2)

In my paraphrase, God was saying if you are holy and touch something unholy does that unholy thing become holy? The answer: NO.

If you are holy and something unholy touches you does that make you unholy? The answer: YES.

Holiness is not infectious. Unholiness is infectious.

Let's look at it in another way. If you have a glass of pure water and add in a drop of salt; is the pure water now salty? YES.

If you have a glass of salt water and add some pure water is the water now pure? NO.

What about a bowl of fruit? If the bowl is full of good, healthy fruit and one...