Remember! God Favors You - Part 1

Memories are a wonderful function of the brain. Even the most complex super computer cannot match the human brain’s memory. God intended for us to remember, so he gave us this capacity to register experiences, thoughts, and feelings. We can remember feelings like fear and anger when we can't recall the complete conversation that created the feelings.

Memories keep us on track when a promise or commitment was made to a significant person or to God. A young mother was so seriously injured in an auto accident that death seemed imminent. Hanging on to life in the ambulance, she promised God to love and serve him all her days if he would let her live.

That promise has been a memorial she returns to when troubles, trials, and temptations come to dislodge her from that promise. Another core memory that anchors her day-to-day living is the commitment she made to Christ Jesus when she accepted him as Lord and Savior as a young girl. Memories can be a powerful positive force that serve us faithfully throughout life.  

Feeling Afraid? Remember Your Faith in God - Part 3

Fear is one of the culprits that prevent capable individuals from seizing their highest potential. So many persons have excellent possibilities, but can't seem to find the confidence to pursue their ideals. Even when opportunity is present, fear or anxiety may evolve into procrastination, causing hesitation until the opportunity has passed.

Submitting to fear and mediocrity undervalues your ability to reach higher. Mediocrity can be comfortable and safe but cannot quiet the inner voice that knows there’s an untapped higher purpose. Disappointment with oneself because of failure to utilize untapped possibilities challenges us to rise above mediocrity and press on toward the high calling we know is possible.

We discover God’s perfect plan when we’re willing to let go of the familiar and venture into the unknown. Consider Abraham, who left familiar surroundings for an unknown land - God's promise to give to him and his descendants, who would evolve into a nation. He activated the faith God gave him and reached for his highest potential.  

Feeling Afraid? Remember Your Faith in God - Part 2

There are unexpected moments in life when a good, positive memory is made that lasts forever. Some memories are so powerful they haunt us in ways that are uncomfortable or even disturbing. These we try to suppress, especially if they’re overlaid with guilt or shame or if they’re associated with anxiety, anger, or resentment.

Memories are stored in our brain like a savings account where they’re held in trust, ready to be examined or relived if a stimulant strong enough ignites and brings them to remembrance. God’s word declares, “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” Sin produces bad, negative memories, but here’s the good news. When we confess our sins and repent, we are forgiven and made right with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

When negative memories surface, confront these intruders with the fact that God dealt with them by cleansing and washing you clean through confession and forgiveness. The reality of dealing with unwanted memories from this point of view creates new memories that result in peace and joy.  

Feeling Afraid? Remember Your Faith in God - Part 1

Each day can be a test to see if fear has impacted your decisions or destiny. Fear can have a positive influence as Psalm 111:15 declares, "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Psalm 19:9 states that "Fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever." The Psalmist sees fear of the Lord as a guiding light that provides a sense of safety and well-being.

At the other end of the spectrum are individuals who submit to a type of fear that diminishes the joy God intends for them to experience. We humans have the capacity to project ourselves into situations that can be crippling. Fear can stifle our creativity and overwhelm the purpose God designed for us.

Instead of yielding to destructive fear, say to yourself, "I am a child of God! He has given me the Holy Spirit to guide and direct my path.” Abraham obeyed God’s calling to become a man of faith, to stand firm and claim the opportunities He set before him. God will bless and help you.  

Defeat Fear of Failure: Choose Faith - Part 3

Most children grow up planning to achieve their dreams. Young children tend to have big dreams because fear of reaching to the very edge of their capabilities has not become a reality. A young man's parents told him he was not intelligent enough to be a physician like his grandfather, who had assured him he could do it with commitment and hard work.

This young man graduated from Princeton University and medical school, and now serves as a physician with a large practice. He had to overcome self-doubts and fears as well as negative voices that were determined to diminish his enthusiasm. However, greater were the encouragement of his grandfather and the voice of God's love and purpose.

Deliberately choosing to be less than you're capable of being because of fear invites unhappiness. Self-doubt and fear are temptations. The Apostle Paul assures you that God will provide an escape from temptation's power so you can rise up against it. Believing God’s promises and acting upon them is God’s provision for defeating fear’s power. 

Defeat Fear of Failure: Choose Faith - Part 2

While I was serving in the military after graduation from high school, it was customary to hear disgruntled voices complaining about duty assignments. I also was dissatisfied with my assignment. When I was stationed in Florida, I became friends with a young man who appeared too bright and intelligent for his assigned duty.

I often hear clients grieving over wasted years spent in a career for which they were unsuited. A woman related how she gave up opportunities to excel when she was in her twenties because she feared failure. What perpetuates this attitude? Could it be failure to trust the capabilities that God himself has given to you for achieving his good purpose?

It’s scary to think of being stretched to the limit of your capabilities. Failure to live up to your capabilities could be driven by fear of future failures. However, fear can be overcome by trust and faith in God's purpose for you. God's perfect love conquers fear, so depend on your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to control fear’s power.  

Defeat Fear of Failure: Choose Faith - Part 1

Addressing the nation after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He was aware that fear can be a powerful obstruction to taking positive, decisive action. Submitting to fear may be regretted later when the end result did not meet expectations.

With every opportunity it is not unusual to experience doubt, even fear, for opportunities require change. Self-doubt can be a significant obstacle because of negative thinking patterns like: "I can't do it!” “I'm not smart enough!” “What if I fail?” Negative thought patterns are obstructions to confidence and can be destructive to self-esteem and self-assurance.

Fear conflicts with faith, so when fear gets a grip, refocus your faith on Christ Jesus and 1 John 4:18. "There is no fear in love for perfect love casts out fear." The object of perfect love is Christ Jesus, who gives faith and strength to overpower fear. So when fear sets its a trap, focus on God's purpose and love for you. 

At a Crossroads? Get Out of the Rut and Reach Higher - Part 3

Submission was never intended to be a nasty word, but it's not uncommon for the word to bring up strong opposition in both men and women. Ephesians 5:21 instructs Christians to "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." Healthy parenting teaches children to be submissive to rules and authority, for failure to do so could result in long-lasting sorrow for both parent and child.

Submission is required for taking advantage of opportunities that come your way. Opposition to submission can become an obstruction to success. Submission reflects obedience, which is another word that’s hard to swallow and digest. Jeremiah 26:13 implores us to "stop sinning and obey the Lord."

Submission is a good, godly word, but it can be abused. It's important to remember that submission is what you do voluntarily, for being forced to submit isn’t submission at all. Submission to God's laws, his love, and his care for you requires your freedom to choose. Christ Jesus would not have it any other way, but doing so guarantees his blessings. 

At a Crossroads? Get Out of the Rut and Reach Higher - Part 2

Mapping the brain continues to be an objective of scientists who research this magnificent, mysterious part of our body. Mapping the brain helps doctors diagnose, treat, and heal physical and mental disorders. The brain seems so complex, we tend to give it little consideration. The reason is, we’re busy making needed pathways through the difficulties and complexities of life.

It’s on these pathways that we come to a crossroads where circumstances require us to choose what is possible or impossible. After fifteen years of marriage a husband presented his wife with a divorce decree, due in part to her withdrawal of affection. While there was no stated reason for the withdrawal, he was firm in seeking the divorce.

Help for managing shock, hurt, and confusion at a crossroads is found in Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." What clearer map could you choose to follow?

At a Crossroads? Get Out of the Rut and Reach Higher - Part 1

Getting into a rut is relatively easy. All it takes is following a pattern of behavior for months or years. Dedicated to his practice, a young attorney paid his dues working long hours and weekends. Long, stressful days created fatigue and irritability, so when he arrived home, he was unable to provide the affection and acceptance his family longed to receive from him.

He progressively became alienated from his family, totally missing out on the blessings of being a husband and father. After years of alienation he came to a significant crossroads. As an older man, he was forced to choose between being a workaholic and being submissive to what God intended a husband and father to give and receive.

While his marriage may be irreconcilable, there is hope for being friends with the woman who once loved him. Reaching out to his children, he hopes to achieve some semblance of reconciliation. God's word reminds us that what seems impossible can be possible with God. Asking, seeking and knocking, while grasping on to patience, can be a winning formula.  

Shaping Life Scripts at the Crossroads - Part 3

Confronting oneself at a critical crossroads can be a life-changing experience. Consider the young man who had every opportunity to excel, but started doing drugs in high school. His intelligence permitted him to squeeze the system enough to look good and sound good, fooling everyone including him-self. At thirty he was a financial wreck, and his marriage was so shaky it could end any day.                       

Then a friend invited him to attend a church that was different from the one where he had been confirmed as a child. At this new church he encountered another crossroads. He had to look at his life that was gutter-bound. He knew he had to completely change the disastrous life script he lived by.

The sermons he heard at this church gave him hope, but it was the love and encouragement of the congregation that gave him courage to choose Christ Jesus plus a life script that would save his life and marriage. Joshua said it best. "Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me, I will serve the Lord God." There is no better choice. 

Shaping Life Scripts at the Crossroads - Part 2

Ben Johnson was offered a major role in the movie, "The Last Picture Show," but refused to play the part because of the script’s dirty language. He finally agreed to take the role when he was allowed to delete language he opposed. He believed foul language wasn’t necessary for an outstanding script. Ben Johnson won an Oscar for his performance in that movie.

He knew he alone was accountable to God for his self-esteem, integrity, and conscience; therefore, he refused to condone filthy language. Psychologist Abraham Maslow said, “The lower one's self-esteem, the greater will be a person's loneliness, unhappiness, and interpersonal incompetence." Foolish, reckless choices damage self-esteem.

Psalm 1 describes the benefits of choosing wisely. “The righteous prosper, but not the wicked. They are like chaff that the wind blows away. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Like Ben Johnson, you will stand at the crossroads to confront your choices. God will give you wisdom to choose his righteousness.

Shaping Life Scripts at the Crossroads - Part 1

It seems that some people have a natural winning formula for success and happiness while others fit into the opposite category. To be self-sufficient and productive, it appears from a distance that successful individuals have life scripts written out, and all they have to do is roll with the flow of opportunities.

A man in his thirties said he was encouraged by his parents to become a molecular biologist. Being intelligent and motivated, he thought it made sense to comply with his parents’ encouragement. Approaching mid-life feeling dissatisfied and conflicted, he now questions his choice. However, obligations and so much responsibility make change a distant dream.

This man is at a crossroads where decisions affect himself, his career, and his family. What helps him choose wisely is the wellspring of hope from Psalm 1. “The man who delights in the laws of God and follows his will is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in due season. Whatever he does prospers.” This is a winning formula for success.