Teach Your Children in the Way they should Go . . . and "Black-out Art?"

God's Word speaks to the heart of parents when He says "Teach the young according to their way, even when they are old they will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

Ted Hildebrandt, (Grace Theological Journal 9.1 (1988) 3-19) says this about the verse:
"Careful consideration of lexical and contextual factors suggests that "train up a child in the way he should go" needs to be reexamined. The verb "to train" really refers to a bestowal of status and responsibility. The noun translated "child" denotes the status of a late adolescent rather than a child. "In the way he should go" is best understood as "according to what is expected." The original intent then of this verse addresses a late adolescents' entrance into his place in adult society. This should be done with celebration and encouragement-giving him respect, status and responsibilities commensurate with his position as a young adult." Copyright © 1988 by Grace Theological Seminary

I love these cross references as well!

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Deuteronomy 11:19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

As a homeschooling mom, I feel a great responsibility to teach my children what I feel they will need to know as adults, as well as to celebrate who they are as individuals, created with intention and purpose by God. It's so easy to slip into business-mode and forget how much fun it is to learn by playing with my kids! They learn so much more when I teach according to their natural tendencies and gifts.

My friend JeMa, a wonderful artist, found this cool poetry technique and put her typical artist's bent to it! The kids had fun, too! :) It's called "Black-out Art" and it's created using the text of newspapers. Poetry or art is created by blacking out all but just a few words. You can see why I thought it so fascinating and why I am going to use it as I teach my children in the way they should go at JeMa's blog:
Art By JeMA: It's A Blackout: "Our Blackout Poetry One of the most satisfying parts of homeschooling my children is allowing them to be creative. To allow my children ..."

Love, Karen

Surprised by the Voice of God - are you a prophet?

Welcome to A Good Bible Study. Have you ever wondered if you are a prophet?

Prophecy is a very real gift of the Holy Spirit, and is the topic of the book Surprised by the Voice of God: How God Speaks Today Through Prophecies, Dreams, and Visions, written by Jack Deere. Deere is a former associate professor of Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, now a pastor, writer, and lecturer and author of the best-selling book Surprised by the Power of the Spirit.

Deere gives a clear explanation of the ways God communicated to first-century Christians, and why God continues to speak to us using the same methods. He also explains to those of us brought up with a more "conservative" church background, how to accurately hear God speak through prophecies, dreams, visions, and other forms of divine communication.

I found the book very easy to read, as well as full of clear references back to the appropriate Scripture.

In addition to explaining the Gifts of the Spirit, Deere reminds us that just because someone is using gifts, and even using them for ministry, does not mean we should follow all of their teachings blindly. Gifts are subject to the human beings to whom given, and so can be misinterpreted or actively misused. For example, there are "psychics" who are very adept at "cold reading" subjects to get clues about who and what the person most wants to hear about.

I can think of one highly popular medium (someone who claims they are in communication with the dead) who asks multiple questions to get all the information he needs to appear "all-knowing. "I am sensing someone who's names starts with a B, anyone here have a loved one who's name starts with B . . . Is it a male figure, a father, uncle, or brother? No, then it must be a female with male energy, is she a strong personality? Was it a sudden death, no? Then did she die sooner than you expected, yes, I'm getting that . . .etc.) This isn't prophecy, this is knowing human nature and manipulating the hopes and fears of people desperate for answers.

So how do we know if someone is worth believing? A true prophet points us to God, not to ourselves, and not to the spirits of deceased loved ones, or to created things (like nature).

Who better to ask than God to reveal to you personally what you need to know to have comfort and peace? Of course He sometimes gives messages (prophecy) through others, but be careful not be taken in by someone who's true interest is in your money. Remember, much of what a psychic says can't be proved, and does not come true, anyway. But, the message of a prophet is often a confirmation of what God has already put in your own heart.

Another way prophecy and psychism differ is that a prophetic message refers to God's plan and reflects His values. Psychic readings tend to give us permission to do what we want to anyway, regardless of the effect on others.

Jesus told us to evaluate prophets, ministers, and teachers by their fruit:

A Tree and Its Fruit
15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

and

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:15-23
Also look up 1 Kings 13:18; Jeremiah 23:16; Matthew 24:11; Mark 13:22; Acts 13:6.

So, even people with good gifts are able to claim they are serving God, but in reality serve themselves. We don't have to look far to see examples in the media!

Just what is good fruit? What should we look for in the lives, character, teachings, and churches of our leaders?

"22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
Galatians 5:22-26

One good way to examine fruit is to look at our spiritual leaders' lives and relationships, their business practices, the attitude of their staff, and how they treat those who differ in opinions. Deere suggests we ask these questions about prophetic ministers and teachers:

"1. Are they honoring Christ and bringing glory to Him, or are they bringing attention to themselves?
 2. Are they walking in humility, and does their ministry produce humility?
 3. Does their ministry produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit? Are they setting the example for others to encourage the Holy Spirit to grow in them, and produce fruit?
 4. Are their words accurate and do their predictions come true? Those gifted with prophecy gain authority and stature by exhibiting the character of the Lord Jesus and consistently giving accurate predictions. (As we trust and obey God, we will deliver more accuracy as we mature.)
 5. Does their teaching fall in line with Scripture? Very important! Reading and interpreting Scripture as written, and for ourselves, is vital. At times our religious traditions contradict Scripture, and some religious leaders prefer to honor man-made tradition over the very Scripture on which are traditions should be built.

Speaking of which, it is never a prophet's role to control the lives of his or her followers, i.e., as in a cult!

 A prophet never replaces the Holy Spirit in our walk with God, and certainly does not remove our accountability before God for our choices and decisions. Read  Kings 13:1-18.

In fact, quite frequently a prophetic word serves to support, confirm, or clarify a leading God has given us individually, through the Holy Spirit. 

What if you have been given the gift of prophecy?

If you feel led to share a prophecy to someone, or your church body, pray and ask permission from God to share the prophecy at this time. Some prophecies are are more of a FYI, a preparation for a coming event. Others are to gently correct, or to encourage others. Speak to your church leadership first if the message is for the body. Ask for prophetic confirmation and permission to speak. If the answer is no, go back and pray for more guidance from God.

Also, pray and ask for the correct interpretation of the prophecy. It's easy for us to get a revelation, but then interpret based on our own opinions of what someone should be doing. Too often people have been publicly humiliated over a revelation when prayer and a private discussion would have resulted in glory to God, instead of resentment over a misunderstood reason behind the prophecy. 

Prophecy is best given in a spirit of humility, without dramatic exclamations or "Thus says the Lord,"  or in loud voices. This self-aggrandizing results in fear, or self-appointed authority, when in truth, prophets are messengers acting under God's guidance and insight, not their own.

Leave the outcome of the message to God. People will either listen, or they won't. They will be blessed, or they won't. We don't know the purpose behind the prophecy sometimes, just that we need to share it. Say something like, "I feel like God wants me to share this with you, I hope it's meaningful to you."

If you are looking for praise, applause, or personal obedience you've forgotten your place. This is God's message, not ours, and we don't always know why someone needs to hear the message we've been given it.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

Let's pray:

Lord, thank you for your good gifts. If there is anyone reading who wants what You have, who wants to bless others with Your gifts, lead them to know You and Your ways. Help us to be open to what You would have us say to encourage and lead others. Help us to be humble and remember it's Your wisdom, not our own. And help us to be willing to listen, and not just to speak. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Love, Karen

The Holy Spirit and you

What is the Holy Spirit and what is His role in every day believers' lives? The Holy Spirit comes as a comforter, helper and communicator from God. He was sent specifically by Jesus to everyone and anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit will help us in specific ways:

"Jesus answered and said to him,'If anyone loves Me, he (or she) will keep My word; and my Father will love him (or her), and We will come to him (or her) and make Our home with him (or her). He (or she) who does not love Me does not keep My words. . .the word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.

These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring you remembrance of all things that I said to you.'" John 14:23-26

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me." John 15:26

"However when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." John 16:13-14

What Jesus Christ is saying, is that if we love and worship God, accept His gift of eternal life with Him in heaven by the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, then we are given personal access to God through the Holy Spirit. What a wonderful gift!

The Holy Spirit's role for believers is to
1. teach us all things
2. remind us of everything Jesus said and taught
3. testify about Jesus to us
4. guide us into all truth
5. tell us what is to happen in the future

The Holy Spirit did all of these things for the apostles, however, He is still working in all believers today. We might call it intuition, a feeling or hunch, a remembrance of scripture or bible teaching, or at times, an audible or visual message telling us to act (or avoid something). We often say, "What a coincidence" or "I just knew I was supposed to do that."

The Holy Spirit is also our conscience, our moral compass; He brings a sense of conviction to our hearts. At the moment you felt you needed God, wanted God, and couldn't wait to spit out all of the ways you'd sinned and rejected love in the past, you met the Holy Spirit.

The more time we spend in God's word, the better we will recognize His voice, His teaching, and leading. The more time we spend not only asking in prayer, but listening and expecting His response, the more we will experience His voice. I find it's those times when I am physically active and mentally silent that I get the most clear communication, those "a-ha!" moments that can only be from the Holy Spirit because just two seconds before I was completely stumped!

The Holy Spirit comes to lead us to joy, contentment, peace, love, and harmony, not to increase our self-centeredness or self-importance. We do not need to "channel" Him, be "possessed" by Him, or lose control to Him. We do not need to burn incense, chant, or meditate to access Him.

He comes as a gift from God, a Helper, a Comforter, a Truth-Giver. The only requirement is to love God, and to choose to believe God loves you. In fact, God says He loved us first (Romans 5:8.) We don't have to do anything to earn, or get, His love. He already gave it and He doesn't take it back! We only need to admit that there's no way we can ever do enough good to deserve heaven, and just accept what Jesus did so that we can have heaven anyway.

We've only got to believe what God says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call on me, and got to pray to Me and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord . . ."

Pray with me now: Lord, I am so sorry for all the ways I've tried to get what I want while ignoring You. I can't be good enough to get to You on my own. I'm tired of trying. I've been selfish and self-centered, and wanted it all my own way. Most of the time my plans have backfired on me. Please forgive me for everything I've ever done, and ever will do to hurt You and hurt other people. I accept Jesus died for me, so I can live. I accept His gift of life. I want Your Holy Spirit to be my teacher from now on. I'll follow You now. I want what You offer: peace, love, joy, contentment, laughter, and harmony. Send your Holy Spirit to me Lord and let me be sensitive to His voice from now on. Let me never be the same again! In the name of Your Son, Jesus, amen.

Spirituality, or spirits-uality

Hello friends! I have been buried in books and prayer for the past few months and am coming up for air. God is so good. He provides exactly what we need, when we need it. I don't mean when and what we "want," but what He knows we need, in His wisdom. Let's pray:

Lord, guide my eyes so everything I read is filtered through Your Word and Your Grace; guide my ears, so that I recognize the difference between Your Truth, and spiritual confusion; guide my mind so I remember that anything that draws me into serving myself, elevating myself, or celebrating your creations over You, as Creator, actually decreases my spirituality instead of enhancing it.

And Father, keep my heart close to yours so I never believe anything, except that only Your love can satisfy the longings of my soul to be still, and know God. In the name of the Way, the Truth, and the Light, Jesus Christ, amen.

In reading The Holy Spirit and You, by Dennis and Rita Bennet, I was struck by this quote:
"If you find much emphasis on the teachings of Jesus, but little on His Person, you may be sure you are dealing with a false cult. Christianity is not founded on the teachings of Jesus, but on the Person of Jesus. It isn't what He taught, but Who He is, that matters most."

There is so much in the world today designed to confuse Christians and non-Christians alike. Satan loves to entice us with a small measure of truth, which he twists until we foggily look around, and realize we have forgotten who is the Source of all good things, and begin to worship the good things, instead.

In reading various books on "spirituality," attending some classes on healing and "gifts," I have been struck by how seductive false spirituality is, how it alludes to a relationship with God, but really points us to a "god" that asks nothing of us, and offers nothing to us other than more metaphysical knowledge and a desire for personal powers, including psychic gifts. This tempting apple is not dissimilar from that which brought down Adam and Eve, promising the knowledge of God.

I am not referring to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which some confuse with talents or even psychic ability. We all are born with genetic talents but these are not Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Talents are an expression of our own creativity and genetics, which are certainly given by God and should be expressed and used. However, while Gifts of the Holy Spirit might complement our talents, they are given to us by God only after we have chosen to repent of our sinful thoughts and behaviors, and accept the sacrifice of Jesus that literally purchased our forgiveness.

We all want our talents to be celebrated, and we tend to search for activities that will highlight our talents. We should instead do as Helen Keller suggests, "It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks." A Holy Spirit Gift is power equal to the task.

It is imperative to understand that Spiritual Gifts point us to God, not to ourselves. Mysticism and metaphysics point us to ourselves, and to knowledge for the sake of learning, alone.

Too often people searching for proof of God, seek out spirits. Little-s spirits are nothing more than demons claiming to be ghosts, extra-terrestrial travelers, or gods (goddesses.) These spirits seek to possess and control people by seducing them with special powers. Is it any wonder that demons possess personal and private knowledge of our loved ones and even ancient peoples? They've been watching us for centuries. Demons seek to gain our trust for the purpose of opening our spirits up for their immediate or eventual possession and control.

The Holy Spirit does not possess and overtake your consciousness. He indwells our hearts, giving us direct communication with God the Father. We retain choice, personality, and we experience an increased capacity for love, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, and a desire to help others.

These Gifts are for two specific purposes: ministering to and encouraging other believers; and demonstrating the power and goodness of God to non-believers, so that they are moved to believe.

Spiritual Gifts are listed in the following scriptures. Make sure you read reputable commentaries and study bible notes on these gifts for more understanding about practical application.
Exodus 31:3; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14; Ephesians 4:1-16; Hebrews 2:4

The Holy Spirit Gifts are not designed to elevate ourselves and they never, ever involve speaking to spirits of the dead or allowing any spirit to possess us for the purpose of "channeling" knowledge. God is very clear about this in His Word.

Question any person or doctrine that encourages you to develop supernatural gifts merely for the purpose of increasing knowledge, or even under the guise of helping others if it is by your "spiritual" power and not by the working of the Holy Spirit, and without a requirement to be guided by, put to use by, and in submission to God. I mean God the Person, not god the universal energy that requires and demands nothing from us other than we "grow and learn" here on earth for our personal improvement.

2 Timothy 3:1-7 (New International Version 1984, ©1984)


"Godlessness in the Last Days
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

I caution myself, and all of you who are seeking a more intense experience with God, to follow the advice our Lord gives when considering the teachings of any man, or woman, and that is:

"Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world." New Living Translation (©2007)

Examples include:

1 Kings 13:18 The old prophet answered, "I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the LORD: 'Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.'" (But he was lying to him.)
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Jeremiah 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.
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Jeremiah 23:16 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Do not listen to what the (false) prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.
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Jeremiah 29:8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let your (false) prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
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Matthew 7:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
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1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 Test everything. Hold on to the good. Abstain from every form of evil.
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2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 Now, brethren, concerning of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
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2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.
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1 John 2:18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
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2 John 1:7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
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Revelation 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
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Let's pray:
Lord, thank You for Your good gifts. There are many things we do not understand in this universe of Yours. One thing we know is true is that there is one God, one Father, one sacrifice for our sins who is Jesus Christ, one Holy Spirit by whom comes all Spiritual Gifts that increase a genuine spirituality. Help us to focus on You, instead of ourselves. Help us to help others in a way that leads them to the ultimate Helper. Help us to seek eternal gifts, and not temporary talents that serve our own egos, no matter how we dress them up in a cloak of spirituality. Your Gifts include discerning of spirits, knowing which are of Truth, and which are clever lies. I pray for each of us to be truly discerning of spirits, in the name of Jesus, amen.
Love, Karen

Do other religions have anything to offer Christianity?

Hello again, welcome to A Good Bible Study. If this is your first time visiting, please begin at the first blog post.

During my reading and prayer time, I have been seeking knowledge and understanding about the supernatural spiritual world consistent with my Christian faith, and have been richly rewarded.

I wondered if any other Christian scholars had looked to the bible for context and explanation of the miraculous and spiritually supernatural events that occur around the world, including near death experiences, and also whether other religions, which may not specifically understand or recognize Jesus Christ as the ultimate Redeemer and Son of God, have yet something of value to contribute to Christian faith and spiritual growth.

In reading the words of Thomas Merton, a universally respected scholar, authority on Christian mysticism, and best-selling author, who was also a monk who lived more than 27 years in the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky (yes, Kentucky) I found encouragement to trust God to lead me to find the truths, and recognize that which is not.

So, yes, I am beginning to believe that other faiths may have much to teach Christians about spiritual inner life, just as Christians may share the true source, Jesus Christ, of all this wonderful spiritual knowledge.

". . . I think we we have now reached a stage (long overdue) of religious maturity at which it may be possible for someone to remain perfectly faithful to a Christian and Western monastic commitment, and yet learn in depth from , say, a Buddhist discipline and experience. I believe that some of us need to do this in order to improve the quality of our own monastic life and even to help in the task of monastic renewal which has been undertaken within the Western Church."  The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton (Father Louis), New Directions, New York
Love, Karen

Want love, happiness, contentment, prosperity? Read this and it's yours.

Hello again - I'm so happy you've returned to A Good Bible Study! I look forward to this new chapter in our growth together in the Word of God. Let's pray:

Dear Lord, how can I thank You enough for giving us Your love letter to all people? Each time our eyes fall on Your pages, give us insight that only Your Holy Spirit can provide. Help us to be great in Your eyes, instead of seeking to be great in our own, and in the eyes of one another. Help us to lead, no matter what our roles in life. We know You are placing people in our path every day that seek our guidance or follow our example. Help us to seek You first, as we lead others. In the name of Jesus, amen.

We've have talked a lot in the past weeks about being intentional in our thoughts, about choosing to take our minds off thoughts that lead to unhappiness and dissatisfaction in our lives, and instead focus on the thoughts of God. Read Philippians 4-10 now and write it down. In fact, if you have not already begun one, start a prayer or bible verse journal to record the thoughts you have in this study, what you learn about yourself, and what verses or "aha" insights God gives you through our time together.

You will get exactly out of this time, what you intend to, and what you give to yourself in study and honest reflection.

"Finally brethren, whatever things are ______, whatever things are ______, whatever things are ______, whatever things are _________, whatever things are ___________, whatever things are of good __________, if there is any _________ and if there is anything ____________,- meditate on these things." NKJV

We can learn a lot from the letters Paul wrote to the new believers in the first 60 or so years after Christ's time on Earth.

Paul instructs us to think on things that lead to positive and helpful actions, instead of dwelling on thoughts that lead to despair, anger, sadness, depression, anxiety, rage, or confusion. We have a decision to make each time we entertain thoughts and that is, "Do I want to go there?"

Our thoughts are leading us to a destination and only we decide to get on that train, or not. John C. Maxwell says that our life today is a reflection of yesterday's thoughts.

Henry Ford said that whether we think we can, or we can't, we are right. Another way of saying that is "Be careful what you set your heart on, for surely you will get it." The problem is, after all the time and effort getting "it," do you still want it at the cost you paid?

What do you want?
_________________
_________________
_________________

Now consider this, do you want those _____'s, or do you think having them will give you something else, something deeper?

What do you really want?
__________________________________________

What will you want at the end of your life as you look back? What will have really made the difference?
_________________________________________

Read Proverbs 23:7 and write down what you learn.

As a person thinks in their _____ so are they. Your heart could be called the seat of your unconscious opinions, your intentions, your underlying motives.

Without the influence of the Holy Spirit, our hearts are innately selfish and self-centered. We get our heads turned by every pretty bauble, because we don't realize that we think the baubles will give us our true, underlying desires.

What do you think that is? The very basic craving we all have? Think on that, and it will change everything.

The problem with these "things" that seem so important to gain, is that as soon as we get them, the moment passes and we must set our sights on a new goal to reach that will give us the next "final" happiness. So, the struggle we all face is how to move from being momentarily happy with achievement, possessions, attainment, and success that lasts only for the day, or the hour, and move into recognizing our desire for something only God can give.

How many times have you said, "If only  . . . " or "I can't wait till ...."

Imagine for a moment that death has come, and you stand face to face with Jesus. Imagine looking at his wounds, knowing full well that He paid that price for you, as if you are the only person on the planet, as if you are the only one He loves?

Read Revelations 4:9-11

The elders were in that position and yet they, given those crowns by God Himself, willingly cast them down at the feet of Jesus, recognizing His love, sacrifice, and greatness as so much more than their own.

What did these elders do to earn such glorious crowns in the first place? My Nelson study bible identifies these elders as leaders, ruling authorities. God honors and crowns those who lead, as long as they lead well.

That's what we are here to learn: the leadership qualities that God values.

I know we all seek to prosper, to do well in life, to live well and enjoy all that God has provided in this life. We all want to seek those things that give us earthly pleasure first, and secondarily turn our minds to God. After all, we live here and now and heaven is a long time away, we hope.

The irony of it is, is that here and now is the temporary place, and heaven our eternal dwelling, if we follow Jesus and accept Him as God's only Son, and the source of our salvation.

Read Matthew 6:25-34, and Luke 12:22-31 and pay close attention to the final verse. Don't miss out on the blessing of opening His Word and seeing it for your own eyes. God's Word is alive in a way you can't understand without opening the physical book and letting the words hit the back of your eyes and the center of your soul.

Let's pray on this and come back tomorrow for what comes next:

Father, I love You, I want You, and clearly, I need You! Whatever You want for me, I want it too. You are the only path to everyday-in the tips of my toes-no matter how crazy the rest of the world gets-happiness and I want it! Show me Your ways, and give me a heart to learn. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Love, Karen

Photo by Paul Losevsky, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/

Think on these things

Welcome friends, to A Good Bible Study.

If you've read John C. Maxwell you might know his book Think on These Things. I feel it's a natural progression to our StressLess study since in this book, John focuses on the fact that as we think, we are, or we become.

John C. Maxwell is not only a highly regarded Pastor, he is also one of the foremost experts on leadership. You might not think of yourself as a leader, but I bet you influence more people than you know.

May be you've wanted to step into a leadership role, or have been placed in one, but aren't sure how to lead well, effectively, or with a positive attitude. May be the only model of leadership you've known have been "little dictators" or those who aren't able to share power and end up doing everything themselves, and making everyone else pay for it.

No matter your situation, as a parent, an employee or supervisor, even as a volunteer, each of us will more easily and effectively influence others and improve our world by learning God's leadership style.

Jesus is our ultimate model of leadership: the servant-leader. He leads by example, and by moving our hearts to desire to follow him. John C. Maxwell will teach us to do the same, and help us to recognize that "our ability to achieve anything great for God begins in our hearts and minds."

Let's pray:

Lord, as we begin this new chapter of our study, help us to be willing to serve others even as we grow as leaders. Help us to recognize what has limited our ability to serve and lead, and be now willing to succeed where in the past we have failed. Let us be weak, so You can make us strong, be humble, so You can make us great, in Your Will. In the name of Jesus, amen.

See you tomorrow,

love, Karen

Photo by Hunta, courtesy of www.photoxpress.com

The last key to living stressless

Hello again, welcome to A Good Bible Study: StressLess. Let's pray and invite God into this time as we discover the last key to living stress-less:

Father, thank  You for Your Word. As we prepare to share how to apply Your Word to our lives, open our minds and hearts to Your Holy Spirit. We invite You to be the true leader of our bible study time, to make us delight in Your Wisdom and Will. In the name of Jesus, amen.

That's right, we are nearing the completion of this topic of A Good Bible Study, but not the study itself. So, come back each day as we continue to study scripture and learn to apply God's wonderful wisdom to our lives, living with more joy, peace, and love, every day!

It's so powerful to activate our minds and our spirits, but we can't forget about our bodies. It's all connected and one without the others leaves us off-balance.

Getting active every day with something as simple as taking a walk, using light weights sitting in a chair, or even joining water aerobics at the local Y, helps to remove stress hormones like cortisol and adrenanline, and counteract the negative physical and emotional effects of stress. By the way, exercise can be even more effective at treating depression than medication!

It wasn't that many years ago that I suffered depression (and still have to be proactive during the dark winter months) to the point that I found it difficult to get out of bed during the day. I just felt so tired all the time that I didn't have the energy to do much more than care for my kids' daily needs.

If' you've read my book, Effortless Weightloss, you know that a big key to my recovery was getting up and moving for just 5 minutes every day. Now you know where that 5 minute concept began!

Read Isaiah 40:28-31 - don't skip this - read it!

Now, in the beginning, I didn't feel like getting up. Nope, didn't wanna do it. But, looking back I realize that I activated my mind and spirit through prayer and made a commitment to my own health. In the end, I made a choice to get up. And I made a deal with myself: 5 minutes and I was done.

That five minutes made a huge difference in how I felt. I really began to feel just a tiny bit more energetic, so it encouraged me to get up a little longer, and a little more often.

I started out just marching in place, then around my house, and when the weather permitted, outside to the yard. I didn't need any fancy equipment or a gym, just the resolve to help myself five minutes at a time. That's all you need, as well.

Read Philippians 4:13 and repeat it to yourself when you question your own resolve.

Physical movement builds up your immune system, your strength, your sense of competence, and your confidence. It makes you feel better, look better, and sleep better.

Read Romans 12:1

We can care for our bodies as a service to God. What a gift to our Creator to take good care of the body He has given us! Taking care of our bodies ensures we are fit and able to accomplish His purpose for our lives.

The biggest obstacle most of us face in taking good care of our bodies is our own feelings. We let feeling tired, fat, old, over-scheduled, or stressed affect the way we treat ourselves every day.

It's interesting: Our minds affect our feelings. Our bodies affect our feelings. Our spirit affects our feelings. As much time as we all spend thinking about our feelings we should be all over how to give ourselves the feelings we desire, you'd think.

We don't have to give in to feelings if we don't want to. In fact, we can change our feelings by submitting them to God, and asking Him to give us the strength, motivation, and desire to actively care for our bodies, just like any other area of our lives.

Read Ephesians 4:20-24

Put off the way you used to handle life; be renewed in the spirit of your mind; put on the new person God has made you!

We can take advantage of God's gifts - including a new attitude anytime we want it! You, me, all of us, we are never alone in our struggles and in our success.

Throughout this study we have shared 3 Keys to Stress Less. They are to Authenticate, Recuperate and Activate.

Authenticate: Be who you are in Christ, as intended by God and accomplished through the Holy Spirit.
Recuperate: Rest and recuperate both physically, mentally and spiritually, enjoying your God-given creative gifts and talents.
Activate: Actively use your spirit, mind, and body the glory of God.

And remember when you feel discouraged by others, by life, or begin to feel helpless and hopeless:

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (New International Version)

Come back tomorrow and be encouraged in the Word of God!
Love, Karen

Photo by Enter_design, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/ 

How to create excellence

Hello! Welcome back to A Good Bible Study: StressLess. I'm so glad we are sharing this adventure together. Let's pray:

Dear Lord, I thank You for every good thing in my life. My heart is full of love and gratitude for Your constant intervention. I know You are working things for good, for every person reading this study. Every person who loves You has been called according to Your purpose and good things are in store, not matter what has happened in the past. Thank you. Give us clear heads and calm spirits as we share Your Word. In the name of Jesus, amen.

I want to expand a bit on what we shared yesterday. I gave you a quick goal-setting exercise just to show you that it doesn't have to be complicated. We are always thinking about what we want to happen, what we'd like to do and see in our futures. This is just a way of helping you get intentional about it, so there is no hoping things will go well, only knowing things will go well.

Yesterday I said if you put those goals away and do nothing else for a year, you will be surprised how many will have come true, or be in the process of completion. I'd like to show you how to accelerate that process. Are you game?

Place those goals you wrote somewhere that will catch your eye each day, and then read them all every time you see them. Your brains responds best to distributed practice, which means reading something in a relaxed state, in between other tasks. Doing it over and over creates more connections to the information, making it easier to recall (which is the evidence of learning.)

All this combines to make the goals become more and more real to your brain, which likes continuity, remember? Want to amp the success rate up even higher?

Re-write your goals to say "I am so grateful and thankful that XXXXX is happening," or whatever makes sense in terms of your goal. The important thing is saying the words grateful and thankful. Even more important is creating a true emotion of gratitude while you say it.

Really ham it up. Thank God for the events and choose to believe He is working things out to bless you. Be grateful for God's good gifts. Our brains really get excited over feelings of love and positivity. There is all kinds of research, including quantum physics, learning and behavioral psychology, you name it, on the fact that everything responds to positive attitudes.

Without going too deep, even atoms and molecules respond to prayer and expectations. And learning has been shown to dramatically increase in an atmosphere of acceptance love. Still a sceptic? Then try it for yourself. You are your own proof.

Read Philippians 4:6-8

You know what, people who are sick of the way things are, are the very ones who will actively create a different life. Until you are ready to change, things will remain the same. Some of this is new for you. That's ok, because if what you've been doing was working out, you wouldn't be here now.

The great thing about writing down where you want to end up in one month, one year, or even by retirement, is that you have a compass to compare to your options. When you are going to make a decision to spend money, or which people to spend time with, or what to do on a free afternoon, ask yourself first, "Is this going to bring me closer to my goals, or not?" Even if you choose to do something unproductive, at least you are making a conscious decision, not waking up the next day and scratching your head.

You'll be amazed how exciting your life can be when you write down a goal for yourself and then bring it to fruition - it's intoxicating! You will be proud of yourself, and you will inspire those who look up to you to do the same.

And don't get paralyzed by thinking you have to write it down the perfect way, or with the most exact meaning. Doing anything constructive is better than doing nothing at all. You can revise it tomorrow, for heavens' sake!

"Excellence can be attained if you care more than others think is wise,

risk more than others think is safe,

dream more than others think is practical,

and expect more than others think is possible." 

Again, author unknown, but I'd love to know who said that.

Now, write down something  and do it now. Pray about it. Ask God for wisdom. Then do it before you talk yourself out of it. Then go and enjoy the day because God loves you and wants the best for your life.

Read Matthew 6:31-34

Father, thank you for helping us to know what is important and what we should focus on. Help us to dream big and seek Your wisdom in doing so. Thank You for instilling in us the ability to act on our own behalf, and trust You for the rest. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Love, Karen

Photo by Stasys Eidiejus, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/



How your top five values determine your future

Hello friend! Thank you for spending this time with me in A Good Bible Study: StressLess. I am proud of the way you've made growing in your relationship with God a priority for your day today. Let's pray:

Dear Father, I'm so thankful for the changes You are making in our lives as a result of our dedication to seek You in Your Word. Each time we open the bible, each time we pray and ask You to develop our spirits, each time we spend time with others and support each other's desire to grow - You honor us with Your presence. Help us to open our hearts to You more today than yesterday. Help us to recognize the Truth. In Jesus' name, amen.

I'm so excited about today's lesson! We're are talking about your future today and boy, is it bright!

So often we get stuck in our past, and before we know it today has come and gone and we are living in our future without a clue as to how we got there and why it's not any better than we imagined.

Read Ephesians 5:15

God says there are lots of ways that we can throw away the time we've been given, but He wants us to be wise; plan our time so it's used for our benefit.

Read a few verses on. He implores us further to invite God to fill us with the Spirit, focusing on what we have to be thankful for, encouraging each other with Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

In other words, focus on the things of God and His Word, and He will give you joy in your heart. That's always the best place to start our day - filling ourselves up with His Spirit and choosing to be thankful. If you are praising God, you can't help but begin to feel lighter.

Honestly, Satan loves to keep you looking back, so he can make sure you never enjoy right now, or experience the fun of creating a future that brings you joy and contentment. But, you can define and walk right into your future in only five minutes a day.

I love the five minute concept because that's about my attention span sometimes. How about you?

We are busy people these days and I think if we don't feel we can accomplish something in five minutes, then we decide in advance that we don't have time for it.

Now, what I am showing you today is two activities. Both will seem simple, you might even have heard a version of this before and if so, it's even more evidence that this works. So, like so many things, just do it.

When you are stressing out and there is nothing productive you can do about the situation I want you to

1. Say this out loud, "Father, you know what is bothering me and I believe You are working this out for my benefit. Thank You."
2. Then, choose to put five minutes of energy on a goal, a value, or a priority.

Look, it is psychologically impossible to feel two emotions at the same time. You can block a negative emotion by choosing to do, think, and say things that create a more preferable emotion. We learned this week that taking action creates a feeling of accomplishment and competence. That's got to feel better than worrying.

So, may be you are one of those folks who think you don't have any goals. Impossible.

Read Matthew 6:21

It says pay attention to our _________, and that will tell us where our ______ is, or what we value.

What do you spend your real time on? List it all. Not what you think you should spend your time on, what you actually do spend your time on.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

Now, again, what do you actually spend your money on? No one is reading this but you, so be honest with yourself if you want to get the most out of this.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

What did you learn about yourself? Is your treasure, what you value right now, what you thought it would be, or what you hoped it would be?

If you are not valuing what you want to value, you can change it. This is a great tool to see if we are getting off course with who, what, and where we want to exchange our time and money!

You know, looking at what we are valuing with our time and money will give us a good idea of the future we are creating. Is it what you want? Because if we go on auto-pilot, we are going to get where we end up, and it might not be where we hoped we'd be at the end of the day.

Melanie Strick calls herself "The Entrepreneur's Success Coach," and she's identified five Top Values that most of us strive to satisfy in the course of our lives.

• God and Spirtual Growth
• Family Health and Happiness and Time
• Money
• Creative Output and Reward
• Rest and Relaxation including Travel

Try this right now, and do it quick, without a lot of thought. This is not forever, just your top thoughts.

Write down on a piece of paper each of those values and next to each, write the first thought that comes to mind as a goal to achieve in that area. It might be as simple as "pray first thing each morning," or "do the activities in this study each day," for your God value.

For family it might be something like "spend 15 minutes a day alone with each of my children to listen to them." Money could be "set aside $20 a month in an envelope to save up for ____ at the end of the year."

It's up to you. It doesn't matter what you write, but write it and don't throw it away afterwards.

Just tuck it somewhere and don't look at it again for one year. Seriously.

Believe it or not, your subconsious is already making subtle changes in your thinking to make what you wrote a reality. Your brain loves congruency. It doesn't differentiate between "reality" and what you choose to be "real." If you say it happened, your brain actually wants to be congruent so it will begin to make your internal reality and your external reality the same.

That's why what you say about yourself and speak over your children is powerful and it does matter.

Want proof? Harvard did a study in which it asked the graduating class to write down goals. Ten years later they checked on the grads. Not one of the folks who refused to write down their goals achieved what they intended, but nearly all of the students who wrote down specific goals, did what they wrote!

Here's another statistic for you: Only 10% of people achieve their goals. Of those 10%, at least 90% of them wrote their goals down!

The written word is powerful. If you do nothing else, write down something you'd like to achieve - today!

When I was driving a semi over the road with my husband (about a decade ago) I wrote a "bucket list" of the way I wanted my life to be. I found it a year or so ago and was floored but what I saw. I had forgotten about this list almost from the day I wrote it. It listed:

1. My husband would have his own trucking company
2. We would live on a farm
3. I would have horses
4. We would be debt-free
5. My older kids (who lived with their dad) would return home to live with me
6. I would write a book

Guess what. All of this has come true!

Let that sink in and I will continue this tomorrow. Until then, let's pray:

Lord, you have given us more power over our own destiny than we know, or would like to admit sometimes. Make us wise, Lord, in what we value and how we spend our time and money. Lead our hearts and give us a vision of Your plan for today and the future. Help us to take action, to take responsibility for our choices and to write down at least one goal today.

Let our greatest and most important goal be to believe in Jesus Christ and accept the gift of His forgiveness so we can stand before You in the end and hear You say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." In the name of Jesus, amen.

Love, Karen

Photo by Lee O'Dell, courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/