Living Out God's Plan for Our Lives

As we learn that God has a plan for us and we begin to live it out, it will give us hope. So many people are living without hope. Every time a person gets drunk or high, it is a demonstration of a lack of hope. They put their hope in a bottle or a pill that may numb the pain and provide some pleasure, but not a better tomorrow. Even if we have chosen the wrong path in life, we can get on the right path at any moment. It may not erase all the damage of yesterday, but it can get us going in the right direction. Hope means that no matter what life looks like at this moment, it can be better tomorrow. To many people this seems more like a dream than reality. But God’s reality is that He has the hope-giving plan ready for us, we just have to get with His program.

God’s plans also let us know that we have a good future ahead of us. I have met so many people who are striving for a better future. While I agree that we should all be striving for our futures, it is best to strive for the future that God wants for us. Whatever man can earn, man can lose. Whatever we can create or build will eventually break down or fall apart. When God establishes something, there is nothing that can change it. That’s the kind of future I want: one that will not fall apart over time.
Wounded Heart p. 104

As we start off a new year and a new decade today, we have hope. There is a God that always has a better plan for us than we could ever devise or live on our own. With the coming of a new year, we should have an expectation of living the greatest year of our lives!

Each day, we should seek God's presence and direction in our lives. As God leads us, we can set goals that will unfold over time. As we walk out these goals, God will continue to direct us each day in the right direction. He promises to never leave us or forsake us and to guide us into all truth! His plans are to prosper us, to give us a hope and a future. Its just up to us to seek Him so that He leads us into His will in all areas of our lives!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, as I start this New Year, I ask for your direction through the Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth and into the situations and relationships that I need to prosper in my life. I ask for the wisdom and the strength to walk it out. I pray this in Jesus name - Amen!

Key 12: Live a Great Life!

So now it’s time to live! Jeremiah 29:11 says, “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD,‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” Just as God spoke to Jeremiah about having a plan for Him, God also has plans for us as individuals. His Word teaches us that before we were born, He knew us. Living a great life is not accomplished through our own planning, but through walking out the plan that God already has for us. The issue is that if we want to know the best plans we could ever live, we have to go to God. He reveals these plans to us through His Word and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God has already established these plans, but it is just up to us to live them out.

God’s plans are always good for us and never meant to hurt us. Prosperity in the many different areas of life demonstrates that we are following God’s plans. Most of the pain in our lives demonstrates that we are out of God’s will and trying to live out our own plan. Even if we experience pain along with God’s plan, in the end it will be worth it because of the greater benefit of what God wants to achieve. God even uses times of trial to make us stronger, have greater faith and build character, which leaves us better off in the long run. pp. 103-104

One of the most exciting things that I began to experience as I committed to follow Jesus was that God had a more exciting plan for me than I could ever get for myself! This was incredible because I had lived a life where I totally went for it every day of my life, but it got emptier and emptier. I walked away from all of the things that I thought would make me happy but never did, to find out that it was in my relationship with Jesus where true adventure and fulfillment would be experienced.

Maybe your a million miles away from God right now or maybe you have a relationship with Jesus but life doesn't seem as good as it could be. Either way, let go of the past, let go of your plans and go for God's plans! You'll be glad you did!

Prayer: Lord, teach me to live a great life! Teach me to let go of anything and everything that is in the way of me walking out the plan and purpose that you created me for. Help me to keep growing in all areas of life so that I can achieve my destiny. I pray this in Jesus name - amen.

Overcoming the Enemy of Fear

Fear is your enemy. It will paralyze you and hold you back your entire life if you let it. Fear is not just an emotion, it is actually a spiritual thing. In 2 Timothy 1:7 it says, “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind” (KJV). Fear is a spiritual issue and it is not God’s will for your life. The Spirit that God gives us results in power, love and self-discipline. This means the more you invite Jesus into your life, and allow Him to lead you in every area, the more you will experience power, love and self-discipline. God’s Word also says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment” (1 John 4:18).

This means that the more we grow and experience God’s love in our lives, the love of God “drives out fear”. You can stand up against fear and begin to walk in peace and confidence. Taking risks will no longer be scary. It may be uncomfortable to take risks but it will not be fearful. You will also learn to give yourself freedom to succeed. You will also open up the opportunity for failure, but it will be greatly reduced and you won’t put yourself into a position where you will experience devastating failure. Wounded Heart pp. 99-100

Risk taking should actually be an adventure in our lives. I love going after accomplishments that others say are impossible or won't even try to do. It is exciting to hear from God about what He wants to do and then go for it! I have learned to live without fear of failure. Even in failure, you can learn so much! When you follow God's leading, which is guided by His wisdom and love, fear is not even an issue.

Prayer: Jesus, help me to know and live in your love in a greater way! Please lead me into my purpose in a greater way guided by Your wisdom! I pray this in Jesus name - amen.

Risk Taking is a Necessity

God created you to live an exciting and powerful life. He created each of us with a purpose, and living out your individual purpose will be the most fun, most fulfilling life you could live. Many people never live out this purpose because they stay stuck in the past. Satan also wants to keep us in a static position. He wants to remind you of pain and failure, and fill you with fear to keep you stuck in your past. Satan wants to convince you that you can’t change or grow or be healed. Those are all lies. Wounded Heart p. 99

There is a saying that a person can be "like a deer caught in the headlights". Deer are beautiful animals but I don't think they are very intelligent. They live mostly by instinct. Deer often cross roads at night time because they don't understand the danger. When a car comes and the deer is in the middle of the road, something shuts down in them when a car comes. They actually freeze when they see the headlights of the oncoming car. They have the ability to escape but when they are paralyzed with fear, they often get hit and killed.

If we are not careful, we can be like that deer, paralyzed by fear and uncertainty of what is coming towards us in life. Just like that deer, we have the ability to move and be safe, but we must not get paralyzed with fear. I heard someone say that fear is actually faith in failure. I don't like failure but I refuse to let it paralyze me. I have decided to always continue moving forward even in pain and confusion. It is often as I move forward that God's presence and direction come into my situation.

Once you have clear direction from God, you are ready to go for it! This risk taking is a necessity to live life to the fullest! I refuse to be limited by my past or my present. An amazing thing happens as we struggle forward, most people never understand of see our struggle, they just see the results. When you fail, people just see that and don't appreciate the effort. When you succeed, they often assume it was easy! Either way, we can't live by what other people think or feel. Pray for direction, hear God's voice and go for it!

Prayer: Jesus, in Your Word, you declare that Your sheep hear Your voice. Guide me and direct me and help me have the courage to take wise risks according to Your will and in Your power! I pray this in Jesus name - amen!

The Abundant Life Means Taking Risks

Pain, failure and disillusionment can have a paralyzing effect. God has much more planned for your life. Jesus said in John 10:10, AMP, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)”. God doesn’t just want to heal you. He wants to make you whole, live in confidence and begin to take wise positive risks. Nobody ever achieves greatness without taking a risk. No one ever gets a new job or promotion or begins a new relationship without taking a risk. In fact if we want to achieve and experience the greatest things in life, we have to be progressively greater risk takers. Wounded Heart p. 98

Accomplishments require risks, great accomplishment's require taking great risks. It is easy to look at successful people and think that it was easy for them to achieve what they have done. I have learned that successful people have earned it. In my experience, people or the world don't just hand you things, you have to go get them!

I've come to a place where I applaud successful people because I understand the personal price they have had to pay to achieve things. Great marriages cost. Friendships cost. Any accomplishment worth having costs. Along the way are many opportunities to get side tracked, get tired, fail or quit.

But we serve a God that says we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us!!! (Phil. 4:13). I encourage to seek God daily, ask Him what He wants you to go after today and in the days ahead, and learn to rely on the strength of Jesus on a daily basis.

When we understand what God has created us to do and walk in His power, there is risk but there is also great reward!

Prayer: Jesus, I need your strength and wisdom today. Direct me today to what I should focus on and help me to see the big picture. Teach me to plan my life so that I can achieve all the purposes and the abundant life that you created me to live. I pray this in Jesus name - amen!

Key 11 – Be a Positive Risk Taker

Too many people live timid lives. They have been hurt and want to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. My experience is that many people who have gone through hard times or faced difficult situations will do the minimum to get by and get on with life. Past disappointment can make us fearful of taking risks or cause us not to try our hardest because of the possibility that there will be no benefit or reward at the end of the day. Wounded Heart p. 97

The devil plays games with people. He tempts them to do stupid things and then after that piles guilt and shame on them so they are afraid to try something new. The problem with that is that God is always doing something new. If we are paralyzed by the pain or disappointment of our past, we will miss out on what God has for us.

Throughout this book and the blog posts, we have taken many steps in the right direction. I am not talking about taking foolish risks or even unclear risks. I am talking about taking wise risks.

Wise risks are things like going for a promotion, writing a book, switching jobs, beginning new relationships but at the right time, in the right season and with both eyes open (and paying attention - LOL).

Jesus came that we may live life more abundantly and that will take some risks!

Prayer: Jesus, help me to be bold and take wise, positive risks. Lead me away from foolish risks and help me see opportunities to live life in a greater way. I pray this in Jesus name - amen.

The Importance of Family and Friends

Our Family is Part of our Support Team

For some, family is the most important thing in life. For others, it is not a priority. For many, family is important but the responsibilities of life can be overwhelming. I have seen studies where they attach microphones to small children and the average time that some fathers spend talking to their children is less than two minutes a day! Many people have also grown up in broken families or been raised by single parents and may have no idea of what healthy family life actually is. Whatever your situation, I encourage you to build your family in whatever ways that you can. You will be happy you did.

Friends –Finishing Off Our Team

We need good friends for many reasons: for support, encouragement, acceptance and just to have fun! Friends can supply a listening ear, loving advice and stability over time. We also often do the things our friends do. This is why it is important to have friends that have great values and goals in life. We will either soar like eagles or wallow through the mud with our friends. Choose your friends wisely. God built us for relationship with Him and with people. We need both. God has a great destiny for us, but we need a team around us that will help us reach that destiny. Life has risks and challenges. The greater the team we surround ourselves with, the more positive risks we will be willing to take and the greater challenges we will be able to overcome. Wounded Heart p. 95

When we invest in our family and friends, the payback is huge. Friends and family also can meet so many of our social needs and support and encourage us in both good and bad times. I have had to learn what it means to build a strong family and to stay connected with good people. Our culture can make both difficult but that means that we should focus on it more than ever!

Prayer: Jesus, help me to build solid life giving relationships with both family and friends. Teach me how to do this and how to change or break unhealthy relationships in my life. I pray this in Jesus name - amen!