Tag Archives: faith

Minimize Uncertainty

Posted on by under Daily Inspiration
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Wanting to minimize uncertainty is a common human tendency. But is it what we're supposed to do as believers?

Why do we have this tendency to try to minimize uncertainty? We’d rather put confidence in ourselves, in our own thoughts and understanding, then trust in God. But God told us not to rely on our own understanding. And He’s proven over and over again that He’s trustworthy.

Rather than attempt to minimize uncertainty, we ought to embrace uncertainty, as it’s during these very moments when the power of God is on full display in our lives. God uses our circumstances to mold us. Like a potter and his clay. Our lack of understanding brings us closer to God as we rely on Him wholeheartedly to guide us and carry us through life. Just as He intended.

To be fearful of our circumstances, and uncomfortable with our uncertainty, is simply a lack of belief in God’s providence.

To learn more about all God has promised to you, I highly recommend reading the Bible. If you have any questions about the Bible, http://www.gotquestions.org is a great resource!

Paul was Chosen

Posted on by under Christian Spirituality
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Paul was chosen. Want to be disciple of Christ? We can learn a lot from his chosen ones, like Paul.

Paul was chosen, yet he was opposed. Be prepared to stand in the face of withering opposition. Remain bold, even when you’re mocked.

Paul was chosen, yet God took nearly two decades to prepare him. Don’t waste your white space. These in between times are often when God is doing His best work in preparing you.

Paul was chosen, yet he suffered. Suffering is one of God’s greatest tools that He uses to train us. Suffering breeds the very thing that ends it; compassion.

Stand amazed at God’s love for you in His darkest hour. And then believe in His love for you in your darkest hours.

To learn more about the life of Paul, I highly recommend you read the Bible. If you have any questions about the Bible, http://www.gotquestions.org is a great resource!

Your Faith will be Rewarded

Posted on by under Conversations with God

It is written, “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord, with all your heart and mind, and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) 

Breathe, child. You are stressed and upset because you’re not getting to do what you want. But do you trust me for what you need? Maybe I have different plans for you today, then you do for yourself. Are you willing to submit to my plans? Will you do so joyfully? Are you confident in my abilities? To protect you, guide you, and lead you? Will you follow me with joy? Free of distractions? 

Watch how I turn your day around when you lean on me, and trust in me, and you do so with confidence. Then, your faith will be rewarded. 

Good Work

Posted on by under Conversations with God

It is written, “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

My beloved child, you are my creation. Made in my image. When you surrender to me daily, I’m able to use you for My will. And when I do, we both take great delight in the results.

You love to see the fruits of your labor. But be careful not to idolize them. This can be a very subtle sin, when you produce good works for me, and then begin to identify with those good works.

When people praise you with admiration and appreciation, always point them back to me, your Creator. The One who made such works possible. After all, your joy doesn’t come from anything you’ve done or produced. It comes from me alone.

Keep pride at bay and humble yourself before me, so that I may use you how I please. And then we can both delight in the good work that I’m doing in you and through you.

God’s Gym is Now Open

Posted on by under Christian Spirituality

Below is a guest blog post from my father, Jim Anthony. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 😉

Believers in the United States and around the world have always been invited into God’s Gymnasium for faith training. Some, but not enough, know that our personal trainer is the Holy Spirit. We get to choose to join the gym or not, or meet our trainer or not. The obvious fact is that we as a people have been mortally out of shape. God sees it and now is His appointed Time for transformation, and an intensive spiritual fitness challenge is calling to us. 

Blissfully fat on false faith, empty hope, lustful love, fanned fear, and misplaced trust in the world and its idols, we desperately need the severe exercises of God-sourced faith, hope, and love, all placed squarely on the one and only truly healthy object: God Himself.

We have been reliant on our eyes and what they see, mesmerized by materialism, deceived by our hope in human authorities, and malnourished by the junk food of earth. We need the Bread and treasure of Heaven, the Reign of our King, and the real Faith that leads us through fear and darkness.

Exercising our spiritual muscles actually strengthens our physical, emotional, and intellectual muscles. We can and will live victoriously rather than as slaves once we get ourselves back in shape, and “In shape” is Biblically defined as “In Him.”

Here’s a few of the exercise routines presented to us daily:
        1.      Pray for our enemies. That prayer can and must include their defeat and destruction.  
        2.      Recognize we are not fighting flesh and blood, but powers of darkness. 
        3.      Use supernatural discernment. See the lost souls God loves behind the monster masks. 
        4.      Learn how to wage spiritual warfare, using all the spiritual gifts, such as worship and the Word of God as both a shield and weaponry. 
        5.      Trust that God’s plan will prevail. Choose faith over fear. 
        6.      Learn to see, hear, think and speak with His eyes, ears, mind and mouth. 
        7.      Find your strength in His Holy Spirit, not in your body or self. 

So we must go to the God’s Gym every moment of every day to get instruction and personal training. Ask Him for the training you need, and He will train you. Listen to Him, and act accordingly. “How can I hear him,” you might ask? In the deep quiet of your soul/mind/heart, you will hear his Revelatory voice. Look for God-incidences and divine appointments on a daily basis. Listen for His voice through others. Read the signs of the times and events in your life and those around you. Ask Him to explain it all to you and He will. Make sure that you make time to listen, internalize, and then act. 

As we do this, Heaven will manifest itself on earth, His Kingdom will come, and His will shall be done, in your world as it is being done in heaven. 

His workouts are worth it. 

You can read more of his work over on his blog – Waking Up the Walking Dead.

Some People Say They Lose Themselves…

Posted on by under Daily Inspiration

Some people say they lose themselves in new motherhood. But I think I’ve found myself. 

The slowed down pace of life, the presence, the simplicity, all things I’ve longed for and couldn’t obtain. 

The wonder, the curiosity, the delight, all qualities that I’ve struggled to hold onto through the years. 

The adventure, the joy, the humility, she brought it all back to me and some. 

Profound purpose, deep meaning, intense connection…all ingredients of a life well lived. 

Some people say they lose themselves in new motherhood. But I think I’ve found myself again. 

Wonder

Posted on by under Daily Inspiration

I think too much of our time is spent trying to dissect God, to understand Him, and too little is spent simply allowing our hearts to feel awe.

It’s ironic; we deprive our hearts of wonder and yet, we need wonder. We all know that death is coming and we need something mysterious to happen after it. We need to know that God has things figured out, even if we don’t. We need there to be Someone bigger than us who has it all under control. I think this is our greatest form of worship: wonder.

If I Could Sum Up Parenthood in One Word…

Posted on by under Daily Inspiration
If I could sum up parenthood in one word, it would be “surrender”. 

The act of surrender begins in pregnancy. It’s challenging to not try to control all the changes and outcomes. The unknown. The waiting. 

It intensifies the last few weeks as we prepare for baby’s arrival. Letting go of deadlines, dates, and expectations. Surrendering to our baby and God’s perfect timing. 

It peaks during birth as the contractions are relentless. Like a train coming towards us and we can’t get off the tracks. Nothing and no one can stop it. 

And then the baby is here. And a new phase of surrendering begins. 

Is the baby okay? Are we doing this right? Will we get to sleep tonight? 

Once again, we find ourselves letting go of deadlines, dates, and expectations. Putting personal to-do lists on the back burner and holding all external commitments loosely. 

Maybe this is why parenthood is so beautiful. This constant act of surrendering. This daily practice of faith. We surrender ourselves, over and over again, so we can stand back in awe at the faithfulness of our God. 

Walnuts and Rice

Posted on by under Daily Inspiration, How To/Advice

Here’s a fun exercise to try if you haven’t heard of it before:

walnuts-and-rice

Take a jar, a handful of rice (enough to fill the jar) and a handful of walnuts. If you put the rice in first and then the walnuts, you’ll find that there is not enough room in the jar for both. But if you put the walnuts in the jar first and then the rice, they both fit fine.

What’s the lesson?

The walnuts are our priorities. The things that matter most in life.

The rice is everything else. The small stuff. All of life’s little details.

walnuts-and-rice

When we do what matters most to us first, the rest of life kind of just falls into place. Life always works itself out when we have our priorities in line and we put our walnuts first.

Imagination and Prayer

Posted on by under Christian Spirituality, Daily Inspiration

As we age, imagination either overtakes logic/memory or logic and memories overtake our imagination. Imagination is the road less traveled but it is the pathway to prayer. Prayer and imagination are directly proportionate. The more you pray, the bigger your imagination becomes.

A good test of your spiritual maturity is whether your imagination is getting larger or smaller. The older you get, the more faith you should have because you have experienced more of God’s faithfulness. It’s God’s faithfulness that increases our faith and ultimately, our imagination and dreams.

God wants us to keep on dreaming until the day we die. If we keep praying, we’ll keep dreaming. And vice versa. In fact, praying is a form of dreaming and using our imagination is also a form of prayer.