David says...

King James Version: 

Rejoice evermore...Pray without ceasing...In every thing give thanks...for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Badass Believer Version: 

Live-Large...Talk with the Mighty-ONE all the time...Give Thanks Relentlessly...because GOD dispatched our Brother JC take the bullet meant for You. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I can think of no better verse on the eve of Thanksgiving than the one above. As we approach this holiday, I challenge you to consider ALL that God has done for you and to take the time to truly THANK Him. In VICTORY, or in tough circumstances, you and I MUST remember that it's God that gives us LIFE, with the ability to CHOOSE on what and on whom we truly depend. Choosing God first, is in fact, Thanking HIM.

Most importantly, He sent His only Son to DIE that we might have life eternal, and real FREEDOM on earth while we're here. As a child of God, no matter what you face, the good, the bad, or the ugly, slow down, look up, and FIND the blessing in it; He ALWAYS has our BACKS, be confident of THAT!

Finally, this holiday season can be a lonely time for many, so stay ALERT for those around you that NEED to START their relationship with God --- BE ready to share YOUR story of Faith --- which may actually be the greatest way to say Thank-You to our God.

Feelings Follow our Thoughts

I really like this - Feelings are a compass indicating what is happening in our thought life.  Good feelings tell us our minds are being controlled by positive thoughts.  

Bad feelings tell us the opposite. Thoughts determine feelings. The good news is that we can choose to think anything we choose, and our emotions will follow suite.  

We are in charge of how we focus our thoughts. Some will say, "That's not true. I often have random negative thoughts."  True enough.  But we can choose to decentralize these negative thoughts.

"Undesired thoughts are like birds that fly through our minds — don't try to prevent them from coming — just don't allow them to build a nest and stay! Keep them moving and learn to quickly replace them with desired thoughts.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY!  David

P.S. For Christ Followers --->

When we practice NOT letting negative thoughts "make a nest", it's really an act of obedience, which aligns us with God --- that's our daily assignment --- Stay in Alignment --- He'll take it from there !

"That's Dope"!

Allow God to Stir Your Heart

The goal is to HONOR GOD in your marriage relationship.  God wants you to honor Him by loving and respecting your spouse.  If your spouse's behaviors do not kindle the desire in your heart to offer love, then ask the Lord to stir up in you the desire to love your spouse like he does.  Offer yourself as a vessel unto the Lord so that God can love your spouse through your thoughts, attitude and actions.
When your husband or wife looks at you, reflect back to him or her the magnificent creation that God made them to be.  You will reap what you sow.  Patti

Galatians 6:7-9 (ERV)

7 If you think you can fool God, you are only fooling yourselves. You will harvest what you plant. 8 If you live to satisfy your sinful self, the harvest you will get from that will be eternal death. But if you live to please the Spirit, your harvest from the Spirit will be eternal life. 9 We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up.

David says ATTITUDE makes a difference...

There are many things in life about which we have no choice . . . our parents, our genetics code, the weather, the era in which we live, etc...  

We have little to no control over the global economics or the accidents and diseases and disasters that may come our way. 

HOWEVER we CAN control is our daily attitude and our responses to the things, good and bad, that come our way. 

There is an old saying that states . . . everything that happens either makes us bitter or better. By learning to control our attitude, which effects

our responses to the good, the bad, and the ugly things in life, WE determine whether we end up Bitter or Better !!!

This is NOT a NATURAL habit for us humans, so the SOONER WE START the process of disciplining ourselves to manage our own attitudes 

and responses, the BETTER! 

Who is Running Your Life?

Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence. But once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God’s presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it. Then suddenly we realize, “He has been here all the time!” At critical moments in our lives it is necessary to ask God for guidance, but it should be unnecessary to be constantly saying, “Oh, Lord, direct me in this, and in that.” Of course He will, and in fact, He is doing it already! If our everyday decisions are not according to His will, He will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit.   Oswald Chambers

Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.

----------------------------------------------------------------

David says:  "We all spend a ton of time looking back saying, "God took care of this or that", we get a "warm fuzzy", but go right back to running our own lives, "tipping our hat" to God but not truly determined to get into alignment with Him, and seek to stay there. 

The message above is that the opportunity for living, Real-Time, in a relationship with JC is ours for the taking, but we have to decide to make that our highest priority, then act on that decision.

Today, before we barrel ahead at our routines, pause and ask, "Ok Lord, what do You want Me to do about this or that.....what do you want me to learn here.....how do I get your best for me today even though I really don't feel like it"? 

"Show me Lord, I will stop and wait on You, I'm listening"!

Mary Winters...

Mary Winters is writing a bible study about the Garden of Eden.  The following paragraph is from her work and it applies well to marriages.  If one person in a marriage relationship is willing to stand with Jesus, it has tremendous influence.

When a believer in Jesus chooses to act out the will of the Father, act out the Word of God, speak out the Word of God, or to remain in love, patience, gentleness, self-control etc… instead of reacting in the flesh with anger etc…., this releases the Holy Spirit into the atmosphere and into others.  It displaces thedarkness and displaces the lies of the darkness.

What do you think?  How is this the "difference maker" in conflict?

Marriage Out of Alignment?

DAVID NOTES: The kinds of problems that bring couples to crisis aren’t always clear in the beginning. Think of an automobile that is out of alignment, having hit a pothole or a speed bump too fast. At first, it may just steer slightly to the right, but over time the right tires will begin to bald, and then unforeseen problems arise. When our marriages are out of alignment, they don’t perform well. Just like an automobile, marriages need consistent tuning, maintenance and care—sometimes you even need to consult with an expert to correct a problem! But it isn’t only the misaligned tires or the belts worn from every day use that benefit from our time and attention; the entire vehicle might be capable of performing in ways we never imagined. Imagine yourself behind the wheel of an exotic sports car. Would you know how to get peak performance and driving pleasure from the car without taking the time to learn and appreciate the performance “sweet spots?” Most likely, it would require training, expertise, and study of the design and operations manual—along with practice—to unleash the performance potential of the machine. Consider this little book an owner’s manual to the awesome potential within your marriage relationship.

"God is good, and He is good at being God"

Sally Says...

Faith is something that will never stop growing stronger in you as you continue and persevere at “walking” with Him.  Faith is a muscle that strengthens with learning, adversity, sacrifice, and risk as you wisely obey His call and His direction.  “Belief” in something is a heart/head knowledge and acceptance.  Faith is ‘acting' on the promises and directives of the God who you “believe” in, and His Word that you “believe” in.  It’s not just talking about your beliefs, but walking them out.  Faith is active. It is acting like God is telling the truth…adapting your behavior, your decisions, and basically your whole lifestyle to what God has asked you to do.  it often requires risk, but a risk that requires wisdom.  We must know His truth to know how to step out in faith.  The enemy is working overtime to keep you too busy or too fearful to take the risk.  Don’t let him distract you. God is not worried about His reputation; you do not have to protect it; He is BIG enough to show off His glory and pour out His blessings as we walk with Him in faith, trusting He will do what He says He will do.

Faith does not control God.  It doesn’t make God do something or not do something.  It gives us “access" to what God has ALREADY intended to do for us!  Faith does not focus on how strong “our belief" is, but it focuses on how trustworthy, true, and loyal HE is. It’s directed at and rooted in a “good God”. "God is good, and He is good at being God". If you tend to struggle in moving forward in obedience to God and His word, you do not need “bigger" faith….you need a BIGGER God.  Your level of faith will always be tied to your perception of God.  We need an accurate and honest view of the faithfulness of our God.  And we, as women especially, need to move forward in faith despite what our feelings tell us.  Don’t let your feelings overshadow your level of faith.  We must walk BY HIS WORD and not let the enemy confuse, distract, discourage, disappoint, and frighten us, thereby wearing us down and watering down what we know to be true. You can know by the way you ‘act’ whether or not you are walking out and taking up the shield of faith.

A woman who extinguishes the fiery darts of the enemy with her Shield of Faith “chooses" to live with a steadfast confidence in the Lord and His promises.  She “walks" onward in accordance with the truth revealed in His Word, and she “pushes” past her fears and/or doubts which the enemy uses to try to paralyze her in insecurity.  

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.” (Deut 7:9)

Our righteousness is not something we manufacture...

Our righteousness is not something we manufacture.  It is something that is “put" inside us (it is imputed by the Holy Spirit) when we believe, and it is something that must be “released” outward and onward.  It is the Holy Spirit who works in and through us to do this.  He convicts us, teaches us, grows us.  Our job is to be sensitive to His guidance and continue to align our lives with God’s expectations and will. Righteousness is walking out what is already in us. Unrighteousness is walking out what is of the flesh, and not the Spirit.  When we choose to sin (which is often easier than choosing not to) we are quenching the work of the Spirit in us.  Continued “unright” living breeds an environment for enemy infiltration.  We must “intentionally” protect our mind, will, emotions, conscience (our soul—where our heart lies) from what is not “right” with the breastplate of what is.  We are “putting on” the “new self”—the self that is aligned with the Light of the World.  It should start to feel very comfortable on us.  Imputed righteousness is a once in a lifetime action happening at our profession of faith and belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  Practical righteousness is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day choice and action.  It is our living out what’s in us.  God’s Holy Spirit takes the responsibility to renew us and work His righteousness through us.  Whew, that is so good!  He is renewing our minds, realigning our passions and attitudes, and giving us strength to live in a way that is pleasing to Him and a blessing to others.   Sally Abbott