Dream Big: God Can Handle it

God has placed the desire to fly in the heart of every young eagle. The eagle yearns to get up to the rarefied stratosphere of the heavens, close to the sun, and close to Him who is, indeed, king over the earth. He is wired to reign in the majesty that he was created to beautifully exemplify. That desire is buried in the hearts of all young eaglets—but if they did what they wanted to do, there is a chance those eaglets would never leave the comfort of their nests.

With many Christians, it’s the same thing. Just as God has placed a desire in the eagle to fly, He’s placed within each one of our hearts a vision and desire to reach toward the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We’re wired to reach for what He’s called us to do, whatever that dream may be. For many of us, however, mediocrity has become the keynote for our lives because we don’t want to leave the comfort of the nest.

What is your dream? a business idea? a witty invention? a call to the ministry? Too many Christians hang onto the comfort of their nests and miss that high calling of God. They need to take a step of faith, leave the nest, and follow the dream God has placed in their hearts.

Merry Christmas!

Who is Jesus? To the shepherds, He was a sign of respect and self-esteem. To the wise men, He was royalty. To the Jews of His day, He wasn’t what they expected. To His mother, Mary, He was God’s love.

This Christmas, I encourage you to read through the Christmas story from the original source—the Bible—and consider who Jesus was to the people involved. You’ll find the story in the first two chapters of the book of Matthew and the book of Luke. If those chapters pique your curiosity, I encourage you to take a leap of faith and keep reading.

What to Do When You’re Annoyed

 

“The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” -Proverbs 19:11

Give Thanks in All Things

Although news of hate, violence, and tragedy is coming from around the world, we should not shy away from gratefulness; we should actually move toward it. One of the best examples of this comes from 1863, when the news of the day was also filled with hate and violence. The Civil War was tearing the nation in half—yet that didn’t stop America’s leader, President Abraham Lincoln, from recognizing the need to be grateful for all God had given them. He made a proclamation that led to the eventual establishment of our national Thanksgiving holiday.

Take a look at one of the statements made in the middle of that proclamation.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Thankfulness is supposed to be a part of our lives, no matter the circumstance. President Lincoln understood that. He noted the “unequaled magnitude” of the civil war they were in, but did not keep his focus there. He moved his audience’s attention to what they could be thankful for.

The Bible is filled with direction to be thankful—and President Lincoln understood what we see in the Word: a heart of gratitude starts with a matter of your focus.

How to Deal With Emotional Wounds

An emotional wound needs time to heal—but that wound will not heal if you continually rip it open through remembering how horrible the other person treated you. A man by the name of David Ridge put it this way, “True forgiveness is not an action after the fact; it is an attitude with which you enter each moment.”

What Do We Do Now?

Paris.

The mention of this city conjures up much emotion right now—everything from heartbreak for the families who have lost a loved one to anger at the evil that triggered the tragedies. No words can describe how we should react to a situation like this. The instinct to #prayforParis as many have had is good. God truly is the only answer for a situation like this. He knows how to comfort hearts, restore families, and heal bodies.

Now, there is something you can do beyond praying for those affected by this act of terrorism: Don’t be afraid. Fear is exactly the response terrorists want. Instead, remember that God has prepared a place of peace for those who abide in His “secret place.” Take a look:

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

What’s Your Pattern?

Everywhere you look, you will find patterns. Patterns shape our lives and carry the power to produce something positive or negative depending upon the nature of the pattern. Consider how a consistent pattern of exercise will result in a healthier body; a pattern of eating junk food will lead to health problems.

God Himself works in patterns. There is a biblical pattern for healthy relationships, financial increase, parenting, and the realization of God’s plan for your life.

The Fear of Missing Out

Proverbs 14:30 (NIV) tells us that “a heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” One of the most dangerous enemies social media brings us is the enemy of envy.

What to Do While You Wait

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me for I wait on thee. –Psalm 25:21

If you are going to wait gracefully before the Lord and do it in accordance with the Word, you have to maintain your integrity and uprightness.

Integrity can be defined as “firm adherence to a moral standard.” Our moral standard as Christians is the Word of God. If we’re going to wait on the Lord, it needs to be while we live in line with the Word of God and firmly adhere to the Word of God.

What Part Do You Play on Your Team?

Who is the most important player on a team—the superstar who made the three-point shot or the guard who set up the screen that made the shot possible? That’s a great question that must be answered well if you want to succeed in your family, on the job, or anywhere you work with other people.