Expectations

Expectations are a two way street. One should never place an expectation on someone that they themselves cannot provide. 

Think before you expect and expect carefully!

Activating Faith

It takes faith to move forward and overcome the challenges of life. And faith does you no good if you don't know how to release it. You have to release your faith in order for it to work. 

We release faith through our words, actions and, of course, through prayer. It's up to us to act. 

- Joyce Meyer

Blessings and Testimony!

God is all powerful, all knowing, and able. He is in the blessing business and if you think you are in a messy situation...yes, God can even bless your mess and use it to HIS glory. Our messes can become our testimony, which ultimately fulfills His purpose for us as he ministers through us. 

www.btpickens.blogspot.com

Discernment and Truth

"A lie is as effective as the truth if you believe it and act on it"

Break down the barriers in your mind and embrace discernment. Seek the truth and embrace only those things that elevate, inspire, and speak life to you and your situation. 

www.btpickens.blogspot.com

The Barrier's are in the mind

He has sent me to proclaim freedom…recovery…release…favor.” Lk 4:18-19 NIV

The Barriers Are in Your Mind

Jesus said that He came to bring freedom to those held captive by destructive habits, to give sight to those who are spiritually blind, to lift up those who’ve been put down, and to announce that the time of God’s favor toward us has come. If you look closely at ancient maritime maps you will see places which are marked with pictures of dragons. Sailors who explored the world wouldn’t go there. Were the dragons real? No, but they were real in the minds of the sailors.

Picture a barracuda in a big tank at SeaWorld in Florida. A glass barrier divides one half of the tank from the other. Each time the barracuda tries to swim from one end of the tank to the other, he bumps into it. And here’s an interesting thing - even when the barrier’s taken away, the barracuda still won’t swim beyond that point. Why? Because the barrier is in his mind! Satan will place barriers in your mind and say you can’t go beyond a certain point in life; you can’t dream beyond it, or reach beyond it. Don’t believe him! Jesus said Satan is a liar and the father of lies. But a lie is as effective as the truth if you believe it and act on it. With God there are no limits, just unlimited power. The Bible is filled with stories of little people, limited people, lackluster people, and, in some cases, low-life people who penetrated the barriers beyond which they thought they couldn’t go, and God used them to do amazing things. And He can do that for you too.

Lack No Good Thing

“...Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

(Psalm 34:10, NIV)

 

When God created you, He put in you everything you need to fulfill your purpose in the Earth. You have the talent, the creativity and the ideas. You are full of discipline, focus and self-control. You have strength, determination and resolve. The Creator of the universe has crowned you with His favor. If you’re going to live a victorious life, you have to see yourself as a “no lack” person.

If you go around thinking, “I’ll never get out of debt. I’ll never have enough,” what you’re really saying is, “I’m lacking talent. I’m lacking ability.” Or, “I’ll never lose this weight. I’ll never break this bad habit.” You’re saying, “I’m lacking discipline. I’m lacking self-control. I don’t have enough.” If you see yourself as lacking, what does that say about God?

Deep down you have to know that because you trust in the Lord, you are a “no lack” person. Meditate on the fact that Almighty God breathed His life into you. He has already equipped and empowered you. You may have difficulties, but it’s not a surprise to God. He has equipped you, and you are well able to fulfill your destiny!

 

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for providing everything I need. I trust You have given me everything I need to fulfill my destiny. I declare that I am a “no lack” person and receive every blessing You have prepared for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

The Storm

"Sometimes the Lord rides out the storm with us and other times He calms the restless sea around us. Most of all, He calms the storm inside us in our deepest inner soul." 

— Lloyd John Ogilvie

Favor & Qualification

God doesn't always call on individuals who are qualified, but he qualifies those that He chooses to call. 

The blessing of Favor!!!

Refusing to Worry

A meaningful repost from Joel Osteen:

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

(Matthew 6:27, NLT)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

God doesn’t want you to live worried and anxious about anything. He knows that worry is counterproductive. It steals your peace and joy and affects every area of your life — your sleep, your health, your peace. Worry steals precious moments of time that you can never get back. Decide today to put an end to worry in your life. Don’t feed worry by focusing on bad news all the time. Sure, we should be informed, but we should be more informed of the truth of the Word of God. Feed your faith by meditating on His Word and fill your heart and mind with God’s promises. Declare every day, “My God shall supply all of my needs. He makes a way out of no way. He is the Restorer and Redeemer.” As you focus on God’s Word, you’ll drive out worry and fill your heart with faith and expectancy. You’ll experience His peace and joy and move forward into the blessings God has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, today I choose to put an end to worry in my life. I choose to feed my faith by studying Your promises and declaring Your Word over my life. Help me to totally trust in You today and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

The Benefit of Trials

Though trials and tests come upon us, our peace shall remain when we stay grounded in The Word. 

Although trials are uncomfortable, I am witness that they ultimately increase our faith and strengthen our perseverance as we completely rely on and surrender to God, knowing that he is our protector and provider. 

Peace in the midst of any situation is one of the best gifts given to an individual who has endured, withstood, and been approved. 

Leadership: Nature or Nurture

There are several arguments concerning the development of leaders and whether leaders are born or made; I argue that effective leaders are products of both nature and nurture. 

Successful leaders are born with a high emotional capacity and several strong dispositions. On the other hand, situational factors and life experiences cultivate these traits and provide opportunities for people to emerge as leaders when necessary. The theory that closest resembles my view of leadership is Fiedler’s Contingency Model, which contends that leader orientation and situation favorability are essential for successful leadership.

 

I personally define a leader as a person who values relationships and uses communication to provide direction, alignment, and inspiration to a group of people as they undergo or experience change. Good leaders have the ability to use strong informal relationships to communicate a vision and allow followers to contribute their ideas while “growing professionally”.

 

 

Seasons: Sowing and Harvesting

Throughout Life, there are seasons to sow and seasons to harvest. 

Many fail to realize that a person will never harvest a result without sowing a seed. Before focusing on the rewards in your life, it is essential to think about your actions and the seeds you have sown. 

The greatest measure of faith is sowing a good seed and maintaining an active hope and a spirit of perseverance when life delivers continued obstacles. A spirit of expectation and determination supersedes any present obstacle that we face, and we create a victorious testimony by pressing forward and keeping our eye on the prize. 

Forgiveness

"Forgiveness doesn't make the other person right, it makes you free." — Stormie Omartian

Today's Thought - Forgiveness and Healing

Thought of the day: 

Forgiveness starts with self. Internalizing a past hurt, whether intentional or unintentional, will plant a seed of bitterness that will fester and harvest in every area of your life. 

Release the stronghold and stop carrying the guilt. We are unable to love another until we love self; therefore show yourself some grace and forgive yourself for whatever past mistake you've made. Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger and each day above ground is a renewing opportunity to make things right and heal. Today is a new day! 

Love thyself, Let it Go, and Heal!

More than enough - God provides our needs

The moment something starts to keep you from your destiny, the moment it begins to stop God’s plan for your life is the moment God will show up and intervene on your behalf.

Today, be encouraged that you have what you need, and what you need tomorrow is on its way! God is faithful and gives you what you need to fulfill His purposes. 

Joel Osteen

Royal Attitude

In order to move into your divine destiny, you must relinquish a pauper mentality and attitude. 

Victory!

God has already gone before you. He has already lined up the right people, arranged the right breaks, and put the right opportunities in place. 

Even when you don’t know it and even if you can’t see it, God has already given you the victory. 

- Joel Osteen

Greater Than!

My God is greater than...and my active faith shall overcome any obstacle and Goliath in my path!

~Amen

Limitless - I'm taking the Limits Off!

Lord, today I take the limits off You and authorize You to move freely and miraculously throughout my life. I come with an expectation for you release a wave of blessings in my life. I declare that all dark areas are now full of life, areas of ignorance are replaced with wisdom, depression be replaced with joy, stumbling blocks are now made smooth, and crooked paths have aligned and become straight. I decree that unhidden talents be exposed, that my leadership take priority, that I operate on my next level of greatness, and that I profoundly impact and inspire others. I denounce ignorance and allow you to fill me with wisdom, I ignore strife and focus on your goodness, and I focus on the higher purpose and calling you have placed on my life and trust with confidence that Your good works that have begun in me will be complete in Your name! I see freedom, abundance, and testimony in my life, and I authorize you to provide an overflow in every area of my life so that I can serve as a continuous blessing unto others. I Declare, Decree, and Prophesy these things with ALL Your Kingdom Authority. This day and forever…

I Am!!!

I AM!

 

Two of the shortest and powerful words. 

In Exodus 3:14, God came to Moses as the “I Am that I Am”! In Revelations 1:8, we are reminded again that “I am the Alpha and Omega…who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty!”. When a person meditates on these two distinguishable verses, an overwhelming rush of power should occur as you begin to declare your “I Am”! 

The statement “I Am” serves as the precursor to many declarations that we can speak over ourselves and our lives. “I Am” allows each individual to actualize their own self-existence and positive self-truth. Although our power should never be equated to or greater than God, we were made in his image and with his everlasting power to speak life and move mountains. When you declare “I Am”, you place power in your declaration and began to manifest your declaration in the physical/earthly realm. Your “I Am” declaration places intent on your thoughts, while providing purpose and power in your consciousness.

 

Given the power that “I Am” contains, it is essential that we speak life over ourselves no matter the circumstances we face. Proverbs 18: 20-21 reminds us of the power of our tongue and also urges us to speak life over ourselves, circumstances, and fellow men. Specifically, this Proverb teaches us that we are blessed by the fruit of our lips. Through our thoughts and words, we become! Who are you?...Speak it!

 

“I Am!”

 

^{Proverbs 18:20} From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;

    with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

^{Proverbs 18:21} The tongue has the power of life and death,

    and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Anger Yields Anger, Wisdom Yields Patience

Rick Warren:

“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV)

Hurt people hurt people. When someone hurts you, it’s because they’ve been hurt. Unkind people have never felt kindness. Unloving people feel unloved. When someone is rude, bitter, unkind, sarcastic, mean spirited, or arrogant, they are shouting with all of their behaviors, “I am in pain! I need massive doses of love! I do not feel secure!” Because secure, loved people don’t act that way. The person who feels deeply loved and deeply secure is generous and gracious to other people.

If you want to just get even with people, fine. You’re no better than they are. When you get even, you are no better than the person who has attacked you. To be better than that person, you overcome evil with good. You respond with love. You look past their words to their pain.

Edwin Markum wrote a short poem that goes like this: “They drew a circle to shut me out, heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that took them in.”

Here’s a myth that everybody’s been sold by modern psychology but that is flat out wrong: You have only a set amount of anger in your life, and it’s like you’ve got a bucket of anger. When that bucket gets full, modern psychologists say you need to express it. You need to just pour it out. Then, when the bucket is empty, it will be cathartic.

If you believe this myth, you’re going to struggle with anger your entire life, because you don’t have a bucket of anger in your life. You have a factory! That factory can keep on producing and producing and producing. When you get rid of that, you’ll get more. In fact, the more anger you throw out, the more it produces.

Study after study has shown that aggression only creates more aggression. Angry outbursts lead to more anger, more often, until it becomes a habitual pattern in your life.

The answer is not just to throw it out. It’s just going to refill! The answer is to let it go. “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense”(Proverbs 19:11 NIV).

Talk About It

• Why do you think it is so hard for us to let things go, even and sometimes especially between the people we love most?
   
• What can you fill your life with so that you overflow with goodness and not anger?

Favor: My thought for today - 8/26/2013

And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. (Genesis 39:3, 4 NKJV)

Favor - Meaning God will purposely not limit his provision to those who are already qualified. Instead, He will reign, provision, and bless those the world might see as unjust and unskilled,  and qualify them to achieve His purpose. 

The takeaway lesson is for us to communicate with the Source (Himself) and ask Him to reveal His purpose and plan for your life. In addition to this prayer, we should also ask for divine revelation, provision, and wisdom to execute His plan for our lives, so that our steps are ordered and we remain in perfect peace! 

Once the hand of God is upon us and His favor has consumed us, nothing and no one can stop what He has ordained. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. (Psalms 23:5, 6 NKJV)

To Thrive!

Envy, bitterness, broken relationships, jealousy, and unresolved pain are all toxic seeds that can suffocate our growth and prevent us from thriving. The environment in which we are planted and sometimes the lack of being planted can also rob us of the oxygen that is needed to have peace, cultivate growth, and produce good fruit.  

If you feel as though you are stagnant and are not reaching your full potential, take a moment to reflect on your actions, thoughts, habits, and environment; and I guarantee that you will experience some sort of breakthrough or realization. The key to thriving and flourishing is to first be honest with self and to accept the good, bad, and indifferent that lies within!!!

Overflow!

I declare - My cup runneth over!!!

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. (Psalms 23:5, 6 NKJV)

As you thinketh!

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you. (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV)

You're only as good as you think you are

"What good is this life God gave you if you keep selling yourself short?" - Elle Swan

If you constantly tell yourself that you're not good enough, that you can't do something, that you're not smart enough, that's exactly what will be true in your life. You're only as good as you think you are, and if you think you're not good enough, you never will be. You have to have faith in yourself and believe that you can do whatever it is you want. Even if you're actually not good enough right now, you can get there! You can always improve yourself and become more than good enough.

See the full series: www.bubblews.com/news/507181

Pass me a double!

I declare a double portion of God's mercies, favor, and blessings over my life, which will supersede any trial, tribulation, or pitfall that I've experienced. 

Your Journey without Baggage

It's a known fact that when traveling, excessive baggage creates unnecessary stress, inefficient weight, and unneeded delays. Therefore, whatever you are carrying as baggage throughout your life journey, LET IT GO! 

Baggage can come in the form of people, thoughts, habits, ideals, fantasies, and past hurts. Once you decide to maximize your journey and purpose in life, you will then create a conducive mindset to release all that no longer serves you or has a purpose. 

Maximize your journey!

Speak Life

There is so much loss and misfortune taking place daily; therefore let us start speaking LIFE unto and into each other, and leave the hate alone. 

Worthiness of Love

I might be saying a mouthful but I think I've figured out why successful people have more trouble maintaining relationships. 

Those who are successful achievers learn to equate success with acts. Genuine Love, on the other hand, is the art of appreciating a person's being without act or cause. The unfortunate parallel that we are taught in society tells us that we are worthy and valid only because of what we do and what we are, opposed to who we are. This in turn causes us to equate love with accomplishments that become validated via acts. 

The raw truth is that anytime love must be proved or validated via an act or service, isn't love at all...it is fiction. We must learn to appreciate our value as a lovable being, not as one who is worth love only because of a title, position, or deed. Once we value ourselves on a personal and individual level, we can then love others wholeheartedly and completely. We must write our story about life and love based on our innate value rather than our assumed value. 

Who are you and what truly makes you worthy of love? You are worthy because you are!

A valuable lesson

I think I've learned something valuable...whenever I lower my standards or make unusual concessions for people, I end up disappointment or with the short end of the stick. The Lesson: do me and stop lowering my standards! Those who matter and belong will get with the program and those who don't will continue to fall by the wayside. 

I Declare - Blessings

May the blessings of The Lord rest on us!

Love - I Declare

I declare in my life a genuine love that I give and openly receive. A love that does not manipulate or require you to guess. A love that grows, inspires, and brings out the best!

The Modern Circle of Life

I now understand the root cause of the brokenness among our communities, families, marriages, friendships, workplaces, churches, schools, children etc.  Rather than approaching each situation and person with an outlook of purpose and opportunity, we prefer to perpetuate the pain, fears, and lack of self love that we have individually experienced. Instead of moving into our futures with zeal and optimism, we choose to go back to the place that we hurt and relive the circumstance by inflicting that pain, prejudice, and hatred upon another. 

Somewhere there is a little boy who was deprived of a childhood, and  is now a man that cannot demonstrate love to his children. Somewhere else there is a little girl who has lacked self esteem and continues to diminish her value as an adult by seeking unhealthy relationships. Somewhere else there is another who has harbored several feelings of not belonging and grows into an adult that is unable to love. There is also an adult who learned that it is okay to be critical, and in turn shows hatred to anything and anyone that is not the norm. As one can see this because a continuous cycle that impacts everyone and ruins our strength as a human race. 

Let us therefore learn to heal ourselves, forgive, and seek inner peace, so that we can self actualize and become our best self, while setting a much needed example for our children and future leaders. 

A prayer for the world

Let the rain come and wash away

the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations.

Let the rain wash away the memory

of the hurt, the neglect.

Then let the sun come out and

fill the sky with rainbows.

Let the warmth of the sun heal us

wherever we are broken.

Let it burn away the fog so that

we can see each other clearly.

So that we can see beyond labels,

beyond accents, gender or skin color.

Let the warmth and brightness

of the sun melt our selfishness.

So that we can share the joys and

feel the sorrows of our neighbors.

And let the light of the sun

be so strong that we will see all

people as our neighbors.

Let the earth, nourished by rain,

bring forth flowers

to surround us with beauty.

And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven.

Amen.

A prayer for the world - rabbi harold kushner - 2003

 

The art of letting go

Sometimes the Uni-verse will ask you to let go of the things you cherish most, not to punish you, but because there is something even better for you on the horizon. The art of letting go isn't necessarily a negative act. Letting go is essential for creating room to receive the new and greater. If we change our mental framework and meaning of 'letting go', we can then receive meaning of this act as a graceful and positive process. Similar to the adage that you cannot receive with a clinched or closed fist, we must learn to let go. What old thing, person, or idea are you clinging on to? Consider how positively 'letting go', may actually serve as the needed catalyst for receiving what you desire. -Biron