Know your Circle!

We can definitely inspire a lot of people to experience the precious positive side of life. Some people all across the world are in desperate search of what direction to take in life; The people that you look up to can either make you or break you in the future

PRAYER

I want to be wise so that I can be used by God!

Don't be out of balance!

When we allow ourselves to continually see the bad in the whole wide world or we are always on the defense ~ thinking that all people are evil~ then~ we are way out of balance.

THOUGHTS FROM EPHESIANS~19 GOD'S INCOMPARABLE POWER

A meditation on Ephesians 1:19

God's power is 'incomparably great' [Ephesians 1:19] – it is beyond comparison because there is no other power in heaven or on earth that can come anywhere near it. Like God himself there is nothing up there on that level that we can say 'God's power is like this.' Like God himself, his power is one of a kind. Read Isaiah 40:18,25.

Paul states that God's power is 'for us who believe'. This is an amazing and totally comforting thing. This awesome, incomparable power is on our side. It is active for us. It is not against us. All that God did in and through the incarnation and life of Christ, and through his death and resurrection was done for us, with us and our eternal well-being in mind. All the defeat of sin, death and Satan that his power achieved was done for us. All the amazing work of regeneration, redemption and renewal – all of the power of God that brought this about … was active for us.

Paul prays that we will continue to know this power of Christ increasingly. It is not that Paul prays that we will have this power available to us as our personal power, but that we will understand the greatness of God's power active for us in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul further describes this power of God active for believers as 'like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given …' [Ephesians 1:19-21].

This same power of God that raised Christ from death to life, from weakness and defeat to extreme glory and victory, is active for every believer. It is this same power of God that has raised the Christian believer out of spiritual deadness and separation from God into newness of life and permanent acceptance into the very presence of God [Ephesians 2:1-7]. Nothing of our own ability or works achieved this – but only the life-giving, incomparable power of God.

Because our salvation is entirely the result of the power of God active for us, it is also entirely a gift of his grace. If it took this incomparable power to bring us out of the clutches of spiritual death and into life in the presence of God, how ludicrous for us to think that our own actions can contribute even a miniscule part towards either gaining or maintaining our salvation.

How ludicrous also to think, even for a moment, that any action of ours can undermine or diminish our salvation, when all of this 'incredibly great power' of God, is active for us!

You don't need anyone who doesn't need you!

I don’t know why we all hang on to something we know were better letting go. It’s like were scared to lose what we don’t even really have. Some of us say we’d rather have that something than absolutely nothing, but the truth is, to have it halfway is harder than not having it at all.
You know what your problem is? You get attached, fast. And once you’re attached to someone, you do everything you can to please them and make them happy. It’s never been about what you want; it’s always everyone’s needs before your own. You give out too many chances to people, who quite frankly, do not deserve them. They take advantage of you, and you become a pushover. But you’re okay with that, because they’re in your life and that’s all you ever really wanted. And even if they screw you over, you’ll still be there for him. Because that’s you, that’s who you are. Once you get attached to someone, they capture your heart and they always have a place there. And that is why it’s so hard for you to let go.

I get the whole “He’s the only guy I’ve ever really been in love with” part. It’s hard to let go, hard to move on to someone else and think you’ll never find anyone with such characteristics or chemistry like you two had, but I promise you, once you let go and move on, you’ll find out that, deep down, the only feelings you have for him might be just the fact that you’ll always love him. You may not want him back, you might just be scared to move on without him.Nobody wants to hear this but sometimes the person you want the most, is the person you are best without.

Allow Your Own Inner Light to Guide You

Have a great rest of the weekend! "There comes a time when you must stand alone. You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams. You must be willing to make sacrifices. You must be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved. Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged. There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities. Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better. Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by. Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life. Don't stand in someone Else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way." ~m~

 

Love is a funny thing. you expect it to be easy. you expect it to be a world of roses and laughs and perfect moments that you find only in movies. you expect him to always say the right thing, and always know exactly how you feel, or exactly how to react. You expect him to calm you down when you’re yelling or to chase you when you run away. you expect so much that you feel entirely, and utterly defeated when something doesn’t exactly match up with all your plans.  

But that’s the thing. love isn’t a plan. it doesn’t have a certain beginning and it certainly has no end or visible finish line to those deeply in it. love happens; and it is so incredibly messy.

People around you can’t comprehend why you do the things you do, or why you fight so hard for something that seems to cause you so much pain, because simply, they can’t see. they can’t see the invisible ring of insanity that surrounds you when you’re in love. it’s inconvenient and painful and devastating at times, but we can’t live without it. we can’t breathe the same way or function quite right without it.

Love isn’t him calming you down when you yell. it’s him yelling, just as loud, just as hard, right back at you, right in your face to wake you up and to keep you grounded. it isn’t him bringing you roses everyday or pretty things that make your relationship appear more presentable. it’s after a long fight, that drains the life and bones right out of you both, and yet him showing up at your door the next morning anyway. it’s not him saying all the right things or knowing exactly how to handle you.

We are human beings. We don’t handle one another, and we can’t be handled. we are mutable creatures that need something different everyday. need something more or less to keep us going, to keep us believing that it’s not all for nothing. so no, it’s not him caressing your hair and telling you everything is going to be all right. it’s him standing there, admitting he’s just as scared as you are.
   
You have to remember that with love, you’re not the only one involved. You’ve unknowingly put your life, your heart into the palms of another persons hands and said, here; do what you will. mash it into mince meat. or forget I ever handed it to you. as long as you have it.

That’s the thing about love. it makes us crazy. it makes reality invisible and it erases all the lines that we shouldn’t cross. Love isn’t about fencing ourselves in; feeling safe, feeling sure about the future. it’s about scaring the shit out of every nerve in our body, but pushing forward anyway. because all the fighting and all the tears and all the uncertainty is worth it. and it’s a hell of a lot better, than being 100% happy without someone to show us that there is a world of a difference between feeling ‘happy’ and feeling whole. -m

10 Lies You Will Hear Before You Pursue Your Dreams posted in August 2010 and I loved it.

Unfortunately, just before you take your first step on the righteous journey to pursue your dreams, people around you, even the ones who deeply care for you, will give you awful advice.  It’s not because they have evil intentions.  It’s because they don’t understand the big picture – what your dreams, passions, and life goals mean to you.  They don’t understand that, to you, the reward is worth the risk.
So they try to protect you by shielding you from the possibility of failure, which, in effect, also shields you from the possibility of making your dreams a reality.
As our friend Steve Jobs says:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary.”
Here are 10 ill-advised tips (lies) people will likely tell you when you decide to pursue your dreams, and why they are dreadfully mistaken.

1. You can follow your dreams someday, but right now you need to buckle down and be responsible. – Someday?  When is ‘someday?’  Someday is not a day at all.  It’s a foggy generalization of a time that will likely never come.  Today is the only day guaranteed to you.  Today is the only day you can begin to make a difference in your life.  And pursuing your dreams is what life is all about.  So don’t be irresponsible.  Don’t wait until ‘someday.’  Make today the first day of the rest of your new life.
2. You’re totally screwed if it doesn’t work out. – Wrong!  This is a giant, lame load of BS.  You’re not even close to being screwed.  In fact, the worst case scenario is that things don’t work out and you have to go back to doing exactly what you are doing right now.
3. It’s safer to stay at your day job. – Sure, I suppose.  But you know what’s even safer than that?  Going home, locking yourself in your bedroom, and never, ever coming out.  And just like that you will have flushed your entire life and your dreams down the toilet.  Remember, safer doesn’t always mean better.
4. That’s impossible! – It’s only impossible if you never do anything about it.  The reason certain things seem impossible is simply because nobody has achieved them yet.  But this doesn’t mean that with your help these things won’t become possible in the future.  If you truly dedicate yourself to an end result, almost anything is possible.  You just have to want it bad enough.
5. Only a lucky few “make it.” – That’s because those lucky few got off their rear ends and did something about it!  They had the drive, determination, and willpower that you have right now.  You can be one of them.  It’s up to you, and only you.
6. You might fail.  And failing is bad. – Failures are simply stepping stones to success.  No matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either you succeed or you learn something.  Win-Win.  The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake.  If you can’t handle failure, then you can’t handle success either.
7. You don’t have access to the right resources. – It’s not about having the right resources; it’s about exploiting the resources you do have access to.  Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it.  Get it?
8. You need more money saved before you can take the first step. – You don’t need more money.  You need a plan.  You need a budget.  Eliminate ALL the nonessential costs in your life.  If pursuing your dream requires you to leave your day job, figure out the absolute minimum amount of income that you require to realistically live.  Studying those who have succeeded with similar ventures also helps.  But above all, take baby steps.  Don’t be foolish and assume that you must have a certain amount of money saved right now, or that you must quit your day job today in order to pursue your dreams.  Instead, ask yourself, “What actions can I take right now with the money and resources I have right now that will bring me closer to desired goal?”
9. You don’t need any help.  It’s smarter to go after it alone. – You are the sum of the people you spend the most time with.  If you hang with the wrong people, they will negatively affect you.  But if you hang with the right people, you will be far more capable and powerful than you ever could have been alone.  Find your tribe and work together to make a difference in all of your lives.
10. That sounds like a lot of hard work. – You’re darn right it does!  But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.  I think success in life hinges on one key point: Finding hard work you love doing.  As long as you remain true to yourself and follow your own interests, values and dreams, you can find success through passion.  Perhaps most importantly, you won’t wake up a few years from now working in a career field you despise, wondering “How the heck am I going to do this for the next 30 years?”  So if you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop.  You’re on to something big.  Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions and dreams.

Disregard these misguided bits of nonsense and you’ll be well on your way to fulfilling your dreams.
Now get out there and make a splash!

By-Marc

When God gave me nothing I asked for

"I asked God for the strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for the riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for the power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all the things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am among all men/women, most richly blessed!"

How to Do Quiet Time – Time Alone with God

Quiet time is one of the most essential aspects of your Christian life. Many Christians take some time reading the bible everyday. While it is very useful, just reading the bible will not lead you to much fuller Christian walk with Christ. You need to spend time in his words, study and learn from it everyday. Without daily regular quiet time, our spiritual life can be seriously malnourished just as our body can be Mal-nutritioned without proper food and water! I often wonder when people talk about forgetting to do their quiet time due to busy schedule; I have never found anybody who forgot to eat for a day due to work!

Here I am presenting simple steps for how to do your daily quiet time.

Time: Quiet time should be about 10-15 minutes long. You can choose time according to you schedule. For some, morning works better, for others, night may work well. While, I recommend the morning time as you are much calmer and fresh, any time can work fine. It is also important to set fixed time everyday, as it brings discipline and consistency.

What do you need?

Your bible, note and pen. You can occasionally refer to bible commentary or dictionary for difficult passages of bible (Free bible study resources). But I would recommend studying bible as it is and ask God for his guidance to understand the passage. It is a very good practice to take notes in your quiet time. You will be amazed when you will see your quiet time notes years later!

How To do Quiet Time?

■Start with prayer:

■Spend just few minutes in worship and thanksgiving.

■Spend some time in asking God for forgiveness for our sins.

■Ask for his guidance in today’s quiet time

■Passage for Quiet time: It is good to select any book of bible and read it continuously. It will help you to get the whole picture and can enjoy your quiet time more. Select about 8-10 verses, don’t select whole chapter, as you may not be able to cover it all. Select small paragraph according to passage.

■Read the paragraph for 2-3 times. This bible study method is also called ASPECT method. From the paragraph, ask following questions.

■A – About God – What can you learn about God through this passage?

■S – Sin – Does it talk about any sin?

■P – Promise – Is there any promise in the word?

■E – Example – Is there any example, I can follow?

■C –Command – Which command I need to obey?

■T – Teaching – What can I learn from this passage?

■Concluding Prayer:

■Thank God for his guidance in quiet time

■Worship God for his characteristic

■Pray for deliverance from any sin

■Ask for strength for the day.

■Here is a simple example of Quiet time using ASPECT method

Knowing God's Law

Do you think you could drive to a friend's house across town without breaking any traffic laws-even if you had a police officer watching you the whole way? You could if you knew the rules of the road by heart and really cared about obeying the law. That same principle is true for living a life that pleases God. If you know his Word by heart-if you really care about demonstrating your love for him-you can stay faithful to him no matter how many people you have waiting for you to fall flat on your face.

Understanding God's Love

Can you imagine anyone loving you more then your mom does?

Can you imagine anyone wanting to see you succeed more than she does?

Can you imagine anyone who cares more about your safety than she does?

Multiply your mom's affection by about a billion, and you'll start to get an idea of just how deeply God loves you.

The difference between God and your mom is that in addition to his concern for you, God has the power to guide and direct your life in a way that will bring you ultimate meaning.

What I will do ~ Welcome 2011

Every year I try to write something for the following year... last years was nice but I love what I'm writing now more. 

1. I BELIEVE in the GOLDEN RULE as the basis of ALL Human conduct. Therefore I will never do to another person that which I would not be willing for that person to do to me if our positions were reversed.

2. I will be HONEST, even to the slightest detail, in all my transactions with others, not only because of my desire to be fair with them but also because of my desire to impress the idea of honesty on my own subconscious mind, thereby weaving this essential quality into my own character.

3. I will FORGIVE those who are unjust toward me, with no thought as to whether they deserve it or not, because I understand the LAW through which forgiveness of others strengthens my own character and wipes out the effects of my own transgressions, in my subconscious mind.

4. I will be just, GENEROUS, and FAIR with others always, even though I know these acts will go unnoticed and unrewarded, in the ordinary terms of reward, because I understand and intend to apply the law through the aid of which one's own character is but the sum total of one's own ACTS and DEEDS.

5. Whatever time I may have to devote to the discovery and exposure of the weaknesses and faults of others I will devote, more profitably, to the DISCOVERY and correction of my own.

6. I will slander no person, no matter how much I may believe another person may deserve it, because I wish to plant no destructive SUGGESTIONS in my own subconscious mind.

7. I recognize the POWER of THOUGHT as being an inlet leading into my brain from the UNIVERSAL ocean of LIFE, therefore I will set no destructive thoughts afloat upon that ocean lest they pollute the minds of others.

8. I will conquer the common human tendency toward hatred, and envy, and selfishness, and jealousy, and malice, and pessimism, and doubt, and fear, for I believe these to be the SEEDS from which the world harvests most of its TROUBLES.

9. When my mind is not occupied with thoughts that tend toward the attainment of my DEFINITE CHIEF AIM in life, I will voluntarily keep it filled with thoughts of courage, and Self-Confidence, and goodwill toward others, and faith, and kindness, and loyalty, and LOVE for TRUTH and justice, for I believe these to be the seed from which the world reaps its harvest of progressive GROWTH.

10. I understand that a mere passive belief in the soundness of the Golden Rule philosophy is of no value whatsoever, either to myself or to others. Therefore, I will ACTIVELY put into operation this universal rule for good in ALL my transactions with others.

11. I UNDERSTAND the law through the operation of which my own character is developed from my own acts and THOUGHTS. Therefore, I will guard with care all that goes into its development.

12. Realizing that enduring HAPPINESS comes only through HELPING OTHERS find it, that no act of kindness is without its REWARD, even though it may never be directly repaid, I will do my BEST to assist others when and where the OPPORTUNITY appears.

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
when 24 Hours in a day is not enough,

remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A  professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students, if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – family, health, friends, and favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.” “The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.” “The sand is everything else – the small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued,
“there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.”
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with family and friends. Take time to get medical checkups. Spend time out in nature. Pursue your favorite passions. Laugh. There will always be time to clean the house, fix the disposal, mow the lawn, and wash the car.

“Take care of the golf balls first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.
“I’m glad you asked.” “It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

Please share this with other “Golf Balls.”



I just did…!

Forgiveness is never easy, but it is always necessary... When we forgive, we keep our Minds full of Peace, our Hearts full of Love and our Souls full of Joy.

There's 2 ways to do things in life...you can do it right or you can do it over!

Lord please keep a hand over me,an eye on me,and hold me close to your heart. Amen

10 Messages from God

1. QUIT WORRYING:
Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST:
Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME
Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with youremotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE:
Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME:
I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you toinclude Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH:
I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE:
You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT:
I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be soimpatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND:
Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were allidentical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF:
As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when thingsgo wrong. You are very precious to me, Don't ever forget

When you feel like you have no one to talk to or you have no one to listen..Look up-Because you have a God who loves you more than anything:)

God is the light that shows me the way, for there is nothing that God cannot do