Archive for February 16th, 2010

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending school in Utah. Brother Christianson taught at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules.

 Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson’s class. Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over.

 One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.

After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, “You think you’re pretty tough, don’t you?” Steve’s answer was, “Yeah, I do.” Then Brother Christianson asked, “How many push-ups can you do?” Steve said, “I do about 200 every night.” “200? That’s pretty good, Steve,”

 Brother Christianson said. “Do you think you could do 300?” Steve replied, “I don’t know… I’ve never done 300 at a time.” “Do you think you could?” Again asked Brother Christianson. “Well, I can try,” said Steve.

 ”Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,” Brother Christianson said. Steve said, “Well… I think I can… yeah, I can do it.” Brother Christianson said, “Good! I need you to do this on Friday.”

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren’t the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls.

 Everyone was pretty excited-it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend. Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want a donut?” Cynthia said, “Yes.” Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?”

 Steve said, “Sure,” and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia’s desk. Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, “Joe do you want a donut?” Joe said, “Yes.” Bro. Christianson asked, “Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?” Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut.

And down the second aisle,till Bro. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companion- ship. Then Bro. Christianson asked, “Scott do you want a donut?” Scott’s reply was, “Well, can I do my own pushups?” Bro. Christianson said, “No, Steve has to do them.” Then Scott said, “Well, I don’t want one then.”

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn’t want?” Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, “HEY! I said I didn’t want one!” Bro. Christianson said, “Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.”

 And he put a donut on Scott’s desk. Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

 Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, “Jenny, do you want a donut?” Jenny said, “No.” Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn’t want?” Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

 By now, the students were beginning to say “No” and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

 Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Steve’s work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely.

Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room.

When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next.

Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Bro. Christianson, “Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?” Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, “Well, they’re your pushups. You can do them any way that you want.”

And Bro. Christianson went on.

 A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, “NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!” Jason didn’t know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, “No, let him come.” Bro. Christianson said, “You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him.”

 Steve said, “Yes, let him come in.” Bro. Christianson said, “Okay, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?” “Yes.” “Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?”

Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve’s arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, “Linda, do you want a doughnut? Linda said, very sadly, “No, thank you.”

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?” Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. “Susan, do you want a donut?” Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, “Bro. Christianson , can I help him?” Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, “No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?”

 As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. “And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, “Into thy hands I commend my spirit.” With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.”

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on “I can’t,” because the Word says: “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on fear, because the Word says: “God has not given me a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on doubt and a lack of faith, because the Word says: “God has dealt to each one [every person] a measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on weakness, because the Word says: “The Lord is the strength of My life” (Psalm 27:1) and “The people that know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on the supremacy of Satan over my life, because the Word says: “Greater is He that is within me than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on defeat, because the Word says: “God always causes me to triumph in Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on a lack of wisdom, because the Word says: “Christ Jesus has become for me wisdom from God.” (1 Corinthians 1:30) and “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on sickness, because the Word says: “With His stripes I am healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) and Jesus “Himself took my infirmities and bore my sickness.” (Matthew 8:17)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on bondage, because the Word says: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) and “My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on worries and frustration, because the Word says: I am “Casting all my cares upon Him who cares for me.” (1 Peter 5:7)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on condemnation, because the Word says: “There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) I am in Christ, so therefore I am free from condemnation!

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on loneliness, because the Word says: Jesus said, “I am with you always, even till the end of the age [forever].” (Matthew 28:20) and “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on curses or bad luck, because the Word says: “Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for me: that the blessings of Abraham might come upon the gentiles [that's me] through Jesus Christ: That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13-14)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on discontent, because the Word says: “I have learned in whatever state (circumstances) I am, to be content.” (Philippians 4:11)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on unworthiness, because the Word says: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on confusion, because the Word says: “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33) and “We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on persecution, because the Word says: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on the domination of sin over my life, because the Word says: “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on insecurity, because the Word says: “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.” (Proverbs 3:24-26)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on failure, because the Word says: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on frustration, because the Word says: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on fear of the future, because the Word says: “As it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” (1 Cor 2:9-10)

NEVER AGAIN will I confess or focus on troubles, because the Word says: Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Lord, I feel…..

Beaten…yet
You have made me more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37).
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us

Bound….yet
You are my deliverer (Rom 11:26).
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ”The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
Confused….yet
You are my counselor (Isa 9:6).
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, [a] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
A failure….yet
You have made me an overcomer (1 Jn 5:4).
For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith

Fearful….yet
You did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, andof a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Friendless….yet
You are a friend who sticks closer to me than a brother (Prov 18:24).
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
In darkness….yet
You are a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet (Ps 119:105).
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Lonely…..yet
You promised never to leave me nor forsake me (Heb 13:5).
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you;never will I forsake you.”
Misjudged….yet
I’m accepted and approved by You (Eph 1:4).
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
Poor….yet
You supply all my need according to Your riches in glory (Phil 4:19).
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Sick….yet
You are the Lord who heals all my diseases (Ps 103:3).
…who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Troubled….yet
You are my peace (Jn 14:27).
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you asthe world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Unclean….yet
You are the purifier and refiner of my life (Mal 3:3).
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify theLevites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will havemen who will bring offerings in righteousness,
Vulnerable….yet
You are my strength and my strong tower (Ps 18:2).
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn [a] of my salvation, my stronghold.
Worthless….yet
You see me as a pearl of great price (Matt 13:46).
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

One day a man had an accident while driving to work. He got out of the car and yelled at the other driver, “Lady! You need to learn how to drive. You’re the fourth person that’s hit me today.”

In life, we can get to a point sometimes where, like this man, we’re always pointing fingers and placing the blame on others. But there comes a time when we need to look inside and say, “Maybe I’m the one that needs to change.”

If you’re finding fault all the time and developing a habit of seeing the bad rather than the good, if you’re skeptical and have trained yourself to be cynical and sarcastic rather than believing the best, if you’re constantly blaming everyone for everything that’s going wrong in your life, then maybe it’s time to look inward instead of at others.

Just like the man who had the accident while driving to work; if he had been hit four times in one day, obviously, he’s the one doing something wrong!

One thing I’ve learned is a critical spirit will follow you everywhere you go. You can’t get away from it. You can leave one job angry, upset and bitter and go around saying, “They didn’t treat me right.” “My boss doesn’t know what he’s doing.” “Nobody can do anything right.” But if you don’t deal with the root issue, you’ll have the same problem at the next job or in your next relationship. You’ll still think everybody is against you. It’s because the problem is inward and not outward.

love what Jesus said to people that were always placing the blame on others and looking at what others need to fix all the time instead of looking at their own lives. He said, “Get the telephone pole out of your eye before you try to get the toothpick out of your brother’s eye.” What He was saying is, “Look inside. Deal with your own issues. Spend your time trying to improve your own life, and you’ll have a whole lot less time for being critical and judgmental.”

When I come to the end of my days and stand before God, and He says, “Joel, what did you do with the time that I entrusted you with? How did you use the gifts that I gave you?”

I would hate to have to say, “God, I spent my life criticizing others, knocking people down and trying to make them look bad, placing the blame on others and stirring everything up.”

I have a hard time believing that God is going to say, “Well done, you good and faithful servant. You did just what I asked!”

No, I imagine God is going to say, “Do me a favor. Clean your own window; look inward before you come up here. If not, before long, you’ll be finding fault with Me.”

Today, you can make the switch. You can work on cleaning your own windows. You can wipe away the judgment, criticism, and fault finding, which may be the things that have held you back for years. Love believes the best in others. It always sees the good. And when there is blame or a fault to be found, instead of looking outward, first look inward.

Don’t be afraid to look inward and humble yourself before God. After all, when we’re humble, we give God the opportunity to promote and bless us.

1 Peter 5:6

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” (KJV)

The Message says, “So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.”

By JOEL OSTEEN

Many people ruin their health and their lives by taking the poison of bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. Matthew 18:23-35 tells us that if we do not forgive people, we get turned over to the torturers. If you have a problem in this area or have ever had one, I’m sure you bear witness with what I’m saying. It’s torture to have hateful thoughts toward another person rolling around inside your head.

Helping Yourself and Others

Who are you helping most when you forgive the person who hurt you? Actually, you’re helping yourself more than the other person. I always looked at forgiving people who hurt me as being really hard. I thought it seemed so unfair for them to receive forgiveness when I had gotten hurt. I got pain, and they got freedom without having to pay for the pain they caused. Now I realize that I’m helping myself when I choose to forgive.

I’m also helping the other person by releasing them so God can do what only He can do. If I’m in the way—trying to get revenge or take care of the situation myself instead of trusting and obeying God—He has no obligation to deal with that person. However, God will deal with those who hurt us if we’ll put them in His hands through forgiveness. The act of forgiving is our seed of obedience to His Word. Once we’ve sown our seed, He is faithful to bring a harvest of blessing to us one way or another.
 
Another way that forgiveness helps me is that it releases God to do His work in me. I’m happier and feel better physically when I’m not filled with the poison of unforgiveness. Serious diseases can develop as a result of the stress and pressure that bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness put on a person. Mark 11:22-26 clearly teaches us that unforgiveness hinders our faith from working. The Father can’t forgive our sins if we don’t forgive other people. We reap what we sow. Sow mercy, and you’ll reap mercy; sow judgment, and you’ll reap judgment. So do yourself a favor—and forgive.

There are still more benefits of forgiveness. Your fellowship with God flows freely when you’re willing to forgive, but it gets blocked by unforgiveness. Forgiveness also keeps Satan from getting an advantage over us (see 2 Corinthians 2:10,11). Ephesians 4:26,27 tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger or give the devil any such foothold or opportunity. Remember that the devil must have a foothold before he can get a stronghold. Do not help Satan torture you. Be quick to forgive.

I also think it’s hard to hate one person but love another. It’s hard to treat anybody right when our heart isn’t right. Even people you want to love may be suffering from your bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.

How to Forgive
 
Would you like to become more successful at forgiving others? There are practical steps that must be taken. One time I asked the Lord why so many people want to forgive but aren’t successful doing it. And He said, “Because they aren’t obeying what I tell them to do in My Word.” As I searched the Word, I found the following instructions:

1. Decide – You will never forgive if you wait until you feel like it. Choose to obey God and steadfastly resist the devil in his attempts to poison you with bitter thoughts. Make a quality decision to forgive, and God will heal your wounded emotions in due time (see Matthew 6:12,14).

2. Depend – You cannot forgive without the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s too hard to do on your own. If you are truly willing, God will enable you, but you must humble yourself and cry out to Him for help. In John 20:22,23 Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” His next instruction was about forgiving people. Ask God to breathe the Holy Spirit on you so you can forgive those who’ve hurt you.

3. Obey – The Word tells us several things we’re to do concerning forgiving our enemies: 

a. Pray for your enemies and those who abuse and misuse you. Pray for their happiness and welfare (see Luke 6:27,28). As you pray, God can give them revelation that will bring them out of deception. They may not even be aware they hurt you, or maybe they’re aware but are so self-centered that they don’t care. Either way, they need revelation.

b. …Bless and do not curse them (Romans 12:14). In the Greek to bless means “to speak well of” and to curse means “to speak evil of.” You can’t walk in forgiveness and be a gossip. You must stop repeating the offense. You can’t get over it if you continue to talk about it. Proverbs 17:9 says that he who covers an offense seeks love.

Who Should Forgive?

Forgive the person who badly hurt you long ago and also the stranger who stepped on your toe in the grocery store. Take those two extremes and forgive them in addition to everyone in between. Forgive quickly. The quicker you do it, the easier it is. Forgive freely. Matthew 10:8 says, …Freely you have received, freely give (NKJV). Forgive means “to excuse a fault, absolve from payment, pardon, send away, cancel, and bestow favor unconditionally.”

When you forgive, you must cancel the debt. Do not spend your life paying and collecting debts. Hebrews 10:30 says that vengeance belongs to the Lord; He’ll repay and settle the cases of His people. Let God pay you for past injustices. Do not try to collect from the people who hurt you, because the people who hurt you can’t pay you.

Also, forgive yourself for past sins and hurts you have caused others. You can’t pay people back, so ask God to.

Forgive God if you are angry with Him because your life didn’t turn out the way you thought it should. God is always just. There may be things you don’t understand, but God loves you, and people make a serious mistake when they don’t receive help from the only One who can truly help them.

You may even need to forgive a situation or an object—the post office, bank, a certain store that may have cheated you, a car that always gave you trouble, etc. Get rid of all poison that comes from bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. And remember Proverbs 4:23: Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance…for out of it flow the springs of life.

Unforgiveness is spiritual filthiness, so get washed in the water of God’s Word to forgive and stay clean.

by Joyce Meyer