Empowered Life Blog

ATTENTION ALL MINISTERS:

2011-11-27T14:41:00.001-08:00

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

My Pastor read this scripture in church today and I cannot stop thinking about it. It is burning inside of me. This is what I desire for my ministry! It should be what every minister desires. Many times, ministers become obssessed with working on the "art" of preaching and they think they are doing something because the people love an emotional preacher. My question for ministers is: Are people's lives being changed as a result of your preaching. For example, today as well as many other days, my Pastor strayed away from his notes and preached as if he had been in our living rooms and our phone conversations. That is because he is led by the Holy Spirit! I see so many churches where they say the Pastor can preach meaning he is entertaining to listen to, but those people continue to live defeated and in sin.

Ask yourself, why did I become a minister? Is it for the attention? It is for money? It is for prestige or power? If so, GET OUT NOW. You are not helping people, but you are causing damage. If the answer to the question is, "I am called by God," then make sure you always remember that. I have seen many ministers rise to the top and fall because they lost focus. The scripture above should always be the focus of every CALLED BY GOD minister. We should stay in tuned with the Holy Spirit so that His power can be manifest through us and change lives. Ephesians 4:11-12And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: If you are called into the ministry, then your purpose is to edify or build up the Body of Christ!! Ask yourself today is that what you are doing, if not get alone with God and make sure that is what you are called to do and see how He wants you to accomplish it.

HOW IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP?

2011-11-16T12:14:00.001-08:00

Many people say they love Jesus, but often get mad at someone when they quote the Bible to them. That confuses me because in John 1, it says that Jesus and the Word are one and the same. First of all, why are you mad at someone who is simply quoting the Bible. They are not saying it, they are just repeating what God says. Preachers are just reporters reporting what someone said, that someone being God. Christianity is the only religion that is about relationship rather than rituals. God came to this earth to have a relationship with us and then he sent the Holy Spirit to take that to another level.

Think about your natural relationships. Those who about about the person honor their wishes, want to spend time with them, and want to tell everyone about that person.

First, let's talk about honoring their wishes. You cannot say you love Jesus if you consistently go against what he says. He said loved Him, you would obey Him. (John 14:15). Secondly, do you spend time with Jesus? One way to do that is prayer. I am not talking about the “lay me down to sleep” kind of prayer, but simply talking to God. The Bible says to pray without stopping. (1 Thessalonians 5:7). That doesn't mean you can't have a job and a normal life, it just means throughout your day, talk to God. Another way to spend time with Jesus is to read, speak, and listen to the Word of God. How are you going to know what a person likes if you don't hear what they have to say? Finally, are you talking about the Jesus that you say you love or are you embarrassed. When you are in love with someone, you can't help but talk about them! Paul said that he was not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power to salvation, deliverance, prosperity and our well-being. If we are not witnessing and telling people how God can change their lives, we really need to examine ourselves. I have had to check my self in this area. If you believe you are lacking boldness, make sure that you are filled with the Holy Spirit and the boldness will be there.

The Bible tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are in faith. Go over these steps and see how your relationship with Jesus is. If something is out of whack, then change it. If you do, I promise your life will go to another level and you will begin to experience the goodness of God like never before!

Ten PracticalTips

2011-11-12T06:55:00.001-08:00

These are just ten practical tips for success that I received in an email at work. I thought I would share it with you.

Ten Tips

1. Be yourself: cultivate desirable qualities.

2. Be alert: look for opportunities to express yourself.

3. Be positive: determine your goal and the route to it.

4. Be systematic: take one step at a time.

5. Be persistent: hold to your course.

6. Be a worker: work your brain more than your body.

7. Be a student: know your job.

8. Be fair: treat the other man as you would be treated.

9. Be temperate: avoid excess in anything.

10. Be confident: have faith that cannot be weakened.

It's time for you to take control. . . of your emotions!

2011-11-10T05:52:00.001-08:00

This post was inspired by a Facebook post by one of my favorite teenagers. He posted, "No one can drive you crazy. . . unless you give them the keys." So true, Shaun!!! It reminded me of my favorite quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." This quote along with the Bible changed how I view myself. For years, I allowed people to control how I felt about myself! My new favorite quote is "A failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." I work in catering and a lot of times business executives will call me at the last minute and ask me to cater an event that they forgot to do. This used to really stress me out, but I no longer allow it. Don't get me wrong, I will still do my best to get them what they need because they are good customers, but they or anyone else will not be allowed to stress me out. My point?? You have control over your own emotions. No one can "push your buttons" if you don't let them. They are called YOUR emotions for a reason. They belong to you.

From this point on, don't allow people to put you down, make you angry, stress you out, or depress you. Choose to believe what the Word of God says about you, your life, and your circumstances! Make a choice today as to whether you are going to be emotion-led or Spirit-led. Our own emotions will lie to us, but the Spirit of God will never steer us wrong!

Untitled

2011-11-06T18:29:00.001-08:00

I just read a post on a popular Christian facebook page that saddens me. First, a guy posted the salvation plan. That's great. What disturbed me was the comment by the administrator of the page. He said if you read that salvation plan that you will have eternal life. That is a lie from the pits of hell. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we can simply read something and go to heaven. This made me think of another lie that is circulating around about salvation. Many are teaching that if you simply believe Jesus was raised from the dead that you will go to heaven. I hate to break it to you, but Satan believes that and I promise you that Satan is not saved!!

James 2:18-20 says this "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? So what exactly does this mean? If we give to the poor and try to live a life as a "good person" then we are going to heaven. Absolutely not. The works that James is talking about here is described in Acts chapter 2. It is not saying you have to "work" you way into heaven, but you do have to do the requirements that have been outlined in the Bible. Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. "

Prior to this verse, the people were convicted and asked Peter what they should do. Be clear on this. The Bible says if you do not complete these steps, you are not saved. 1. Believe. These people were in a believing state when they asked Peter what to do. 2. Confess. Romans 10:9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Notice it says, "SHALL BE" or will be. This is the beginning step. You must keep going. 3. Repent (turn away from your sins.) In other words, don't keep living a life of sin, but stop! 4. Be baptized. Many people argue against this. Jesus did and the Bible clearly states for us to do it. I don't .really understand what the problem is. 5. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 says, " Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

I pray that whoever reads this heeds these words. You are not saved by simply believing or even going to church. Every step is required. Many people leave out repentance. If you are still living a life of sin, you are not saved.

You Can't Handle the Truth

2011-09-13T07:09:00.001-07:00

That is my absolute favorite line from any movie when Jack Nicholson tells Tom Cruise, “you can't handle the truth” in a Few Good Men. That describes so many people today! We have been such a feeling-oriented society to where we would rather someone lie to us than tell us what's wrong so we an change it. The bible says, “To accept correction is wise, to reject it is stupid." (CEV) according to Proverbs 12:1. Did you see that? The Bible says this certain behavior is stupid. Can you imagine the reaction we would get if we tell a person that their behavior is stupid? They would probably say “you are bringing me down”. “You hurt my feelings.” When in actuality, when you tell a person the truth, you are giving them the chance to come up. I am seen many women get upset when a family member tells them they have gained weight. My question is, “Did you yell at the mirror when it told you the same thing?” You know your pants have gotten hard to button! The Bible says “the Truth shall set you free”. That is the Truth that you know and accept. In order for you to know it, someone has to tell you or you have to read it. Why do so many people get mad at preachers who preach against certain sins? They are simply quoting the Bible. When the Bible says certain sins are an abomination, that's exactly what it means. There is no symbolism to abomination. It means exactly what it says. My Pastor's wife said the other day that people don't get mad when a doctor tells you to quit smoking, but when a preacher does they call it judging. So true! You mean to tell me that you are mad that someone is trying to help you live longer! That is why the Bible calls the behavior of a person that doesn't accept correction STUPID. The Bible tells us to examine ourselves. Please do so. Do you get mad when a person tells you something about yourself that is true? Do you get mad at the pastor when he calls out your certain sin? If so, then change immediately. You will never go higher in life, naturally or spiritually, if you don't change this.

Watch your Mouth

2011-04-04T19:38:00.001-07:00

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

We, as Christians, are quick to correct someone when they cuss in front of you. We tell them that offends us. When, in reality, many times we are offending God. The word “cuss” is actually slang for “curse” and that is what offends God. I am not just talking about “4 letter words” or those words that we don’t allow our kids to say. According to the Bible, cursing is speaking negatively against something or someone or speaking destruction or lack onto something or someone.

In Numbers chapter 13, God told Moses to send out 12 spies to spy the land of Canaan “which I am giving to the children of Israel. . “ Ten of those spies came back afraid and complaining how big the enemies were. In verse 32, the Bible called this an evil report. Now they weren’t lying. What that they was really true. What made it an evil report was that they were in fear when God had already promised them the land. God knew there were giants there when He promised it to them. They developed fear which is faith in the negative things rather than faith in what God had promised them. Without faith, it is absolutely impossible to please God.

There were two men that came back with a faith-filled report. Caleb: (verse 30) “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” and Joshua: (Chapter 14 verse 7-9) “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”

Notice Joshua said if the Lord delighted in them, he would take them into the land. How does the Lord delight in us? FAITH. I repeat, WITHOUT FAITH IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD!!! It happened just as Joshua said, all the people that were complaining and in fear did not go into the promise land. Only Joshua and Caleb made it in.

Just remember when you speak your circumstances rather than the promises of God, you are giving an evil report! Every day, when you wake up, tell yourself, “Watch your mouth” and do so throughout the day. Make sure you are only speaking faith-filled words which is the Word of God and watch your life be filled with the promises of God.

Don't Be Afraid of Shadows

2011-01-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

Since I started studying photography, I am constantly looking for photo opportunities, my favorite being trees. Today I was looking at a tree beside a building and I notice that the shadow, like most shadows, was way larger than the tree and distorted. Immediately the 23rd Psalm popped in my head, the part in verse 4 where is says “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. ” ll these years of hearing that scripture, I thought he was walking through the valley of death, but he was the valley of the SHADOW of death. Then after that part of the scripture, it says “I will fear no evil.” When we walk through the shadow of death, we aren’t actually in danger. We are walking in fear!!! It made me think of the cartoon where the person sees the big scary shadow and gets really afraid and then when they go around the corner, it is a little bitty mouse. I know I have been walking at night and seen a big shadow in front of me and thought someone was behind me and it was actually my own shadow. That is where they get the saying “afraid of your own shadow.”

In the book of Job, many people love to quote the scripture where Job says,
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Job is talking about God in this passage saying that God was the one that did those things to him. When in actually, it is obvious in chapter 1 of Job that Satan did that to him. Job was in error when he made that statement and actually repented of it later in Job 42:3-6. Job admitted that he didn’t understand what he was saying. Although it was Satan that did those things to Job, it was his own fear that allowed it to happen. Job 3:25 says “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.”

All throughout the Bible, God is telling us to “Fear not”. Fear is the opposite of faith. Jesus said in Matthew 8:26 “ Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Also, in Hebrews it says “without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Why is that? God knows that our lives are formed by either our fear or our faith and he loves us and wants the best for us, that is why it pleases Him for us to have faith

A shadow is defined as a dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light. God is light and we see shadows when we allow something to come between us and God.

A shadow is defined as shelter or protection. Psalm 91 says “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” So we have a choice to allow ourselves to be in the shadow of something in between God and us and allowing fear to come into our lives or to live in the shadow of God’s wings where there is protection and safety.

A shadow is usually magnified or bigger than the actual object. David said in Psalms 34:3 “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” By magnifying the Lord, we don’t make Him any bigger. We only make him bigger in our eyes. When we magnify God, we are simply focusing on Him rather than our circumstances.

So, I want you to ask yourself “Am I going to let that thing that you fear come upon me?” or “Am I going to live by faith and speak to storms and move mountains out of my life and live in God’s shadow of protection and safety and be more than a conqueror?”

I Must Confess

2010-07-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

Confession, or speaking the Word of God out loud has a very important role in the life of the Believer. Unfortunately, the majority of Christians are not consistently confessing God's Word into their lives.
The basic definition of faith is believing that the Word of God is true and acting on it. II Corinthians 4:13 says, "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;" If you truly believe something, then you are going to be speaking it. Matthew 12:34 of the New Living Translation says, "For whatever is in your heart determines what you say." So if you believe what the Word of God says, then what you say is going to line up with it. If you always say, "I can't win for losing," then you are not believing the Bible when it tells you that you always triumph in Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 2:14). Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The Greek word for salvation, soteria, in this verse not only means the saving of our soul from hell, but it also includes deliverance, healing, well being, peace, and prosperity. So our prosperity, healing, well being, etc. is tied to us speaking what the Word of God says about these things. Of course, you have to know what the Word says about these things in order to speak it. Proverbs 18:21 says that our words have the power to bring death or life to us. So please stop saying, "This job is killing me!"
In the beginning, God created the world by speaking and he created us in his image. We create our world by what we are speaking. If you don't like your life, then check out what you have been saying. Choose life today. Choose to speak the Word of God not your negative circumstances. You might say, "I don't want to lie." You are not lying when you speak God's Word. His Word is truth. In Romans 4:17, it says that Abraham spoke of nonexistent things as if they already existed. He wasn't lying, he was speaking what God had already promised him. Now this is not a magic formula where you can say something and it pops up. You must believe in your heart what you are saying (Mark 11:23) and your actions must line up with what you are saying (James 2:20). In the next post, I will explain how confession works.

Radio Interview on the Cynther Jones show 3/25/10

2010-03-25T12:24:00.001-07:00

Minister Michele Benson from doc murphy on Vimeo.

I'm a Believer Sermon 3/21/10

2010-03-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Are You Walking the Walk?

2009-09-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

As Christians, when we accept salvation we confess Jesus as Lord of our lives. Actually, most people accept Jesus as their savior, but very few accept Him as the Lord of their lives. Lord is another word for master. That means that we should consult him about every aspect of our lives. Every person has a specific purpose in their lives given to them by God. Your purpose is your original intent or the reason you were created. Ephesians 4:1, the Amplified version says this "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, appeal to you and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the divine calling to which you have been called--with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service." Paul is talking here to the whole Ephesian church here, not just the Pastor or leaders which means each person in that church has a divine calling. Your purpose given to you by God is not going to be sinful, of course. It will in one way or another be used in building His kingdom. You may not be called to be a Pastor or evangelist, but you may be called to be a light in the business world or sports arena. Paul was begging the church to lead their lives worthy of the calling God has called each of them to which shows how important it is to God.We must live our lives and fulfill our callings in a way to is pleasing to God. II Thessalonians 1:11 says this "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill and the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power. The first step to walking worthy of our calling is to do it with faith and power. Faith is absolute reliance on God. Power comes from the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Paul said in Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." That word salvation there means much more than just saving your soul from Hell. It means rescue, safety, deliverance, health, and prosperity. So the Word of God is power for deliverance into every area of our lives including fulfilling our purpose. Power also comes from the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8, Jesus promised us that power to help us fulfill what he asked us to do. But you shall receive power--ability, efficiency, and might--when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends--the very bounds-- of the earth.Step two to walking worthy of your calling is live a holy life. When people call themselves Christians and act otherwise it only turns off people that could have potentially come into the Kingdom of God. Also, when you are not living a holy lifestyle, you are cutting of your power source.Step three to walking worthy of the call is to stop making excuses! When you say you can't fulfill something God has told you to do, you are not living in faith. Jeremiah 1:5-9 says this "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold I cannot speak for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child, for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold I have put my words in thy mouth. Jeremiah was trying to make excuses here why he could not do what God had asked him, but God would not allow it. God told Him he would give him what he needed to fulfill his purpose. Don't say I am too young, I am too old, I don't have any money, I am shy because whatever it is that you need to fulfill your purpose, God has it!Step four to walking worthy in your purpose is to pursue it with all diligence. Diligence means giving every effort to something or working hard at it. II Peter 1:10 says "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things ye shall never fall." Once again, he is talking here to the brethren which means people in the church, everyone not just certain people. It says here that if you give every effort to knowing what your calling is that you will never fall. It says never. Now, I know that people tell you that you are going to fall, but the Word of God here says you will never fall.Step five to walking worthy of your calling is concencration or setting aside time to be with God and hear what he wants you to do and then, of course, obey what he says. In Genesis 22 starting at verse one, God asks Abraham to do something very difficult for him. Earlier God had told Abraham that he would be a father of many nations which is what the name Abraham means. Then in Genesis 22 God asks Abraham to give up His only son. That seems very contradictory. God told Abraham that he was a father of many nations and then asked him to give up his only son and he was already over a hundred years old by that time. Many times God will ask you to do something and it will not make sense. That is where trusting in God comes in. Abraham was obedient to God and when he was ready to sacrifice his son, God had a ram in the bush that he could sacrifice instead. Because Abraham was obedient, this is what an angel of the Lord said to him starting at verse 16. And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and and in multiplying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven and the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.As Paul begged the Ephesians to walk worthy of the call that God has given them, I am doing the same. If you follow the steps I have given you which are (number one) walk in your calling with power and faith which are obtained by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit; (number two) lead a lifestyle that is holy and pleasing to God; (number three) stop making excuses and remember God has everything you need to fulfill your purpose; (number four) to pursue you calling with diligence or with all of your heart; and (number five) spend time with God to hear from and be obedient to what he says. As you do these things, you will experience power and joy in the Holy Spirit like never before.

How To Activate the Power of God in Your Life

2009-09-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

First, I would like to acknowledge my Pastor, William Doc Murphy. This blog is actually taken from my notes of a sermon he preached. It is such a important message that I wanted as many people as possible to get it. I pray that I communicate it as well as he did.If you are a born again believer, then God has given you power to live a victorious life. Luke 10:17-19 says, "And the seventy returned again with joy saying, Lord even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Satan is subject to us through the name of Jesus. Satan does have power, but that is not the problem. The problem is that the people of God are not using the power given to them.What exactly is the power that is given to us: two things, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." The word "salvation" in this passage not only means saving your soul, but also deliverance, preservation, well being, prosperity, and healing. Notice it says "to every one that believeth." The "-eth" on believeth means that we must continue to believe. We can't believe one minute and doubt the next. You must believe the Word when you read it and when you speak it. Even if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you must know the Word also. You must know you have that power in order to use it.Acts 1:8 says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." This says that you will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you. The Greek word for power there is "dudamus" which means dynamite. The power of God will blow up everything in your life that is not supposed to be there. Power also means "the ability to do." It also refers to the power of God and influence.Ephesians 3:7 says, "Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power." Paul is saying here that God gave him power to do what He called him to do. God is not going to ask you to do something without giving you the power to do it.Ephesians 3:16 says, "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; " We get strengthen by the Holy Spirit from the inside out.Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." The power must be working in us. We must have the Holy Spirit in us and continually put the Word of God in us and continually speaking the Word.The power of God will bring ability, influence, and exceeding abundance and above, as long as the power works in you. Like I said earlier, Satan does have power, but if you have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit working in your life, then there is nothing he can do to harm you. God has given us the power to obtain wealth, be a witness for him, heal the sick, and be victorious in every area of our lives. I am going to use mine, how about you?

A HARDENED HEART--THE MAIN CAUSE OF DIVORCE

2009-09-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

Matthew 19:3-8
Some Pharisees came to Him to test Him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"" Haven't you read,' He replied, "that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together let man not separate." "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hardened. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness and marries another woman commits adultery."

A hard heart is the only cause of divorce. No matter what has happened, it can all be traced back to a hard heart. If someone commits adultery, their heart has hardened toward their spouse. Abusiveness--hard heart. If a couple fights over finances, one or both have hardened their hearts to the other by putting finances first either by being inconsiderate of the other's wishes in managing the finances or placing the importance of money over their spouse. No matter what the situation is, it all can be attributed to a hard heart. Either one or both had a hardened heart from the beginning or they allowed it to happen over time.

The good news is that a hardened heart can be fixed. Much of what goes on in marriage counseling is trying to get both parties to see the other's point of view. Why? Because when you understand what the other is really going through, your heart is softened toward them. Also, it helps you prevent yourself from doing the things that caused your partner's heart to be hardened in the first place.

Steps to a softer heart
Put yourself in the other person's shoes. You must understand each other's point of view. If it is your spouse that has a hardened heart, then put yourself in their shoes to see why this has happened. After you find the cause, then take practical steps to reverse it. For example, if your spouse desires a clean house and environment and you are a slob, then this may be why their hearts have hardened. Once you discover this, then create a clean environment for them and watch how their hearts will soften towards you. This may take time because people are generally skeptical. They may not think it will last, so you must remain consistent.
Prayer. Many times a person's heart is hardened due to past hurts. It may be nothing you have done and nothing you can change in yourself to fix it. If there is nothing you can do, then there is one thing you can do--prayer! You can pray that your spouse be free from all past hurts. Jesus not only came to heal our bodies, but He came to heal the broken-hearted (Luke 4:18). God said he would replace our hearts of stone with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). Well, what is stone? HARD. That is simply saying that God can soften our hearts. You can pray that the love of God can be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). If you spouse is not saved, there is still hope. God can not only soften our hearts toward each other, but towards Him.
Intimacy. Intimacy softens the heart. Spending time in worship with God is intimacy with God. Worship doesn't change God, but it changes us. It softens our heart. Spending intimate time with your spouse will soften your partner's heart towards you. Intimacy is focusing solely on that person and blocking out distractions.

Throughout all of this, the key is to be patient. When dealing with people, it sometimes takes time. While you are waiting, remember that God honors marriage and it is His will that every marriage be successful. If you seek Him with all of your heart, He will not only repair your marriage, but make it better than it has even been.

Your Joy is Found in Your Purpose

2009-09-03T16:39:00.001-07:00

Many people are in the world searching for something to make them happy. They look in a man, a woman, drugs, career, and the list goes on. These people pursue after these things with full force to only discover that they are still not happy. The only way we are going to be truly happy is to find out what we were created for and walk in it. Purpose is defined as original intent or the reason you were created. Look at cars, for example, if you try to drive a Cadillac through mud and rough terrain, you are most likely going to get stuck and tear up your car. A Cadillac can't do the job of a Jeep nor can a Jeep provide the same luxury and comfort that a Cadillac does. They each have their own purpose and everyone is going to be happier if they do what they are supposed to do and not try to copy the other. We have so many people who are jealous of others and try to do what they do. We are never going to be happy until we do what we, as individuals, were made for. The only way to know what we were made for is to consult the Manufacturer, Jesus. God had a purpose set for us even before we were born. Jeremiah 1:5 (Message Translation )says this "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you.God says in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Whatever plan God has for us as individuals, we are going to experience true happiness when we are walking in it. God loves each and every one of us and wants us to have a wonderful life. Jesus said in John 10:10 (New Living Translation) The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. Whatever your purpose is, it is going to make your life rich and satisfying.
God has a wonderful plan for each of our lives, but we must consult him to see what that plan is. Proverbs 3:6 (New Living Translations) says this, Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. We must be willing, however, to folow God's plan for our lives and not our own agenda. Job 33:14-17 (NKJV) For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man. God will speak to you concerning your purpose, but you must be able to hear Him. Sometimes he speaks to people in dreams like the scripture above. Sometimes he uses a Godly man or woman to speak to you. Sometimes he just speaks to you in what we call that "still, small voice." That is when you know deep down in your "knower" that it is God speaking to you. Since God created us and gave us our purpose, it is going to be a Godly purpose. No one's purpose is to sing music talking about sex or degrading women. God may have called you to sing, but not to sing in a sinful manner.

When you are walking in God's purpose for your life, things will turn out for the best. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." You notice that it says His purpose, not something you have made up for yourself. What better person is there to know why something is created than the person that made it?

If you are searching for happiness and can't seem to find it, first look to Jesus. After that is taken care of, find out what His plan is for your life. I guarantee that you find that happiness and contentment that you have always been looking for.

I will tell you from personal experience, that since I began walking in my God-given purpose that I have never been happier. Part of my purpose is that I help the people of God become victorious in every aspect of their lives. One way I can accomplish that is to help each person discover their purpose. I hope this has helped you. If you need help in finding what your purpose is, send me a message and I will pray with you.