Total Health Reaching your Potential Through your Vision

Total Health Reaching your Potential Through your Vision and Destiny April 17, 2012

“Be still and know that I am God. ” -Psalm 46: 10

Pressing on in Faith “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. ” Hebrews 12: 1 -2 a NIV

“ Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. Hebrews 12: 1 -2 a AMP

• Remember to daily think about this verse this week; Practice this verse! What are your life’s goals? What is the race you are to run? • Look at the other bible versions of this verse; • Let your meditations turn into prayers, talking with God; • Ask God to reveal and show you special things about it; • Consider defining key words in the verse; • He may encourage or correct you; • Write down what you think He may be telling you about this verse

Suncoast Communities Blood Bank provides a reliable supply of blood products and services. • We had a very successful Blood Drive on April 10, 2012. 13 successful Donations. • Our Blood Drive # is 4520. If you or family member want to continue donating, use this number so it will count for LAF HS Co-op. • Scholarship forms: www. scbb. org. Bring form to me so that I can verify your participation. • Thank you goes to everyone who donated, brought in donors and wore their T-Shirts.

What Motivates You? What keeps athletes motivated to endure hours of strenuous workouts? What keeps athletes motivated to sacrifice time, money and fun to compete in an event? The answer is vision.

Vision Defined Unusual foresight: an image or idea of spiritual nature or obtained under the influence of a divine…agency.

You are a praying Christian, You read your bible. You go to Church. You may even go to youth group. You have the Holy Spirit living and dwelling in your mortal body. You hear from God. Do you have a vision for your life, that is, a motivating cause given to you by God that gives you a purpose for living?

The Bible says …. “Without a vision the people perish. ” -Proverbs 29: 18

Wendell Smith, founder of Generation Ministries says… “Our generation needs a fresh understanding of purpose – where they came from- where they’re going and why in the world they’re here!” There is a specific purpose for your life. God created it when He created you before the foundations of the earth were laid!

There is a deep sense in the hearts of Christians that each believer has a purpose for living, a purpose beyond existing for selfish gain. God created all things for a purpose. That includes you.

In Revelation 4: 11 John writes… “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. ” KJV

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. ” NKJV

To get a grasp of the power of this verse, compare the two words will and pleasure. All the verses in the New Testament translation come from the original Greek language. If you compare the Greek meaning of these two words you see a powerful connection.

Pleasure: a determination, a choice, specifically a purpose or a decree, a volition, inclination, desire, or will. Will: To determine, a choice, to prefer, to wish, to be inclined to, to delight in, to love.

As we already know from our daily journaling, looking at the Greek definitions from the different translations, you can see that God chose to create you for a specific purpose. His will (His desire contained in His Word) for you is that you find His purpose, walk it out in your lifetime and ultimately reach the potential God has planned for you. This give God His greatest pleasure!! Do you know that you are His favorite child? It is as if no one else matters on this earth but you.

Vision is obtained from a divine source Jesus Christ is the Lamb sacrificed on the cross for your life. If it was just you, the only one on the earth, He would have still made that sacrifice for your sins on the cross. It is God’s will about all else that none shall perish, but all come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

• Jesus Christ is the Lamb sacrificed on the cross for your life. • If you were the only person on the earth He would have suffered for you alone. • What you make of your life is of great interest to Him!

• God wants to reveal His purpose to you. • He does not want you to be “in confusion” concerning your life, but rather for you to pursue Him, and in doing so, receive a clear vision.

What does Jesus Know? ?

Everything !!!

Many people get “hung-up” on issues that take away from the purposes of God. Philip Yancey tells about an experience he had when searching for answers about the way God cared for His people:

“I began my search for answers during a solitary two-week retreat at a mountain cabin in Colorado. Slowly, carefully, I reread the Bible from beginning to end. Again and again, I discovered evidence for God’s caring for His people. But still the answers eluded me. How could a loving God allow such terrible things to happen? [Maybe you have had the same questions]

“Then in one of those rare bursts of insight, I began to understand what God wants from human beings…… God doesn’t want to be analyzed. He wants to be loved. ”

God created a perfect world for Adam and Even. Then sin came into the world when Adam and Eve yielded to their flesh and sinned against God. Since then we now live in a fallen world where bad things happen, even to God’s people. God does not create the bad things that happen in the world. That is not the nature of God. As Christians, how do we handle these bad situations?

By staying in faith according to the Word of God, by praising and loving God continually. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. ” Hebrews 11: 6

Seeking a purpose for living means seeking the Creator of that purpose, the Lord Himself. When you learn to love God and draw close to Him, He reveals things to your heart.

You may not receive an illustrated picture of all the things you are to do for God’s Kingdom, but you will get a divine sense of purpose that will motivate you to be in “hot pursuit” of the things of God.

There is nothing--absolutely nothing--that is more important than learning to love. In fact, how accurately you perfect the love walk will determine how much of the perfect will of God you accomplish. That's because every other spiritual force derives its action from love.

For example, the Bible teaches us that faith works by love. And answered prayer is almost an impossibility when a believer steps outside of love and refuses to forgive or is in strife with his brother.

Without love, your giving will not work. Tongues and prophecy will not work. Faith fails and knowledge is unfruitful. All the truths that you have learned from God's Word work by love. They will profit you nothing unless you live the love of God.

First Corinthians 13: 4 -8 paints a perfect picture of how love behaves. It's patient and kind. It's not jealous or proud. It doesn't behave rudely or selfishly and it isn't touchy. Love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. "

Sounds like a tall order, doesn't it? But don't despair. You are a love creature. When you became a Christian, God has recreated your spirit in the image of love. And He has sent His love Spirit to live in you and teach you how to love as He loves. You can live the love life. If this is foreign to you, why not begin today?

Once you start walking in love… Everything begins to fall into place. You will begin hearing from God; You will get your vision; You faith will grow; You will see God work mightily in your life. It is an exciting place to be. It is a powerful place to be in Jesus Christ.

Laying Bricks • When a brick layer builds a wall he cannot put it up all at once, he must build it one stone at a time. • Each brick, when placed in just the right place at the right time, provides extra strength to the structure. xxxx

As you work to build your life by placing the right principles and commandments together (love and faith), you will fashion a strong fortress that can withstand the elements (the forces of the evil one).

In the same way that a wall is built, stone by stone, you find and walk out your destiny in God a little at a time. “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much. ” -Luke 16: 10 So as you walk out the basic principles for living the Christian life, you will find yourself walking in the very purpose God has planned for you.

Wendell Smith writes… “The commandments of God are the lifegiving procedures that lead us to the fulfillment of His vision for our lives… So, when we are seeking to discover our calling and destiny in God, we must go to the Bible, which is the revealed Will of God, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in that personal discovery. ”

In Pursuit of Your Destiny: Something that is to happen to a particular person or thing. The predetermined course of events.

“… being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. ” -Ephesians 1: 11 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love god, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…” -Romans 8: 28 -29

As you pursue God and “catch-His-vision” for your life, you will find yourself fulfilling the destiny that God has planned for you. Do not get lost along the way by various detours and miss out on all that God has for you. The key here is realizing that it is His plan for your life, not your own plan that is your destiny in God.

You may want God to show you the “whole” picture all at once, but He often gives you a glimpse. The small visions that God gives you motivates you to fulfill your destiny in God. The great thing about having a destiny in god is that your future is in the best hands!

Trusting God with your Future “We may struggle at times in deciding to do the will of God, but we must come to the place where we trust Him with our lives. If He made us, then He knows what is best for us – and what will bring us the greatest fulfillment. ” -Wendell Smith

When will I know my Destiny? You don’t have to wait until you are “older” to begin to walk out the vision God has given to you. Practice what you know now. Begin to set your heart and mind on Him and as He moves on your heart, you will begin to see the great things you will do for God.

God’s hand is on you now, right where you sit. Do you feel a sense of destiny? Decide to pursue God’s vision for your life right now. That just might change your focus concerning your future.

Your goal in life is not to decide what you want to do, but to discover what He destined you to do! “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ” - 1 Timothy 4: 12

A personal note I did not realize this until I was grown and seeking God with my whole heart. God has called me to teach people how to praise Him. How to enter into His presence and worship Him in spirit and in truth. Did you know that praise is a weapon?

The Power of Praise "I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou Most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at Thy presence. " - Psalm 9: 1 -3

Never underestimate the importance of praise. It's one of the most powerful spiritual weapons you have. Praise is more than a pleasant song or a few uplifting words about God. It does something. It releases the very presence of God Himself.

When the presence of God comes on the scene, your enemies are turned back. Sickness and disease can't stay on your body. Poverty can't stay in your house. Even physical weariness has to flee when it's faced with real joy-filled praise.

Recognize Your Enemy The next time the devil tries to stifle your effectiveness, to drain you of strength, your peace, and wealth and victory that's yours in Jesus, turn him back with that powerful weapon. Lift your hands and your voice and whole heart to God. Praise!

Does this sound Foreign to You? Do you feel uncomfortable singing and praising God by yourself alone in your room? How about in public? That is your flesh acting up. Your spirit-man yearns to praise God. You were made in the image of God and you were made. . …. . To praise God and enjoy Him forever! Ask God to show you how to praise Him and to teach you how to do it. I promise, He will!

As believers, you and I are part of a conquering army, constantly claiming new ground for the kingdom of God. Right?

Well, yes, that's the way it should be. But just about the time the army tops the hill and is ready to advance, it seems that Satan pulls out his big gun --DIVISION-and scatters believers in every direction.

How can we strike back against the strategy of division? By launching an even more powerful attack of our own. By using one of the most powerful resources given us by the Lord Jesus: the prayer of agreement.

"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. " -Matthew 18: 19

Wow!! Jesus said that if any two of us would agree as touching anything we ask, it shall be done! That statement is so powerful that people can find it hard to believe. If they did, you'd find little groups of Christians huddled up in every corner agreeing together in prayer.

Take Some New Ground Find someone to agree with in prayer this week. Be sure to base what you pray on the Word of God. You may have differing opinions about everything else, but you can be in agreement about the Word.

Also, be sure your agreement is total--spirit, soul and body. You have to: Cast down arguments, theories and imaginations that are contrary to the Word. Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Keep a watch over your thoughts and your words that come out of your mouth.

Then get yourself in line by speaking the thing you've agreed on in prayer. Act like you've already received the answer. Don't keep asking but thank God for it. Stay in agreement and that is where you will take some new ground for the Lord!

What, a Christian can do that? Absolutely! That is what Jesus said. What does He know? Everything! Father. His Word is the will of the

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ” -Hebrews 11: 1

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. ” -Hebrews 11: 6

Homework Read pages 411 – 415; Review today’s Power. Point. Answer Explain questions 1 – 5 Journal Daily in Prayer Journal