May 2010

Christian Meditation – What if My Meditation Time is Not Getting Results?

Christian Meditation – What if My Meditation Time is Not Getting Results?

Insights and Tips into Christian Meditation that Get Results!

Christian meditation – 

is meant to be a part of

every believer’s life.

Okay…

So what do we do if we’ve been

meditating on God’s Word,

but our lives still seem to be a big mess?

“Meditate day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written.” 
— Joshua 1:8

The Faithful Get Results

God commands us to meditate. So we need to practice it regardless of whether or not we think it is making a difference.

The truth is: If we work the Word, the Word will work in our life and make a positive difference.

We’ve already spent our lifetime making a mess of things and filling our mind and heart with junk. Even if we are not seeing positive results, we should continue to obey God’s instruction to meditate and eventually positive results will manifest.

Have you ever found it interesting that the Bible is full of “suddenly” verses? Meditating daily on the power filled Word of God, sets us up for a suddenly.

Let me tell you, when the “suddenly” hits and the eyes of your understanding are opened, your life will begin to transform. So even if you feel like your meditation time is not getting results – Do Not Stop!

You may just be on the verge of a “suddenly”.

Keep in mind: Christian meditation is a form of worship and it honors God. Our heart should be set on the giving of our time to the Word of God and our relationship with Him first; not with a focus of “how will this benefit me.”

A Powerful Biblical Meditation Prayer

Here is a really simple way to have the Word of God come alive in your life: Pray Ephesians chapter one every day. Write it out on a note card and keep it with you always. Record yourself reading it and listen to it daily. Make it personal and put your name into it.

This is just a snippet (wait until you read the whole chapter):

“…God I am asking You to give unto me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. I’m asking You God, to open the eyes of my understanding, that I may be enlightened, and know the hope of Your calling…”

Do this daily for at least six months. The Word of God will soon become a different book to you. You’ll begin to see things you never did before! At any moment a “suddenly” can happen in your life.

Bottom line: Diligence will eventually be rewarded and obedience does not go unnoticed. Stay a faithful Christian and commit to a life of meditation on God’s Word!

Are you ready to renew your commitment to daily Christian meditation?

God bless you,
Brenda

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Finally Home by Mercy Me – Music Video

“Finally Home” by Mercy Me – Music Video

In honor of all the men and women who put their lives on the line and fight for our freedoms.
God bless you!

And to all our loved ones, who have made it to our heavenly home before we did…
we miss you and we’ll be home soon.

***

“Finally Home” by Mercy Me

“Gonna wrap my arms around my daddy’s neck and tell him that I missed him,
And tell him all about the man that I became and hope that it pleased him,
There’s so much I want to say, there’s so much I wanted you to know.

When I finally make it home. When I finally make it home.

Then I gaze upon the throne of the King frozen in my steps,
And all the questions that I swore I would ask, words just won’t come yet,
So amazing what I’ve seen so much more than this old mind can hold.

When I finally make it home. When I finally make it home.

And the sweetest sound these ears have yet to hear,
the voices of the angels.

When I finally make it home. When I finally make it home.”

***

“And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me,
to give every man according as his work shall be.
I am Alph and Omega, the beginning and the end,
the first and the last.
Blessed are they that do his commandments,
that they may have right ot the tree of life,
and may enter in through the gates into the city.
He which testifies these things says,
Surely I come quickly. Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
— Revelation 22:12-14,20-21

God bless you,
Brenda

P.S. Enjoy this video, and you can find this and other Mercy Me songs on amazon, including The Generous Mr Lovewell.

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Growing Prosperity – 5 Prayers to Help Manifest the Abundance of God in Your Life!

Growing Prosperity – 5 Prayers to Help Manifest the Abundance of God in Your Life!

Praying the Word of God Over Your Situation

Growing prosperity comes from God the Great Giver.

He loves to bless His children…

From the earliest of days, God has been searching for individuals who have their hearts toward Him; on whom He can pour out His blessings.

Unfortunately, whenever He has poured out prosperity, the people have quickly forgotten who made them prosper. The tendency is for them to begin seeking the gift and not the Giver.

These scriptural prayers for prosperity are based on the spirit of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and then enjoying the manifestation of His generous abundance.

Each of our desires, pertaining to wealth and prosperity, cannot be to consume the abundance of God on ourselves, but to understand, just like Abraham did, that all of us are blessed so that we can be a blessing.

5 Scriptural Prayers for Prosperity

1) Angels on Assignment

Thank You, Father, that as I speak Your Word over my finances today, Your angelic warriors are hearkening to the sound of my voice to perform that which I speak. (Psalm 103:20)

2) Prosperity Now

I thank You, Heavenly Father, for this day You have made and I rejoice in it. You are sending me prosperity now and giving me success. (Psalm 118:24-25)

3) Taught to Profit

Thank You, Lord God, that You are teaching me to profit. You are leading me by the way that I should go. Therefore, I declare that because I hearken to Your commandments, my peace and prosperity are like a flowing river. (Isaiah 48:17-18)

4) Reap Bountifully

Father, I confess that because I have sown bountifully in order to bless others, I also reap bountifully with blessings. (2 Corinthians 9:6)

5) Prospering In All I Do

Father God, I declare that because I keep Your charge, walk in Your ways, and obey Your voice, I am prospering in all that I do and wherever I turn. (I Kings 2:3)

So, go ahead; begin praying these prosperity prayers daily. They are meant to help you get started learning how to pray the Word in the area of provision, and help you plant the Word of God into your heart.

Keep in mind: The more the Word of God is planted within us, the more spontaneous our prayers will become. Once you begin regularly praying the Word, you will find that as you are reading the Word, many other scriptures will begin to “come alive” for the purpose of prayer. Get ready now to have the abundance of God manifest in your life.

May you seek first the kingdom of God and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!

Be blessed to be a blessing –

Cheers,
Brenda

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The Belly Fat Cure, Jorge Cruise – Book Review

The Belly Fat Cure, Jorge Cruise – Book Review

The Belly Fat Cure: Discover the New Carb Swap System
and Lose 4 to 9 lbs. Every Week

I recently heard Jorge Cruise interviewed by Mike Koenigs regarding making positive, healthy diet changes.

In the interview they discussed Jorge’s latest book “The Belly Fat Cure.”  He pointed out that so many people struggle with not losing weight even after diligently counting calories and faithfully exercising.

The key factor that he found got results in his life, and is now helping others, is the understanding, identifying, and elimination of extreme unwanted amounts of sugar the majority of people consume.

I find this interesting since the “sugar culprit” seems to be an ongoing thread in my own life…

My mom was a so called “health food nut” when I was younger and she eliminated most sugar from our diet. One of my brothers went through a lot of whole and living foods courses and he’s always preached the destructive and addicting effects of sugar. And recently I’ve listened to a number of interviews with nutritionist, Karen Hurd, and she goes into great detail on all the different harmful effects sugar has on our body (not just weight gain).

In my personal diet over the last few years I noticed sugar triggering some unwanted reactions, and I was forced to make some changes. So anyway, all that to say, this interview and book sparked my interest and I thought I’d point it out.

Below are some reader comments, reviews, and testimonials, along with some additional information and highlights about the book “The Belly Fat Cure: Discover the New Carb Swap System and Lose 4 to 9 lbs. Every Week” by Jorge Cruise:

A Look at the Chapter Titles:

1. Lose Your Belly in One Week!
2. The One Critical Key
3. The One-Week Challenge and Beyond
4. Carb Swap Meals
5. Carb Swap Products
6. Carb Swap Food Lists
7. Tone Your Abs
8. FAQs
(Plus and index of recipes)

“Jorge Cruise has answers that really work and take almost no time. I highly recommend them.”  
— Andrew Weil, best-selling author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Health

Product Description:

Drop 4 to 9 lbs. a week without dieting!

For years, experts have told you that you’re overweight because you eat too much and don’t exercise enough. They were WRONG. The truth is that you are eating foods packed with hidden sweeteners that deliver a belly-fattening Sugar/Carb Value. This simple guide makes smart eating effortless and affordable. It includes more than 1,500 options customized for: carboholics, meat lovers, chicken and seafood fans, chocoholics, fast-food junkies, and even vegans! What are you waiting for? Dig in. 

Reviews:

“Basically I took the 15 sugar 6 carb idea from Jorge and ran with it. So far I have lost 60 lbs on the Belly Fat Cure and I plan to lose 30 more to reach my goal.”
actual portion of user testimonial taken from amazon.com

“I do not look at this as a diet at all, but an easily sustainable lifestyle, which has been a “first” for me. I have dropped 12 pounds with almost no effort and plan to stay the course since it’s easy for me and I need to lose more.”
actual portion of user testimonial taken from amazon.com

“REDUCED carb and especially sugar is a combination that really works. My wife and I both continue to benefit from using this concept as well as the excellent recepies for every day foods like pizza and hamburgers.”
actual portion of user testimonial taken from amazon.com

“It is working for me and after four weeks of following the simple carbohydrate/sugar balance I am feeling more energy than I have in years. I am not yearning for sweets or hungry as I was before on other weight lose programs.”
actual portion of user testimonial taken from amazon.com

Fast Food Swaps Video by Jorge Cruise on YouTube:

There is no magic ticket to weight loss or to ultimate health, and there is no one size fits all solution. It is important to research and discover what health choices work best for you and your body chemistry and lifestyle.

Reducing the sugar in your diet has many health benefits, including weight loss. If you are struggling, especially with belly fat, you may want to give this book a read.

May you continue to have growing prosperity in your health, even as your soul prospers!

Soar higher,
Brenda

P.S. If you’ve read “The Belly Fat Cure“, feel free to share your thoughts or experience.

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Self-Esteem – 7 Ways to Live With Bold Confidence

Self-Esteem – 7 Ways to Live With Bold Confidence

Transform Yourself Into a Shining Success!

Healthy self-esteem and bold confidence,

when put to work in your life…

have transforming power to make you a shining success.

Have you been living with intimidation, self-doubt, anxiety, fear, and rejection? If so, then you know it is time to change the insecurity into security.

Do yourself a favor and take a little time to focus on some ways you can overcome those negative, unwanted traits you’ve been carrying around for way too long.

7 Ways to Help You Live With Bold Confidence:

1.) CHOOSE TO RISE ABOVE

Make a commitment to yourself today, to begin overcoming the weaknesses and inadequacies you’ve been dealing with. Even though it will take hard work and you are bound to mess up along the way, make a conscious decision to keep pressing on and rising above. You are worth it!

2.) SPEND TIME WITH ENCOURAGERS

Be cautious who you spend time with. Your relationships are a key factor in overcoming a low self-esteem.  Choose to spend time with encouragers. Regardless of your past, you can have healthy relationships.

“He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” 
— Proverbs 13:20

3.) SHIFT YOUR FOCUS ON OTHERS

There is a great empowerment that comes from shifting your focus off yourself and on to others. It is easy to keep our minds focused on our own problems, fears, and insecurities. But this only intensifies them. Look around at someone struggling and reach out to lend a hand. True peace comes from giving.

4.) MAKE YOUR POSITIVE THOUGHTS RULE

Keep your mind filled with positive, empowering, confidence building, and happy thoughts. Overcoming a negative, and weak self-image is going to require that you eliminate those self-defeating thoughts. Squeeze them out of your mind by replacing them with healthy, confident thoughts.

Remember, God is not the one who gave you a spirit of fear. He gave you a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind! (2 Timothy 1:7)

5.) LEAVE THE PAIN IN THE PAST

Do not waste any more time replaying painful, embarrassing, or intimidating experiences from your past. This keeps you stuck and prevents you from walking into the future with the bold confidence needed to succeed. You do not have to let others (or past memories) cause you to lack confidence and live with insecurity.

Forgive anyone that has hurt you, and forgive yourself while you are at it. Then put the painful past behind you and face your future with strong confidence.

6.) TRUST GOD

God has a good plan for our lives. If we spend our lives trusting in ourselves and other people, the result is disappointment after disappointment. We need to put our trust in God and let him guide us. He is the one that will give us the desires of our heart. (Psalm 37:3-6)

7.) TALK CONFIDENCE

Just like it is vital to your self-esteem to get control of your thoughts, the same is true of your words. What are you saying about yourself? Do you make self-defeating confessions such as: ‘I am so ugly,’ ‘I am such a loser,’ ‘I am worthless,’ ‘I am stupid,’ ‘I never do anything right,’ etcetera?

The words we speak have power to affect us for the good or bad. Use this knowledge to empower yourself with confidence building confessions. It does not matter if you or others have spoken negative, curses over your life; you now have the choice to speak positive, encouraging, faith-filled words.

“In all things I am more than a conqueror through Him that loved me.” 
— Romans 8:37

Your next step? Make the decision to begin applying these seven steps to help you conquer low self-esteem, intimidation, fear, and insecurity. Encourage yourself and refuse to give up. God says you are a victor and you really can be all that God has called you to be. You can live with bold confidence and transform yourself into a shining success.

May you live empowered with bold confidence and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!

Soar higher in Him –

God bless you,
Brenda

P.S. Do you have any additions for this list? Feel free to share…

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Matthew West – The Motions – Music Video

Matthew West – The Motions – Music Video

Matthew West underwent career threatening vocal surgery on May 17, 2007. In the time that followed, he faced a season of silence and uncertainty.

We all face trials. Matthew’s story testifies that God is at work even in our weakest moments.

And this is where change begins…

“I don’t want to go through the motions
I don’t want to go one more day…
Without Your all consuming, passion inside of me.

I don’t want to spend my whole life asking:
What If I Had Given EVERYTHING Instead of Going Through the Motions?

No regrets, not this time, going to let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love, make me whole, I think I’m finally feeling something
Just okay is not enough, better fight through the nothingness of this life

’cause…

I don’t want to go through the motions
I don’t want to go one more day…
Without Your all consuming, passion inside of me.

I don’t want to spend my whole life asking:
What If I Had Given EVERYTHING Instead of Going Through the Motions?

I don’t want to go through the motions… take me all the way!”

“Have one consuming passion, to please Christ.”
— Billy Graham

May you know the love of Christ,which passes knowledge, and be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 4:19)

Cheers,
Brenda

P.S. You can find “The Motions” and other songs by Matthew West on amazon.

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Abundant Living – Do You Want Prosperity or the Empowerment to Prosper?

Abundant Living – Do You Want Prosperity or the Empowerment to Prosper?

The Blessing of the Lord it Maketh Rich!

Abundant living is the result of choosing to become empowered to prosper.

Many people are convinced that the prosperity of God translates to money and stuff raining down out of heaven.

However that is not the prosperity of God, but actually prosperity from God.

What’s the difference between prosperity and the empowerment to prosper?

Making the Choice that Results in Abundant Living!

In Proverbs 10:22, it says, “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich.” Notice it does not say the blessings make you rich; it is the blessing of God that is the key here.

What this means is that you want the empowerment to prosper and not just the prosperity itself. You don’t just want the fish; you want to learn how to fish.

When Abraham prospered, it wasn’t because God dropped down a camel or a son out of the sky. No, he was blessed because God empowered him to prosper. For example, he and his wife were given the ability to parent a child at an old age.

And the good news is that God has given you the ability to gain wealth and prosper.

Getting Empowered to Prosper

Power comes when believers put the principles of God’s Word to work in their life. It is your faith that will manifest results. Wisdom is also needed for you to understand and apply the Word of God in order to receive prosperity. Wisdom will help you realize the power available to you through your faith.

In order to experience prosperity, we must apply God’s principles by faith.

God is the one that does the multiplying and gives us the desires and ideas. He is the divine instructor that tells us what to do. And when we over, and over, apply the principles of the Word concerning prosperity, and make them part of our daily life, that’s when we start getting results.

Remember, prosperity doesn’t just drop in our lap. Re-enforcing the Word through daily meditation on prosperity principles should become a lifestyle. If we want to be a prosperous person tomorrow, we have to apply God’s principles of sowing and reaping in the difficult times of lack today.

Start with the faith you now have and then gain knowledge and wisdom concerning what the Word really says about finances. Act on that knowledge and mix your faith with it and you’ll soon start getting desirable results.

Make the following your regular confession:

“Today, I live in the blessing of God and I am empowered to prosper in every way!”

Keep in touch with God so you can be empowered to live an abundant life. Put yourself in position for God to empower you to prosper in everything you set your hands to do.

Then, when the economy takes a downturn or the storms of life blow through, you can say, “So What!” because you’ll know you are empowered to prosper.  You can know God will take care of you, and will honor His Word by prospering the work of your hands.

Believe it or not: God wants you blessed and empowered to prosper. He’s looking for ways to bless you. He wants to help you out in life and give you good success. Go ahead and believe it, because that is a key factor in what it takes to get it.

May you live empowered to prosper and experience an abundant life of growing prosperity!

Be blessed to be a blessing –

God bless you,
Brenda

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How to Prosper and Achieve Incredible Success with the Powerful Skill of Diligence!

How to Prosper and Achieve Incredible Success with the Powerful Skill of Diligence!

This Rare but Powerful Skill is the Prosperous Key to Helping Make Your Dreams a Reality

Prosperous outcomes –

require the use of powerful skills.

How would you like to become one in 1000…

who accomplishes abundant success?

In every project we take on,

as well as every goal we go after,

we will get results anywhere from extraordinary to disastrous.

The Prosperous Key to Making Dreams a Reality

Take a look at the lives of successful people and you’ll see that they have encountered final outcomes in one or more aspects of their lives from this range.

The exception: When it comes to the prosperous areas of their lives, the successful results are from putting into practice the simple, but extremely powerful skill of diligence.

Diligence was the key that helped them make their dreams a reality.

“Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings.” 
— Proverbs 22:29

Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Walt Disney, Henry Ford, and Bill Gates are just a few of the people who have used the skill of diligence.

Why Do So Few People Fully Utilize Diligence?

The truth is it is a skill that can be learned by anyone regardless of their education, background, or IQ. True diligence is a rare, valuable trait that runs contrary to human nature.

Everyone has characteristics that happen to be part of the human condition. These types of characteristics create our natural drives, tendencies, strengths, as well as weaknesses. Diligence, although, is just not one of them.

Actually, the characteristic universal to all mankind is the desire, or drive, for quick gratification. We desire as much as we can acquire, as quickly as we can acquire it, by using as little work as possible. This is our human nature. Everyone has a natural tendency to pursue the path of least resistance.

“The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.” 
— Proverbs 21:5

Thankfully, in spite of this natural tendency, we can decide to undertake a path of greater resistance and grow diligent in the pursuit of every venture, assignment, or goal. And when a person develops this type of diligence, it is possible to achieve incredible success in any significant area of life.

Diligence to Prosper

Diligence is often described as a persistent and hard-working effort in doing something.

Diligence is working at something with persistence in addition to working smart. Doing it right, or to put it another way, doing it on time to the highest possible standards achievable, regardless of what is required or anticipated. It means bringing creative thinking, persistence, and in many cases incorporating other individuals as well as outside resources into the work to achieve incredible success.

Seem difficult and too much to handle?

That is because true diligence consists of numerous qualities. That’s the reason true diligence is extremely rare and hard to find. However, let me just say, you can begin incorporating these qualities of excellence today and start developing the skill of diligence. And you need to know that anybody can develop it.

Why not develop this rare, but powerful skill of diligence that is your prosperous key to helping make your dreams a reality?

Make no mistake about it; prosperous outcomes are possible when we have perfected the skill of diligence. We can make use of it in all critical areas of our lives, in any undertaking or goal; to quickly achieve amazing results. We can make use of it to change lousy careers into great careers; okay relationships into wonderful relationships; and a faltering business into a prosperous one.

May you develop the powerful skill of diligence and achieve a life of growing prosperity!

Be blessed to be a blessing –

Cheers,
Brenda

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