It's In Your Mouth!

You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth. Proverbs 6:2 (NKJV)

Your breakthrough is in your mouth! There are some areas in all of our lives that have been dry for a long time. You might be reading this and your marriage is dry. Perhaps your relationships are dry. Your financial situation is dry. Your health is bad. Your mind is troubled. Your emotions are shattered. Or your nerves are on edge. But God is saying if you are going to be delivered, if change is going to come, it's in your mouth. It's not up to God. It is up to you.

What do you say about it? What do you say about the situation you are in? You can speak your own destruction or you can declare that you will live and not die. You can declare that health is yours. Prosperity is yours. Joy is yours. You can speak that your marriage will work. You will get that job. You will get whatever God has in store for you. No devil in hell can stop it. God said it, so declare it. Your victory is in your mouth.

Precious Savior, I am in a situation in which it appears that there is no hope. I'm pressed on every side; everything seems to be falling apart in my life. But I thank you for the power of declaration. Your word says that I am snared by the words of my mouth. I am taken by the words of my mouth. Your word also says that whatever things I ask for when I pray, I should believe that I receive them, and I will have them. Father, I believe your word because your word is true. I therefore declare boldly that I will have all that you have for me, my situation will turn around, my outlook is bright, and I will live and not die. My future is bright because I trust in you!

Check Up

"I am praying...your body is as healthy as...your soul." 3 John 2 TLB
We all know how important physical health is; here's a plan for keeping your soul in shape:

(a) Don't question your faith, question your doubts. We spend too much time dwelling on our misgivings, experiencing faith as an occasional flash-in-the-pan. God's promises are for 'believers.'

(b) Don't be a 'lone ranger.' It's no accident that the Old Testament contains the story of God's people, and that the Epistles were written to congregations. We grow as we relate - not isolate!

(c) Guard your thought life. If your "thinking is controlled by the sinful self, there is death. But if [it's] controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace" (Ro 8:6 NCV). Practice mind management!

(d) Fall asleep and wake up immersed in gratitude. It'll transform your day. "In every thing give thanks!" (1Th 5:18).

(e) Ditch anything that distracts you from God. Toss the junk reading material, and if you've got the guts, throw in the TV!

(f) Always err on the side of mercy. Philip Yancey writes: "I marvel at the humility of a God who descends to live inside...his 'flawed' creatures...Do I show that same attitude towards people of whom I disapprove?"

(g) Be specific and don't revert to generalities when discussing your faith. Paul wasn't "ashamed of the Gospel" (Ro 1:16); neither should you be.

(h) Be gracious to the people who irk you. God chose them too! Sometimes it's easier to be gracious to non-believers than to uptight, moralistic Christians. But that just makes you a different kind of judgmental.

(i) Forgive those who've hurt you. Harboring hatred hinders healing, so bring your hurts to God.

PROPS TO MY SISTER FROM THE CAROLINAS

I want to give huge props to my sister Jaime Cox!!! She is the one who re - designed my blog site and I think it looks absolutely fantastic. Thanks Jaime for the time you took out of your day today to make this site look poppin!!! You are awesome.

Be The Messy Doctor

Pretend for a minute that you were going to have a major surgery done on the inside of your body. During the consultation leading up to your surgery your Surgeon begins to tell you that he is extremely particular about the apron he wears during your surgery. In fact he is so particular about his apron that he explains that if he gets blood on his apron during the surgery, he will leave you on the table to die, because he believes that a clean apron is a happy apron. Would you allow him to do the major surgery?

Ok, let's get to the point, some people believe a "Clean Life Is A Happy Life" or "A Clean Church Is A Happy Church" or "Clean Friends Are Happy Friends," and if you have a messy life, your not wanted. I have seen how this has impacted people so much that it almost boarder lines judgementalism, legalism, and power trips that keep us from being the Doctor Who Is Not Afraid To Get A Little Messy.

Mark 2:17 says - On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Jesus was not afraid to get messy. He didn't prefer to hang with the "clean people" all of the time, but rather he made a conscious effort to touch the lives of the people who were dirty. Let's be like Jesus and Be The Messy Doctor. Don't be afraid to get your Apron a little dirty, you might just save someone's life!

This Hot Topic Is Worth Your Read

Today I am blogging on an extremely HOT TOPIC, HYPOCRISY -

Many young adults view Christians as hypocrites, meaning they say one thing and do another. They're right. But Hypocrisy isn't the issue. We all believe certain things and then act in ways that are contridictory to our beliefs. One person declares the beauty of the simple life on the balcony of the half million dollar home with a new Cadillac Escalade in the garage. Another rants against all things corporate with a latte from Starbucks in hand. I am a Minnesota Vikings fan, but when Randy Moss played with them I rooted against him.

The problem is not fundamentally hypocrisy. We are all hypocrites at some level. The problem is the air of moral superiority many of us carry around. We stop acknowledging imperfections in our lives. We forget where we came from and all God has done in our lives. I don't see Jesus teaching a call to fake moral superiority. I'm a sinner following Him. I don't have it all together, and that admission is precisely what tweaks the perception of hypocrisy. We as human beings have alot in common no matter where we are at on our faith journey. At the most basic level, we all share the human condition with all of it's brokeness. And we have the hope that Jesus can really transform lives and redeem the future.