Your eternal life depends on it

Going somewhere?

"Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

-Luke 9:62 NIV

Looking back will get you nowhere.  Focusing ahead and looking to Jesus will get you everywhere you want to go.

Don't look back, it is only a waste of your precious time and energy.

Don't let fear of the world stop you!

"Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation..."

Ezra 3:3

Thoughts and fears constantly surround us, however, let them not be the deciding factor in our goals and dreams.  Friends, if we feel the nudge from God, then we must go for it without looking back and knowing that we know this: God is clearing the path for us, making a way for our dreams and goals to come true!! 

Praise be to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This is how your future will be ...

I know how it's going to turn out.  Everthing Christ wants to do in and through you will be done -  PERIOD!!!

- Adapted from Philippians 1:10-21MSG

Friends, you can't change your future - what God wants from, for, and through you, will eventurally be done - like it or not.  Therefore, stop fighting, stay in faith, and live for right now.  The future isn't yours yet, and time spent trying to figure out what will happen and what you want to happen will only waste your precious time of living in the right and the now.

Goodbye 2017 and Hello 2018

"Heads up! The days are coming when I'll set up a new plan... I'll throw out the old plan..."

-Hebrews 8:6-13 MSG

Out with the OLD and in with the NEW!

Thank you Jesus - Thank you God.

Happy New Year everyone!

http://slideplayer.com/slide/1561708/5/images/1/Out+with+the+Old,+in+with+the+New+(Mark+2:18-22).jpg

Forget the past - it's over and done with

“Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back…” Hebrews 12:1 (LB)

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Isaiah 43:18 (NIV

“Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead…” Philippians 3:13 (NLT)

As we can read, the Word of God clearly wants us to put the past behind us and move forward with our lives.  Therefore, if you are, in any way, stuck (frustrated, hurt, angry, depressed, dark, lonely, rejected, hopeless, discouraged, etc.,) then heeding the verses above is of the utmost importance!  The past, whether good or bad, can be looked at as stepping stones, learning curves, and blessing builders for a great future ahead.  So, although it may be difficult at first, change your mind and focus toward your future and know that the past happened just as it was supposed to happen; for if you wouldn’t have experienced what you did, you wouldn’t have the necessary experience to become the great person of God that you were called to be. 

My friend, God loves you and he has a great plan allotted just for you.

Forget what lies behind.

"I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead." 

-Philippians 3:13 AMPC

Like Paul, let's stop focusing on our past pitfalls, mistakes, sins, and darknesses.  Instead, let us focus ahead - God's gifts are awaiting; set aside for His children.  So, keep moving forward no matter how bad your past.  I guarantee, you take one step and God will carry you two more!  Soon, the darknesses of your past will be so far behind you that you'll never look back...there isn't anything to see anyway.

God knows exactly what is going on

“This is God’s word… “I know what I am doing.  I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you… plans to give you the future you hope for.  When you call on me… I’ll listen.  When you come looking for me, you’ll find me…” Jeremiah 29:10 MSG

 

You may not know what is going on in your messes (turmoil’s) right now, but, believe me, God does!!  So, call on God, he has a great plan for you; keep hoping, praying, believing, and honoring Him, and, before long, He will prove that your messes and mess-ups are just unfolded blessings that needed some ironing out to give you a future filled with blessing and favor.

 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=VgPQFegq&id=B83BBDD908B39E5C956055544DCFE3F15711A10D&q=god+has+a+good+plan+for+you&simid=608012429547277999&selectedIndex=5&ajaxhist=0

Look ahead with joy

“Pay close attention now:

I’m creating a new heavens and a new earth.

All the earlier troubles, chaos and pain

Are things of the past, to be forgotten.

Look ahead with joy…”

Is. 65:17-25 MSG

Today is a new day, rejoice and be glad.  Yesterday is over – forget it, let it go: start anew, make amends, right your wrongs, look forward to the great future God has for you, and live for today… live for right now.  Yes, enjoy every moment, for you are in Christ, and with him, joy is possible all of the time.  God loves you and it is for his glory that you bear much fruit (John 15:8).  So put your head up and run the race set before you (Hebrews 12:1), not behind you.  You are God’s child!  You are blessed!

Image copied from http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=E4Yu8jzp&id=F213E25E24505AE7221C190F3C4449D2C49305F9&q=look+ahead+with+joy+in+christ&simid=608055817283700574&selectedIndex=28&ajaxhist=0

Clean out your closet!

"Prepare for God's arrival!...

Smooth out the ruts,

clear out the rocks.

Then God's bright glory will shine

and everyone will see it." 

Isaiah 40:3-5 MSG

Clean out your inner closet: your darkened heart and soul; the hurt and pain from yesterday, the bitterness you've been holding on to, the hate, anger, and resentment that brings you to tears, and the past mistakes you can't change.  It's a new day and it is time to move on.  So, embrace love, forgive those who have hurt you, forgive yourself, accept your mistakes - choose to see them as stepping stones to your future, leave resentment, hate and anger by the wayside, and let God come shining through.  

My friend, it is time to move on and live your life the way God intended.  He loves you so much!

Image copied from https://www.google.com/search?q=clean+out+your+inner+closet+and+let+God+shine+through&rlz=1C1VASM_enUS677US710&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=510&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTmqiQtfbRAhWjjVQKHSYuBt4Q_AUIBygC#imgrc=BsiZa17QGWjZGM:

Seize life!

7-10 7-10 

"Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don’t skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed."

Ecclesiastes 9:7-10

Decide to live for now, for today.  Yesterday is gone and tomorrow may not be here, so grasp every moment as if it is your last and go for the gold. Live boldly, live loudly, live in love, and most of all, live for God!

Image copied from https://www.google.com/search?q=live+for+today+images&rlz=1C1VASM_enUS677US710&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=510&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy9er1i8jRAhUJ6GMKHeYaA4QQsAQIGQ#imgrc=6lZYyp7OieKksM%3A

Don't take anything for granted

"On a good day, enjoy yourself;
On a bad day, examine your conscience.
God arranges for both kinds of days
So that we won't take anything for granted."
Ecclesiastes 7:14

Link copied from https://www.google.com/search?q=don%27t+take+life+for+granted&rlz=1C1VASM_enUS677US710&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=510&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI_-zHjsTRAhVow1QKHZtNAf8Q_AUIBigB#imgrc=M45KokdLKj0VWM%3A

+Joel Osteen 

To believe or not believe

“… If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him.  Make up your minds.  1 Kings 18:21, MSG

Either you believe in God or you don’t – there can be no middle ground.  Therefore, those of you that are unsure of what, or who to believe, need to make up your minds.  Why?  Because being sure of what, and who, you believe gives you something to believe in – giving you a future to press on toward.  However, being unsure is like a double edged sword – although you try staying in the middle, eventually it will catch up to you and you will be stabbed by one of the edges, leaving you with no future at all.

Repeating the past is no way to the future.

"... and don't go back the way you came." Then he left by a different road than the one on which he had walked to Bethel." 1 Kings 13:8-10, MSG

If you want your future to be different, and better, than your past, then maybe it is time to try something new - maybe it is time to walk in a direction you never thought of walking before; maybe it is time to try a new path in your life.

Your future lies in Christ

“I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them… or to grasp them now.  But when He, the Spirit of Truth… comes, He will guide you into all the truth… and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].” John 16:12-13 AMP

You may think you’ve heard or seen it all, but you, my friend, haven’t seen or heard anything yet!  There is still so much more to come!! How?  By staying in close fellowship with God and keeping yourself free from the unnecessary burdens of the world.  So, instead of spending hard earned money and running to, so-called, fortune tellers, run to God!  He is the Truth! He can tell you things, with certainty, that are yet to come, life-filled, and burden-free; He can give you hope in the midst of darkness, and He can fill your soul with joy complete.

Remember, you were made for greatness,  but the only way to it is through Jesus.  So, call on Him and let the greatness begin.

 

Don't look back

“… No one who puts his hand to the plow, and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 AMP

When you make a decision – big or little – then move forward and don’t look back.  I know, easier said than done, but it is a must when we want to move forward in God’s good plans for our lives.

Remember, looking forward brings endless possibilities, but looking back brings nothing but, what if’s, which only cause unnecessary internal stress and anxiety.

So, stay focused on God, and His plans for your life.  Shake the pains from the past off of your feet, and go live out the amazing life God has just for you.

 

He has risen

"... He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you..." Matthew 28:7 AMP

God is our future. He has already gone before us and has laid out our path. So, follow it!!

New heavens and a new earth

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth.  And the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” Isaiah 65:17 AMP

Today is a new day! Today is a beautiful day! Today is a fresh new start! Therefore, shake off yesterday, look forward to tomorrow, but LIVE for today! How? Give this day to the Lord, and first thing every morning, from here on out, give them to God.  Yes, if you let Him live through you, your life will shine with a sense of newness, a sense of freedom, a sense of new opportunity, a sense of new meaning.

So, free yourself from the former, open yourself to the latter, and live for the present; it is yours, from God - you’ve been cleansed, all your former sins are washed away, never to be remembered again ~ Hallelujah

Praise God in all His glory.