What Do You See?

You wash your face in the morning and look in the mirror. All you can see is insecurity in your eyes. It is difficult to bring a smile to your gloomy expression. In your forehead are furrows as a result of physical pain and dread reflects in the glass.



Automatically you proceed to dress for the day. Your mood dictates what you decide to wear and so you choose something that doesn’t stand out and draw attention. Your choice is in sharp contrast to the brightness of the day and without your realizing it, you will stand out. You don’t feel like eating and so you skip the fuel your body needs to function. Your steps are heavy and labored because of the burdens you’ve allowed to gather and rest on your shoulders. This causes you to walk slightly bent down beneath the weight of it all.



It’s still early and the sky is dark, there is no sun yet on the eastern horizon as you lock your back door. You get into your car and start the engine to drive off and face….



Come on Christian; wake up from your sleep! Tell me what excuse you have to start your day in such a manner as this? Now I know that I am scolding, but do you realize that it is “me” that I’ve been scolding right along with some of you?



Each day is a new adventure.

God has allowed us to be a witness for Him just one more day! There are many who are in despair not because they are having a bad hair day but because their hearts are hurting and they don’t yet realize that it is the Savior, Jesus Christ they need. They look at you in your walk of doom and don’t have a clue that Jesus even exists. Shame on us for days like this… 



You know, they don’t need a preacher. They need a beacon of light. They don’t need condemnation to be convicted of sin. They need a sign for which way to turn. They don’t need a lifeless tract, leaflet to an event or even a Bible handed to them. They need a breathing human being, whose eyes are focused on the Lord, walking just a slight step ahead of them so they don’t have to run to keep up. They need to be able to have someone close by so that they might grasp a helping hand. They need a Christian who is acting as an instrument of peace and love. Yes, that is what they need! Christians, we need to step into our calling everyday. We won’t need another message hammered into our heads again to go out and be a witness if it is a habitual way of life for us. Lord, forgive us for missing the mark on this one.



“Right Vision” is the chapter focus for me this week from Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great, Feel Great. The scenario I described above is the way I used to be most every morning. My day would start in a big “Ho-hum” sort of way. It was always a challenge to get up and get going. Rising like that was my habit and it was a very bad habit! You see, when you start your day like that it will only seem longer and gloomier as the day moves on. I can speak this way because I have learned a lesson or two and I hope to help anyone who is going through times like these to come out of the darkness and walk in the light before the world.





A Verse to Feed Upon...

Joyce says we need to develop a “right vision” by thinking and speaking our reality into existence. Her words are confirmation to me. Recognizing that the spirit and the flesh are at war and that many things from our past and our present situations influence our attitudes is the first step to a “right vision” in my opinion. The things we think about before we go to bed, when we wake up and during the day all determines how we will walk through them. Just because we may have had a lousy past or the present is overwhelming doesn’t give us an excuse to mope around.    
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience and God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”



I know that I need to believe this verse and act upon it everyday remembering that the Lord is there for me. He is the champion and I am on His side! Many times and in many circles I hear that He is on our side and I don’t think that is entirely correct. I need to be on His side! He is the commander. I need to be even more aware of the battle that goes on (not out in the world) but the one inside my head. I need to banish thoughts that depress me, keeping me in bondage and making me mad whether it is from the present or the past. As I look over my relationships today with others, I need to determine what part I’m playing in making them better or worse. So the “right vision” is first becoming aware of what I am thinking and why I think this way. Now as I ponder this, I need to ask the Holy Spirit to help me to become stronger and more courageous in my daily walk. I know that’s just one of the things I need to do. Over time I’ve become better at this but I still must make a conscious effort to do it daily, hourly and even every moment!



When I’ve made my choice to walk this life consciously, then I can go to work to make changes for the benefit of my Lord. I need to arrest my attitude that creates my feelings and put these in a holding tank to examine them. In reality, I put myself in “time-out” in order to deal with controlling my emotions. God doesn’t want me to live by my feelings. I believe He gave us feelings to understand the compassion that we are to bestow upon others. We have turned this gift around and focused only on ourselves for the most part. Sometimes we walk about with our “feelers” out just looking for someone to pounce on because they offended us. If I go looking for something to be offended about I will certainly find it. Proverb 14:29 says that “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.” If we have understanding, even if we become angry, we will control our anger and not take offense. When we take offence it reflects poorly on our testimony before the Lord. Taking control of our emotions is the positive change that should follow becoming self-aware of our thinking.



Just about everyone I know tends to assume the worst when we are faced with an unknown future. Why do we do that? This is the world’s response. The world has greatly influenced our thinking and reacting.  But we have been adopted into the family of God so we need to stop thinking like the world and begin to be positive and assume the best.  It will not be natural for us to reverse our thinking but we must. List all the negative words that affect your life and then think of its positive opposite. We are to be positive. Look at all we have to look forward to. It will be worth it all when we see Christ! It will! We need to realize that we are a part of God’s bigger picture. The world doesn’t revolve around us. If you can't see it yet, believe me that one day we will all see that everything revolves around Him and Him alone!



So what do you see?

As for me, I have changed from the gloom of despair to a better attitude.  Somewhere in the first few moments that I become fully awake, I begin my walk and talk with the Lord.  Moving down the stairsteps has become a time of thanks that I am able to get up and that my husband is still peacefully sleeping in the bed I've just left.  It's quite interesting that at this early time I often think of people that don't normally cross my mind.  I've come to think that God sends them to me on purpose so that I will pray for them and lift them up to Him.  Gettting ready in the morning isn't so much about how I feel but the thinking has changed into what can I do to help others.  Sometimes I even send an email in that early time to someone who is going through a tough time or leave a scripture on FB for my family, friends and even to remind myself that He is the reason we have one more day. As I go out the door and get into my car, I'm not gloomy.  Often I will put in a CD or turn on the PositiveHits station for spiritual companionship on my commute to work.  My work day begins and there isn't much time to think of anything but what must be done at the moment. I have little things surrounding me that remind me to whom I belong when things get a little tough.  By lunch time, I'm able to once again listen to uplifitng music that helps to carry me through to the end of the workday.  So, generally I have changed my morning and workday thinking.  This habit has become natural. 

I'm in transition now.   My evening hours from around 6 PM onward until bedtime are not very consistent.  This is where I need to focus my efforts.  I know that I need to have my supper at a regular hour and that my bedtime needs to also be at regular hour but I'm just not completely there yet.  Often by the time I drop exhausted to my bed, I'm not very positive.  I know it's mostly because I'm tired and haven't developed a good routine.  It's taken me since June to turn my morning and day activities into a positive reality and it will take a little while longer to establish my evening to bedtime habit.  Right now, this area is usually dictated by what I'm able to accomplish during the day. I haven't learned yet to just lay aside things that aren't finished at a reasonable hour and get my rest.  It will happen.  I'm working on it.  When I've moved into better habits here I'll be sure to post it.  LOL

Now, my questions are these:   Do you see yourself changing? Do you see yourself waking each morning thinking about Him instead of you?  Do you see the future?  Do you see the Great I AM?

I've been blessed by this wonderfully worded musical message by Eddie James. I hope it blesses you, too.  Turn off my player at the bottom of this post before you click on the URL to view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHz2_HLw7fg&feature=related

I AM by Eddie James


I AM the Lord, I AM the Almighty God.
I AM the One for when nothing is too hard
I AM the Shepherd and I AM the Door
I AM the Good news to the bound and the poor
Chorus: I AM …



I AM the righteous One and I AM the Lamb,
I AM the Ram in the bush for Abraham,
I AM the Ultimate Sacrifice for sin,
I AM your Redeemer, the Beginning and the End
Chorus: I AM …



I AM Jehovah, and I AM the King,
I AM Messiah, David’s Offspring,
I AM your High Priest, and I AM the Christ,
I AM the Resurrection, I AM the Life
Chorus: I AM …



I AM the Bread, and I AM the Wine,
I AM your Future, so leave your past behind.
I AM the One in the midst of two or three,
I AM your Tabernacle, I AM your Jubilee.
Chorus: I AM …



I AM the Bread, I AM the Wine,
And I AM your Future, so leave your past behind.
I AM the One in the midst of two or three,
I AM your Tabernacle, I AM your Jubilee.
Chorus: I AM …



I AM Hope, I AM Peace, I AM Joy, I AM Rest,
Oh I AM your Comfort, and Relief from your stress,
I AM Strength, I AM Faith, I AM Love, I AM Power,
And today I AM your Freedom, this very hour.
Chorus: I AM …



I AM Hope, I am Peace I AM Joy, I AM Rest,
I AM your Comfort, and Relief from your stress,
I AM Strength, I AM Faith, I AM Love, I AM Power,
I AM your Freedom, this very hour.

I AM


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