We Need God's Help

We Need God’s Help!

Faith + Works = Results (fruit) because it is the Lord who does the watering!

You sow, He waters, you reap a harvest.

Between seed time and harvest time is prayer, fasting, and worship time.

It’s OK to sow multiple fields if that is what the Lord tells you to do.

Lack of faith +/- intentions = no fruit or worse evil fruit

Prayer time also includes seeking the Lord in all we do, every day.  How do you improve your inner-communion with Christ?  Get to know him better by reading your Bible daily, spending time with Him, meditate on His Word, and more.

Kristin and I have created a DVD to help Christians learn and improve their godly meditation or inner-communion with Christ:

Tree of Life, A Contemplative Prayer (available at http://www.overcomingforlife.com/product-detail and also at Amazon.com).

I go into at least 12 specific things you can do to not only improve your spiritual growth in Christ, but also to overcome adversities in my newly released book Giving God the Helm, Overcoming Storms of Adversity (available in paperback at B&N, and ebook (Kindle, Nook and others) as well at http://www.overcomingforlife.com/product-detail.

Let's learn to grow up in Christ!

Be blessed,

Mark

Others May Not See or Understand Your Vision

Others may not see or understand your vision.

1 Kings 18:42-43 (NKJV): So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again."

It was Elijah’s vision. The servant couldn’t see it and had to go look 7 times!

Your vision can change and get bigger.

1 Kings 18:44 (NKJV): Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!"

The vision started off as a small cloud and got bigger!

God’s vision for you is moving forward with or without you (God plans are so big that if you do not do your part to build the kingdom, He will find someone else).

Don’t turn back, keep your faith, be patient.

In Matthew 25:14-23, when called to do the work of the Lord, the Lord rewards faithfulness:

Matthew 25:21 (NKJV): ^…'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

Stay the course and don't quit!

God bless you, Mark

Giving God the Helm soon to also be an ebook!

Converting my book Giving God the Helm, Overcoming Storms of Adversity into an ebook format was harder than I thought it would be, but worth the effort.

Bookbaby.com changed a few things that also required that the images all be reformatted and submitted.  Hopefully my part of this process is finished and Giving God the Helm epub version for Barnes & Noble Nook, iPad, Amazon Kindle and others will also be released also on or about 2/25!

The printed proof of Giving God the Helm, Overcoming Storms of Adversity should be in my hands Monday or Tuesday for approval-finalization before going to print.

Tonight, Kristin and I are going on a date…out to dinner to celebrate!

http://www.overcomingforlife.com/product-detail

Others May Not See or Understand Your Vision

Others may not see or understand your vision...

1 Kings 18:42-43 (NKJV): So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again."

It was Elijah’s vision. The servant couldn’t see it and had to go look 7 times!

Your vision can change and get bigger.

1 Kings 18:44 (NKJV): Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!"

The vision started off as a small cloud and got bigger!

God’s vision for you is moving forward with or without you (God plans are so big that if you do not do your part to build the kingdom, He will find someone else).

Don’t turn back, keep your faith, be patient.

In Matthew 25:14-23, when called to do the work of the Lord, the Lord rewards faithfulness.

Matthew 25:21 (NKJV): ^…'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

It isn't just a compliment, but a place to enter...His place, His presence!

Is Your Vision from God or Did You Make it Out of Wood?

Is your vision from God or did you make it out of wood and dress it up to look good?

Habakkuk 2:18-19: "What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?  Woe to him who says to wood, 'Awake!' To silent stone, 'Arise! It shall teach!' Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all.

God’s vision is true. It never lies, it never fails, it never disappoints.

If it is not God’s vision for you, it is in vain.

Stay the Course

There is pretty much a straight line between where you are and the destination God designed for you.  Unfortunately, life happens and we need to make adjustments or changes to our bearings to stay the course.

Don’t let wounds or rough seas knock you off course.  It is OK to seek temporary shelter for a storm to pass, but stay the course.

Keep moving forward.  Labor with purpose and faithfully even when you cannot see through the clouds or storm.

Ask God to show you the truth as to why you were knocked off course.

Others may not see or understand your vision.  They may even dislike and challenge your vision…be prepared for resistance.

Many thought Noah was crazy!

God bless you,

Mark

Like a Seed, Wait for the Appointed Time

Every vision from God has an appointed time for fulfillment.

As you recall Abraham and Sarah didn't wait, got ahead of God, and took matters into their own hands.

How do we get ahead of God? We lose heart, lack patience, and begin to cut corners.  Cutting corners can ruin the greatest plans!  Like a seed, wait for the appointed time knowing that it will sprout, grow and bear fruit at just the right time.

Faith is like reeling in a fish: you know you have a fish on the end of your line, but there may be moments when you can't actually feel that fish.  If you give up reeling, you may never see that fish...with the line slack, it is easier for the fish to come off the hook.

How do we fall back and drop out?  We let rebellion, distractions, bad attitudes, and non-essential activities knock us off our course…we begin to drift away and lose sight of our goal. Our fishing line goes slack.

The Jews wandered for 40 years in the wilderness of rebellion and Jonah ended up in the stomach of a whale.  The wilderness of rebellion is not where I want to be...ever!

God’s vision is true and surely comes.

Saul said (see Acts 26:19, 22, NKJV):  "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision…Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great…"

Being obedient to your heavenly vision gets you God’s help (or provision).

With the right vision, you are on a journey that God himself designed just for you. Best of all, with the right vision, God will help you.  Is that great or what!?

God bless you,

Mark 

Don’t Get Ahead of God

John 3:3 (NKJV): Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

We must die to the old to be able to see or have vision as a new person in Christ.

See 2 Timothy 1:8-9 (abbreviated): Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord…for the gospel according to the power of God,  who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus…

We are clearly called to God’s purpose.  There is a Holy calling that we must follow or we miss the mark and sin.

Every vision from God has an appointed time for fulfillment.

Using Abraham and Sarah, as an example, don’t get ahead of God and take matters into your own hands. It will cause BIG problems.

We Must See Well, and then God performs His Word!

When creating or following your vision (your goals) it can’t be just any vision.

Just because you can conceive and believe in something BIG doesn’t mean it is from God.  God is BIG, but not everything BIG is from God.

The Tower of Babel is an example in the Bible of man building something BIG without God.

The right vision (goals) must include God's calling or assignment for you at this time.

Jeremiah 1:11-12 (NKJV)
Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree."   Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word."

We must see well.  Once we have correct vision (the right goals) the Lord is ready to perform His word!  Is that great or what!?

Look closely at my painting "Door of Hope" based on Hosea 2:14-23.  The mountains 2 olive trees, and vineyards are glorious, but the real glory is through Christ (the rising Son) who strengthens us. When our vision (goals) are in harmony with Christ, His glory shines through us for all to see.

It is time to see well and follow the right vision.

God bless you,

Mark

Know Where You Are Going Or Perish

It is very important for us to know where we are going.

Did you know that the enemy hates vision?  Satan knows that Christians with visions are powerful people.  He also knows that the people cast off restraint and perish without a purpose or vision.

See Proverbs 29:18: Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint...

No revelation = no vision.  Casting off restraint = perish.

See 1 Samuel 3:1: Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.

No vision: the Word was rare!

See 1 Samuel 4:10-11: So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. Also the ark of God was captured...

No victory.  Israel was defeated and the ark was taken from them!

See John 9: A man was born blind: he had no vision.  When Jesus healed his eyes he had new vision.  The Pharisees (the enemy) were upset!  The enemy doesn't want you to have vision.

It is important that you see where you are going, for you to have a vision for your life.  Stop now and draw close to God to know His vision for you: know your purpose.