God's Love

Five Promises Friday

Each Friday we will look at five simple promises centered on one theme. This week we will look at God's Love.

"Love has its source in God, for love is the very essence of His being." ~ Kay Arthur

1. God's love is sacrificial and the source of our salvation.

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 

John 3:16 AMP

2. God's love is our protection.

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love. 

Psalm 5:11, 12 NLT

3. God's love is everlasting.

But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Psalm 103:17, 18 NIV

4. God's love is incomparable.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13 KJV

5. God's love cannot be lost through suffering.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38, 39 NKJV

Father, I love you and want others to know about your love. There is nothing that can compare to your love. Your love is faithful. Your love affirms. Your love keeps us, protects us, and redeems us. Your love is sacrificial and last forever. So, Father I pray that we will learn Your love, abide in Your love, and share Your love.

The P Word: Understanding and Overcoming Procrastination

Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors Thursday

Each Thursday I will take a look at common irrational thoughts, unfounded feelings, and abnormal behavior in a realistic and practical manner with a biblical solution. Today we will take a look at procrastination.

What does it mean?

procrastinate: (verb) to put off intentionally and habitually the doing of something that should be done.

A Few Facts about Procrastinators (Marano, 2003)

1. An estimate of 20% of individuals refer to themselves as procrastinators
2. It is a maladaptive behavior which manifest into one’s life by:
       • Not paying bills on time 
       • Missing the opportunity to buy tickets to concerts and events
       • Not cashing gift certificates or checks
       • Filing tax returns late
       • Leaving Christmas shopping to  Christmas Eve
3. Lies they believe
       • “I’ll feel more like doing this tomorrow.”
       • “I work better under pressure.”
       • “It’s not that important.”
       • “I’m more creative.”
4. Find other meaningless distractions (i.e. like checking email, getting on facebook, twitter, etc.)

Reasons 
       • Perfectionism
       • Confusion
       • Thoughts of Inadequacy/Self-Doubt/Wrong Beliefs
       • Lack of Motivation
       • Laziness
       • Indecisive/Inability to Prioritize
In a nutshell, it really appears to be rooted in anxiety and fear. All the reasons can be interconnected in many ways, but let’s look at a few. Perfectionist wants approval and must prove their worth by being perfect. They fear that if they perform and make a mistake everyone will find out they are not perfect and will be rejected. It’s very similar for the confused. Confusion means to misunderstand and to be uncertain. The fear is that someone will know they did not understand something and doesn’t know everything. All, of which may lead to other feelings and thoughts of inadequacy and self-doubt, and make one indecisive, loose motivation, and become lazy and idle. 

What must be done? 

Ten ways to overcome procrastination could be listed. However, fear and anxiety must be addressed. 
1.  Pray, ask for what you need, and give thanks.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 

Philippines 4:6 NKJV

2. Trust and praise God.

In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalm 56:11 NIV

3. Know that your worth and value is in God’s perfect love and not your performance.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 

1 John 4:18 NIV

4. Know simply God did not give you fear.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

Personal Note: I can personally say each of those factors described me in one way or another. I can also remember stating each lie while in school and even at work every now and then. When the Lord gave me the assignment to start writing, it was back in July, and it took me until now to really be obedient to the vision. When completing my thesis for graduate school, it took eight months of procrastination because of anxiety and fear of rejection to submit my work that received rave reviews. A while back I posted "Don't lose the vision by procrastinating." Right after that, I was challenged by the Holy Spirit "you would likely over-think and underestimate. If you wait, the message will become irrelevant, and/or outdated. So, let's get to work so that God will be glorified." I challenge myself now when I find myself being unproductive, by pursuing the goals and purposes that God has designed and planned for me. I also, challenge myself with "be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15, 16 NIV). 

References:

1. Marano, H.E. (2003). Procrastination: Ten things to know. Psychology Today. Retrieved November 3, 2010 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/node/24800

He Wants It All by foreverJones

Wonderful Worship Wednesday


Many people like to call Wednesday "Hump Day" or make statements like "Wednesdays are rough!" or indicate how much more of the workweek they must tough out. But, I would like to spotlight worship music. Some old, some new, just simply some of my FAVORITES!!!


Today checkout this live video of foreverJones singing He Wants It All. 


This song brings two scriptures to mind, which reads as follow:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Matthew 22:34 KJV

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1 KJV

foreverJones is a family band led by parents Dewitt and Kim Jones. The remainder of the band include their children D'Jeniele' (Guitarist), Dominique (Guitarist and Keyboardist), DeWitt IV (Bass), Judah (Drums), and Mya (Vocalist). To learn more about foreverJones check them out on the links below.

I would like to thank foreverJones for this beautiful, yet challenging song. I also pray that each of us examine our lives to make sure we have given Him our all.

http://foreverjones.emigospel.com/

http://www.facebook.com/officialfjm

WARNING: The Choking Game

Teachable Parenting Moment Tuesday

Each Tuesday I would like to take a look at some alarming child and adolescent behaviors. Whether you're a parent, teacher, and/or child and youth worker, it may be something you should know and/or pass along to a friend.  For the next few weeks I will be discussing and sharing information regarding The Choking Game.

My first encounter with the Choking Game was approximately around this time last year. While interning at a counseling agency, I co-facilitated a group for adolescents and their family. During downtime, two adolescents participating in the group decided that they wanted to discuss and demonstrate their experiences with playing the "game." One proceeded to place her hands around the neck of the other, and smiled and laughed with excitement about the euphoria the other would experience. Another participant alerted staff and parents of the dangers of the game. I instantly thought to myself, "are these kids serious . . . are these the risk they are taking these days. . . SERIOUSLY???" 

However, this was not a new phenomenon among adolescent risk behaviors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports incidents of the risk behavior as earliest as 1995. In the CDC's The Choking Game: Risky Youth Behavior feature, they indicate that "the choking game is a dangerous activity that older children and early adolescents sometimes play to get a brief high. They either choke each other or use a noose to choke themselves. After just a short time, children can pass out, which may lead to serious injury or even death" (CDC, 2008).

The CDC completed an additional report, Unintentional Strangulation Deaths from the "Choking Game" Among Youth Aged 6--19 Years---United States, 1995--2007. In that report, the CDC's data only attributed a probability of 82 deaths to the "game," but continued that "death certificates lacked the detail necessary to distinguish chocking-game deaths from other unintentional strangulation deaths" (CDC, 2008). Although the number of deaths between 1995 to 2007 appear relatively low, it does bring to light some of the enemy's devices and strategies in bringing premature death and destruction to children and adolescents.

I must admit, while writing this, my heart is filled with a righteous indignation and desire to arm parents, educators, and other caregivers with information to protect and sustain our future generation. So, lets arm ourselves with these truths:

• The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 NKJV (The words of our Wonderful Counselor!!!)
• For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NKJV
• Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NKJV 

Next Tuesday, I'll highlight more details regarding the Choking Game and provide more biblical insight to aid any children and adolescents who may be engaged in this and other risky behaviors.

Sources:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5977173n
www.cdc.gov/Features/ChokingGame
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5706a1.htm

Welcome to Wonderful Counselor!!!

Greetings!!! I am very excited about venturing into this world of blogging. For some time now the Lord has been pressing upon my heart to begin writing to address some of life’s daily situations that plague the lives of many not just in the world but also in the body of Christ. The goal is simple, to look at these situations through the lenses of scripture.  

Why Wonderful Counselor?

Webster defines wonderful as exciting wonder, marvelous, astonishing, unusually good, and admirable. According to Strong’s, wonderful is Hebrew for pele’, which means wonder, marvel, extraordinarily hard to understand.

While counselor, according to Webster, is described as a person who gives advice or counseling. The Hebrew, according to Strong’s, word for counselor is ya`ats which means to advise, consult, give counsel, purpose, devise, plan. While, in Greek the word is parakletos, which means an intercessor, consoler, advocate, and comforter.

Counseling, as defined by Webster, is a professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. As a Counselor myself, I use all of those methods to provide guidance to people who experience a variety of distressing life situations. But, wouldn’t it be even better to find purpose and advice by consulting the Great Intercessor, Consoler, Advocate, and Comforter.  

Jesus, in John 14:16 KJV states “And I will pray to the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” Later in verse 26 He reiterates “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you.”

Jesus is described as the Wonderful Counselor in Isaiah 9:6, and teaches the disciples of another Counselor, the Holy Spirit, in the Gospel of John. Paul writes the Corinthians “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 NIV

Thus, I pray that Wonderful Counselor finds your heart and that it does not be troubled by the distressing cares and concerns of this world because we have an Excellent and Wonderful Counselor that brings us unusually good and astonishing consolation, advocacy, comfort and care.