Tag : PositiveChristianity.org

18Oct

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – When Faced With A Challenge – Don’t Forget About God

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - When Faced With A Challenge - Don't Forget About God

Time Sensitivity: none

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

When faced with a challenge, don’t forget about God.

Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. A lot of people think it is. We say, “Oh God, you are so reluctant to give me what I want. Please God: please can I change Your mind in any way?”

It is not overcoming God’s reluctance; instead, it is laying hold of our own highest willingness. There is a huge difference. The power of God Almighty is waiting to give to you and to bless you. But we have to be willing in our awareness to turn to God and accept, and God says, “Yes, I will open up the windows of heaven for You – until you say it is enough.” Whoever rises from prayer a better woman, or a better man has already had his or her prayer answered.

God wants to give it to you; you can have the ultimate prayer of a human’s life answered.

Prayer is your key. It unlocks the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at your disposal. You might say, “Well now, it is the priest, or the rabbi, or the minister who has God at his, or her disposal.” No, it is you too. You have it right where you sit this morning.

Often, we say, we are too busy to pray. We are just too involved with our busy lives to have time for God. Do you know what that really means? We are too busy to have power. Because our human self runs out of power quickly, but God never runs out of power.

A kindergarten class went to a fire station for a tour and some instruction in fire safety. The fireman was explaining what to do in case of fire.

The fireman said, “First go to the door and feel the door to see if it is hot. Now fall to your knees. Does anyone know why you should fall to your knees?”

One of the little children said, “Sure, to start praying to ask God to get us out of this mess.”

We have a great deal of activity in our lives, but we accomplish little when we try to accomplish it without God. When we have God in our lives, we can accomplish greater things than we ever dreamed possible. Nothing is impossible to God’s giving grace.

It has been said, there is more religion in some men’s curses than there is in some men’s prayers, especially if the former is sincere, and the latter is just ritual. When we pray, when we talk to God, we have to talk to God like God is our very best friend and talk from our heart. Then we have a connection.

There was a man who took his little six-year-old son fishing. They put the line into the river and then they went up to the cabin. After about an hour they went back to the river to see if they had caught anything. Sure enough, there were several fish on the line. The boy said, “I knew there would be Daddy.”

The father asked, “How did you know?”

The boy replied, “Because I prayed about it.”

They baited the hooks again, put out the line, and went back to the cabin for supper. Afterward they went back to the river again. There were fish on the line, and the boy said, “I knew it Daddy.”

The father said, “Son, how did you know?”

The little boy said, “I prayed again that there would be fish on the line.”

So, they put the line back into the river and went back to the cabin. Before bedtime they went back again and this time there were no fish. The child said, “I knew there wouldn’t be any fish on the line.”

The father asked, “How did you know?”
The boy said, “Because, I forgot to pray this time.”
The father said, “Why didn’t you pray?”
The boy said, “Because Daddy, I forgot.”
Don’t forget!

Don’t ever forget the first and foremost thing in your life is God. Put God first; don’t ever meet any situation alone. Don’t ever go into a problem turning like a tornado in your mind, or outside of yourself without God. Go with the power, the awareness, and the consciousness of God’s help, and everything will change. Everything will be better. Sometimes better than you can ever imagine, receiving the Grace of God.

Our failure to think of prayer as a privilege may be partly due to the fact we can pray any time. The door to prayer is so open, so continuous, that we fail to avail ourselves of an opportunity which is always there. We take it for granted. Yet it is the most incredible thing in the whole universe. Each one of you this morning, even if you are here for the first time, can take this knowledge with you as a gift of God. You cannot be alone. God loves you, and God is with you every single moment. You can talk with God. God is not way out there somewhere. God is not reluctant toward you. God is with you, right where you are.

We have heard commercials on television say for years that what is important for a good life is a strong portfolio of stocks. There is nothing wrong with this, and over the long term it is probably very wise. But I ask you to have a strong portfolio first of prayers and investments in faith.

A lady said, “I can’t pray for more than two minutes at a time. I try, but I just can’t. I run out of things to pray about.” She said, “What can I do?”

Her minister asked her, “What have you been thinking about or worrying about this week?”

She said, “Well,” and then she talked for 15 minutes.

The minister said, “Change all that into a prayer.”

Instead of thinking and worrying about things, talk to God in a solutions oriented positive way and ask God’s help to see your challenge in a new light. She had a spiritual solution, and right then they sat down and prayed. She led the prayer and prayed for 15 minutes easily and could have talked for an hour about things that had been bothering her in her life.

You can estimate the weight of the world. You can tell the size of a certain city. You can count the stars in heaven. You can measure the speed of lightning. You can tell the time of the rising and the setting of the sun. But we as humans cannot estimate the power of prayer. The power of prayer, when it works in and through you, is beyond anything that the human mind of any time or any age can comprehend. It is more because prayer is as vast as God is, because God is behind it. Prayer is as mighty as God is, because God has committed all that God is, to answer our prayers.

There was a little girl who had an uncle named Uncle Mack. She was visiting her uncle with three of her siblings and they were all thirsty at the same time. The little girl went to Uncle Mack and said, “Uncle Mack, I am thirsty. Can I have a drink?” The other children immediately decided they were thirsty too so all four lined up. The bigger ones pushed the little ones out of the way, so the smallest one was at the very end. “Uncle Mack, we’re thirsty,” they said. He had a bottle of apple cider in the refrigerator, and he poured the apple cider into clear glasses. Three got clear glasses of apple cider, but the little girl got the very bottom of the cider which had some sediment in it.

The others drank their apple cider and the little girl just stared at her apple cider and said to Uncle Mack, “I don’t want that. Look, it’s got all that stuff in it.”

Uncle Mack said, “That is the best of all. It is filled with vitamins and that is good.”

She said, “Yuck! I don’t want any part of that,” and she started crying. As they were talking, Uncle Mack looked over at the cider and told her to also look over. They saw a miracle. All of the sediment in the glass had floated to the bottom. It was as clear as the others were.

That is what happens in our own minds during prayer, it allows the sediment to fall to the bottom of us and gives us clarity.

Allow me to share a parable of Jesus Christ from Matthew 22:1-14. “Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: `The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again, he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fatted calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.

“The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

There is a book written by author Elizabeth Sand Turner, which explains this parable of Jesus. She says in her book, “Your Hope of Glory,” the parable of the wedding feast and the wedding garment, relates that God has prepared a feast for you and invites you to it. Those in lower human consciousness make light of God’s invitation. They not only pursue their worldly interests, but definitely reject God’s summons. They kill the king’s messengers. They reside literally at the bottom of the glass in the sediment of life. This is a spiritual meaning of the fall of man, our highest thoughts are often allowed to sink to our lowest realms. In other words, we have Divine urgings inside of our minds, but we kill those thoughts. We say, “Not now, not now.” Then we go our own way. The price we pay is death to the good we would have had; the good God has already prepared for us. Those who accept God’s invitation must prepare themselves properly and wear a wedding garment.

You must prepare yourself in awareness. What does it mean to put on a garment of God? It means to know God is one with you, and to accept the good God has for you. Our preparation for God’s good consists of spiritual thinking and living. The robe of righteousness is the only fit wedding garment. Without this we shall not be permitted to eat at God’s table. Does God choose? No, it said earlier that the good and the bad were invited. God cares more about your present moment, your future, and your willingness to change, then God does about your past. God invites all to this banquet. God wants all to accept it, but in order to accept it, you must synchronize your human mind with God. Otherwise, you cannot even comprehend the good that God has already prepared for you.

Once, some years ago, a five-year-old girl was attending a formal wedding. The child was sitting with her grandmother. She had been in Sunday school, but had never attended a formal church service. During the wedding the minister said, “Let us pray.” Each person bowed his or her head in prayer. The little girl looked around, saw all the heads around her bowed, and everyone’s eyes toward the floor. She cried in her loudest voice, “Grandma, what are they all looking for?”

What are we looking for when we pray? Let us seek God first all the time. Sometimes in our human mind we try to twist God’s good.

There was an overweight businessman who decided it was time to shed some excess pounds. He took his new diet very seriously, even changing his driving route to avoid his favorite bakery. However, one morning, he arrived at work carrying a gigantic coffeecake. His co-workers all scolded him, but a smile remained on his face. He said, “This is a very special coffee cake. I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning. There in the window was a host of goodies. I felt this was no accident, so I prayed, “Lord, if you want me to have one of those delicious coffee cakes, let me find a parking place directly in front of the bakery. Sure enough,” he continued, “The eighth time around the block, there it was.”

A spiritual solution for your life. So often we want something our own way, the way of our human mind, which is not to our highest good. We must pray to God first. Second, we must move as God directs. In Matthew 6:10 the Bible states “Thy will be done.”

Sometimes a person will say, “I want to do God’s will but how could know whether the leading that comes to me is God’s will or my will?” This implies that our will and God’s will must necessarily conflict. When we pray to show the will of God, our own human will is illumined. God acts through our will faculty. And we know that it is God’s will because of the feeling of peace we have, because of the sense of rightness we have. We know that it is God’s will because of the good results that show forth in us and in our lives.

“Not my will, to Thine be done” is one of the most far-reaching positive affirmations of Jesus, and those who follow Jesus and keep Jesus is saying are finding great peace and relaxation in daily life. We are to pray that the will of God enters into us as the great clarifier allowing all the old sediment to fall to the bottom of our hourglass of life.

This will become a moving factor in your life towards real solutions. God does not take our will from us; rather, God gives us the utmost freedom to find creative solutions.

There is a story of an old Scot who was quite ill. The family called for their minister and as he entered the sick room he sat down. He noticed another chair on the opposite side of the bed, a chair which had been drawn close. The minister said, “Well, Donald, I see that I’m not your first visitor for the day.”

The old man looked up, was puzzled for a moment and then he recognized from the nod of the pastor’s head that the pastor had noticed the empty chair. “Well Pastor,” he said, “Let me tell you about this chair. Many years ago, I found it quite difficult to pray, so one day I shared this problem with my minister. He told me to not worry about kneeling or placing myself in some posture such as a Lotus position But instead, sit down with a chair opposite me and imagine Jesus sitting in that chair. Then he said to talk with Him as I would a good friend.” The aged Scot then added, “I’ve been doing that ever since.”

A short time later the daughter of the Scot called the pastor. When he answered, she informed him that her father had died very suddenly. She was quite shaken because she had no idea that death was so very near. Then she continued, “I had just gone to lie down for an hour or two, for he seemed to be sleeping so comfortably. When I went back, he was dead.” Then she added thoughtfully, “Except now, his hand was on the empty chair at the side of the bed. Isn’t that strange?”

The minister replied, “No, that is not strange at all. I understand.” A spiritual solution. When we are in the hospital, we may be in pain, or not feeling well, during such times we may find it is hard to pray. Place an empty chair in front of you, and in that chair, place in your mind the presence of Jesus Christ. Reach out to the chair and pray with that Presence. Oftentimes I have prayed with an empty chair, with the presence of Jesus Christ. You know something? It is a mystical thing, but the chair wasn’t empty. The presence of Jesus Christ was there. It can be in your life too because nothing is impossible for YOU.

Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote this: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Therefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats that nourish a blind life within the brain, if knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer, both for themselves and those who call them friends?”

There is one more spiritual solution to help you to pray. This is a hand solution. You have seen hands many times in prayer, but this time I want you to use your hand in a new way. When you don’t know how to pray, or you can’t think of the words, here is a way. First of all, what is closest to you is your thumb. Your thumb is for those nearest to you. You pray for those people nearest to you by looking at your hand.

What is the second finger used for? It is used for pointing. So often in our human life we point at others, we judge and criticize them. Perhaps we are pointing, and we are not forgiving someone. We have to think about those who we are pointing to at the present time. We have to pull back that finger, face it toward ourselves, and pray that we may replace any feeling we have for those people with the love of God.

Our third finger is the longest. So, we think of the tallest people in our lives. Perhaps our leaders of the country, or our city, or perhaps of the business we are in, and we pray for them.

The fourth finger, as any piano player will tell you, is the weakest finger in the hand. That is the finger to help you remember to pray for those around you who are weak, sick, frail, or even for ourselves if we are feeling bad.

Then we have the little finger on our hand. That is for praying for us, to realize that the little finger is the least important. We should always place ourselves in service to God and place God first. When we pray for our life in this way, then we have an added spiritual power and dimension that comes to our life.

Let us pray.

Give me, oh Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards. Give me an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out. Give me an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Teach us in this congregation, this morning–good, wonderful God–to serve Thee as Thou deservest. To give and not count the cost, to fight and not heed the wounds, to toil and not seek rest, to labor and not ask for any reward except knowing that we are doing Thy will.

Thank You, God. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.

Prayer / Meditation__________________________

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory. For the sake of Thy steadfast love and Thy faithfulness”
Psalms 115:1

I ask you to get comfortable in your quiet place, your place of being alone with God. Relax every muscle and let those words of the Psalmist occupy your mind. You are the writer of those words; they are your prayer.

Close your eyes and ears to every outer circumstance and allow thankfulness to permeate your entire being. Realize your oneness with God, your neighbors, your foes, your rivals. You are one with all humans. Your heart swells as you realize your kinship with all life, all are one with

God as you are one with God.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

There is a unity in the universe. In the mood of wonder, joy, and love, contemplate the words a phrase at a time.

“Not to us, Oh Lord.” We get no credit. All good comes from You, God. We listen, act, and receive the benefits. Benefits we often haven’t earned, but that fact doesn’t shame us. It makes us even more thankful for Your love.

“Not to us, … but to Thy name give glory.” We remember that “name” means “nature.” We are giving glory to God’s nature, God’s compassion, God’s forgiveness. Our love for You, God, overwhelms us. All this and heaven too, the whole of the idea floods us with Your love. We are able to love our enemies living in Your nature.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

I ask you to pause and think of something that you have against someone. As you contemplate this, you will see the insignificance of your complaint. This is the time to allow the love of God to come through you. You forgive all parties to the incidents, including yourself. We have no enemies, only brothers and sisters.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

This is the time not only to think of God’s love, but to allow the love of God to come in and through you, forgiving all those who you hold anything against. You will do so as we listen to the words of the old hymn Rock of Ages. (OPTION sung softly)

Rock of ages,
Truth divine,
Strong foundation, ever mine;
Safe, secure, I here remain,
In the peace God doth ordain;
Living ever in the fight,
Pure and perfect in God’s sight.
On the rock of Truth I stand,
Destiny at my command;
Filled with peace and power of God,
Boundless good, eternal love,
Safe with Truth, so firm and strong,
Praising in triumphant song.
For the asking I attain
Every height in Truth’s domain,
Every wish within my heart;
For no blessing can depart.
All of good is ever mine,
On the rock of Truth divine.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

God’s love gives us the ability to do good even to those who have spitefully used us. For the sake of Thy steadfast love and Thy faithfulness, we are only repaying in a small way what we have received. God has forgiven us so many times. We try to emulate God’s goodness. We forgive as we have been forgiven, with no reservations, and with no exceptions.

Dear God, this morning we say with the Psalmist, “Not to us.” Use us in bringing to pass the good you want to give us all. We are open and receptive.

We thank You through the name and nature of Jesus Christ, Amen.

For over 22 years – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one. Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER? Click here – if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
11Oct

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – God’s Truth Will Clothe You

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - God's Truth Will Clothe You

Time Sensitivity: none

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

There was an emperor who loved new clothes. Actually, he spent all of his money on clothes. He spent all of his time trying on his new suits and showing them off.

One day, two men came into the town where the emperor lived and they said they were weavers. They said they could weave the most beautiful cloth in the entire world. Well, the men were not really weavers at all. They were conmen.

The two men went straight to the emperor’s palace. One of them said, “Your Majesty, everybody knows about the beautiful cloth that we weave. But have you heard the amazing thing about it? Some people cannot see our cloth. They cannot see it, even when they are looking right at it.”

“They can’t see it?” the emperor said. “What kind of people can’t see your beautiful cloth?

The other man said, “Stupid people, people who aren’t good at their jobs; they cannot see the beautiful cloth.”

“That is truly amazing,” the emperor said. “I must have a suit that is made out of that beautiful cloth.”

The emperor told the two men to begin to weave at once. The men said, “Well, Your Majesty, in order to do this, we will need a great deal of money. We will need the best gold thread and the best silk thread to weave with.” The emperor gave them a great deal of money, thread, and a room in his palace to work in.

Well, the two men set up two big looms to weave on, but they did not put the thread on the looms. They put the thread away in a bag. Day after day, the two men sat at the empty looms and pretended to weave.

Everybody was waiting for the cloth to be finished. Everybody was waiting to find out if their friends would be able to see the cloth. The emperor wanted to go look at the cloth. He was absolutely certain that he would be able to see the cloth. He said, “I am not stupid, and I know that I am a good emperor: but this once, I’ll send somebody else to look at the cloth.”

So, the emperor sent his chief assistant down to the workroom. The two men at the looms said, “How do you like our beautiful cloth?” The chief minister looked at one loom and then he looked at the other loom, and he couldn’t see any cloth (because there was not any cloth to see).

“Dear me,” he said to himself, “I can’t see any cloth. Am I stupid? I never thought I was. Am I bad at my job? If I am, I must keep it a secret. I must NOT say that I cannot see the cloth.”

So, the chief assistant said to the men, “The cloth is beautiful.”

“Be sure to tell the emperor,” they said. “Tell him about the beautiful colors and tell him about how the gold thread shines.”

The chief assistant went back to the emperor. He said, “The colors, Your Majesty, they are beautiful. The reds, the purples, and how the gold thread shines.”

The next day, the two men asked the emperor for more money and more gold thread and more silk thread. The emperor gave them the money and the thread. The men put the money in their pockets, and they put the thread away in their bag. They kept on pretending to weave.

Soon, the emperor wanted to know when his cloth would be finished. So, this time, he sent his second chief assistant down to the workroom. The second chief assistant looked at one loom and then looked at the other loom, and he could not see a thing (because there was not anything to see). “Oh dear,” he thought, “I cannot see the cloth. I had better pretend that I can.” So, he said to the men, “The cloth is just beautiful.”

He went back to the emperor and told him that the cloth was really beautiful. The emperor couldn’t wait a minute longer; he had to see the beautiful cloth for himself. So, the emperor went down to the workroom. He took his chief assistant and his second assistant with him. The first chief assistant looked at the empty looms and said, “How the gold thread shines, Your Majesty.”

The second chief assistant said, “Wow, it is really beautiful.”

Well, the emperor looked at one loom and he looked at the other loom and he could not see a thing on the looms. “What is this,” he said to himself. “Am I stupid? No. That is not possible. Am I not a good emperor? Oh, no. That would be simply terrible. Well, I will have to pretend that I see the beautiful cloth.”

The emperor said to the two men, “Excellent, wonderful, beautiful,” and he gave each of them a medal to show how pleased he was. “Now, Your Majesty,” one of the men said, “We are ready to cut the cloth and make a suit for you.”

“Splendid,” said the emperor. “We are going to have a big parade next week, and I am going to wear my new suit of clothes.”

Before the day of the parade, the two men stayed up all night long. They used more than 20 candles to light the room so that everyone would see just how hard they were working. They pretended to take the cloth off the looms very carefully and move their hands around in the air and snap their scissors together. They used big needles and pretended to sew with them. But the needles had no thread.

At last, it was the day of the big parade. “Now,” said one of the men, “the emperor’s new clothes are ready.” The emperor went to the workroom at once.

One of the men pretended to hold out a coat. “Here is your new coat, Your Majesty,” he said, “It is as light as a feather.”

“And here are your new trousers,” the other man said. “And over here is your long royal cape. Your new clothes are so light that you will hardly feel that you have anything on at all.”

The emperor took off the clothes he was wearing, and the two men pretended to help him put on his new clothes. The emperor turned around and around in front of a mirror. “Why, my new clothes feel as light as a feather,” he said.

Two noblemen were supposed to hold up the end of the emperor’s royal cape. They could not see the cape, (they could not see the trousers or the coat, either), but they were not going to say so. They felt around on the floor and pretended to pick up the ends of the cape. Then the emperor and the noblemen marched out of the palace.

In the street, the people were waiting to see the big parade. “Look at the emperor,” the people cried. “What a beautiful new suit of clothes he has on.” Nobody could see the emperor’s new clothes, but no one was going to say so. “Look at the emperor,” they said, “what a beautiful new suit of clothes he has on.”

A small child tugged at his daddy’s pant leg. He looked up and said, “But he hasn’t got anything on.”

“Did you hear what that small child said?” somebody whispered. “A little child said that the emperor hasn’t got anything on.” Another person said it. And then another, and another, and another.

“He hasn’t got anything on,” everybody shouted at last. “The emperor hasn’t got anything on.”

The emperor knew now that the people were right. But he had to stay in the parade until it was over, he must not admit that he made a mistake. “The parade must go on,” the emperor thought, “and I must keep going, too.” So, the emperor walked proudly the rest of the way. And the two noblemen walked behind him holding up the ends of the new royal cape, the cape that wasn’t there.

“The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson

This is NOT a children’s story. It is a story with profound spiritual for us in our lives, today.

As human beings, we are very self-consciousness. We are afraid. We are afraid that someone will discover – who we really are – that we, through some event or some action, will expose ourselves as the person we think we are. We view ourselves from our lack of self-esteem.

Now, here was a king, like you are a king – the bible says you are a child of God, an heir to the kingdom. But this king has an excess of money. He spends all of his money on new clothes to make him appear better to himself and better to others. He puts on outer garments to cover up who he really is.

There is a saying “that clothes make the man.” In the long run only the man makes the man, and only the woman makes the woman. The clothes we wear are just costumes that will only hide, who we really are, for a brief time. Back to the story, one day, two men come to town. They are weavers – weavers of dreams. They are sellers of the momentary illusion of happiness by obtaining something else outside of yourself. They go to the palace and talk to the one who, in the entire kingdom, already has it all, and can get anything that he wants. He has it all by Divine birthright.

They tell the king about the cloth. They say to the king, the top person in the kingdom – as their authority and reference, they use “everybody knows.”

We often fall into the trap of “EVERYBODY KNOWS.” “They are so many. Surely, THEY must know more than me. I must not even question. I must believe what THEY think.” And so, the king says the same thing. “Surely, they are right. THEY must know more than me. After all, THEY are so many in number.” THEY vs. YOU.

One man said, “Some people cannot see our cloth, even when they are looking right at it. The people who cannot see it are the people who are blind with stupidity or people who are not good at their jobs.” So, we see one of our primary fears – the fear of every person – “I might not be as good as they think I am.” So, no one asks questions. Each person accepts the authority of the all-knowing “THEY.” No one dares to think or to speak up.

Twice, the emperor gave the men a lot of money. And he gave them a place to live and to work. That brings up another great Truth. Anything in your life, that costs you a lot of money, has to be questioned as to its true value. Someone years ago, quoted to me Homan’s law: “At what price – profit?” The things of true value in this life, the things that will make a difference in your life, cost NO money. They are already within you. You already have them because of your Divine birthright. As Jesus said, “You, too, are a child of God.” You have it all, right now.

The men appeared to work long hours, but they were not building anything. The pranksters are the real fools, for they are not leaving anything real, or lasting behind. You are only remembered for what you give, and every day, we must strive to give more real value to our world.

Everyone was waiting to see the cloth, not so much to see the cloth themselves, but to see IF their friends would be able to see the cloth. Some who are not yet on the spiritual path love to see others struggle and fail. But, when we come from following Jesus Christ, that high point, that Divine understanding, that Godly view, we want to see others succeed and win. Spiritual people get as excited about another person success as their own. We succeed and win every time that we come from our highest spiritual consciousness and live within God.

The king had an inner fear that when the big moment came, he would fail to see the cloth. So, he put it off as long as possible. Often, that is the way we do things. When we are afraid of something, we procrastinate; we put it off as long as we possibly can.

So, the emperor sent his chief assistant. He could not see any cloth, but he didn’t want to admit it. He might be stupid or not good at his job. So, he raved about the cloth to the king. It was the same with the second assistant. The emperor finally got enough courage to go and see the cloth for himself; but, of course, he could not see anything. Yet, he would NEVER admit it.

The day of the big parade, when hundreds of people would be watching, the emperor put on the invisible clothes and walked naked into the crowd. Everyone in the crowd did not want to admit that they could not see the cloth, so they raved about the emperor’s new clothes.

Thus, we see human consciousness at its worst; sometimes this is called mob consciousness believing in what everyone else says, instead of speaking up yourself for what you know to be true. Even inside of us, worries, and fears that do not exist, overpower our reasoning. Human consciousness will often rave on about it and have anxiety about it and even get sick and die over something only imagined.

The crowd was convinced in their minds that the king was wearing beautiful clothes. But a little boy, who was not yet part of the mass hysteria, shouted, “He hasn’t got anything on.”

The people, one by one, started to wake up, started to open their eyes – not their physical eyes, but their perception eyes – the eyes that could see with a new understanding. They started to think for themselves, to ask questions, and to express opinions.

Too many times, we go along, and we never ask questions. We never think for ourselves. We never express opinions. Many times, in a worst-case scenario we become sheep, instead of the individuals that have the power to think for themselves.

Soon, as the crowd began to murmur among themselves, “The king has nothing on,” the king, who was in the middle of the parade, woke up.

The crowd did not speak up until they gained power from the masses. The king was having a very bad day. But look what went through the king’s mind. Have you ever been like this?

The king looked down. He knew he was naked. And he knew that everybody else knew he was naked, but he STILL did not want to expose himself, so he continued to march in the parade to the end.

Have you ever been in a place in your life where YOU KNEW you were making a mistake, and you knew that you knew, and everybody else knew? Yet you continue to march ahead? We do that. I do not know why we do it. If we would only wake up the rest of the way and realize that it is okay, to stop, and change the direction we are headed.

We do not have to walk to our own doom. We can call a halt, right now. We control the momentum. We control the movement by our minds. And we can decide, right now, “I do not have to keep on going following the sheep to the slaughter. I can stop.”

Many companies have been like this. We see major companies failing; they are on the news every day. When the employees and even management our interviewed they will often say that they sensed the problems but were afraid to speak up. It is as fascinating, as it is sad. The company trainers would often admit that they did not believe what they were required to teach. But the people expected them to teach it and so they would get up and teach it, even though they KNEW it was wrong.

It is often suspected that the new employees did not believe what they were being taught, yet they would never think for themselves, ask questions, or express opinions on the fear of exposing themselves. We think that we must blend in, and become part of the mass instead of an individual.

There is a secondary thought and original thought. We have the God-given gift of original thought, and yet few in adult life exercise it. We allow others to do our thinking for us.

History tells us that the successful are the people that stand out and think for themselves.

One day, someone speaks up and asks a question. It is very disturbing to everyone when that happens. Yet when we ask a question, people must then wake up and take a look at themselves; they must look at the definitions they have given to their own questions. Definitions are like a fence. They fence more out than they fence in.

Faith, religion, is an ongoing adventure. It is not something that is within a fence. It is different for every one of you because you are living a different life and you are on a slightly different path. Each person has his, or her own path, and each person connects with God. But that is where the similarity begins. God is always the same. God gives you what you need at the moment. God gives you understanding so you DO NOT have to walk the rest of the parade (your life) unclothed. You can put on “the whole armor of God,” and that whole armor is with you now.

That gives you all the power you will ever need, no matter what you need to overcome.

The FIRST adventure in faith is to DISCOVER who you really are. It is that point that says, “Wait a minute here. I am not stupid.” There has never been a stupid person because we all have the ability, the possibility of connecting with God. It is a person that realizes that when I work with God, God does good work through me. Therefore, I can believe in myself, totally and completely. It is discovering who you really are.

You are not an isolated island separated by icy seas. You are connected with God and God can think through you and work through you and therefore you have great worth.

The SECOND adventure in faith is EXPLORING the depths of you to permanently find God. That is quite an adventure. It is one of the ultimate adventures. It is the adventure that will continue all the days of our lives. Our fears and worries are easy to discover. Many people live in this realm because it appears like it is the path of least resistance, but it is an illusion because it is the reverse.

We all have human fears of being exposed. Researchers say one of the most common dreams that people have at night, is being naked, in a class, or in front of a group.

In the Bible that says to, “Put on Christ.” This will be the new clothes of our soul.

The THIRD adventure in faith is EXPRESSING all that God is. If you have discovered, and explored the goodness of God, it is going to come through you as health, as Divine ideas, success in your business, success in human relations. Every area of your life can express all that God is, as you pray earnestly and continuously for the opportunity.

The FOURTH adventure in faith is BECOMING a spiritual teacher by example and helping others to rise up above human blindness.

It is time to wake up. It is time to take a good look from a new perspective and to ask yourself the question that so many of us have avoided for so long: Is my life working? If not, why am I still in the parade? Why don’t I get on a new path? Why don’t I go in a new direction? I have a question for us all. It is on excesses in our lives. Remember, the king had excesses on clothing. He spent all of his money on clothes. He was obsessed with it. He spent all of his time and energy on clothes, because he was hiding from taking a good look at himself.

I say, if we are going to have an excess, why not have an excess of God? Goethe said, “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.” It is time to move away from stagnation of blind following in our lives, seeking only the approval of others for our self-worth and to leave no forwarding address. God is not a theory of life – God is Life itself. Nothing is too small or insignificant for God’s uplifting Presence. You question, “Okay, but how?” In every instance, it is prayer. Here are seven conditions for true prayer.

1.You must recognize God as your parent. Your own personal parent that you are connected with, that you can hold, that you can walk with, hand in hand.

2.Acknowledge your oneness with God. It is a yes-ness inside of you. “Yes, I can do it because I am not alone. God is with me at this moment.”

3.Pray in the secret place – inside of you.

4.Close the door to the outer.

5.Believe you have received – right now.

6.Seek first the kingdom of God. Why is this not number one? Because often, after we have done our prayer work, we believe we will receive and then we drop everything and look to the outer realm, completely. Then, if it does not come right away; we have disbelief and throw up our hands and say it does not work. That is the very time you should seek first the kingdom.

7.Forgive. Release. Do not hold on to any resentment. Allow the Presence of God to flow through without obstruction.

Then, after you get past that, there are four steps to true prayer to bring it into manifestation.

A. Say NO to what isn’t working. You may be a person who is getting a new suit of clothes, but you cannot really see it or feel it in your life. Yet you are impelled to go forward. You are in a parade, and you do not have any clothes on. What do you do? You begin to say NO. You say, “Wait a minute. What in the world am I doing? What am I doing with my life?” You say, “NO that this has any more power over me.” You say, “NO that I have to continue walking down the same way.” You say, “NO.”

B. Spiritually Affirm. You affirm who you are. You affirm your power with God’s help. You affirm the power to change direction and get REAL clothes on, you, your dreams, and your life.

C. Silence. Stop the noise and listen to God. Hearing God’s voice. Waiting on the Presence of God to flow through you, and with you.

D. Imagination. Imagination to know that the spiritual always replaces the lower when you work with God. To see it coming right now in your prayer. It will begin to show in your life.

After all that, you act. You begin to act upon what you are praying about. Emerson said, “Prayer is a contemplation of the facts of life from their highest point of view.” Too many have been fooled too few. God is constant, truthful and can be relied upon to give you the guidance you need.

I pray that we will never be fooled again by ourselves or by another; that if we do not have all that we need right now in our lives, we do not continue walking down the parade route naked and defenseless. I pray that we stop and we put on the clothes of God.

Through God you WILL succeed and win.

God bless you!

PRAYER / MEDITATION____________________

Allow me to speak for you …

Dear God, Hold me close, loving Presence of God. Be with me through the night hours and be with me through the day. Hold Thou my hand. Guide Thou my feet. Comfort Thou my heart. Fill me with new resolve and a knowing that all is well. I trust you to be with me and therefore I trust myself.

I trust my life, my hopes, my dreams, and my future to Your care.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

Where I am, You are, dear God. In my need, You answer me. In my joy, You smile upon me. When I cannot fathom the ways and the wherefores, Your Light shines steadily, beckoning me on – on to the Truth as yet unknown. To depths of understanding as yet un-guessed at.

Be with me, Lord. Hold me close, today, this moment, tomorrow, and in the days to come. I am holding Your hand. I shall not fear. I thank You, my loving Lord, for Your Presence.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

I strive, this moment, to allow more of God to flow through me – God’s love, the greatest expression in the world. Love is that Divine quality that makes our world go around. Love is the enthusiasm of God inside of us.

This moment, feeling God’s Presence, I feel God’s love. And in that feeling, that love, I feel a sense of love for all those that I know and meet. God always externalizes at the level of my concept. And I examine my mental equivalence, strong power plans ahead, progress happens on my spiritual path.

Absolute faith in God begets absolute faith in God. My faith in God is measured by the faith in ourselves. And this faith is a mind activity that is happening in me, this moment.

There is a dynamic power, a movement of God that is happening in mind and in body. It is that movement of God that knows that when I ask for something in prayer, I receive a definite result.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

I pray within, the measureless, boundless, eternal of God’s all good. I ask nothing amiss and therefore, I miss nothing.

In the great waves of God, my entire being is flooded with spiritual light; an inward knowingness, a glorious power is flooding not only my body temple and my mind, but also my home and my business. They take on a superb dominion of God. My very work that I do with my hands and my mind take on a superb dominion of God.

This moment, as you rest in the silence, you prepare yourself for an adventure – an adventure in faith, an adventure with God, an adventure of going the extra mile on the high pathway of life.

Rest in the Presence of God.

I am aware of God. My mind is flooded with Divine ideas, ideas that tell me about my possibilities, ideas that tell me about the Presence that is surrounding me, everywhere present, and within me. I am becoming awake, and aware.

I know, with certainty, that I am not alone. I know that I have a Power with me that will help me overcome, to go over the mountain or to tunnel or to go around any difficulty I face.

There is a Power that is with me that will help me achieve success. God will give me health, and God will give me a new awareness and new ideas. Whatever I need, today, it is in God’s Presence that is my answer is found; and the Divine awareness of the Presence makes all things possible to me.

All things good are prepared for me, now, by the Presence of God. In this moment, in total awareness, I say, “Thank You, God,” for I know the Truth. I know who I am, and I live within that awareness.

In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.

Since 1999 – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one. Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER? Click here– if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
04Oct

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – Strong Medicine

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - Strong Medicine

Time Sensitivity: none

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

“Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening.”
Dorothy Sarnoff

_____________________________

Proverbs 4:20-22 “My child, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a human’s whole body.”

Studies show that prayer can be strong medicine. A study done at Dartmouth Medical School indicated that patients who receive comfort from religion were three times as likely to be alive six months after open-heart surgery as those who found no relief in faith. Another research study provides evidence that prayer is beneficial for recovery regardless of who’s praying.

This is true no matter what religion you are, as long as you have a deep abiding faith in God, and pray.

In the April 1999 issue of “Natural Health,” the article “The Power of Prayer” stated that “Advanced AIDS patients who received an hour of prayer six days a week for 10 weeks were significantly healthier than those who received no prayer, according to a study led by Elizabeth Targ, M.D., director of the Medicine Research Institute in San Francisco.”

An article from “Family Circle,” discusses the healing power of prayer citing that 30 U.S. medical schools have courses about faith in medicine. “Prayer is finding a place in medicine because research has proven it to be effective in healing.”

“Reader’s Digest,” March 1996: “Doctors and scientists are discovering the benefits of prayer. New scientific research confirms the healing power of prayer. According to different national studies, prayer can have beneficial effects on patients with high blood pressure, wounds, headaches, and anxiety.

A simple prayerful atmosphere where caring and compassion can be felt can set the stage for healing.”

“Ladies Home Journal” stated, “New research confirms that stress plays a significant role in the delay of body healing. A test conducted of two groups with identical flesh wounds affirms that patients exposed to stress took nine more days to heal.” That is incredible.

A study done by Randolph Byrd and Associates, with approximately 400 patients at San Francisco General Hospital, evaluated the effects of prayer on patients admitted to a coronary care unit. It was discovered that the people in the prayer group ended up with fewer of them suffering from congestive heart failure. Yet another study – the “Saudia Study” – confirmed that 97 patients considered prayer to be helpful with 70 percent giving the highest possible rating on the helpfulness of prayer in healing the bond.

Doctors say people who belong to a religious affiliation are healthier than those who do not.

Going to God in prayer has a powerful healing effect; and if I can communicate with God, then I can know healing is real, and healing IS possible. As you sit here, we are talking about real healing from God at the causation level, not just the effects.

We are spending time together in awareness of what God can and will do. When we need it, God can be called upon, and we can use the power of God for the healing of our physical bodies or the bodies of those that we love.

Psalm 41:2-3 “The LORD will protect them and preserve their life; God will bless them in the land and not surrender them to the desire of his foes. The LORD will sustain them on their sickbed and restore them from their bed of illness.”

Marion Theobald tells this story about her five-year-old granddaughter, Rachel. She rushed home from kindergarten one day, with a connect-the-dots project she had done. Her mother admired the artwork, and after heaping on the praise, continued with her chores, while Rachel and her three-year-old sister went into the den.

Sometime later, the mother decided her girls were too quiet. How many of you parents have been there?

All of a sudden, everything is peaceful, and you are wondering what is going on. She decided the girls were too quiet and she went to investigate. She found Rachel and her sister on the floor with the family pet. Rachel was using a purple permanent magic marker to connect the dots on the family Dalmatian.

Many times, when we are approaching our own healing, it is like trying to play connect-the-dots. We think that we ought to go here next, but we don’t know for sure. Even after we connect the dots, we do not know what the final picture will look like.

There is a story of a woman in Chicago, Illinois who was going to get a heart transplant. She had been in the hospital for some time awaiting a heart. On the other side of the country, there was a little boy who was dying. His name was Timmy. The little boy, on his own, decided to give his organs to science to help people continue to live. Timmy died. This woman had never met Timmy before but was told they had a donor and they had a heart.

She went into surgery and received her new heart. She woke up in the ICU.

It had been about three or four days and she was doing well. She looked over on the nightstand in her room and she saw a card. She now had the strength to raise her arm. She reached over and got the card. This is what was inside. “Hello, my name is Timmy. You have my heart, and I love you.”

Healing comes in many different ways. How many times have we said, “Oh God, I need a miracle and I need it now. I have been playing connect-the-dots and it doesn’t make any sense to me. I want to make some sense out of this sickness and I want to find out why I am sick and I want to be healed.” We try everything in the outer to manifest our healing.

We go to this specialist and then to that specialist to no avail. We are still sick. Then we try prayer. All of a sudden, something begins to happen. There is a movement inside of us. We say, “God, I need your help, I need a miracle.”

Matthew 9:35 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing EVERY disease and sickness.”

If we consider the fact that your own human body that you are sitting in right now is designed by God for wholeness, it will almost seem impossible. It would seem as if it had to go to great lengths to deviate from that pattern. If this is true, then true healing inside of you, this morning, is NOT a far reach. It is something that is right here, right now, not something extraordinary, but a return inside of you to something ordinary from your Creator. Your Creator is constantly re-creating you.

I have a button on my television at home. The TV set has dozens of confusing controls.

I could do almost anything with this TV. When I mess it up enough, and I do through playing with it, I can push default and it will return to the factory settings – what it was supposed to be all along. So can we. Inside of us, we have factory settings too from our Creator, God. Prayer returns us to our natural state as a child of God.

If you cut your finger, do you know what would happen? The finger and everything inside of you would rush to wholeness, would rush to that site and begin to heal the wound. It is the same with a person who has lived 100 years, as it is with an infant, because your life that you have in your physical body is biased. Do know what it is biased toward? It is biased toward more life. You are on the side of life, even if you are sick this morning, even if you have been told dire things about your body and your condition. Everything is weighted on the scales of life, in favor of your life, in favor of your body. We just simply have to recognize it.

Even if we had someone here that was close to death, if they cut their finger, do you know what would happen? It would heal, because that is what the body naturally does. Everything is on the side of life, and the life inside of you wants to live. Every breath you take this morning, sitting there in that chair, is a communion. It is a communion service inside of you. It is a spiritual service toward more life. Your body, when it returns to the state that it is supposed to be in, that is right there within you now, it is functioning for one thing – to heal whatever needs healing.

We need to think about God and think about the pattern of perfection in which we are made. We do not need to reach far off saying, “Oh, if I could only get over there, my healing is on the other side of this country. If I could just get there, then I could be healed. If Jesus Christ says to you, “Do you believe? Can you accept your healing? Your faith (hear that? – YOUR faith) has made you well.” You focused on God, again, and you focused on that which is inside of you, again, and it came. There is no way it cannot come.

Revelation 21:4 “God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The new order is Divine order ever-renewing itself in perfection.

Bishop Coxe tells a story of visiting an old castle in England. This castle is still in pristine condition. It was built in 1558. He looked up on one of the beams high in the ceiling and this is the inscription that was one the beam: “This house, it is decreed in Jesus Christ’s name, shall never decay and shall always be preserved where almighty God is worshipped day by day.” A.D. 1558

It is the same with you and with me. This house, our body, is the temple of the living God. Every cell is attending worship service this morning. It is attending a worship service of vibrant health, alive health, strength health, happy health, joyful health, exuberant health. I want to be so alive, today. I want to be eternally alive and so do you, to feel so good, to thank God you are alive, and to thank God you have this moment in time.

Here is what we are not going to do. We are not going to say, “Well, by the clock, I say I am so-and-so years of age, and after all, this specialist told me I am beginning to have back pain. I really feel it, this morning.” But what if, in this moment, I say, “I am a child of God. I believe that I can return to health.” I do not stay stagnant. This body is constantly renewing and becoming well. Yes, I will seek the help of doctors as God directs. I believe in doctors, and I believed in medicine. I use every God created avenue to heal. But ultimately, I know that no one can heal except the Great Healer. Every physician will tell you that.

If I am honest, I will say that I have been a part of a malpractice – not from a doctor who has performed a medical malpractice on me of injurious neglect or improper practice, but a mental malpractice that I have performed on myself. I am going to think about my organs and physical body and myself in a new way, beginning today. I am going to know that I can do it. There is only one way to heal. It is in your new body, in your new mind, your new energy, your new happiness, the way you get up, tomorrow morning. Get out of bed and say, “Thank God I’m alive!’ Instead of “Oh God, it’s morning.” There is a huge difference.

Dr. Deepak Chopra, in his book, “Quantum Healing,” states that we have constantly changing bodies. The liver is new every six weeks; the skeleton is new every three months; the stomach lining is new every four days; atoms in our physical body temple are 98% new every year; and skin is new every month. If you do not like your skin, wait until next month. When you look at that old mug in the mirror, you are going to see a new mug of the soul woman and the soul man that is manifesting God – fully alive and feeling good.

Here is something I want you to remember this morning. I say that nothing is as contagious to your body as your mind filled with God. You will get it. You will catch it. You will have it manifest through you. It will not be a dis-ease, it will be an ease. You will take the “dis” out of disease and throw it away. You do not want that anymore. You want God-given ease. You want to feel at ease, ALL the time.

The whole point of Christianity is that you can. It is as if we brought on this stage an old rusty car. Imagine that it is all dented, rusty and its motor is going out. We decide to scrap it for parts. We start to take off the fenders and everything, and to our surprise, underneath the sheet metal that looks so bad is a brand new vehicle, never driven, zero miles. We say, “My, all this time, I thought I had a junker.”

So, when you look into the mirror, when you think about yourself, when you begin to pass judgment on your future and what you can obtain in your life and what is possible for you to obtain, I ask you to look, again, and to return to the natural state of healing that you have within you.

I would like to close with prayer.

Let us pray.

This morning, as I sit here in my seat, God, I stand firm in my faith. God, what this means is that with my human mind, I believe with 100% certainty in You, in wholeness, and that it is possible for me, because I have it within me. I believe with 100% knowing that I can be healed. I have the ability to command to perfect health every cell and every fiber of my mind and my body. I decree, in the name of Jesus Christ, that my body is responding.

God-life at the center of my being is healing and restoring everything that is out of adjustment. Naturally and easily, I relax, I work with prayer, I work with God, and I prove my own research studies. I do not have to go here and there, I simply have to go within and return, as I am doing right now, to my natural state. I know this is true about me and I will know this for the rest of my days.

In Jesus Christ’s name and nature. Amen.

God bless you!

PRAYER / MEDITATION____________________

This is an important prayer time for you and for me.

We will make a covenant with God in awareness of what God can and will do

Allow me to speak for you. Dear God, Creator of the universe, Lord of my being, I acknowledge Your power as the source of my life, Your intelligence as the director of my cells, Your essence as the fiber of my tissues. I give thanks for Your life within me. God, I apologize for my past mistreatment of Your holy temple – my body. I know now that I must work with Your life force if I am to fully express my potential for perfection.

Therefore, on this day, I do, earnestly and joyfully, make this covenant with You, God, for God-life to manifest in and through my cells.

I promise to work with You, not against You, by appropriating into my mind only thoughts of health and wholeness, envisioning my cells as the perfection they were created to be – worthy of my most noble attitudes and aspirations.

I know now my body, like everything else in life, is a mirror of my inner thoughts and beliefs. Every cell responds to every single thought I think and every word I speak.

I promise to appropriate into my body only foods of health and wholeness, knowing God resides in the foods God created. Knowing, too, that what I eat today, I become tomorrow.

I promise to appropriate into my lifestyle only actions of health and wholeness. To this extent, I will seek abundant fresh air and adequate rest, and I will engage in regular, constructive exercises, knowing that as I move every muscle, I improve that muscle, and that which is constantly improving and regenerating cannot perish.

I enter into this covenant in the full realization that God’s laws are unchangeable. I have unshakable faith in the fact that as long as I honor my commitments to perfection, God will work within me rewarding me with unlimited health and the wholeness I so fervently seek and desire.

Manifesting this in the temple of the living God, I say, “thank You, God.”

In Jesus Christ’s name … Amen.

Since 1999 – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one. Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER. Click here – if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

GOD BLESS YOU, and bless every member of your church.
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
27Sep

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – Communicating with God

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - Communicating with God

Time Sensitivity: none

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

Two friends, Bill, and Harry were stranded on an island in the Pacific. They were walking along the beach, one day, and they looked down and saw that a bottle had been washed up onto the beach. They pulled the cork and, immediately, a genie came out of the bottle. The genie looked at them and said, “How are you doing?”

They said, “Well, we are doing just fine.”

The genie said, “I really appreciate you freeing me from this bottle. I am going to give you one wish each.” He looked at Harry and said, “Harry, what do you want?”

Harry didn’t hesitate for a second. He said, “Oh, I want to be back in Chicago!” Then “poof” he was gone.

Then the genie looked over at Bill and said, “Bill, what do you want?”

Bill thought for a long time. He thought some more and paced back and forth. Then he said, “I have trouble making decisions. I am usually not the one who makes the decisions. Oh, I wish Harry were here.”

This is a fantasy of humankind, a fantasy that we can walk along, find a bottle, and have a genie appear. Then the genie would solve all of life’s problems for us. We could tell the genie what we want, and he would say, “Poof,” and it would be there for us, exactly as we desired.

Life is not that way. Life is a classroom. Life is a series of instructions, a series of classes that we move through and all the time, we are taking a course and we are learning something. All the time, we wonder which way to go. Should I go this way? Should I go that way? Should I make this choice?

The other evening, I was watching TV and one of the psychic hot lines came on. The psychic said she could tell a person anything. I would not have to worry. I would not have to make decisions. If I just called, I would have all the answers I wanted for relationships, career, and health – anything that I desired to make me happy. If I dialed 1-900 and the number, at $2.95 a minute plus a service charge, I could talk to this person.

Today, I am going to talk about a FREE hotline like that. It is a hotline that is available 24 hours a day, but THIS is always 100% accurate, guaranteed. It is called prayer. It is something to get you connected and it is something you carry with you. It is almost like a cell phone, but better. There are not any roaming areas or areas where you go out of service. Wherever you are, at any hour of the day or night, you can connect with God. We come here on Sunday morning to remember that – to be reminded. That is why we are here. This is a big remembrance society, to remember who we are and what God is, and that we can have a close encounter with God.

Do you remember the movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind?” They were so excited about contacting a life form that was smarter, more intelligent than we were. All society, especially the people who were involved and invited to the site of the encounter, were so excited because they just knew they would learn things to make their lives better.

It is the same way when we make a close encounter of the God kind, because we are going to a higher intelligence than in our human mind. A sweet, loving intelligence that is always right, always willing, and always ready to show us exactly how to proceed.

To me, “Close” stands for:

(C) Christ with you, your hope of glory.
(L) Listen. We have to take time to listen. We have to be willing to listen.
(O) Open. To be open to something so much higher and so much better than our own thoughts – when we are, our entire life begins to shine with purpose.
(S) Surrender. I think this is an important element. As we walk along, thinking over our problems, worried, fearful, and anxious, we have to surrender. We have to let go and let God take over in our lives.
(E) Is for that incredible Encounter.

How many of you have had an encounter with a famous person sometime in your life? You have told me that you remember what you felt at the time, and how different it was from seeing these people on television. It is special to us when we have an encounter like that. Does it change your life? Sometimes, I suppose. If it changed your life, it would be because of the influence of the situation, such as when you meet the famous person and they turn out to be not what you imagined at all. They influence your life because you say you do not want to be like them. Or they can be even better than you imagined and you think, “There is a model for my life.”

My friends, when you have an encounter with God, it changes your life. It is a spiritual experience and it can happen in the twinkling of an eye, in a flash, in an instant. Your life is forever changed from that moment, for the better. It is something every minister strives to talk about, but our humble words cannot do it any justice. All we can do is stand here and be a signpost. We talk about the spirituality of what happens in that instant of time, and when it occurs, how much we are changed.

I want to share with you Revelations 3:15-16. Jesus is saying, “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

That sounds like a really tough teaching. The mouth of God, the word of God – God speaks, and something goes into creation. God speaks and it is. If God is going to spit you out of God’s mouth, what in the world is this saying? It is saying that if we are lukewarm, then WE cannot make it happen. We have to have a faith, and a desire, and a knowing. How many times have we been like the man in the genie story? We have just been walking along and say in a lukewarm way, “Oh, I wish I could have that in my life, but I never will. I wish I could do this, but I never will.” We are neither cold nor hot. We sort of wish, but we are lukewarm.

In order for something to occur in our lives, for us to have an encounter with God, and to become co-creators with God, we have to become hungry and burning with desire for the event to take place in and through us. Then God will hold us in the platter of creation.

There was a man who said something that I thought was one of the saddest things I ever heard someone say. He was a doctor and had practically everything he wanted in life. He said, “I really don’t want anything from God. I am just here, on Sunday morning, for maintenance.”

I thought, “How sad,” because even as much as he has, there is always something new and fresh about God every time you connect – and how much richer our lives can be. Never take God for granted, or what you have had in the past. Seek God, today.

The Bible states, “For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” (Revelations 3:17) This is not saying to you that you are a worm of the dust. It is saying that as much as you have, it is nothing compared to what God can give you.

Jesus says: “Therefore I counsel you to buy from me … ” (Revelations 3:18) When you buy something, you own it. If I buy this lectern, I own it. It is mine. I possess it and it is part of me and part of my life. If I buy a teaching, if I own an idea, then it becomes mine to use and to hold and to enjoy.

Jesus says: “Buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen.” (Revelations 3:18) The white robe is not for your outer garment. This is talking about something to clothe your soul. I could be all dressed up in a tuxedo and still be naked in my soul and feeling empty. Yet, when I am clothed with that white robe, it is clothing that is beyond any outer clothing.

Jesus goes on: ” … salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come into you and eat with you, and you with me.” (Revelations 3:18-20)

What do you eat if God asks you to dinner? Do you go to Sonic? No, you eat of things of the Spirit. You eat of the manna from heaven. You eat of the things that give you strength, vitality, energy, well-being, health, and joy. Can you imagine eating of happiness? Happiness is an inside job. That is what you eat, when you eat with God, and then you incorporate those qualities into your mind, body, and soul.

“To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on His throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying … ” (Revelations 3:21-23)

May we have an ear, today, as we connect and feel the magic of God in our lives. I pray it happens during this hour. I truly do.

Sometimes, encounters with God come to us in the form of fleshly people – angels in disguise. I want to share a story with you that Hal Manwaring shares about his life.

Hal says, “A cat has nine lives. I am inclined to think this is possible since I am now living in my third life, and I’m not even a cat.

“My first life began on a clear, cold day in November 1904, when I arrived as the sixth of eight children of a farming family. My dad died when I was 15, and we had a hard struggle to make a living. My mother stayed home and cooked the potatoes, beans, cornbread, and greens, while the rest of us kids worked. We worked all the time, for whatever we could get – a small amount at best.

“As the children grew up, they married, leaving only my sister and myself to support and care for Mother. She became paralyzed in her last years and died while still in her sixties. My sister married soon after, and I followed her example within a year. This is when I began to enjoy my first life. I was very happy, in excellent health, and I was quite a good athlete. My wife and I became the parents of two lovely girls, and I had a good job in San Jose, and a wonderful, beautiful home up the peninsula in San Carlos. Life was a pleasant dream.

“Then the dream ended and became one of those horrible nightmares that cause you to wake in a sweat in the middle of the night. I became afflicted with a slow, progressive disease of the motor nerves, affecting one side and then the other – my right arm and my leg in progression. Thus began my second life.

“In spite of the disease, I still drove to and from work, each day, with the aid of special equipment installed in my car, and I managed to keep my health and my optimism to a degree because of 14 steps. Crazy? Not at all.

“Our home was a split level with 14 steps leading up from the garage to the kitchen door. These steps were a gauge of my life, a yardstick, and my challenge to continue living. I felt if the day would ever arrive when I was unable to life one foot up one step and then drag the other painfully after it, repeating the process 14 times until utterly spent, I would be through. I could then admit defeat, lie down, and die. So, I kept working, kept on climbing those steps, and time passed.

“The girls went to college and were happily married. My wife and I were alone in our beautiful home with the 14 steps. You might think that here walked a man of courage, a man of hope and strength – not so. Here was a hobbled and bitterly disillusioned cripple – a man who held onto his sanity, his wife, his home, and his job because of those 14 miserable steps leading up from the garage to the back door. As I dragged one foot up another one of those steps, slowly and painfully, often stopping to rest, I would sometimes let my thoughts wander back to the years when I was playing ball, golfing, working out at the gym, hiking, swimming, running, jumping, and now I could barely manage to climb, feebly, up those 14 steps.

“As I became older, I became more disillusioned and frustrated. I am sure my wife and friends had some unhappy times when I chose to expound my philosophy on life, which was: it gets worse, not better. I believed in this whole world, I alone had been chosen to suffer. I had carried my cross now for nine years and probably would bear it as long as I lived, as long as I could climb those 14 steps.”

“My wife and my friends would read to me out of the Bible. The one verse they would read more than any other was from 1 Corinthians 15:50. ‘What I am saying … is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye … ‘”

Hal said: “Here I am in this flesh-and-blood body. How can I possibly have a change? I am in pain all the time. I am now crippled, and I didn’t used to be. How can I have a change from God in a twinkling of an eye?”

Then, on a dark night in August 1971, Hal writes that he began his third life. He had no idea when he left home that morning that such a dramatic change was about to take place. He only knew it had been rougher than usual getting down those steps and he dreaded the thought of going home at night and going up those 14 steps.

It was raining when he started home that night. Gusty winds and slashing rain beat down on the car as he drove slowly on one of the less traveled roads. Suddenly, the steering wheel jerked to the right and the car swerved violently. In the same instant, he heard the dreaded sound of a blowout in one of his tires. He fought to stop the car on the rain-slick shoulder of the road and sat there as the enormous weight of the situation swept over him.

He sat there and thought, “It is impossible for me to change the tire, utterly impossible.” The thought that a passing motorist might stop was dismissed at once. Why should anyone?

He said, “I knew I wouldn’t. Then I remembered that a short distance up a little side road was a house. I started the engine and I thumped slowly, keeping well onto the shoulder until I came to a dirt road where I turned in. Thankfully, the lights were on. I pulled into the driveway and I just sat there and honked the horn. The door opened and a little girl looked out at me. I rolled down the window and through the rain I called out that I had a flat and needed someone to help change it, because I had a crutch and was crippled and couldn’t do anything myself. She went into the house and a moment later, came out bundled in a raincoat and hat followed by a man who called a cheerful greeting.

“I sat there, dry and comfortable, and felt a bit sorry for the man and the little girl working so hard in the storm. ‘Well,’ I said to myself, ‘I will pay them for it. I have money with me and I will give them some money for this.’ The rain seemed to be slackening a bit and I rolled down the window all the way to watch. It seemed to me they were awfully slow. Sitting there in my car, I was becoming a bit impatient because they were so slow. I heard the clank of metal from the back of the car and the little girl’s voice traveled clearly to my ears. ‘Here is the jack handle, Grandpa.’

“She was answered by the murmur of a man’s lower voice and the slow tilting of the car as it was jacked up. There followed a long interval of noises, jolts, and low conversations from the back of the car, but finally, it was done. I felt the car bump as the jack was removed and I heard the slam of the trunk lid. Then they were standing at my car window.

“He was an old man, stooped over and very frail looking under his slicker. The little girl was about eight years old, I judged, with a merry face and a wide smile. The man said, ‘This is a bad night for car trouble, but you are all set now.’

“‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘How much do I owe you?’

“He shook his head and said, ‘Nothing. Cynthia told me you were a cripple on crutches. I am glad to be of help. I know you would do the same thing for me. There is no charge, friend, no charge at all.’

“Still, I held out a five-dollar bill and waved it at the young girl and the old man. The old man made no effort to take it. The little girl stepped closer to the window and whispered, ‘Grandpa can’t see it. He’s blind.'”

Hal said in the next few frozen seconds, the shame and the horror of that moment penetrated. He was sick with an intensity that he had never felt before in his life. Here was a blind man and a child fumbling and feeling with cold fingers for bolts and tools in the dark; a darkness for him that would probably never end until death.

“They changed a tire for me. They changed it in the rain and the wind, with me sitting in the snug comfort of the car with my crutch, my handicap.

“I don’t remember how long I sat there after they said goodnight and left me. But it was long enough for me to search deep within myself and find some very disturbing traits. I realized I was filled to overflowing with self-pity, selfishness, indifference to the needs of others, and thoughtlessness. I sat there and prayed like I had never prayed before. I said, “‘God, I surrender. I realize in this moment I have been so much into me and into my problems, and into what hasn’t gone right in my life that I have been more blind than the man who just changed my tire. Oh God, I surrender.'”

In the twinkling of an eye, in a flash, there was a change that filled his whole personality, and an energy entered his body. Was he healed? Did he throw away his crutch? No, but he clothed his soul which was naked a moment before.

He went home that night, and he was a new man. Everyone noticed it, immediately. No longer did he have sourness rising from within; instead, there was a sweetness. The drive home was the best drive he had ever had in his life. He was filled with God to overflowing. He felt magic coming from inside of him. In the twinkling of an eye, he was changed – in an instant.

Can it happen to you, and can it happen to me? You better believe it. An encounter with God is the most real encounter you or I will ever have. It is a spiritual experience that can happen in a moment.

Some of you have been on a cruise ship. You would think that to steer such a large ship, it would take a steering wheel as big as this whole room. But if you go up to the captain’s room on the ship, it is quite different, surprisingly different. What you see is a vast console of computers and there is just one thing sticking up. It is like a joystick on a computer game. Even that is not used 99% of the time. Most of the time, the ship is on autopilot. The ship remembers its destination. It knows where to go.

Prayer and meditation are like that to us. They help us identify not only the destination, but like the autopilot on the ship, prayer and meditation will help us look past the storms. The ship does not stop midway and say, “My goodness, I have a storm here. I’m just going to sit here and worry and be tossed about in the high waves.” The ship remembers its destination. We do, too, when we connect with God. We never waver off course. And more time and energy in our lives can be spent enjoying the journey, instead of taking every step the hard way.

There is a great novel called, “Howard’s End.” The main theme of the novel is to connect. That is the theme of our lives – connect with God. Save time and aggravation, cut through all of the outer stuff of life, and get right to the core. What is at the core of you? It is the Spirit of God. Right there, already, you have an autopilot built inside of you which will take you every step of your way. When you act from this presence, when you stay connected, then you have a solution almost like a genie in a bottle that you can release.

We would like to have as a solution for our problems. We would like to have a turnkey operation to the good life. We would like to have simplification in our lives, so that we could just walk into an area and have everything sitting in Divine Order, perfect with the perfection of God. To have everything in order in ways we cannot imagine, that is what we have when we connect with God inside of us. We take time during the day instead of fooling with all of the outer stuff.

If you go out tomorrow, Monday morning, and your car will not start, you keep trying over and over again. You walk around the car and go to the front of it and open up the hood, look in, and say, “Hmmmmmm … ., everything looks all right.” How many times have we done that? We do not have the slightest idea of what we are looking at, but we do it, anyway. Then we have a choice. We can slam the hood. We can walk around, open the door, sit down in the car, and keep on doing what we were doing before – cranking it until the battery goes dead. Then we have worse problems. Or we can call a mechanic who has a higher level of intelligence about our car than we do. The mechanic can fix it. As long as we continue doing what we were doing, we are a part of the problem. We are making the problem worse. But as soon as we surrender, we automatically become a part of the solution. When we surrender to God, we lose nothing and we gain the potential for everything to happen in Divine Order.

Our external world is where we do most of our adjusting. We are willing to rearrange things in the outer all the time. It is like rearranging the furniture in your home or apartment. But we end up in a perpetual cycle of rearranging and nothing really changes. It is the same old me acting out the same old drama. The other actors may be new, but the plot is familiar. But when we go within in prayer and connect with God, we make changes on a soul level. It is WE who change. We are building something different than an outer building, brick-by-brick, board-by-board. We are building, prayer-by-prayer. Each time we become aware of God, we move our souls much closer to absolute peace and harmony, a close encounter of the God kind.

Let’s make it right now.

Let us pray.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) And He said, “You are the light of the world … ” (Matthew 5:14) It is reassuring to know in prayer that the same light which indwelled Jesus Christ also indwells me. It is my birthright from God.

I acknowledge You, God, as the light shining in and through me. I awaken to the truth that I need never walk in darkness. I make my light a radiant, shining one by connecting with You, morning, afternoon, and night. God, I reinforce the awareness of my birthright of light with the certainty that I am a spiritual being, ever growing, ever unfolding, always and forever. Light shines through me, illuminating every path. I walk in that light and I progress in right and perfect ways.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, I pray for each one of you that you have an encounter of the God kind – a spiritual experience, today. Amen.

God bless you!

PRAYER / MEDITATION____________________

As we close our eyes and still our thoughts, we are so very thankful; thankful from the bottom of our hearts for the presence of God in our lives. From the most ancient of times, God’s presence has blessed humankind. God is right here and we have a spiritual encounter, right now through prayer.

With a growing awareness of God’s presence, we allow these words to be the prayer of our hearts. Loving God, thank You for breathing the breath of life into me and for blessing me with wisdom and peace.

In the stillness of prayer, we join our hearts with people who are praying with us. We are part of the continuous action of prayer. As we experience the words of this Psalm, let us join with those who have used it in the past and those who will continue use it to celebrate the presence of God.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff – they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”
(Psalm 21:1-6)

Rest in the silence of prayer …

Thank You, God, for all that I am, for all I know, for all I have, and for all I will ever be. You are my light, my life, and my love. You are my all.

I fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff – they comfort me. Dear God, Your presence assures me that all is well in my world. You light my path. You smooth the way for me. When I feel afraid, Your presence assures me of Your love for me. Your love assures me that the challenge will pass. I fear no evil. You comfort me. Your presence is the true constant in my life and I am confident as I go about my daily activities.

In these moments of silence, I am at peace in Your presence.

He leads me in right paths for His name’s sake. God, Your light shines so brilliantly within me. You show me the ways that are good for me; ways that lead my soul to new heights and happiness. You lead me in right paths. If I feel unsteady or unsure, I go within and You are there, gently leading me to right answers, bringing me fresh new insights, filling me with Your wisdom, and Your understanding.

I rest now in the silence of prayer, and I bask in Your holy light.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. Thank You, God, for the gift of life. Your life force heals me at the very core of my being. I am whole in my soul, in my emotions, in my body. Enthusiasm and energy are mine. Through Your life force within me, I am linked to all life on this beautiful planet. This planet of green pastures and still waters, and I am grateful.

I give thanks that the people I hold in prayer are also renewed by Your healing life. I feel Your life within me, now, in the silence of prayer …

I shall not want. You prepare a table before me and my cup overflows. Thank You, God, for your love. Your love flows through my household, my community, my world. Through Your loving presence, I find the satisfaction of my soul and my cup overflows. The Lord is my shepherd. Dear God, You are all the world to me. You are all I want. You are all I need, and You are the wellspring of my soul.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

The light of God surrounds each one of us;
The love of God enfolds each one of us;
The power of God protects each one of us;
The presence of God watches over each one of us;
Wherever we are, God is with each one of us!

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ … Amen.

Since 1999 – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one.

Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER? Click here – if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
20Sep

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – Worry Has NO Power Over Faith

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - Worry Has NO Power Over Faith

Time Sensitivity: none

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

During a summer-long drought, a newspaper in South Carolina carried this story: “About 100 people gathered on the Lexington County Courthouse steps, Sunday afternoon, and prayed for rain. ‘We had a very specific prayer,’ said the Reverend Henry ‘Hank’ Moody, Jr., pastor of the Pisgah Lutheran Church, who gave the prayer during the twenty-minute service. ‘We prayed for a gentle, soothing rain for the land, a rain without lightning and storm, a rain that will nourish the land and refill the ponds.'” The article continued, “That’s a tall order, and the one the National Weather Services says won’t be filled anytime soon.”

Isn’t that the way of the world? The world seems to say, pray if you want, but don’t expect anything to happen because of your prayers.

But by the next weekend, the city had gotten more rain in that one week than in the previous three months combined! The rains came, but not without storm. A neighbor lost a tree to high winds, and on Friday, there was a fierce, but brief, thunderstorm.

There are two types of thought – God-thought and worry-worldly thought.

A useless human exercise is tossing and turning in the middle of the night, instead of sleeping like a baby. You are tired, you need rest, but you are awake. You are wide awake, worrying about all the pressures you have worrying about finances, deadlines, even worrying about not sleeping. The biblical term for this is “The thief in the night.” Your own mind is robbing you of peace and rest. The harder you try to sleep, the more you toss and turn. Perhaps we are looking at this the wrong way. What we need to do is look to God, but instead we are looking to our own problems.

Dale Carnegie said, “If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It’s the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep.”

Job 4:6 teaches about building your life on the rock: “Is not your fear of God your confidence … ” Fear could translate as “respect.” In the middle of the night, do you respect God? Do you respect God’s power in your life, in your problem in the challenge you are having? Do you respect that power? Do you know what that power can do?

The verse continues, ” … and the integrity of your ways your hope.” When you stick steadfastly to God, everything becomes wondrous. Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday!

In one of the glass cases of the Washington D.C. Smithsonian Exhibit is a fur coat with a story. It is the fur coat of Marian Anderson, the great singer. It was her dream to buy the fur coat and she bought it. There was another fan of hers, at the time, who never thought she could ever do what Marian Anderson did, but she looked, listened, and read articles about her and dreamed. Her name was Mahalia Jackson. In the early 1950’s, she found herself before a sell-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. She said she stood there and she recalled gazing out at the thousands of men and women. She was just standing there as a baby nurse and a washer woman. As she stood there before the crowd, she wondered if she could even utter a note. What was she, to stand before this crowd? Who was she, to stand there thinking she had the power of Marian Anderson, Lily Pons, or Caruso, all who had stood there on that stage before? After all, she was just a washer woman and a baby nurse.

Then she was reminded again. She was not standing there as a baby nurse and a washer woman, she was not just standing there as flesh and bones, but infilled with the presence of God who could bless through her. She opened her mouth and she was a little shaky at first. She opened her mouth and that first note didn’t come out, but she kept going. It would have been easy for the human in her to walk offstage and say, “Well, I tried this.” But the human would think about it for the rest of her life.

Mahalia knew God could do it through her. She opened her mouth again, and the notes came out, and soon the audience got excited. As the beat picked up, people were clapping, screaming, and out of their seats. She was, what many say, the greatest voice of all time.

Mahalia was asked, many times, throughout her career to go to Las Vegas and sing jazz. One time, she was offered what was a lot of money then, to make one appearance. She refused to do it because she said, “I am a gospel singer. I stand on stage for one reason and that is to bring God to those people.” She said, “When you sing jazz, what do you have when it is over, but the blues. When you sing gospel, you have something to take home.” She refused to sing anything but songs about God.

When Mahalia died in 1972, her funeral was attended by so many that the Greater Salem Baptist Church in Chicago had to hold the service at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center – a huge place that frequently has international auto shows. Forty thousand people came to her funeral. On her tombstone this is written, “Apart from Christ, there is no explanation for such a life.”

It can be said of you, too – it truly can – when you are having great success and those moments that are so sweet in life. Remember why you got there: You got there because of God. God is the great abundance and prosperity for the human being; if we will follow God, be loyal to God, and respect God in the moment.

How do you rise above conditions in your life? How do you rise above lack, limitation, and worry? You do it by consistently going to God and rising above any former problems that have trapped you.

Proverbs 3:25-26 teaches about true security: “Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the storm that strikes the wicked; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” Where is your foot caught? It is caught in the problem. You yank at it and you pull at it, but it is like a bear trap and you don’t know how to get it off of you. It is true you might have stepped there, but God knows how to get you out of the trap.

Mark Twain said, “Drag your thoughts away from your troubles … by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.”

A lot can be learned by watching a professional logger. It is fascinating how they take apart log jams in the river. It seems there are 10,000 logs in the river and they are all jammed. If we had to break the jam, we would go to the bank of the river and start removing logs. Not the professional logger: he climbs a high tree, takes his time, looks over the situation, finds the one log causing the trouble, blows it up, and then the stream takes care of the rest of the jam by flowing the logs down the river.

What do we do in the middle of the night with our “log jams?” We go to the edge of the river and we start removing logs, one by one. We start examining them and looking at them. In time, we will remove the jam, but we have worked hard and we haven’t slept, and are exhausted. In this life, are we a professional or are we an amateur? What we need to do is climb higher, look over the situation, not with our eyes, but with Divine eyes, and ask God to see what the blockage is, and ask God that it be removed. It will be removed in a miraculous way, something we couldn’t envision through a thousand nights of tossing, turning, and worrying in the middle of the night.

Will God take us up to an imaginary heaven in a chariot of fire, or do we use our mind to lift ourselves heavenward? “God helps those who help themselves” holds good in the heavens as in the earth. We begin right where we are to bring forth the kingdom of God in our lives. Every problem of life can be successfully solved if we begin with God.

BEGIN WITH GOD. Sometimes we end up with God as a last resort. That is the hard way of doing it. We don’t have to do it that way; we can begin with God. When we realize we can connect ourselves to God and prove what Jesus said – “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” [John 14:10] – Almightiness begins to appear.

If you are given to worry and anxiety, think about the spiritual confidence and trust of God. Think about God instead of the problem. This will at once relive your mind of the thoughts that have stirred you, and the power of God’s Spirit will begin its work of straightening out your challenges. Everything will turn out OK. We all know God is resident in our lives. God has to be more than just a resident in my life and in your life. God has to be HEAD of our lives. There is a huge difference of being there and being in control at all times.

In the middle of the night, when we are worrying about our finances and the things going on in our life, we are into detours. It boils down to living life as a professional or an amateur. It goes down to the question: Are you satisfied with the detours or do you want the direct route? The direct route is the spiritual route, the route of ease, the route where your burdens are light. Paul said in the Bible, “This one thing I do.” [Philippians 3:13] Most of us would have to alter that and confess “these 50 things I dabble in.” We don’t just do one thing. The thief that comes in the night then finds easy passage into our peace of mind.

Leo Buscaglia said, “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its joy.”

In Luke 12:22-23, Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” What Jesus is talking about here is all outer things – all of those outer things that affect us, the bills, the pressures that worry us. Think about God instead. God says, “Instead, strive for God’s kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” [Luke 12:31-32] “Make purses for yourselves … ” [Luke 12:33] A purse is where you hold your valuables. You might not have valuables in it, today, but you would like to. You have a purse inside of your heart, too. This is what Jesus is talking about. He says, “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [Luke 12:33-34]

Jesus talks about this mysterious thing that few have understood about being dressed in the night. It is about those evenings you have a tough time getting through. It is about remembering God. It says, “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit.” [Luke 12:35] Does that mean I am to sleep with my clothes on? That I am to leave all the lights on? No, it means I am dressed in God awareness. How am I dressed, how am I clothed? I am clothed with what Jesus talked about a few verses earlier, ” … even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.” [Luke 12:27] I am clothed with my firm faith in God. I know in every moment of the night, in every moment of the day, I am protected and taken care of and my life is sweet. My lamps are lit; the illumination of God is on. How special my life becomes.

The key to a great life is faith; you want the key to open up new doors. The location of the key is remembered in church. Not necessarily the walls of a church, but the church inside of you. What are the four walls of the church? They are what they contain. You attend here to experience faith, but you individually received faith through your individual connection with God.

We gather together and the faith power builds, it is a collective spiritual power that takes place.

In the Bible, in Jesus’ day, the word church was taken from a word that means “called-out ones.” I like that – you have all been called out here, today. It is not by accident, whether you are here for the first time or you have been here for years, you have been called out to this place. Faith is awareness in you of the reality of the invisible.

In today’s world, we think of culture as ethnic culture, environmental culture, business culture, home culture, but the thing that really is going to make the difference in your life is your soul culture. How is your soul doing? We are all the same underneath our skin and bones. The soul within, is it happy? Is it enjoying this journey? Is it really having fun? Is life sweet? It depends on the soul culture. The thing that builds soul culture is faith in God. When we have faith in God, everything becomes sweet.

Rule number one, God is changeless. If God gives in one moment, God will give in every moment, eternally. When we worry talk to ourselves, in the middle of the night, whether it is verbally or silently, we talk about lack, hard times, or famine. We have to remember to tell ourselves, “There is no place for these things in the Mind of God.” Remember when Jesus stood before 5,000 people and he had five loaves and two fish? What does that mean? He had His five senses. That is what we usually attack a monumental problem with. He ALSO had two fish. The two fish are the yeast, the multiplying power and the source of increase. Jesus entered into the silence of prayer and He prayed.

Then what did He do? He blessed what He had. Bless what little you have even as your only asset in the middle of the night, you bless it. Then you enter into the silence of prayer. Here is the key. You begin to speak words with power and authority – the two fishes, power and authority, also meaning Spirit and life.

When you begin to feel your connectedness with God and know you are a co-creator with God, you are speaking the Truth. You are talking about your situation in a positive, appreciative way. You are going to be prospered. You are sending forth a spiritual vibratory power that breaks down the inertia of the jam caused by thoughts of fear and lack.

Say in prayer: “I am God’s offspring and I must think as God thinks. Therefore, I cannot think of any lack or limitation.”

You are NOW thinking, “Wait a minute, there is no lack in God. There might be lack in my life, temporarily, but there is no lack in God. The only lack is my fear of lack as I lay here, tonight. I know I can have more in my life.”

Decree it so and the Lord will bring it to pass. If any thought of limitation appears, decree this in prayer: “I shall not want; I am a child of God.” I am laying here and I am wide awake anyway, so it is time for me to prove my Christianity. I am connected with God and I am going to see a marvelous manifestation from this evening. I’m going to realize this is the time.

President Truman said, “The buck stops here.” Stop passing the buck of worry say with high confidence, connected with God – the worry stops here with God!

I will close with 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, “So we are always confident … we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes we do have confidence … “

Join me in a closing prayer.

I am, dear God, always provided for. I will know this now, and I will know this at all times. I pray that I am reminded of this the next time I need to know, even in the middle of the night. I have faith in You, God, as my omnipresent help in every need. I have faith in You, God as my almighty resource. I trust You, God to preserve me in abundance. I trust You, God, in every part of my life. I turn to You, God, because I believe You are a rewarder of them who seek after You. I give thanks, this sweet spiritual day, to You, God.

In Jesus Christ’s name, I give thanks. Amen.

God bless you!

PRAYER / MEDITATION____________________

As we pray today, we join with others around the world who are praying. As we pray, we enter into a private, sacred time of communion. We give thanks first for God and for the blessings that come through knowing God – peace, wisdom, health, understanding, guidance, prosperity. All these are evidence of the presence of God within us.

As we quiet our minds and hearts in communion with God, we are at peace. The business of this day, the concerns of our lives, can wait just a little while. God is in charge. We surrender ourselves completely to God in the silence of prayer.

(Silence)

The presence of God strengthens and nurtures you. We are a community; we sense each other’s feelings. We help one another through life’s challenges. Just as the presence of other people often give us a sense of comfort and unity, the presence of God assures us that the challenges are temporary and that they will pass.

(Silence)

In sweet soul communion with God, you allow the cares of the day to slip away. There is only the sacred presence. You are at peace because you know God is working inside of you and working through all those we love. In the fellowship of humanity, we help one another most by relying on our communion with God.

We trust God’s radiant light to guide, illuminate, and inspire us. We make decisions and we grow in understanding. The light of God leads us along paths that are best for us. We are protected and blessed. We follow the gentle nudging of the most radiant light.

(Silence)

This day, you are guided by infinite Divine wisdom. You are blessed with intelligence, with intuition, with understanding.

You are strengthened by your communion with God. You are comforted by your community with one another. You are tuned to God’s healing life in this quiet moment.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

The healing, invigorating life of God as it moves through the cells of your physical body, strengthening and renewing. You enfold everyone who seeks greater strength and health through God life within. The one life of God, the love of God flows as abundance to fill every need. Blessings, all kinds, some seemingly insignificant and some very great, come to you through God’s love. They flow from one person to another, increasing and enhancing all our lives. In communion with God, we give our attention wholly to God. We become more aware of the wonderful blessings of the Divine. We are immersed in God. Our lives are enriched. We are grateful and we say, “Thank You, God.”

The presence of God lives with you;
The presence of God is in you as peace;
The presence of God is in you as wisdom;
The presence of God is in you as health and abundance.
With every breath, you have a renewed sense of oneness with God.
The light of God surrounds you;
The love of God enfolds you;
The power of God protects you;
The presence of God watches over you.
Wherever you are, God is!

We pray this morning, in the name and through the power of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Since 1999 – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one. Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER? Click here – if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
13Sep

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – Stressful Times Require God’s Help

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - Stressful Times Require God's Help

Time Sensitivity: none

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

“Why doesn’t God help me?” The woman shouts out when her life is in chaos, when things see, to be going strangely, and she was confused about what to do next.

One of the things many people do, in the state of confusion is to TRY HARDER, WORK LONGER, WORRY ALL-NIGHT and try make things happen themselves, believing that they alone are the ones who are responsible for everything.

People often forget to ask for God’s help in stressful times. The best time to ask for God’s help is BEFORE chaos.

I would like to share with you a letter that a fellow wrote to his insurance company because it really epitomizes where some people are. “I’m writing in response to your request concerning block 11 on the insurance form.

It asks for the cause of injuries, wherein I put ‘trying to do the job alone.’ You said you needed more information, so I trust the following will suffice:

“I am a bricklayer by trade. On the date of injuries, I was working alone, laying brick on top of a four-story building. At the end of the job, I had about 600 pounds of brick left over, so I thought I would lower the bricks on a pulley rather than making several trips to carry them down. I went down below, secured the rope at ground level, went back up and loaded all the bricks into a barrel, and then I swung the barrel off the side of the building.

“Then I went back down, untied the rope (holding it tightly with my right hand so I would assure a slow descent). You can imagine my shock at being jerked off the ground so rapidly that I lost my presence of mind. “Somewhere between the second and third floors, I collided with the barrel coming down. This explains the injuries to my head and shoulders. “Colliding with the barrel only slowed my ascent momentarily as I proceeded rapidly up the side of the building, not stopping until my right hand was jammed in the pulley, which accounts for my broken thumb and fingers.

“Regaining my presence of mind, I held tightly to the rope. About the same time, however, the barrel hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed about 35-40 pounds. At this time, I began a rapid descent. I met the barrel somewhere between the second and third floors as it was coming up, which explains the injuries to my legs and knees.

“I landed on the ground on the pile of bricks which caused minimal back injuries and internal injuries. (Fortunately, they were only minimal.) “At this time, however, I’m sorry to say that I lost my presence of mind, and I let go of the rope. As you can imagine, the barrel crashed down on top of me. I am happy to report, however, that I am finished trying to do the job alone.”

Doesn’t that say a little about how many of us have been trying to do the job alone, without God’s ever-present and willing help? We feel that we are responsible for everything that is happening in our lives, and everything that is supposed to happen. We take it all on, like we are the ones doing everything. God’s in charge! We are here today to remember God’s help.

One time, there was a lady who was on a passenger ship in the high seas. There was a fairly violent storm raging, when she happened to see the Captain going up to the top deck and said to him, “Captain, how serious is this?”

The Captain said, “Madam, if I were you, I would just say some prayers.” She says, “Oh no, has it come to that?”

We have been taught that if all else fails, pray. Has anybody else heard that before? We have heard about the power of prayer, but we seem to have it in the wrong order.

The ideal is to put prayer first because we are putting God first. In 1 John 5:4 it says, “For whatever is born of God conquers the world.” Whatever is born (or begins) in God can overcome any and all challenges that face us.

Put God first in prayer and meditation.

Remember that God answers your prayer even before you ask. Your part is to make prayer an open awareness within your mind through which God’s answer can come to you easily, understandably, and without personal human struggle. Prayer is power. All power of God is available to you. Your prayer should not be a wish but a conviction.

A wise gardener prepares the soil before the gardener plants the seed. One who prays must prepare their mind to receive that which they plant in the form of prayer.

Putting God first in our lives makes a lot of sense. Whatever is born of God overcomes anything in the world. The whole idea of putting God first comes down to the basic premise that we are all on this journey on this classroom called life, and everybody’s main lesson is the same–to awaken to the presence of God.

There are many ways to pray, as there are many ways to God. The way of the bird is not the way of the fish; the way of the baby is not the way of the adult. Advanced souls always pray in advance to relax themselves and keep themselves receptive to the guidance that is at hand from God. That is the basic, underlying thread that we all have in our lives. We are to awaken to who we are – as beloved children of God.

I am going to invite you to say that and feel what you are saying. “I am a beloved child of God. I am a beloved child of God.” Get the spiritual feeling of what you are saying.

Prayer is the most effective method of renewal and transformation in the human. In prayer, the human associates with God instead of the problem. We teach that you must pray in positive expectation. Negatives add up to negatives and negatives have no part in successful prayer. Do not pray in desperation, but in confidence and expectation of the best. You are responsible in your attitude for at least half the answer in prayer.

Jesus says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask for when you pray believe that you have received them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:24

Jesus told us that He came that we may have life and have it abundantly. That means everything – the perfect, radiant health of God that is already with us, perfect employment, a comfortable home, perfect transportation, all good things are what our Divine birthright entitle us to.

To get there, we have to be aware of who we are in our relationship with God. As we get into the habit of putting God first in our lives, we see things from a higher perspective.

Putting God first, in prayer and meditation, is the most effective and quickest way most of us will awaken to the presence of God, in all areas of our lives. Get into the wonderful habit of praying or meditating in the morning. It sets the tone for the day.

We wake up in the morning in an awakened state. That is the perfect time to do the most important work that we do throughout the day, which is putting God first. Set the tone for the day. Invite God to go before us and do whatever is ours to do.

When you to bed at night go through the things you are going to work on tomorrow, inviting God to guide you to the perfect outcomes. Turning everything over to God, you realize that you cannot do it at all, but God can do it.

Have the inspiration to put everything in God’s hands each night and every morning – that makes your life special.

Putting God first in all areas of our lives. How important is it to put God first in all areas of our lives? I would like to share a piece of poetry with you that really sums it up beautifully.

It is called “The Difference,” and it was written by one of the most famous authors of all time — Anonymous.

THE DIFFERENCE

I got up early one morning,
And rushed right into the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn’t take time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task.
“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.
He answered, “You didn’t ask.”
I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on gray and bleak.
I wondered why God didn’t show me.
She said, “You didn’t seek.”
I tried to come into God’s presence.
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
“My child, you didn’t knock.”
So, I got up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.

If you do not have time to do everything that you have to do in a chaotic life, then you must take time to put God first. When life gets chaotic and out of control, look back and say, “What did I forget to do today?” We usually know the answer – We get up in the morning, and hit the floor with our feet running. So, we make a minor adjustment, and we create a quiet prayer time every morning. Most of the time, we will remember to take time to pray first. But the days we don’t pray first, we will be able to tell the difference.

A good nutritious meal feeds the body and mind. Good prayer feeds the soul.

I invite you to put God first in every situation. As you go through whatever you are going through during the day, keep inviting God to go before you to make your way safe and enjoyable, to have clear guidance, or whatever you have to ask for. Ask for God’s help and God will respond. God will respond to you. God will help.

So, let’s close with an acknowledgment that I am open and receptive to putting God first in all my activities. Will you do this with me? Close your eyes.

I ask you to join me in prayer.

Dear God, I come to You in total expectation of the best. I believe in miracles because I believe in You. I cooperate with You by holding in my human mind the very best outcome. I do not come to You in desperation, but in gratitude and excitement of the result given to me ahead of any need. I live my days in prayer and my days bless me. I go to You first each day to prepare my human mind for the blessed life. I live my moments, day by day, in positive expectation and overflowing gratitude as I witness and take part in the miraculous results. I believe that spiritual power is the most important activity that I can take part in. I give myself to it, and it gives its power to me.

I am grateful and thankful for every moment spent in sacred prayer.

In Jesus Christ’s name … Amen

God bless you!

PRAYER / MEDITATION_____________________

I invite you to relax in the peace and silence of God’s loving presence. Take a deep breath and hold it for several seconds. As you gently exhale, invite your mind to let go of all outer concern.

For these next minutes, all your concerns can be lovingly placed in the hands of God, and you can turn your attention to the kingdom of God and all the help it contains.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

Take another deep breath, holding it for as many seconds as is comfortable for you, and as you gently exhale, invite your body to relax in an awareness of God’s loving presence, a presence that enfolds, loves, and blesses us.

For these next few minutes, allow my words to resonate within you; allow my words to go to the very core of your being and to be your words consenting to and accepting their truth as your own.

The radiant life of God flows through me now.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

I open my mind and my heart to this loving Presence of God that is moving through every part of my being.

I begin, again, today with God’s willing help.

With God’s presence with me, I know that whatever I would like to be, I have the ready help at hand.

Whatever I would like to see changed in my life can change. With God, nothing is impossible.

I let go of old beliefs, old worn-out systems of thinking and feeling, and error thoughts about who I thought I was.

I am a beloved child of God, and God’s loving presence flows through me now and always.

God’s presence brings a newness, a new awareness, of Christ.

I feel God’s love flowing through me now.

This is the time – not tomorrow, not next week, not next year, but right now to personally feel God’s help.

I open my mind and my heart to God’s love, to God’s radiant life, and to God’s wisdom which is clearly guiding me and inspiring me to live the glorious life I was created to live.

Rest in the silence of prayer for a few moments, I invite you to hold an awareness of God’s loving presence as radiant life in every cell, every tissue, every organ of your being. Know that all of these parts of your body, and all of your mind, are being renewed, refreshed, rejuvenated, and regenerated.

I invite you to rest in the awareness of God’s loving, healing presence active in us all right now …

Rest in the silence of prayer …

I am a new person in Christ today.

I awaken, as if out of a dream, to a greater realization of God’s loving presence in me, now.

I awaken to a greater awareness of God’s perfect radiant life flowing through me, now.

I am richly and wonderfully blessed as I open my mind and my heart to this living, loving presence of God moving through my life, now.

I follow Jesus by becoming an instrument of God’s love and God’s life.

Thank You, dearest God, for Your loving presence flowing through me now.

Accept this now … In Jesus Christ’s name …

And so, it is … Amen.

Since 1999 – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one. Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER? Click here – if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
06Sep

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – Change “NO WAY” to “KNOW THE WAY.”

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - Change "NO WAY" to "KNOW THE WAY."

Time Sensitivity: none

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

How many times have we wondered about which way we should go? We may have wondered about the right direction to take? How many times have we gone our own way ignoring the guidance of God? We may have pushed through our thoughts, will, and perception of the way we thought it should be? How many times has it turned out to be a near disaster when we did that?

Many times, it is a disaster when we make a decision in our human mind without envisioning the larger picture that only God can see.

But if we pray to God and say, “God, please show me the way I should go, the decision I should make,” God is infallible and works with perfection, each and every time.

Males, at times, have had problems going to God for directions. In 1492, Columbus set out for the Orient, and he ended up in the Caribbean. And thus set a pattern that has continued for over 500 years. Men still don’t ask for directions.

The late Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes, was on a train when the conductor came through collecting tickets. Holmes looked through his pockets trying to find his ticket. He couldn’t find it and was very distraught. The conductor said, “Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Holmes, you can send it to us later. We trust you. If you can’t trust a Supreme Court Justice, who can you trust?” The conductor tried, over the next few minutes, to console him, but Holmes wouldn’t be consoled. The conductor kept saying, “Mr. Holmes, don’t worry.”

The justice responded by saying in complete frustration, “My dear man, that is not my problem. I need my ticket to tell me where I’m going.”

Like Mr. Holmes, we need to know where we are going.

We need to know the direction of our lives. Many times, our lives are like a giant maze, and we need to figure out that maze and always make the right turn so we don’t struggle so much. The guidance of God is the sure way of getting that guidance. Guidance means the leadership of God, the direction of God, the management, and the government of God in your life, the supervision of God, the piloting of God – the navigation, the conduct, control, and escort of God. It means the advice of God which is accurate all the time. It means the counseling, the caution, or warning when you need it, the recommendation for your life when you need it – the endorsement, the urging, the suggestion, and the lead.

Listen to this next statement; this is important. There is nowhere to go to get guidance; we are in it all the time. Right now, you are immersed in the guidance of God. You have it at your fingertips, but closer. You have it with you. It can be called upon. It can be realized, and you can become aware of it.

The promise is in Psalms 31:3-5: “You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me, take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.”

God is like a fortress around you to keep harm from coming to you and, more than that, to keep you from hurting yourself through wrong decisions. Have you ever been going along in your life and all of a sudden, you feel like you are trapped in a net? You don’t know how to get out. You push, pull, and struggle. The more you struggle, the more the net seems to tighten around you. Perhaps it is a health challenge. Maybe it is a financial burden of some kind. The problem may appear so overwhelming you don’t know how you would ever get out of the challenge that seems to be deepening by the moment. It may be because of the sickness of a loved one and you are the caregiver. You don’t know how to manage to keep your strength up another day. That certainly feels like a net, doesn’t it?

To have a faith when you are inside a net, instead of looking at the net, know you have God with you, within you. Know you have the power to go past that net. You are not trapped; you are free. You don’t know how – not with your five senses, not with your eyes and your ears. There is an inner knowledge that flows in and through you that shares with you how to go past the net. It is flawless. God will show you the way.

Many of us sat in front of the television set, years ago, and marveled at the moon shots from Cape Kennedy. Here is the complete story. Those missions were off target 90% of the time. They had to be corrected from Mission Control. They had to be adjusted continuously in order for the astronauts to get to the moon. On our own journey through life, we are off course a lot of the time. Sometimes, we don’t want to admit it, but we are off course a whole lot of the time. But by staying in constant contact with God, we are able to correct our course. We are able to make adjustments, even when we are already on our journey. We will have to make slight adjustments in our course and they will be perfect because God guides us. When we make those adjustments, even though it is completely foreign to our human mind, it is the right thing to do and we succeed in our mission.

If you are in an airplane, you have a pilot. But don’t rely on that pilot. The pilot is guided to land on the right runway. He is being guided by his own mission control – the tower. The tower tells him exactly where to land, how to fly, and how high to go because the tower has the overall view the pilot does not have. What about the overall view of your life?

It is the presence of Jesus Christ. It is the overall view and the bigger picture, contacted flawlessly through prayer and meditation. Prayer is like a telephone booth. When you go in and close the door, the light will come on.

High on a hill in a Midwestern town stands an old post office. The building just happens to be situated so that rain, falling on one side of the roof, flows down the hill into a stream, which joins a river that empties into the Great Lakes, and on into the Atlantic Ocean. Rain falling on the opposite side of the roof travels by way of a small brook into the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and on into the Gulf of Mexico. So tenuous is the position of a raindrop over this post office that the slightest breath of wind will determine the direction of its fate!

Do you ever have the feeling that your own fate is waiting to be determined by a small gust of wind or something so slight that your whole life could go in a different direction? Have you ever felt suspended tenuously between two choices and wished some gentle breeze would come along and make the decision for you?

Often our options seem equal to our human mind. The Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean – either choice would seem favorable to a raindrop. Our choices, too, can offer equal advantages or disadvantages. If we pray for guidance, we will have not JUST the human view which doesn’t know the answer, but we will have the higher overall BIGGER view.

We say, “What should I do, God? Give me a sign. Give me some kind of answer so I can know which way to go in my life.” Like two raindrops headed to the post office roof, we’re looking for a gust of wind to make the decision for us.

Do you need greater order in your life? God will show you the way.

Do you need to feel peace and harmony in your life? God will show you the way.

Regardless of the difficulty, God will show you the way.

First of all, how to meet it.

Second of all, how to deal with it.

And thirdly, how to move past the challenge to calmer days.

Your greatest assurance will always come from God. It is available to you at every single moment. It is available to you, right now. Even if you have just walked into this church and this is the first time you have been in this ministry, it is as available to you in equal measure, as it is available to me, for every good purpose in your life.

If you are facing a problem and you are timid about facing it; if you have an unsureness, if you have a fear and a weakness, I guarantee you are facing them from human mind and not God-mind. When you are facing something with God, you, yourself are empowered by the Divine. You have assuredness about the way to go because you have perfection flowing through your mind and you know how to proceed.

If you are caught in that net, what is the first thing you do? You affirm in prayer: “God will show me the way.” That goes way beyond what human mind may be able to believe in the moment, but you keep on affirming and instead of being locked in the fear and the timidity of human mind, you rise above human mind and know there is a higher power working with you. You don’t know it in the beginning, but you keep on affirming in constant prayer: “God will show me the way.” As long as you listen inside, you will know the way. You can ask for the specific guidance you need. You say, “Here I am, God. I need to know how to do this, and I need to know how to do it well.” Then you become still and listen. “Be still and know that I am God!” (Psalms 46:10)

Often when we pray, we talk and talk. God cannot get the answers because we are talking so much. “Oh, God, please save me from this.” We are worrying and fretting. We need to become still, rise higher and then move ahead, knowing God will show you the way. Often, we wait for the entire picture to be given to us. If you look back at many areas of your life, you could not have comprehended the entire picture of how God would guide you. If God gave you or me the entire picture immediately, we would cast it off as being impossible. Nothing that good could ever happen. It has to be at the level I can accept, which is very low. Often, guidance comes step-by-step. Often, we are shown only how to take the next step.

If you are getting out of a net, it is not enough to see a picture of yourself on the other side of the net. You have to know how to take steps, individual, tiny steps to get around the net, through the net, under the net, above the net, however you need to go. That is often how the guidance of God comes to us.

Some of you will be given a vision of the whole view. All the better as long as you trust and follow it through. If the challenge before you is one which demands patience, faith, and endurance beyond the measure you possess; know and be assured God will show you how to meet it, step-by-step, day-by-day, month-by-month, year-by-year. The inspiration that fills you will happen in a flash, but God will continue to be with you, constantly, through every year, every point, and every tiny step in your journey.

If you feel you have tried everything, take hold of the Truth that God will show you the way. Stop talking to God and listen. One man prayed for guidance, according to his own writing, it took him six months before it became clear. Although later on he admitted that many times he had the same guidance right at the beginning that he had in the future, he could not accept it in his human mind. As his mind expanded in awareness, he was able to trust what he heard during prayer time – the hunches, the inspiration that came through.

Be willing to follow as God guides. Be willing to go the extra mile. God will show you how to deal with every demand you have in your life. There is nothing beyond God – because God is bigger than your problems. All new guidance or new possibilities will only require and demand certain things and responses on our part. They may demand outer changes in order for us to get out of the net we are trapped in, as well as inner changes of thought, inner changes of belief, expectation, or habit. We will be led to those in locations, position, or relationships.

As you unfold in your spiritual nature, you will find it has the same capacity for receiving vibration of sound as your outer physical ear has. You do not give attention to all the sounds your ear hears. You learn, over time, to discriminate and to listen to what is important. It is the same way with you as you pray and keep your appointment with God. You will learn to discriminate and you will find you know when God speaks.

A woman was facing some big changes at her workplace. The company was downsizing and for a long time, she was frightened that she was going to be laid off. She kept being transferred to different departments and she had to learn new jobs. All during the time, she prayed that God would show her the way to be a help to other people. She said, “You know, it is fascinating what has occurred. Every time I am transferred to a different department, I have people thank me for showing them the way to spirituality and bringing them back to their spiritual roots. You know, I don’t go in there and try to change people. I do keep up my faith and let my light shine in a positive attitude, even though the others all around me are worried.” In every department she has been sent, she has changed the entire department. She has become an asset to that company beyond what they would have ever known had things remained the same. She thanks God for this reorganization of her company.

If you feel you are in a maze right now, the only sure guide, the only infallible guide is the inspiration of God. What you need will be provided when you need it.

I pray you are thinking about your own situation because I am talking to the situation, the entrapment which you face. I am talking to you and how to get out of this problem once and for all. The first thing human mind says is, “I can’t do it.” The second thing it says is, “I cannot accept this change.” The mind forms its own prison and locks you inside with the key of doubt.

God will show you the way to freedom.

You are NOT expected to take on this task alone. God says to you “I would never send you anyplace that I would not go myself.” You are never sent into any net or any situation or any challenge alone. God is there with you. The presence and the power of God are ready within you and through you. God is constantly seeking to release Divine perfection in you. You are going to learn of the great good. Once and for all, not just an inner speculation or theory, you are going to learn the reality of God with you. It will return you, once and for all, to that point of power and presence.

In Matthew 19:26, our Bible states, ” … For mortals it is impossible but for God all things are possible.” Jesus taught the inadequacy of human striving to lead us to the natural state of an awakened child of God which lets God come through every time we find ourselves in some situation.

Jesus Christ has shown us that He Himself needed to remember that God would show Him the way to overcome, learn, move ahead, and fulfill, once and for all, His purposes. Jesus emerged victorious in the face of all that threatened His life and well-being. With calmness and courage, He walked through angry, rebellious crowds, letting God show Him how. He spent time apart in quiet listening, knowing God would show Him how to take the next step in wisdom. He prayed and received answers every time.

There is a Danish proverb which states he who builds according to every man’s advice will have a crooked house. There are two ways to get understanding. One is to follow the guidance of God which dwells with you, and the other is to go blindly ahead and learn by hard experience. Jesus says in Matthew 23:24, “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!” In Luke 6:39-41: Jesus says, ” … Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?”

Suppose I say to you that you need to fix this or that. When I am saying that to you, I have an even bigger problem in my own life that I should fix first, and then I could see clearly. Take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly how to take out the speck in your neighbor’s eye.

In Isaiah 42:16 the promise is given: “I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.”

You are not going to people for advice. You are going to God, and you are blind, right now. You don’t know how to get out of your situation. The answer you receive will probably be completely foreign to your human mind. It will seem so strange. It is different than you know. Of course, it is because it is not within your human brain. You are seeking an answer higher than the human brain. It will be a way you do not yet know.

We go first to God, and then, if God says to us to go see a man or a woman, then we go and see that man or that woman. When you are obedient to Spirit, you will not suffer burdens. You will trust in God. You will know of Divine guidance by experience. That is what I pray for each of you. I do not want any of you to trust by my words. I want you to trust by your own experience. Try it in the little things, and then you can trust it in bigger things. The experience must be acquired. When you face something big, and all of us will because we are in this school called life, if we learn to trust in God and to follow God’s guidance by habit, we will be ready.

There are four requirements for receiving inner guidance from God.

1. Release

You may be in the net and you have thought a lot about it. You have some ideas of how to get out of it. At some level, you think nobody is going to change you. We must admit we often have been so willful on some things that we were going to push our way no matter what.

Yes, we might have fallen into the pit of near disaster. We must be willing to release our own thoughts, which is not always easy. You have to be willing to say, “OK,” even though you feel like you are standing out on the ledge with nothing to protect you.

2. Peace – to have an infilling of peace.

The mind is like a fist. If you are so gripped up, so tight, and so nervous about what you are facing, you are filled with fear, you cannot grasp anything. You need to become peaceful. That is an automatic result of prayer and meditation.

3. Openness

You get an idea, but you do not say to yourself, “God, that is the craziest idea I have every heard of in my life! That won’t work.” Instead you say, “Well, OK.” The human mind usually is not going to agree with the guidance of God until it acquires trust by experience. Once it does, it knows that even though it cannot see the way, to follow the guidance.

4. Trust

In Hosea 11:4, God’s guidance is addressed. I really want you to hear this, because I know when you are first learning to totally and completely trust God in your life, it is sometimes it is a bit scary to human mind. God is loving and wonderful; yet when we are out there, it is scary. Listen to this, “I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.”

From Romans 8:14-15: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption.” We did NOT receive a spirit of being in the net or a spirit of entrapment to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. I love that.

When you are dealing with a problem and you feel alone, even if you are with your family or your friends, you feel stripped and defenseless. You are all alone, and all of a sudden, you have a spirit of adoption of God.

God has also adopted your problem. ” … When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. In fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:15-18)

Let us pray. For every person who needs guidance, I pray this is the day you will make an appointment with God. Every day, you will make a commitment to keeping that appointment – to sit in the silence of prayer, to listen, and to be willing to release what is in your human mind. Be willing to have a great peace flood over you. With openness of mind, you accept that which God gives you and you move forward with a tremendous trust of God, in God, and through God. Thank You, in advance, God, for guidance for each person needing it now or in the future.

In Jesus Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

God bless you!

PRAYER / MEDITATION____________________

I invite you to walk with me through a spiritual gateway, a spiritual gateway of prayer that is always open. We enter these sacred gates and open our hearts to God’s presence. We still our thoughts, relax our shoulders, and release any feeling of tension. We let this feeling of release infuse our bodies with a gentle calmness.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

We relax, and we experience the peace that only the presence of God can bring.

I open the gateway of my heart to You, dear God, and I experience such a powerful feeling of peace. Peace that lifts me to the very real awareness of the presence of God. As the peace of God lifts my heart, I am able to let go of whatever is past and enter the gates of prayer, the doorway to the very heart of God. A deep sense of peace fills me and I am serene. I am secure in God’s presence. I am being lifted above every concern, right now, in this precious moment of tranquility. I am peaceful. I am serene. I am securely enfolded in the comforting presence of God.

In the silence of prayer …

In these serene moments, I know You, God, as wisdom, as inspiration. This cherished time of silence is the perfect opportunity to let go of human needs, any indecision or uncertainty.

My prayers are my gateway to Your mind, God – inspiring me and opening me to Your guiding presence. I know I am Divinely loved. In this reassurance, I quietly wait and I listen for the still small voice in the silence …

Rest in the silence of prayer …

The inspiration we receive in the quiet of prayer opens us to Your healing presence, dear God. I feel strengthened, revitalized, and renewed. Every fiber and tissue of my being is energized and touched with wholeness.

Here and now, I find the strength and the peace of God to meet any healing challenge.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

I realize the gates of wisdom, peace, and healing for all that are needed are always open as we turn to You, God. So many blessings have already been provided. We know You are available to us throughout all eternity. Your activity opens us to creative ideas and we use those God ideas in constructive ways. We allow your bounty to overflow in every area of our lives. The gateway of prayer has opened our spiritual eyes to Your wondrous blessings. Dear God, we see all who join us in prayer, whatever time of day or night, entering the gateway of prayer with joy-filled and thankful hearts.

Thank You, God.

The light of God surrounds us;
The love of God enfolds us;
The power of God protects us;
The presence of God watches over us.
Wherever we are, God is!

In the nature of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Since 1999 – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one. Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER? Click here – if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
30Aug

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – The God Way

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - The God Way

Time Sensitivity: none

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

In our Bible, in Acts 18:26, it teaches about the Way of God. The Way is capitalized because it is a system of working your life. Now I turn to John 14:6-7, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.'” There is a trinity of living there – the way, the truth, and the life. These verses say: may someone say of you, truly you are the way of God – in the way you do business, in the way you treat your family and your friends. May they say you are truthful, and may they say you are living the life of God. May you follow Jesus in doing this, by becoming this yourself. When they see you, they are not seeing Jesus, they are not seeing you, but they are seeing God’s ways.

The Brooklyn Bridge was built in 1883. It was an engineering miracle and I am going to explain why. When John Roebling was inspired for the idea of the Brooklyn Bridge, he took the idea to the greatest engineers of the day. The engineers told him, “No way, it can’t be done.” They told the bankers who were financing the project, “No way, it can’t be done.” But John Roebling believed in his idea. He thought he was inspired by God with the design of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Finally, he got the funding to go ahead. Roebling convinced his son, Washington Roebling, an up-and-coming engineer, that the bridge could be built. The two of them conceived the concept of how it could be accomplished and how to overcome the obstacles.

After the financing was arranged, they got started. With unharnessed excitement and energy, they hired a crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project was only a few months underway when a tragic on-site accident killed John Roebling and severely injured his son. Washington was severely brain damaged. He was unable to talk or walk. Everyone thought the project would have to be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones in the whole world who knew how to build a bridge of this expanse. Everyone said it could not be done. They said no-way.

Washington Roebling prayed to God. He had a problem. He could not talk; he could not move anything in his body except for his little finger. He still had the dream of building the bridge. People would visit him and say, “You have got to give up your dream. You can’t talk; you can’t walk; you can’t move; no one else in the world knows how to build this bridge. How can you expect to still build it?”

His wife said, “He has been told by God to build this bridge.”

Over the next couple of years, working with his wife, Washington devised a code. She would put his hand on her arm, and he would tap out a code with the one finger. His mind was still sharp, but he could not move his body except for this one finger. He proceeded to build his bridge through his little finger and his wife. No other engineer on the whole planet knew how to build this bridge except for his finger and his sharp mind. It took 13 years of communicating in code with his one finger to build the Brooklyn Bridge, but he did it; rather God did it, through him.

Yes, there is a way!

There are many times in our lives when things happen to us. An event happens in our lives and we say, “Oh dear, that’s it.” An event in our lives that seems horrible at the time.

An event can be a millstone around your neck, or it can be a milestone.

You can take what God has given you and allow God to come through and God will come through, even if it is through your little finger.

God uses what we have, and gets through what we have, so that the world can have more.

When you are wave-maker, you are in the way. When you are believing others, saying, “You can’t do that.” Negative thinking is in the way. Or when you are standing against yourself saying, “No-Way, because of my environment or because of this situation or that situation, I can’t do that.” You make waves for yourself. When you stand up against progress, you are in the way of a problem-solving God.

At the beach, when you are standing on the sand, a wave comes up quickly. It looks large; it looks ominous, but it quickly disappears. When you are on the way, the way of God, it does not quickly disappear. God works through you. You ride the crest of the miracle wave that does not disappear. We are committing to be on the way of God.

George was a wave-maker. He was on the Board of Trustees of a church. The Board at this particular church had six members. Five of the members would be unanimously for something – something good and positive. George would stand up and vote against it. One time, he was asked, “George, how can you be against this particular good thing?”

He said, “I didn’t want it to be a one-sided vote.”

George stirred up trouble for years in the ministry. When everyone was in favor of something, George would be against it. But it was not only at church that George did this, it was in his business, the social club where he was a member, and also, in his home.

I am very grateful to people such as George, because they have been such great teachers for us. They were great teachers because what disturbs us most about them, is we see aspects of ourselves in them.

Sometimes the waves we create block ourselves. It stops our progress and it makes us miserable.

Yes there is a way people:
Fear less, hope more;
Whine less, breathe more;
Talk less, say more;
Hate less, love more;
And all good things are yours.

I want to share a story with you about the great poet Maya Angelou. When she was young, her grandmother raised her in Stamps, Arkansas. Her grandmother had a particular routine when people who were known to be whiners entered her store. Whenever the grandmother saw a complainer coming, she would call Maya from whatever she was doing and say, “Sister, come inside, come.”

Maya said, “Of course, I would obey. My grandmother would ask the customer, ‘How are you doing, today, Brother Thomas?'”

“The person would reply, ‘Oh, not so good.’ There would be a distant whine in the voice. ‘Not so good, today, sister Henderson. It’s this summer heat. I hate it so much; it frazzles me up and it frazzles me down. I just hate the heat. It is almost killing me.’

“Then my grandmother would stand, her arms folded, and mumble, ‘Uh huh, uh huh.’ She would then cut her eyes to me to make certain that I heard the lamentation.

“Another time, a whiner would moan, ‘Oh, I just hate plowing. That packed down dirt, it ain’t got no reasoning; the mules ain’t got no good sense. It’s killing me. I can never seem to get it done. My feet, my hands are sore; I get dirt in my eyes, and I get dirt up my nose. I just can’t stand it. It is killing me.’

“My grandmother again with her arms folded would stand there and say, ‘Uh huh, uh huh.’ Then she would look at me and nod.

“As soon as the complainer was out of the store, my grandmother would call me to stand in front of her and then she would say the same thing she had said a thousand times before. ‘Sister, did you hear what brother complained about?’

“I would nod, ‘Yes, Grandma.’

“Grandma would continue, ‘Sister, there were people who went to sleep last night, all over the world – rich and poor, black and white – they will never wake up again. Sister, those expected to rise did not; their beds became cooling boards and their blankets became their winding sheets. Those dead folks would give anything for just five minutes of this weather, or ten minutes of plowing the person was grumbling about. You watch yourself about complaining, Sister. What you are supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.'”

Maya concludes, “It is said people have few teachable moments in their lives. Grandma seems to have caught me at each one I had between the ages of three and thirteen.”

The wave-maker becomes the way-maker when he or she stops seeing the bad and focusing on the bad and focuses all talk on God instead. The wave-maker becomes the way-maker when he or she stops criticizing and tearing down and thinks only about building up themselves and others through talk and action.

Always see the WAY!

The Wrecking Crew

I stood on the streets of a busy town
Watching men tear a building down
With a “heave, ho” and a loud yell
They swung a beam and an entire section fell.

I asked the foreman, “Are those men as skilled
As those you’d hire if you wanted to build?”
“No way,” he said, “no indeed!
Just common labor is all I need.
I can tear down as much in a day or two
As it would take skilled men a year to do.”

And then I thought as I went on my way,
Which of these two roles do I choose to play?
Do I walk life’s road with love and care
Striving to build … encourage … and share?
Or am I one who roams the town,
Content with merely tearing down?

Recently, a man was at a pool clubhouse and was on a chair that only had three good legs. He noticed this right away, so he braced his foot against the other, so he would not fall onto the floor. We all need a foundation to sit on. A chair is good when it has four legs. The person who is the wave-maker has one foundation leg as criticism. The person who is the wave-maker has one foundation leg that is defensiveness. One leg is contempt and one leg is stonewalling. What happens is all the legs are weak and the person will – sometime, someplace – when they least expect it, fall down. Then they will have to question their values. I suppose that is good. That is what happened to George.

Over the years, George started to change. Thank God the message of spirituality took hold.

Instead of being a wave-maker, he became a way-maker. To become a way-maker, we have to change the foundation of our lives.

The four major foundation legs of our lives.

1) The first leg is love. This is the bridge builder among us which will allow us to build bridges to other people, not burn them down.

2) The second leg has to be trust. You have to be brave enough as a child of God to realize that each of us is a child of God, and we have to trust in humanity, trust in others.

3) The leg of this foundation has to become respect for other people, respect for yourself, and a desire to build up instead of tear down.

4) The fourth leg is the promoter. It is the promoter of ourselves and other people.

When you have those four legs in position, you can sit in your chair and it will never fall. The foundation will grow even stronger as life goes on.

It will be the foundation of your life.

George asked his minister many times, “How do I change?” He would change on one point, but it would be short-lived and he would fall again. Finally, his minister said something that was inspired by God and George got it. His minister said, “George, become a WAY person.”

Mark 9:33-37 The disciples are following Jesus on the way. They are attending their church. They are following their master. “Then they came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house He asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all, and servant of all.’ Then He took a little child and put it among them; and taking the child in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes not Me, but the one who sent Me.'”

They were not enjoying the way, they were arguing on the way. Can you hear them now? “Well, I’m the greatest because Jesus likes me best.”

“Oh no,” another says, “I’m the greatest because Jesus said this to me three weeks ago.”

Another one said, “Well, I’m the greatest because last night at dinner it was Jesus who asked me to sit next to him.”

Jesus was saying you must love others; you must promote others. You cannot exalt yourself; you have to exalt God.

You must see the WAY for others. Never see the walls.

You ARE loving. This is what we serve. We serve love and becoming the way, the truth, and the life. That is what our purpose is in life.

You can become a way-maker by practicing your spiritual best, not your lower human worst.

I have a story here that Leo Hauser tells in the book, “Five Steps to Success.” He tells the story about Jim Kaat. Kaat traces his success back to spring training in 1966. The Twins had acquired a new pitching coach, Johnny Sain, who silently watched the pitchers perform. One by one, he called them in for a personal chat.

“Jim,” said Sain, “I’ve been watching you pitch. What are your four best pitches?”

Kaat, knowing his pitching ability well, responded, “Well, my best pitch is my fast ball, then it would be my curve, my slider, and my change-up.”

Sain said, “What pitch do you spend the most time practicing?”

“My slider and my change-up,” said Kaat. “If I could improve those two pitches, I know I could have a good season.”

Sain looked at Kaat, pondering his comments, then he responded, “I see it a little bit differently, Jim. I want you to take a different approach. Work on your fast ball. I know it is your favorite pitch, so go out there and practice and warm up during the games concentrating on your fast ball. Throw your fast ball 80% to 90% of the time, all year long, and you are going to win a lot of games.”

Kaat left Sain’s office stunned. He had expected expert tips on improving his change-up or his slider. At least Sain could have provided technical advice on smoothing out his curve ball. Telling him to do more of what he already did best didn’t make much sense.

That season, Kaat threw fast ball after fast ball. He thought his arm was going to fall off, but he heeded the advice. That year, 1966, Jim Kaat won 26 games and went on to become pitcher of the year in the American League.

My friends, we tend to practice what we are not good at. Practice instead the easiest thing in the world. That is loving yourself and loving other people. You will find it becomes your greatest strength. If you do this one thing, you will become God’s way-maker.

The wave-maker always tells others they cannot do something, such as the people who told Roebling he could not build his bridge. God’s way-makers always believe in the possibilities.

Kathy Lamancusa tells of her son Joey. When he was born, his feet were twisted upward with the bottoms resting on his tummy. As a first time mother, she thought this looked a bit odd, but she didn’t really know what it meant. It meant that Joey had been born with club feet. The doctors assured her that with treatment he would be able to walk normally, but would never run very well. Joey spent the first three years of his life in surgery, casts, and braces. His legs were massaged; they were worked and exercised. By the time he was seven or eight years old, you would not even know he had a problem when he walked.

If he walked great distances, like at amusement parks, or on a visit to the zoo, he complained that his legs were tired and that they hurt. They would stop walking and talk a break for a soda or an ice cream cone and talk about what they had seen, what they had to see. She said, “We didn’t tell him why his legs hurt and why they were weak. We didn’t tell him that this was expected due to his deformity at birth. We didn’t tell him so he didn’t know.

“The children in the neighborhood ran around as most children do during play. Joey would watch them play and of course, would jump right in and run and play, too. We never told him he probably wouldn’t be able to do that, to run as well as the other children. We didn’t tell him he was different. We didn’t tell him, so he didn’t know.

“In the seventh grade, he decided to go out for the cross country team. Every day, he trained with the team. He seemed to work harder and to run more than the others. Perhaps he sensed that the abilities which seemed to come naturally to so many others did not come naturally to him. We didn’t tell him that although he could run, he probably would always remain at the back of the pack. We didn’t tell him that he shouldn’t expect to make the team. The team runners are the top seven runners of the school. Although the entire team runs, it is only those seven who have the potential to score points for the school. We didn’t tell him that probably he would never make the team. And so he didn’t know.

“He continued to run four or five miles a day, every day. I’ll never forget the time when he had 103-degree fever. He couldn’t stay home because he had a cross country practice and I worried about him all day long. I expected to get a call from the school asking me to get him and take him home. No one called.

“I went to the cross-country training area after school thinking that if I were there, he might decide to skip practice that evening. When I got to school, he was running alongside of a tree-lined street, all alone. I pulled up alongside of him and drove slowly to keep pace with him as he ran. I asked how he felt. “Okay,” he said. He had only two more miles to go. As the sweat rolled down his face, his eyes were glassy from his fever, yet he looked straight ahead and kept running. We never told him that he couldn’t run four miles with 103-degree fever. We never told him so he didn’t know.

“Two weeks later, the day before the second to the last race of the season, the names of the team runners were called. Joey was number six on the list. Joey had made the team. He was in seventh grade; the other six team members were all eighth graders. We never told him that he probably shouldn’t expect to make the team. We never told him that he couldn’t do it, so he didn’t know. He just did it.”

Friends, as humans, we have a tendency to give others our opinion. How much better to give others a piece of God’s opinion – which is always optimistic, always positive. God would say to Joey, yes there is a WAY! No matter what you have, no matter what obstacle you have faced, no matter what block has come in your life, through My power you can do all things.

Let us pray.

The great creative energies of God are at work in your life – ever renewing, ever restoring, ever-refreshing. God, with Your help, I take a fresh look at my life, today. I want to become a positive person that believes there is always a WAY. In this moment of contemplation, I consider in the light of Your love, my habits and my beliefs, my way of acting or reacting. May I realize my life is not just mechanical and repetitive; I have a choice in the moment of the great creative energies of the Divine. I thank You for always being at work in my life, ever new and ever fresh. God, Your eternal power will continue to blossom forth, filling me with a victorious spirit, with perseverance needed to reshape habits, with an appreciation of all of Your life’s blessings.

I decree in Jesus Christ’s name that God’s great creative energies spring forth new within you. God’s power is present within you and you are capable of rising up. God fills you with new Divine hope and new Divine enthusiasm for your life. Through the power of God, you become the WAY-maker for the people you touch.

In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

God bless you!

PRAYER / MEDITATION____________________

This is the most powerful time of this day. It is a time when we go to God without reservation, without holding back. It is a time to release ourselves into the activity of God and to allow the activity of God to work from center to circumference, from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet, and out our fingertips. There is no cell in your physical body that does not feel totally surrounded by God, the total indwelling of God. Know there is no power greater than God. Greater is God that is with you than he that is in the world. Surrounding you, and inside of you, greater than any fear of disease or mistake, is the power of God Almighty.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

In this moment of time, you are one with God. You exchange your human mind thoughts of the lesser for God’s Divine greater ideas. You allow the perfection of the Christ to flood your entire being. You allow it to become you, and God’s truth is shattering the illusion of something seemingly impossible. All wrong practices of humankind have never dimmed God’s glory and radiance within us.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

There is no power greater than God. The belief in self-limitation is utterly false. None can stop us from demonstrating our oneness with God. God is all-power, our help in every need.

Reflect on God’s power in the silence of prayer …

Dear God, I pray that through the complete perfection of thought and energy, every foolish fear will be cast out and will be null and void.

As children of God, we can never be from the presence of the Christ. May the Christ presence give us our intelligence, here and now. Dear God, in faith, we rise up and we banish away all ignorant belief. We are a tower of strength to ourselves, to the cells in our body, and to others, to all people. Rest in the silence with this thought. There is no power greater than God.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

I decree – in my own individual life, there is no power greater than God.
God is working in my mind.
God is working in my physical body.
God is working in my entire life.
The perfection of God is now fully accepted by me.
The Lord, our God, is one God and there is none beside God.
You know this is the Truth. God is with you, from everlasting to everlasting.

In the nature of Jesus Christ … Amen.

Since 1999 – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one. Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER? Click here – if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
23Aug

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – A New Labor Day Commitment

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - A New Labor Day Commitment

Time Sensitivity: The Sunday before Labor Day

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

When God works through you in your job, it makes the hours breeze by, and the tasks easy.

In a small town, there is small restaurant that has a unique, antique collector’s clock in the main dining hall. Above the clock is a sign that says: “This is a very special clock, but it will never be stolen because our employees are watching it closely.”

Have you ever had a job like that, when you go in and immediately notice that the time is 9:02 a.m.? Then you look up and notice it is 9:07. It takes forever to get to 10 o’clock. You wonder if the day will ever end. Have you ever gone to work in the morning, dreading the day?

The pollster, Lou Harris, says that the average American works 30% more today than in 1973 (just 40 years ago) and has 32% less free time per week. They say 65% of the top managers in this country work more than 50 hours a week. Most executives work 10 hours a day (not eight), and 18% work 12 or more hours a day to get done what they feel they need to get done.

There is a great story about Kemmons Wilson, Sr., founder of Holiday Inns. He was asked to give a commencement speech at the high school he once attended. Wilson, who did not graduate from high school, told the graduating students: “I really don’t know why I’m here; I never got a degree, and I’ve only worked half-days my entire life. I guess my advice to you is to do the same. Work half-days, every day. And it doesn’t matter which half – the first twelve hours or the second twelve hours.”

When you love your job, and allow God to work through you, your no longer a clock watcher.

Spiritually we must change the way we are doing our jobs INSIDE of ourselves.

We should dread less, and work from our more. Work from more of God, the spiritual consciousness that brings joy to every task. Through the power of God coming through us, we will have more inspiration and more God-given power, and things will go better because we will have a new, unseen partner working with us.

Your day should be God-joy filled. You spend so many hours at work. It is meant to be something that brings out your Divine God-given talents and Divine potential. In order for this to happen, you have to allow God to come through.

In old movies of the 20s and 40s you see the portrayal of the business tycoon. It is always the same. He is sort of an overweight gentleman who smokes a cigar. He is always rushing from here to there and never has time for anybody. He is mean. And whenever he deals with his employees, he is always screaming and filled with tension. What a bad role model for the man or woman in the workplace. It does not have to be this way.

We should go to work with joyous God ordained power. We should inspire others with joyous power. We need to master the art of “easy does it,” so things do not bother us, where problems roll off our backs, like water off a duck’s back, and where things do not dismay us so much.

No one ever burned out from hard work. People burn out from resistance. For instance, if I had a wire going from me to you, we could run all the voltage through it we wanted. We could run five times the amount of current that the wire is supposed to be able to carry. But the moment we put a resistor in that line, it catches fire and burns up. The resistor is in your own mind.

When you go to work on Monday morning, no matter what you are doing, the resistor may be in your mind. We need to remove the resistors and allow the flow of God’s love for what we are doing to naturally occur.

How do we do that? Here are 10 rules for taking the hard way out of your journey and replacing it with the easy way, once and for all:

1. Life is too serious to be taken seriously. Do not get the idea that you are Atlas, carrying the world and your job around on your shoulders, that you are the only one in the world who can do this. God can carry it better.

Right now, this minute, plan to take your career burdens off of you for the week. Those burdens do not have to be carried by you. I do not care what kind of projects you have to do, or what kind of tremendous deadline is upon you, allow God to do it through you. With that mind-set alone, everything is going to change. You are not going to strain so hard when you do not take yourself so seriously.

Psychologist Dr. Arthur Stone conducted a study of 100 people over a three-month period of time. He found that when something bad happened to them at work, their immune system was significantly weakened for that day. The good news is that when something good happened, the immune system was strengthened and increased for the next two days.

So if you have a good day tomorrow, whether unexpectedly or if you make it happen, your immune system will be positively affected until Wednesday.

2. Be determined to like your work – this was one of the keys. If you decide early on that you do not like a certain job, that will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead of deciding that you are going to become more and more miserable, each day on the job, determine to like your work. You will like any work that you do with God.

You HAD looked with your eyes and found things to be miserable about; NOW, you look for the good. Then, over a period of time, your job will become a pleasure and not drudgery.

Perhaps, you do need to change your job, but change yourself on your present job. Ask God to show you a new thing to love. That love will multiply. Love what you do, and it will attract other good into your career.

Once there was a town in which all the inhabitants were blind. A king, with his entourage, arrived one day with a mighty elephant, which he used to impress his subjects. The people of the town were anxious to find out what an elephant was like and sent three of its blind members to investigate. Since none of them had ever seen an elephant, they groped sightlessly with their hands, gathering information by touching some part of the elephant.

When they returned to their fellow citizens, they were asked about the shape of the elephant. The man who had touched an ear said, “It is a large, rough thing, wide and broad, like a rug.” The one who had felt the trunk said, “No, I have the real facts about it. It is a straight and narrow pipe, awful and destructive.” The man who felt the leg said, “It is mighty and firm, like a pillar.” All were right in their own way, but all were blinded to the total picture.

Pray to view your job in a new way.

Yes, you have a certain opinion of your job. But is this the whole picture of the job? Is there another view that could be taken? Are you blind to the good? Is there anyone else in the same environment that is having fun? Get the whole picture from the ONE that can see the whole picture.

So often, when we see people who are miserable, they have a focus like a magnifying glass on the negative, instead of seeing all the positive potential and possibilities that are everywhere around them.

3. Plan your work and work your plan, with God’s help. I think the greatest example of having a plan in life is what I learned from some kids when they took a canoe out onto a lake. They were paddling on the lake. They wanted to go toward the shore, but one was paddling one way and the other way paddling in the opposite way. Pretty soon, the canoe started to go in a circle. The canoe went one way and then, the other. It was a long ride, and they never did go where they wanted to go in the beginning.

If they had just kept their eyes on where they wanted to go and paddled toward it, and not let any other direction come into focus, they would have arrived, refreshed, and not tired. They would have been exhilarated because of the fun time they had.

Sometimes, life is like that because we do not have a plan. We go into work on Monday morning and we feel so swamped that we do not know where to begin. It just overwhelms us. We are filled with daily interruptions that make it hard to get the job done. We cannot take the overwhelming feeling it gives us IF we are trying to do it alone.

4. Do not try to do everything at once. If you feel like a hamster in a cage, running on the wheel and not getting anywhere, chances are it is because you are trying to do too many things at once.

Look at one thing, and heed the advice of the Bible. The Bible says, “This one thing I do,” and you do it. You may not know how to do it, but you ask God for strength, power, and wisdom in the way to proceed with that one thing, and God will tell you how to do it.

5. Get a correct mental attitude. Remember that ease or difficulty in your work depends upon how you think about it. If you think it is hard, I guarantee you it will be hard. If you think it is easy, it tends to become easy.

I am going to ask you to have GMA–God Mental Attitude. This is belief in more than your own abilities this is reliance on miracles that turns the impossible into the possible. God knows that you will do it. God knows it can be easy for you. God knows more about your job than you do. God certainly knows more about the career path to success than you do. God knows more about everything. We simply need to get that attitude inside of us and allow the Divine Spirit to come through. We need to say, “Okay, this one thing seems like a mountain to me. I do not know how to proceed on this, but I know You do, God. I am willing to take the action You tell me what to do and You tell me the way I should go. I am not going to resist. I am actually going to have Your mental attitude inside of me.”

God is love. Worshiping God you must have love for the one thing you are doing, and not allow any resistance in your work. Through love, allow this one thing to come through you with ease.

In his book, “The Prophet,” Kahlil Gibran said, “Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love, but only with distaste, it is better that you should sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.”

When you go into work, you bring something to it – your joy and your love, and then you bring your talent. Then you add all that to the genius of God.

6. Become efficient in your work. Knowledge is power over your confusion in your career. It is easier to do a thing right. The hardest times you have had in your life have been when you have tried to do something wrong, and kept on doing it wrong. Soon you got proficient in doing it wrong, and doing it wrong became a habit. It takes 150 times more energy to keep the wheel of wrong moving as the wheel of right.

When you allow God to come through you, you do it right the first time without excuses. God could guide you continuously.

Can you imagine if Shakespeare said to himself, “I can’t write because I don’t have a computer.” No, he had a bird’s feather. If he had said, “Well, I only have a bird’s feather and an ink that’s not very good and that smears all the time. If only they would give me the right equipment, I could do great things and write in great ways.” He did not do that. He used what he had, loved what he had, and allowed that Spirit of God to come through him. We must do it the same way. With God we can do it right, and we can do it right the very first time.

7. Practice being relaxed. Tomorrow morning, when you go into your job, I want you to practice being relaxed. Practice as if you were going to the pool to swim a little and float and look up at the sky. You feel so relaxed. I want you to feel just as relaxed tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., in your workplace, or in your school.

It is possible; it is probable, with God. You do not have to bring resistance where you are. You can bring vacation with you. You can bring relaxation with you. It is easy and it can be accomplished. Some people only get two weeks of vacation the entire year – that is so sad. Vacation is doing what you are doing, when God is doing it through you.

We are the only species that retires – we retire, because we are tired, not from hard work, but from our resistance.

Have you ever walked through a cemetery? It is not morbid at all. Walk around cemeteries and look at the headstones. You can learn a lot about life from that. You learn when you look at a headstone and you think, “What was that person worried about? Did he/she have struggles on the job? Did it really do them any good to worry? What if they would have smiled, laughed, and loved through their lives? You can learn a lot from a cemetery. You can learn that you do not have to struggle and strain so much. You can have fun. And if God is your unseen partner, why not? Use your faith in God, and it will build your faith inside of you. Learn to practice the law of “easy does it.” Learn not to press or tug; learn to take everything in stride.

Let me tell you a story:

Negotiations between union members and their employer were at an impasse. The union denied what the company said – those workers were flagrantly abusing their contract’s sick-leave provisions. One morning, at the bargaining table, the company’s chief negotiator held aloft the morning edition of the newspaper. “This man,” he announced, “called in sick yesterday.” There, on the sports page, was a photo of the supposedly ill employee, who had just won a local golf tournament with an excellent score. There was absolute silence in the room for what seemed like a long time.

A union negotiator broke the silence in the room, “Wow,” he said, “Think of what kind of score he could have had if he hadn’t been sick!”

Question: What would you be worth in the workplace if God took our place tomorrow morning? God can come in and through you now. Your rewards, you are no longer sick, your career path becomes a joy and a daily ease.

8. Discipline yourself not to put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Do you know where the word “discipline” is from? It is from the same root as the word “disciple,” which means to become a disciple of Christ. Tomorrow, think that Jesus Christ is in your position. Every person who comes into Jesus Christ’s presence is not seen with the old eyes of the flesh, but with the eyes of Jesus Christ. How would Jesus treat this person? What would Jesus think about your boss? Or, if you are a boss, what would Jesus think about your employees? How do things change just in one day? They will change because you have this Mind in you that was in Christ Jesus.

9. PRAY about your work. Pray about every small and large detail of your work. Do not do your work alone. Whenever we try to do anything alone, we may mess it up, or at the least it may be a lot worse than if we would team up with God. But when we pray about it, when we are open to God, and good things always happen. We will stand back and say, “Wow!” What happens through me and through the events is miraculous through the Divine order of the day.

10. Take on an “unseen partner.” Make God your unseen full partner. Do not try to do any task or meet any deadline by yourself. You will burn out if you do. The human mind has more resistors in it than anything else. But God Mind coming through you does not know resistance. God will allow it to come through you so easily, without a burden.

At 5 o’clock, in the afternoon, you should have more energy than you had at 9 o’clock, in the morning. You should be filled with love for your boss, fellow employees, and customers. You should not have one bad thought about anything that happened during the day when you go home. Instead, spend the evening in awe thinking about what has happened with God coming through you.

God will take the load off of you. God is as much at home in your job, your workplace, your store, your factory, your office, as God is right here in this ministry. Tomorrow morning, you report to work with a new God-given attitude. You work in a job-share program, with you and God equally sharing the task. And you work, realizing that God is doing 90% of the work. You are just showing up and agreeing to allow it to happen through you and around you.

Let us pray:

I pray that in some way my humble words today, create a spark in you of something that will begin to happen tomorrow morning. As you report to work with God, you have a smile inside of you and a joy that radiates from the innermost realm of your being. You no longer need to struggle and strain. God has developed an ability within you, as never before, to work through you. I decree, in Jesus Christ’s name, that your talents will be increased 150-fold. I decree, in Jesus Christ’s name, that you will be 150% more effective in your job because there is a new employee on the job – an employee who loves the work and loves what is happening (the new you). This employee knows only one thing – how to succeed in God’s perfection.

I give thanks for this occurring in you and through you.

It is so, in Jesus Christ’s name … Amen.

PRAYER / MEDITATION_______________________________

This time is sacred. It is our opportunity to connect with God. We realize that we have the power to do just that. You are now in the presence of pure being, immersed in the Holy Spirit of life, love, and wisdom. You acknowledge God’s presence and power. You acknowledge God’s Divine wisdom.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

We pray that God’s Divine wisdom will now erase mortal limitation. We pray that God’s pure substance of love will manifest in our world according to God’s perfect law.

Accept the biblical truth for yourself: You are a child of the living God. You have with you the all-creating power of the Christ. Right now, this power is radiating within you, and from you. This power is your life, strength, and courage. God’s patience, peace, and poise are coming through you. Divine power, wisdom, and understanding are part of your mind, body, and awareness.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

There is a great joy in you. It is welling up and filling you, right now. This joy is helping you re-create. It is a joy that is inspiration that will manifest abundant supply. Unto this Great Power you entrust your life and all of your problems.

Dear God, I realize that I am in Your presence now, and Your presence is with me. I am humbled. Unto Your Great Power, I entrust myself and all the challenges I face.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

God, we know that our problems will be solved in love and in justice. God, we lay all of our desires upon Your altar, and we rest in Thy graciousness. We are filled with a peace that passes understanding. We are lifted up in Spirit. We are strengthened in purpose and fortified in our will to go forward in life.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

We are quickened in faith and renewed in mind and body. We feel the oneness of the Divine. We feel a unity with all life. We feel enfolded in the eternal life of God.

Right now, you feel a comfort that is not from my words but is directly from God to you. Through this comfort, you feel a great sustaining power and a great peace.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

I decree, in the name of Jesus Christ, that you are unbound. You have no limitations. You are not bound by fear. You are not bound by human mind feelings of unworthiness. You are not bound by habit. You are free in God. You are a perfect child of God. Perfect fulfillment is yours in God. The spirit of God works in you. The past, even yesterday’s past, no longer haunts you, in any way. Your past failings no longer pursue you. Your possibilities call to you. You are free as a child of God.

In the silence of prayer you accept this now …

The self of you that God created is your true self, your real self. God stands undefeated in you. God stands undismayed in you. Through your awareness, you are now perfect and free, in Christ.

In Jesus Christ’s name, we so believe … Amen.

Since 1999 – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one. Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER? Click here – if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

Have a great day.
GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
16Aug

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – May God Improve All Of Our Relationships

POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON - May God Improve All Of Our Relationships

Time Sensitivity: none

A FREE GIFT FOR CLERGY

Positive Written Sermons is a FREE service of Positive Christianity to those ACTIVE IN CLERGY MINISTRY to ease your burdens in ministry. Each positive sermon is non-denominational; feel free to tailor to your denominational needs, or personal style. We consider our sermons to be 90% complete; they await your personal stories and anecdotes.

Also, great lesson material available free daily – get Positive Daily Inspiration direct in your email inbox every morning. Text POSITIVEMINISTRY to 22828 to easy, free subscribe.

_____________________________________

May God improve all of our relationships.

We are all in the process of growing. We are God’s children and we’re still growing spiritually whether we are 9 or 90.

One of the PhD’s of spirituality, is relationships. We usually master relationships AFTER everything else.

We find ourselves many times having one foot in one stage of life to the other, as opposed to thinking we’ve made it.

I already know that when I say, “I’ve made it!” I haven’t, and I will quickly be shown how I haven’t.

So I have decided to say, “I am in process.”

Have you noticed how wonderfully peaceful our lives can be in one moment, and then in the next second something happens that disturbs us and all of a sudden, we are very much into our humanity of nervousness, and fearful thinking.

There is no judgment of good or bad about what stage we may identify with as I go through our lesson today. We are simply where we are. It is a process, and every stage has come to pass, not to stay.

So, you might say that one really does built upon the other, and each stage is essential in our own spiritual growth.

The word co-dependency is a buzzword which came about a few years ago. It had to do with describing a dependency relationship.

At one time it strictly referred to the partner of an alcoholic; that was the co-dependent. But today it is much more than that. We say a co-dependent is anyone who comes from a dysfunctional family and helps to maintain that dysfunction. And it seems that, according to statistics anyway, that about 98% of us qualify for that. So, you might say we are in a very large family and we can share the common joy of growth.

A co-dependent relationship is when I depend on another person for my worth, to make me feel better, to tell me I’m okay, to make my day. We do all kinds of things in order to get what we want from the other person.

All of this, for the most part, is quite unconscious, it is not usually deliberately done, even though there have been those times when we certainly have done it consciously. And it is something we learned as little ones along the way. It seems that as we were growing, we learned to get what we wanted by working the system.

You, as parents (or an aunt or uncle or whatever your relationship with children is), are giving it your best. We might not always be our best, but hopefully we do the best we can in that moment. Do you think your parents were any different? Of course not! They were also giving it their best, but it was their best based upon what they experienced in life themselves and what they learned. And they probably did it a little bit better, if not a whole lot better, than what they learned because they have also grown. Life does go forward, and not backward.

So you might say it was our way of surviving to learn these various manipulative roles in order to have some kind of control over our lives. We all want control. And though children, do not have very much control over their lives, it doesn’t mean that they don’t want to feel like they do regardless. We learned how to work the system as children. We found that through manipulation we could get what we wanted, at least to some degree, but NOT without a price.

With the hand we were dealt, we can either use it as a way to keep on doing things the way we are doing them, or we can use it as the very steppingstone into the kingdom of heaven.

It is time to remove the blemish from the word co-dependency. Let’s allow it to simply be a stage of growth that has come to pass and LET IT PASS.

Independency is a very curious stage of growth which comes into play when our co-dependent relationships fall apart.

Perhaps you have noticed that there are times in our lives when certain relationships become most distasteful and we say, “I’ve had enough of this. I think I would rather just go in another direction.”

We are by ourselves now. We are not dependent on someone to tell us what to do, and when to do it. We feel a sense of freedom; probably more accurately described as relief. We are thinking more about our spiritual lives. It’s the stage of being independent.

But after a while, the self-confidence begins to grow some. In the early part of the independency, we were doing fine. But now we are noticing that we have more friends, and we like that closeness, but we want someone special in our life again.

This might occur in a few months or in a few years. We say, “I’m feeling good about myself. I’m taking care of myself. I think I’m ready for another relationship.” Sure enough, Miss or Mister Special Person comes along, and I’m in love.

Heaven on earth has come again. Things are going along pretty well.

Then, I notice something, that I didn’t see in that blissful state; I notice there is something about this that bothers me, but I decide not to say anything because it doesn’t bother me that much. After a while, I see something else that is a little like the last relationship I had. After a while I think, “I thought I got rid of him/her the last time, but here he/she is again in a different body.”

We say to ourselves, “Why is this happening to me again?” Can anyone here identify with that? It comes to the point, however, when you have done this so much that we come up with the unfortunate recognition that the common denominator IS US.

We are the ones who are going to have to do something different if there is going to be any kind of change in our relationship so it will be something we call healthy.

An independent time is not really a stage of growth. It is more of a step sideways. An independent is a co-dependent who is single.

Now, you can be in a primary relationship and still be an independent. It fills like living with a roommate. I’m sure some of you have experienced that at times along the way too.

What I’m suggesting here is that there is more. When we get tired of going back from co-dependent to independent, when we’ve been in that pattern long enough, we say “There’s got to be a better way. There has to be more than what I’m going through.”

We feel like we have done everything we should, and we don’t understand why it isn’t working.

Let’s take a look at what is really being offered to us in every relationship if we are willing to see it. I believe that a relationship can offer us the very key to the kingdom of God that we all say we are seeking, to the kingdom of power, wisdom, understanding, harmony, and peace. But this is not without a price.

You might say that it is the narrow gate that not everyone is willing to take. How does it happen?

It begins with a willingness to love and accept ourselves just the way we are. Are you willing to look at yourself with all your wonderfulness and all your less-than-wonderfulness, with all your mistake-making, and all of the negative traits that are a part of our humanity, and then love and accept all those things about you just the way you are? God loves you, and you now fully accept that love for yourself.

Until we accept it, we are stuck. Until we are okay with where we are we cannot move higher. It is our very acceptance that allows us to change the things we need to change in life. We need to look at ourselves openly and honestly – and that means opening our hearts to ourselves and seeing what we see, not judging it, but being gentle with ourselves – and pour out the love of God that we are toward ourselves and our own humanity.

We all know that the greatest power in all the universe is God’s love coming through YOU.

It seems like we have a tendency to want to love everyone but us. In fact, we are so busy fixing, changing, and loving everyone else that we sometimes neglect the fact that we exist. What we really are doing is trying to compensate for the whole world by not allowing the love of God within us to be expressed toward ourselves. God’s love has to overflow from us.

Ask God to teach you how to love yourself – unconditional love toward yourself.

Ask in prayer, “Dear God, teach me how to love myself unconditionally,”

It truly becomes an open-ended question: Teach me how to love myself unconditionally.

Accept the fact that what you knew about unconditional love was simply not enough. This is an open door to the presence of God. This is an open door through which God rushes in to give you the next step you are to take in consciousness (whatever that might be) at a level you can understand perfectly.

But it isn’t just prayer, or meditation, or forgiveness, that is required of us; there is another part. What do we do when the emotions are running high? What do we do when everything is falling apart, we are feeling unworthy, rejected, and depressed, and all sorts of negative things are going on?

God is in the midst of your very being.

Every cloud contains a silver lining. The power that is in the midst of fear … is that not God? Could it be the calming voice of God saying, “It’s time to go higher?”

Could it be the voice of God saying, “Let’s move up because you are now ready for your next level of understanding, awareness, and wisdom?”

Say, “Yes, God. Let’s go forward. I’m ready to move out of the darkness into Your light.”

That means we can’t shut-down. That means that the fear (or whatever it is you are experiencing) is going to be the very catalyst that is going to get you moving through this. Or you can do the same thing you may always have done – use it as my millstone and keep status quo so I don’t have to change at all. You can repeat the same pattern with predictability, you can say once again, “Why is this happening to me again?”

It takes courage. But you have the courage of God. You have the strength of God. You have the wisdom of God. Are you willing to use it to move forward through what you have to face.

It’s like giving birth to a child. It hurts a lot when it comes , but when it is gone it is the most wonderful thing of all. When you walk through our own fears, it’s the same way. When you walk through them instead of shutting down, you experience the presence of God because just on the other side you are rending the curtain in two between the limited, the painful, the misunderstandings into the light of clarity, joy, understanding, and love.

When you can unconditionally honor and love ourselves just the way you are – and that doesn’t mean to stay there – this allows you to change. You are no longer wasting your energy by judging and wishing things were different. You are using the energy now to move on through it and go on with your life.

Until you can unconditionally love yourself, until you can have an relationship with yourself, it is impossible to have a relationship with someone else. It will never be safe. Are you safe with you?

In an inter-dependent relationship, we come together as two whole people – not as two halves trying to make a whole.

We come together, not because we need to, but because we want to share something. The joy of a relationship that is inter-dependent is that we come together to create something which hasn’t been created before.

When we come together as two whole people, we’re no longer afraid of intimacy because we have ourselves and we don’t need the other person. We come together as two whole people, and then we create something greater than ourselves. Through our combined energy, we bring forth

the presence of the Christ in a dimension we have never experienced by ourselves.

This is our purpose.

Jesus said, When two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. We cannot know the power and the presence of Christ (even the beginning of its fullness) until we are willing to love, beginning with ourselves, and then reaching out.

Is it really possible?

YES! Our souls are ready for this, or we wouldn’t be here today.

It isn’t by chance that you are sitting here. This is a Divine appointment.

You have chosen the narrow gate, and it is time. It has nothing to do with age. It has to do with a willingness, and to step out and say, “I’m willing to be counted as one that loves fully.”

Each and every one of us is going to make a difference in this world if we take on this mission.

Everything you do becomes a light that shines out to another soul that says, “I’m ready.

There are a whole lot of people in this world who are waiting for you to get your act together so they can get on with their lives.

Let’s accept the challenge of godly change, of knowing ourselves, of loving humanity, and let’s do it now – instead of later. Let’s not waste any more time.

Let’s stop fooling around and get on with the purpose for which we are here – to know the love of God in ourselves, and extend it to ALL people everywhere.

I Love you. God bless you!

PRAYER / MEDITATION_____________________________________

In this time of prayer, we focus on God, and allow God to be our God that knows how to care for our every need.

Find that comfortable position. Take a deep breath in; release and let go. Let go of the past, and anything that would stand in the way of knowing God, God’s love we share together, and the peace that passes all understanding.

Now allow your human mind to be open. Gently open the heart. Allow the presence of love to be exposed.

I relax in the presence of God’s love. God is in my holy temple right now, and I rest in the heart of God.

I let go in the silence of prayer.

The past limitations begin to fade away now. I let go of any extraneous thoughts which come by.

I let go of those I have judged, or criticized, and those who have hurt me along the way.

I release all of these thoughts – all the judgments, all the unforgiveness, all the “I wish it were different” thoughts into God’s loving hands.

Now I turn my cheek in the other direction toward the Presence of God. My time is too precious to dwell on the past.

I want to know God, and to follow God, by expressing God’s love.

I am God’s beloved child, created in the image and after the likeness of goodness, perfection, joy, and harmony.

Although I made many mistakes along the way of life, there is something within me, that reaches out in love toward my own humanity.

Dear God, I am willing to love the unlovable part of myself – the part that makes mistakes, and the part that struggles and forgets the Truth of God. This is an experience of my own spirituality – to unconditionally love the unlovable.

As I bathe the unlovable of me in the pure love of God it is transformed.

Love within me, the healing power of the Divine, express uniquely through me. This is my purpose in life. As I begin with me, I also find that I reach out so much more easily. Now I am filled with compassion, instead of judgment, understanding, instead of criticism.

Dear God, truly we are one. As we walk this journey together, we are unfolding in the presence of God – the truth of our being. We reach out to one another, each different and yet with an equal blessing of healing, acceptance, beauty, and joy.

Thank You, God, for reminding me of who I am, and of why I am here.

And thank You for the great love that I am feeling expressing through me.

Today, we walk together, into another new dawn, alive with expectation of good, feeling blessed.

Thank You, God

In Jesus Christ’s name … .Amen.

Since 1999 – The worldwide PRAYER PLACE inside the Internet, serving well over 1,600,000 every day. Welcoming all faiths, excluding no one.

Reaching the ends of the earth with the positive message of God. Not connected to any church, Positive Christianity is a Prayer Ministry without walls, physical or denominational, that the world can instantly access and use without cost.

ARCHIVES of recent Positive Daily Inspiration is available on our homepage; use anything you wish.

FREE Encyclopedia of Prayers: http://www.positivechristianity.org/prayersearch.php

NEED PRAYER? Click here – if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will start praying with you, daily, for an entire month. There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

DONATIONS Thank You for helping us with this great free work for ministers of every faith:
Instant online donation:
https://positivechristianity.net/donation-tithe/
By mail: Positive Christianity Box 7993 Woodlands, TX 77387

GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth

Read More
© 1999 - 2022 Positive Christianity. All Rights Reserved. AwesomeOne Theme maintained by KESSCo Services.