Life List: Look For The Gift Of The Day

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Really?  A friend from the Chicago area, texted me after hearing we were having an historical snowfall. But. A light dusting of snow is not even close to what we've had in the past. Another friend, concerned for us, heard we were experiencing high winds. Well. I did see a reporter on the morning news holding a plastic bag to show the wind was not blowing it around.  What I do know is that it's raining--I can hear it and see it.  Apparently, there's a lack of correct information to what is our true reality. Before we begin to mock the weather reports, we need to be honest about our lack of attention to true reality.

The thing is . . . when we're unable to see true reality . . . we're blind to what's in front of us: the gift of the day.

Our personal reality is based on our own experience and perspective, which often creates obstacles to see the presence and work of God. Too often, we are focused on problems and people with stress and worry, which distorts our ability to see beyond ourselves and to be aware of God. We may know God is present but feel disconnected to His presence, overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed through the stuff which must be managed in the day. There's a difference between understanding God is with us and experiencing the presence of Christ in the moment: seeing Divine reality, hearing the Truth, receiving peace beyond comprehension, energized to live with passion and anticipation for what is to come.

Consider:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1, NIV).

Seeing the reality of God is the ultimate gift of the day. When we see through faith, we see what 's true.
To refocus and see reality, we must take time to stop, to let go of the stuff which has our attention, asking God to give us the faith to see the reality of Christ.

Isaiah helps us to readjust our vision of reality asking the questions: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable (Isaiah 40:28, NRS).

Isaiah helps us to evaluate the way we are seeing reality, if, we are certain of what is not seen with our physical eyes, but with eyes of faith to look for the gift of the day:

1. Stop.
2. Refocus, let go of the stuff that you've been so focused on, and view the world through faith asking the questions: Have I not known?  Have I not heard?  God is present.
3. Intentionally become aware of the presence of God.
4. See the gift of the day: The certain reality of God, who was the One present in the beginning, is present in the moment, and will always be present with unsearchable understanding of everything and anything.

Learning to Kickstart the day by looking for the gift of the day,
Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Also see:
Faith Family Creativity:  Inspired
http://faithfamilycreativity.com/

On The Life List: Refuse Discouragement

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Discouragement is a progressive condition. Once discouraged, we tend to respond to life through the lens of negativity and worrisome “what if’s.” When we allow discouragement in, when it becomes our mindset, when it becomes our guide, causing us to make decisions through it, we are blinded, unable to see the work of God. And.

As discouragement takes over, our energy and passion for life dissipates, decreasing our ability to believe God has something more, creating a feeling that nothing will work, making it less likely that we’ll take steps of faith, choosing a route to respond to situations without the leading of God as we disconnect from His supernatural presence and power.

Throughout the Word of God, we are told to refuse discouragement.  It’s not a suggestion, it’s a command, repeatedly given with an expectation to be resolved and determined to not be discouraged, regardless of what the day holds.  And.  We are told it’s possible to live without discouragement because God is fully present in our life.

Consider the words on the life list:
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:8, NLT).

Put the scene in your mind. Moses had lived with fear and discouragement; however, at the end of life, when he was finishing up his long term of serving God, facing the people he had served, he made his last speech, giving a list to live by, a “life list”:

1. DO NOT respond to your life with fear or discouragement.
2. Follow God with faith that God will go ahead of you. (Underline “will go.”)
3. Believe God is with you. (Underline “is.”)
4. Trust God will not fail you. (Underline “will not.”)
5. Remember God will never abandon you. Underline ” will never.”

Download Mose’s life list on your life list.  And. Refuse discouragement through faith in God.

Learning to Kickstart the day living by the life list, refusing to be discouraged through faith in God,
Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)
Also see: http://faithfamilycreativity.com/

Try out the new site.

http://kickstartyourdaywithgod.com/

Live Without Regret

In giving a run-down of her weekend, Madelyn said, "I didn't listen." As young as she is, a month away from being three, she had been processing what her lack of attention meant with regret. It's hard to know she's weighed down by her regret, so, I tried to help her let it go. The thing is . . . the love we have for Madelyn is incredibly huge, none of us want her to carry the weight of regret, we want her to learn from it . . . and move forward with freedom.  But.  No one escapes the power of regret, not even an almost three-year old.

Regret is produced from looking backwards, seeing how specific choices led to a disappointing, distressing, and even a disastrous outcome.
Regret becomes an obstacle to living freely.
Regret must be surrendered in order to move forward. 

Relief from the weight of regret comes through intentionally letting it go:

 "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)

Christ will use our regret to teach us the way to live in wholeness and Christ will take the weight of it, freeing us to move forward.  When the weight of regret is gone, we receive supernatural peace as well as the gift of wisdom, enabling us to move in a new direction.  It's what supernatural transformation is all about.
But.  There's a difference between knowing Christ lifts the weight and pressures from your personal regret and believing He will take your stuff on. Living free from the weight of regret requires you to surrender with confident belief 'God's got it," with a view of you as a prized possession not a failure.

We can be sure, no matter what we've done, God wants and will take the weight of our regret, enabling us to move forward: He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession (James 1:18, NLT). 

You are Christ's prized possession . . . through a never-ending love Christ will teach you lessons from the regret . . . taking the weight of regret away . . . when you surrender it all.
Learning to Kickstart the day living without regret.
Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Live . . . Pray

I meet with individuals who face impossible situations.  I mean they're days are filled with the kind of stuff that no one wants to face, let alone live in.  And.  There are many times they just walk away from it all.   It all seems too hard to keep on living in the impossible.  But.  I've seen the miracle of transformation.  Though sometimes it's hard to imagine, if, we trust God has something more, walking through the day with confidence God will bring all the details together, we will have the power of hope  to proceed.

Consider what happened to Solomon:

Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him:"I have heard your prayer,and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. (2 Chronicles 7:12, NRS) 

Regardless of who we are and what we are facing, we need to pray more, with the belief all things are possible, including the most impossible situations, trusting all things will be made new, remembering all things, the good and the bad, will work together with a divine purpose, living in the realm of divine power, refusing to fear, walking in faith despite what it may seem like, knowing God has heard our prayer and is working on our behalf.

• Think about 2 Chronicles 7:12:  God told Solomon that his prayer was heard and answered.
• Think about it again:  God listened and responded.
• Pray.
• Pray throughout the day with unwavering faith that God hears and answers.
• Pray more.

Learning to Kickstart the day in prayer.
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Live Successfully and Prosperously

Tim worked with one of my friends yesterday, however, he had no idea she was 95 because of her youthful attitude and passion for her life.  I consider my friend, Dorothy, to be one of the most successful individuals I've ever known.   The thing is . . . when we attach the word, success to a person . . . the word, prosperous, is often also used.   And.  My friend is unusually prosperous.

Before you read on think about these two words: successful and prosperous.  What is your first thought about an individual described as successful and prosperous? 

Most of us often first think of possessions, position, or power.  Or, all three of these components in some form.  But.  These three elements are not what success and prosperity are derived from in God's definition.

Consider success and prosperity through the eyes of God:
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  (Joshua 1:7, TNIV).

Take a long look at Joshua 1 and focus on it.  There are three things to consider when it comes to God's view of success and prosperity: strength, courage, and obedience to God's word. All three of these components are contingent on believing God is God and not settling for less.

While the stuff of life comes at us quick and hard we need to understand it's possible to be successful and prosperous in not only the good times but the worst of times when we are strong, courageous, and obedient to God's word:

1. Strength comes through the power of Christ:  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13, NASB). Note:  He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless (Isaiah 40: 29, NLT).  
2. Courage is an active decision of belief, ignoring whoever attempts to place fear in you:   But Jesus paid no attention to what they said. He told the synagogue leader, "Don't be afraid; just believe"  (Mark 5: 36, NCV).  
3. Obedience to the word requires talking about it, meditating on it, and carefully doing what God says to do in it:  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1: 8, NIV).  

Be strong, courageous, and obedient to God's word and you will have a successful and prosperous day.
Learning to Kickstart the day to live successfully and prosperously.
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Live Free of Worry and Stress

Some friends have made decisions, which will impact the rest of their life.  Their future is unknown. It would make sense for them to worry.  But.  They have refused to enter into the realm of worry, determined to trust God for all things.  Worry takes away the gift of the day, disrupting our faith, changing the way we see and respond to life, eventually paralyzing us. But.  Worry only has power, if, we allow it to do so.  Yet.  We worry, or as most of us refer to it, we “stress.”

The thing is . . . stress creates havoc in us . . .  and the world. 

In fact, Duke University stated in a report that stress will be the "second-largest contributor to the global burden of disease by the year 2012"  (http://today.duke.edu/2011/11/stressedout).  It's a big problem.

Consider. 
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6, NLT).

God does not dwell in the realm of worry and stress; however, it's our choice to dwell in it.  Refusing to dwell in worry and stress is a matter of believing God will not leave or fail you, trusting God to work all of the details out, anticipating God has something more for you, and thanking God for all He has done and is doing for you.  So.  In order to receive supernatural peace, we must intentionally and willfully walk away from any worry and stress stirring within us, which is not of God, and move into the realm of His presence.

When we step into the presence of God through prayer, we receive a powerful peace, which  heals and restores us from the disaster worry and stress produces. 

Philippians 4:6 describes the steps to live free of worry and stress:
Don't worry about anything.
Pray about everything.
Tell God what you need.
Thank God.

Learning to Kickstart the day by living free from worry and stress.
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Live Fully

I've always been a student of the road when we're on trips.  I study landscape and houses along the way.  My interest in every house is the story it tells about the occupant(s).  Whether it’s well-kept, run-down, or has a yard full of junk, there’s an individual or family who lives there with high energy, excited for the day, grateful for life, living to the fullest or not.  Their unique experiences form their reality, giving the reasons to why they are there, good or bad.  I wish I could tell you that I pray for every home along the way, it sounds much more holy and pure.  But.  I don’t.  However, there are some that catch my attention, causing me to pray right then and there.   It happened yesterday as we traveled home from the Oregon coast.  I saw a home that caught my breath, taking my full attention.  The house itself was exquisite with beautiful landscaping.  But. It was the barn that I will never forget, not because it was freshly painted and well maintained, which is unusual for where we were, but because what was above it’s doors, high enough to be seen throughout the country-side: a meticulous, painted swastika, the universal symbol of hate.

It made me wonder about the people who owned the property. What caused these meticulous people to hate?  Had hurt turned into hate?  Were they taught hate?  What happened?  The thing is . . . their perfection revealed purposefulness . . . in their hate.

At day's end, hate is the loneliest place to be, a place of darkness, a place far from God, where living to the fullest is missed.  While displaying hate may seem far from your own life, it’s often closer than most think about.  I’m talking about hate for self.  Hate is often pushed down, covered up, and denied. Yet.  Over the course of time, it comes to the surface, displayed in behaviors, disseminating the gift of life.  Hate most often is produced from hurt, weighing an individual down, causing pain for self and others. But.  God always makes a way out of the darkness into the light.

Consider:
In their misery they cried out to the Lord,
       and he saved them from their troubles.
 He brought them out of their gloom and darkness
       and broke their chains.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
       and for the miracles he does for people. (Psalm 107:13-15, New Century Version)

There’s a powerful transformation, which begins when we call out to God.  Through a power that changes darkness into the light, hate into love, brokenness into wholeness, we are freed from the chains that prevent us from living fully.

Determine to live fully this New Year.
Call out to God.
Focus on one specific thing in your life, which has constrained you from experiencing the “more” of God.
Intentionally live in the power that will break you free of whatever is weighing you down.
Thank God throughout the day for the miracle of living free, even before you fully experience life.

Learning to Kickstart the day living fully,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Live New

We've had quiet and beauty to begin our New Year, staying at the coast, in a friend's house in Netarts Bay with a view of the water and mountains.   It's been the kind of get away that seems like it just started, the kind that you always want more time.  So.  It's been good; however, too short.  When we get back, we will step into busyness, unpacking, getting ready to go to work, putting Christmas decor away, and running to the store for groceries. It's always a challenge to enter back in to the stuff of life.  But.  The thing is . . . I want to start this New Year . . . as new.

A New Year signifies new beginnings.  It's a choice to live new, to not be slowed down or overwhelmed by the old.  To live new, we must think and act new.   It's how we're created to live the day.   

Consider.
Behold,
the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you (Isaiah 42:9, NASB).

God has declared new things before the new has come into our life.  There's a mindset of new, which requires us to let go of the old and "unnecessary stuff" in every area of life. When we focus on the new of God, our response to the day changes.  It requires taking our focus off the stuff, letting go of such things as fear, gult, bitterness, and unforgiveness which distort our perception, through faith that God makes all things new.

Living new requires action, refusing to be comfortable with the old, refusing to let the old have power to hinder us from living in the new God has declared.  

Think about it: God has declared the new things.  So.  It's not a matter if new exists, but rather what we do with the old things.
Remember God makes all things new.
Let the old go, welcome in the new work of God in every area of your life--with God, with others, with your health, with your finances, with your work, with all things---live new.

Learning to Kickstart the day by living new.
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)