"SEASONS" by my daughter, Kara

I woke up with this on my mind, along with the corresponding song by The Byrds…which is now stuck in my head.

“There is a time for everything,    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 a time to be born and a time to die,
   a time to plant and a time to uproot,
 a time to kill and a time to heal,
   a time to tear down and a time to build,
 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
 a time to search and a time to give up,
   a time to keep and a time to throw away,
 a time to tear and a time to mend,
   a time to be silent and a time to speak,
 a time to love and a time to hate,
   a time for war and a time for peace.”

                        --Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

On more than one occasion, I have wondered why I went through applying to nursing school, starting, dropping, reapplying, completing the first year, starting second year, then having to drop again. I have come to the conclusion that I have no idea why. For whatever reason, there was a season in my life for nursing school, but now that season is over. Maybe not forever, but for now.

Anyone who knows me knows that the ending of that season broke my heart. I loved what I was learning, I loved taking care of people, and (most of the time) I loved the challenge of learning new concepts and skills. One day, in the middle of a pity party, I remembered something. The whole reason I wanted to become a nurse was because I wanted to help people.
 

I got to do that!
 

In clinicals and in my job, I had the privilege of helping many people. I got to be involved in treatments and procedures that would help them. I was there to listen when they were upset or scared and just needed to talk. I held their hand while they cried. I did everything I could to help them feel cared for, and not like they were just another body in a bed.

Not finishing nursing school wasn’t a failure or the death of a dream. It was the completion of a season. As much as I love spring, it’s a season. It will pass, and the next season will begin. But every season has something to enjoy: beautiful flowers, abundant sunshine, gorgeous foliage, or sparkling snowflakes. They’re all wonderful, but they are all different. They all have a time to begin and a time to end.

There was a time for nursing school, and that time has ended. Oddly enough, I’m okay with that now. Yes, I feel sad sometimes. But to quote my favorite author, C.S. Lewis:

“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

(c) Copyright 2012 by Kara Stephens. All rights reserved.

The Pearl of Great Price

"The kingdom of heaven is like a man looking for fine pearls.  When he had found a very valuable pearl went and sold everything he had and bought it."  Matthew 13:45-46.

You have probably heard many teachings on this great passage.  It is referring to how valuable the Kingdom of God is and how we should be willing to give up everything for the sake of pursuing the wisdom of God.  That is not the viewpoint I desire to take at this time.  Instead, I want to approach this from a different perspective.

I would like you to consider for a moment that the man looking for treasure or fine pearls can represent God (or more specifically, Jesus). 

God knew from before the time that the world was created that the enemy would tempt the first man and woman to sin and that he would succeed.  His plan had already been prepared.  There would be an appointed time for God to send His Son to rescue humanity from the clutches of the enemy.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life."  John 3:16.

The word "so" in this verse means that there is no more.  There is no more love He could show beyond giving His Son to die in our place so that we could live.  This is extreme love.

Jesus also has this love in Himself.  We read in Philippians 2:6-8,  "...who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Now, as we look back to the passage from Matthew, with the verses from John and Philippians in mind, we can see the picture of God, the Father and the Son looking at the "pearl" of great value to Him.  I want to encourage you to see that YOU are a pearl of great value and worth to God.  The value of something is determined by how much someone is willing to pay for it.

You may be thinking, "Well that's okay for my friend or family member, but I'm not worthy;  I've messed up too badly;  I'm filthy;  I'm too broken",  and on and on I could go, but I believe you get the idea. All of us were enemies of God.  In fact, Romans 5:10, in the New Century Version of the Bible, states:  "While we were God's enemies, He made friends with us through the death of His Son.  Surely, now that we are His friends, He will save us through His Son's life."  This is an incredibly wonderful verse.  He died while we were still hating Him.  Dying for a friend shows great love, but how many of us would die for an enemy?  Not many! 

I know it's difficult to think of God loving you, specifically, when you read words that are all inclusive like the "world" in Jn. 3.  Truthfully, if you were the only one that needed Christ to die for you, He would have come and done everything He did for the masses, just for you!  I am praying for you to hear what the heart of God is saying to you.  You are HIS Pearl of Great Price.  He saw YOU, when as yet you weren't even born. 

Then, He placed so much value on you that He left heaven which means He chose to leave all He had ever known and experienced and a truly perfect world, to come here to be humbled and mistreated in every way imaginable to "buy you back" -that's what redemption means-from the enemy.  He paid the price that you could never pay to present you to His Father as perfect, blameless and HIGHLY valuable.  And, true to His Nature, He paid above and beyond!!  He wants you for His very own.  He considers everything He paid for you worth it.  He loves you so much that He has done everything so that nothing could ever separate you from His love (Romans 8:39).

His desire is that you see the value that He has placed on you.  No one can love themselves or any other if they don't see the value.  To walk in love for others requires you to truly love, value, and respect yourself.  Note that I'm not talking about rudeness or haughtiness.  Rather, it's the true worth and value God has given you.  You are truly free when you embrace that and allow others to be how God created them to be.  When you know that the Creator of the Universe loves you perfectly and accepts you AS YOU ARE, how can you not treat others from that same perspective?  This is why it is so important.

Know that you are truly worth everything, and loved dearly by God.

Then recognize that God loves everyone with that same love and value. The outcome will be a deeper relationship with God.  Worship and gratitude will begin to flow from your heart.  You will experience a new-found freedom to be all that God created you to be;  truly free to just enjoy God.

Let There Be Light

Sensing the power and presence of God that surrounds us, and lives within us, is unspeakable and almost incomprehensible. Endeavoring to put into words this reality is an action that seems impossible to verbalize. Dreams are often messages from the Creator that takes us into a realm of spiritual understanding helping us to identify who He is, who we are, and at the same time revealing the unfathomable love he has for us as He invades our lives in the silence of the night.

It is during these special times, when the Holy Spirit joins with our spirit, that His light is able to burst forth conquering our personal fears bringing healing coupled with teaching us truths that open the windows of heaven to divine intervention and communication with the one and only God, who is the Creator of the universe. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Oh! How true it is. In one message of the night we can learn more about ourselves than we could ever imagine.

As colors burst forth in our dreams with His brilliant light, they become vibrant, full of meanings that enlighten our minds and emotions resulting in an infusion of divine wisdom and guidance. These revelations catapult us into another dimension, a spiritual realm, that is unimaginable… messages that can bring us closer to God‘s spiritual purpose for our lives. In order to truly represent God we must first know Him and that he uses our dreams to reveal who he is, who we are, and what is our spiritual destiny.

The maker of the universe, the all-powerful loving God, who has created us in his image, flows through our hearts and minds in the nighttime hours. He speaks directly through our dreams. He forms a collage of pictures, a tapestry of images, infused with divine light, offering love and intimacy that instills hope, purpose and destiny.

Pastor Mary Ann Kotch
12/11

Did You Hear That?

While thinking about writing this article, I remembered a real-life experience.  As you may be able to tell, looking around my blog, fitness is an integral part of my life.  On one particular day, I was heading out for my daily 5 mile walk, when a thought popped up to “take my umbrella.” 

 

“An umbrella”, I questioned, as there was no sign of rain as I searched the sky.  Can you guess what I didn’t do?  You’re right!  I left home without my umbrella.  Before I could get back home, it started sprinkling, and then it happened.  RAIN!!  I was soaked to the skin by the time I returned home.  Thankfully, it was a late spring day, and the weather was warm.

Have you had “unctions” like this?  Have paid attention to them?  I want to encourage everyone to pay more attention to those unctions.  In my experience, above, I just got wet.  What if it had been an unction to take a different path that might have made the difference in being safe or kidnapped or harmed in some way?  Many times we are unaware that we have taken the path in accordance with unctions.  We may never know how many times we’ve been kept safe until we reach Heaven.

Another name for ‘unctions’ is discernment.   Webster’s defines ‘discernment’ as follows:“the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.”

In the Bible, discernment  refers to:  “judging, to discern, to examine accurately  or carefully, to inquire, ask questions in general;  to distinguish, decide, judge, in particular: to separate oneself from, exercise discernment;  a distinguishing, discerning clearly—spoken of the act or power. It has the notion of proving a thing whether it is worthy or not.   Able to decide or discern, critical, skilled in judging.  To understand, to know, to see, to hear, to decide, to hesitate, estimation, to approve, to test, discriminating, estimation.

What I want to focus on is the Supernatural Divine Power that we, as Believers in Christ, have available all of the time.  It isn’t anything we “work up.”  It is one of many ways God speaks to us.  Our part is to learn to pay attention to the many ways He speaks.  And, not only to pay attention, learn to be slow in dismissing any unction.  Often, God brings words/suggestions to mind, or a sense of something to take note of, and then our soul:  our mind, our will and our emotions will often kick in and rule over the thought as I did in choosing to forgo grabbing my umbrella.  Everything ‘looked’ normal to me.  The key  is that I LOOKED ( with my natural eyes) and made a natural assessment.  I did not take a moment and ask God for confirmation. 

 

A simple thing for me to have done would have been to ask, “God, is that your direction for me, right now?”  If I had done that, I know that I know, God would have given me an answer and with possibly more insight.  How do I know this?  It’s come from lots and lots of experience.  Many learning experiences like my umbrella story that I didn’t pay attention to, and experienced unpleasant results.  I’m  aware of many near-death situations where I discerned something, but then “I” checked it out with my natural mind, and dismissed those things.  I am very thankful to have been spared many negative “might-have-beens,”  though I have not been spared a lot of pain. I’ve also paid attention to certain unctions and later discovered that it was a good thing that I had.  I avoided some things that could have been very negative. So, I learned, and I continue to learn. 

My desire is to encourage YOU to begin paying closer attention.  Don’t dismiss anything as your own imagination without asking God for His thoughts.   The more you learn, the more you’ll recognize it’s God speaking to you and NOT just your own thoughts.  Perhaps, you will have the sense to take your umbrella and avoid the soaking, unless you LOVE getting wet.

Tired, Achy Muscles? I Have What I Consider THE Best Stess-Relieving Product Recommendation

Stiff neck?  Tired, achy feet? Tired, sore, achy shoulders?  Achy Back?  If any of these strikes a cord with you, you will LOVE this item.  It's like acupuncture combined with deep tissue massage.

It's called the Hand-held Massage XP III. 
This little hand-held controller has a wide range of  strength.  The re-usable stimulation pads can be place any where you desire to relieve tension and pain. Bio-electrical signals are sent directly to the desired muscle for relief.  And, the controller is smaller than my cell phone!!

For use on your feet, you'll need to order special one-size-fits-all shoes to which the leads will attach.  Pure heaven is what I experience.  It's a different feel than what you may be accustomed to, but the after affects are pure relaxation.  Can you tell I LOVE it?

If you are interested and want to know more, you can find it here:    http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com?AFFID=65150

Seek God for Your Child's Direction While They are Young

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart.”  Prov.  22:6

Have you known people who, from your perspective, raised their children in the things of God and taught them to get to know God, for themselves, yet in some instances, this verse appears as if it’s not true?  I know I have.

Anytime I have experienced something that makes it seem like there must be a mistake in the Word of God, I let it cause me to become like a “Spiritual Scientist.”  Seeking God and searching the Word to discover what I am not understanding becomes paramount to me.  Recently, I have received a great revelation that has application for me, so thought I’d share a little of my story.

God has blessed me with three children.  All three of them were seers from birth.  One of our children was born seeing, and gifted in discerning spirits.  At that time, nearly thirty years ago, my husband and I were completely unaware of these types of giftings, and missed so many things for which we now wish we’d had greater understanding.  We began learning about the spirit realm about the time our oldest was entering high school.  A real blessing is that through them and their conversations, my eyes were opened to how I was gifted that I’d simply thought was normal for everyone.  God will show us anytime we are ready and willing to learn.

Because of the particular destiny placed by God into one of our children, we were ‘at odds’ you might say, from Day 1.  This person’s “bent” is to go INTO ALL of the “world” (meaning the typical places that lost people tend to hang out), and reach people with the unconditional love, and compassion of God via prophetic words, dream interpretation, healing, signs and wonders.  My husband, and I are destined to NOT go into ALL of the ‘world’, but to go into the CHURCH and help equip people to know who they are in Christ, know what they have, in Him, and how to  experience all that is theirs, so they can disciple and equip others.

All of my life, I lived walking in the way I was gifted—though unaware.   I simply ‘knew’ which way to go, which places to AVOID and so on.  All of my ‘evangelical’ attempts never seemed to ‘work’ because everyone I came in contact with were already saved, and were simply needing some counsel,  insight, or encouragement.  We were set up for a clash.  My husband and I were trying to teach our child to avoid situations, to avoid certain types of people, and so on.  We took advantage of all kinds of Christian types of  experiences, but never understood why there seemed to be an element of resistance in some ways.

Our focus overshadowed the way God had created our child to be.  Now, we understand that we dropped -the-ball by not providing the appropriate mentoring experiences by people who were involved in street ministry via prophetic words of encouragement, sharing the interpretation of their dreams, laying hands on the sick, seeing them recover and the like.

I am thankful that there is “therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.”  Rom. 8:1 for even though we missed the way this one was wired, there has been a lot of Truth implanted.  God is THE GREAT TEACHER and will make sure our children get what we failed to give them, and in that, they will know God in the way that is uniquely theirs..
 

I have been a dreamer my whole life.  God used my chidren’s dreams, from a very early age, to cause me to pay closer attention to my own dreams and stirred a strong desire for me to learn how to discern what they mean.   Through this, God opened opportunities for me to learn about prophetic street evangelism.  I am hooked, even though I’m primarily called to Discipleship Ministry, and mentoring leaders.

In spite of my ignorance, opportunities now abound for our child and many others to be involved with people on- the- street/in workplaces, etc. to give words of encouragement for everyday Grace-Living.

Check out my friend Mary Ann Kotch's dream web-site--linked on my blog-- and take advantage of all she offers to help you learn how God can, and does speak to us through dreams and visions.  I encourage you, as parents, to listen to God regarding His plans for your children.  Get them involved with trusted mentors as early as is reasonable and appropriate so they can mature and become equipped to better flow in the things of God for blessing, encouraging, and healing others.

SPIRITUAL FITNESS

I am genuinely interested in walking in and helping others to walk in health and wholeness in Spirit, Soul, and Body. Since our Spirit is wall-to-wall God dwelling in us who lacks nothing, and is full of Life and Power, our Spirit is  already 100% completely healthy and whole. 

Our soul is our mind, (thinker), will (chooser), and emotions (feeler). It is in the process of being transformed to look like Who we are in our Spirit.  This is done by renewing our mind to the Truth of God's Word. 

Our body is our earthly house.  It needs to be healthy for the purpose of our being able to walk, and participate with God's desires as He lives in and through us to minister life, hope, and peace to others.  

Since I enjoy healthy eating, and exercise, as well as renewing my mind, and choosing to be led by the Spirit, I believe God has given me an acronym that is commonly used for physical health to apply to our Spiritual life:

F I T N E S S

F - FAITH  Hebrews 11: 1, "Faith means being sure of the things we hope for (expect to see/experience), and knowing that something is real even when we do not see it." v. 6, " Without faith no one can please God.  Anyone who comes to God must believe (have faith) that he is (present tense word) and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.

The just shall live by faith.  Hebrews 10:38, from Habakkuk 2:3-4.

What is Faith?  It is a hope, desire of some good with expectation of obtaining it;  trust; confidence; persuasion; conviction; belief; 

Faith and hope are for our life on earth. They will not be needed once we are living in Heaven.  

Everything we have in Christ starts with faith.  By faith (being fully persuaded and confident in the Truth that God does not lie) we "believe" that God has placed us in Him, and He is in us.  By faith, we believe that we are clothed in His Righteousness.  These are not things you can see with your human eye.  They exist in the realm of the unseen.  If you believe these things, and many, many more are true, that is only because you believe--you have faith.

Romans 10:17, "So faith comes by hearing the Good News and people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ." 

*Fitness tip:  Spiritually "fit"/healthy people pay attention to what they listen to. What you listen to is where your faith will be.

  
I - INTERDEPENDENT   A family is our first involvement in a community. All throughout Scripture we can see God's heart concerning groups of people.

"Exodus 6:7, "I will make you my own people, and I will be your God."   
In the early church, we see Believers gathering together, daily.
Acts 2:43b-47, "....and everyone  felt great respect for God.  All the believers were together and shared everything.  They would sell their land and the things they owned and then divide the money and give it to anyone who needed it.  The believers met together in the Temple every day.  They ate together in their homes, happy to share their food with joyful hearts.  They praised God and were liked by all the people.  Every day the Lord added those who were being saved to the group of believers.
Galatians 6:2  "By helping each other (within your group--reference to v.1),with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ.
We are to live totally dependent upon God.  Interdependence is being connected to others like links in a chain.  Wisdom is needed for what group(s) connections you should make.  Not all community groups are good, wholesome, and life-giving.  Ask God and let Him lead.   And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. Ecclesiastes 4:12.

*Fitness tip:  Spiritually fit people find a healthy, supportive group, and avoid living in isolation.  They see the value of supporting and encouraging others, and receiving support when they are going through a difficult time.

T - TRAINING (discipleship/mentoring)  Matthew 28:19, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations...."  In order for someone to teach something, one has to have been taught.  No one can teach what they do not know.  The 12 disciples were all taught by Jesus before they were told to "Go, into all of the world."  Paul was taught by God, before God sent him into his arena for sharing the gospel. (2 Cor. 12:1-4).  He trained people who later were instrumental in training others.  Priscilla and Aquilla are two in particular that come to mind. 

Acts 28:26, "Apollos began to speak very boldly in the synagogue, and when Priscilla and Aquilla heard him, they took him to their home and helped him better understand the way of God."  
Barnabas taking John Mark aside to further equip and train is yet another example.  There are many instances that lead us to have confidence that this is part of the process of the Children of God maturing and becoming the Sons of God.
Being led by the Spirit of God to who it is He desires you to be mentored by is critical.  Not all teachers train others well.  If your heart is teachable, God will teach you however He has in mind.  Then, at some point, He will lead you to train others as you are willing.  We never outgrow being trained.

*Fitness tip:  Spiritually fit people place themselves under others as God leads them, to be trained.  In time, they begin training others while keeping wise counsel around them. (see Prov. 12:15b; Prov. 19:20). 

N - NETWORKING  (team work). Ephesians 2:10, "God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing."
No one will ever have all of the revelation on any topic.  Since God has designed us to be interdependent, He develops each of us uniquely for our own unique function for our life here on planet earth.  Not one person can be (nor should they even try to be) all things to all people.  For that reason, it is healthy to have relationships with many people, allowing God to lead in the formation of the right connections.  Having others around us who are stronger in areas where we may find ourselves lacking certain insight, and revelation is an asset.  Pride will keep us from forming these kinds of connections.  There needs to be no spirit of competition or insecurity.  We all are strong in what God has purposed and designed each of us for.  Blessing and encouraging each other is paramount in any of us walking out our own destinies.  God has planned for us to receive from each other as He inspires and directs.

Have you ever thought that if we each have the idea that we have to know everything and do/be everything, that it actually deprives others of having opportunities to walk out what God is desiring them to do?  It also contributes to our being a sort of "jack of all trades, yet master of none". If we each focus on letting God further develop our strengths, and let Him bring others into our lives who are strong where we are 'weak', everybody "wins" and there is no 'toilsome labor' involved. Everyone gets to do what they are good at and enjoy! 

*Fitness tip:  Spiritually healthy/fit people are confident in their own strengths with which God has equipped them.  Inviting others into their own spheres of influence to share insight they may not yet have received is not threatening to them.  Fit people remain teachable.

E - ENGAGE  as in "to mesh, involve, to induce to participate, to begin and carry on an enterprise or activity,
be or become in gear, committed to or supportive of a cause.  involved in activity.." 
God has chosen to place Himself in His children. His Spirit is joined to our soul, and makes us one--joined together--in Him.  In essence, we are "glued together."  We are no more two, but one. (See: Romans 6:1-5; 7:4; Eph. 2:5; Gal. 3:26-29.  We have been made one, AND we are in the process of learning to live, and move 'as one.'  A healthy marriage is an example.  We were made one in an instant.  And, we are in process all of the rest of our married life of learning how to function together as one unit, not two separate individuals living in the same house.  Have you noticed how couples who have been together for many years actually have taken on characteristics of each other?  Many times, they can finish each other's sentences because they intimately know the heart of the other person.  They can 'read' each other by simple movements or gestures by which guests can be amazed because they KNOW each other so well.
Likewise it is with our relationship with God.  We are one, and we are becoming one, at the same time.  We have to be trained to know and recognize His voice.  This is intimacy.  Through time spent with Him, we have our senses trained as well.  His unctions, our sense of "knowing" become more apparent to us, and we can know His desires at any moment.  It is from this place, faith is strengthened.  "The just (Believers) shall live by faith," as I shared above.

God has chosen to limit Himself by allowing us to choose whether or not we'll cooperate with His desires.  For example, He desires to minister to the mail person.  Well, He is not going to pick your body up and move it out the door toward the mailbox, and them force open your mouth to wiggle so His words come out in spite of you. Rather, He indicates His desire in unctions, pictures in your mind, a sense of knowing, or flat out direction.  Then, YOU decide if you are going to go out to the mailbox.  If you believe He is leading you, that is 'faith', in that you are persuaded that God wants you to be available to the mail person.  By faith, you continue believing that God will bring what He wants said, to your mind.  When things come to mind, by faith, you believe--are convinced, persuaded--that He wants you to open your mouth and let HIS words come out.  This can happen so quickly you may not recognize it.   Learning to cooperate with God is a life-long journey in learning to flow together 'as one'. 

*Fitness Tip:  Spiritually Healthy/Fit people know they are "one" in Christ, and they understand that there is also a continual growing in this oneness--just as in any healthy marriage, for example. Through spending quiet, intimate time together, they begin to understand how God speaks to them--they recognize His voice.  By faith, they believe they hear what He desires to do, and then they "engage" by cooperating with His desires.

S- SPIRIT EMPOWERED  1 Cor.2:10b-13,16, "The spirit searches out all things, even the deep things of God....Only a person's spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts.  It's the same with God.  No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God......but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has given us.  And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom but with words taught us by the Spirit.  And so we explain spiritual truths to spiritual people.... Who has known the mind of the Lord?  Who has been able to teach him? BUT, we HAVE the MIND OF CHRIST."
The Spirit of God lives in every Believer.  We have His mind that is FULL of  Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom.  He speaks to us through a variety of ways. We are continually learning the many ways He speaks.  Being led by the Spirit of God is to seek His thoughts regarding anything and everything.  When we don't understand something, we ask Him.  When we don't know what to do, we ask Him to show us.  By faith, we listen with the intent of doing whatever we believe He speaks to us via the Word of God, by someone who just 'happens' to say something that gives us the information for which we were asking God, via a dream that contains the message for what we needed to know, through something in nature....etc.  Anytime you get an 'aha moment' about anything, is revelation.  If you aren't sure, check it with the written word. You many not find the exact word in Scripture, but you should find a premise, an application, or the like, that supports what you believe you heard.  Then, trust God..  When you are teachable you'll know when God may lead you to pull-back, or make a turn, so you just shift.  There's nothing to fear.  God wants you to understand Him more than YOU want to.  It's a walk by faith.  A child doesn't learn to walk completely independent of its parent overnight, so neither will any of us.  Falling down is part of learning.  Just get back up, ask God for further insight, instruction and have another go at it.  Never allow yourself to give up.

*Fitness Tip:  Spiritually healthy/fit people learn to walk by the Spirit.  They train their ears to hear God.  When they realize they have made an error, they stop, ask and listen to God for more instruction, then get up and go forward again.  They will not let mistakes hinder them.

S - SUCCESS  Psalm 1:2-3, "They love the Lord's teachings, and they think about those teaching day and night.  They are strong like a tree planted by a river.  The tree produces fruit in season and its leaves don't die.  EVERYTHING they do will succeed." 

 Romans 8:5b,"... But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about the things the Spirit wants them to do.....If {people's} thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace.  14.  The true children of God (Sons) are those who let God's spirit lead them."

Living in peace is prosperity.  Prosperity is success.  When we live in peace, that is supernatural.  This world will not contribute to anyone living in peace.  At best, for increments of time, it may be possible, but that is peace dependent upon circumstances, situations.....things that are "happening."  Peace from God is in spite of what's happening.  As we allow God to give us direction, and we live and move as one in whatever we believe He is saying or leading us, we are experiencing God's success.  HE is the God of results, and we are not.  When we hear Him and cooperate with Him that is success.  The world or even other Believers may not see it that way  It is the opinion of God alone that matters. Each of us have to be settled in our mind that we heard God say something, and we chose to follow along with what He said, and not be swayed by anyone's opinions....not even our own.

*Fitness Tip:  Spiritually Healthy/Fit people live focused on God, actively listening to His Voice, meditating on His Words, and living and doing as they believe--by faith--God is leading them.  They know that God makes their way peaceful allowing them to experience His good success. 

I believe we all desire to be healthy and "fit".  A physically fit individual is continually training his/her muscles by working out.  They don't arrive at their goal, and then sit it out for the rest of their lives.  They remain active.  So it is in the Spiritual realm.  We continue to be trained, and train others.  Here's one last acronym:.   FIT:  FAITH IN TRAINING.  That is how we live our lives here.  We are in training for reigning with Jesus.  It's by faith that we are trained for all God desires.

*Fitness Tip:  Spiritually healthy/"fit" people continue to allow God to train them without becoming discouraged and giving up.  They stay the course and finish their race!

Blessings