Christian Words of Encouragement

Here is what you can do when you are unhappy? It is a very easy thing to be displease with your past situations and circumstances. And most people fall into the trap of looking at where they are now, and wishing they could have done things a little differently in the past. What we all must understand is that we are where we are now, and there is nothing we can do to change what has already happened. The key is to see our past as something positive and look forward to a better future. Each past situation brings unique experiences that can draw lessons from, whether they were good or bad experiences. This doesn't mean that you can't reflect on what has already happened; you shouldn't dwell on past decisions or "what ifs" and instead learn from them and carve a life you can be happy about. http://www.carlmathis.com Carl Mathis author of Life is what You Make it – seven Steps to Moving Fo

God’s call is no cemetery duty. * God's call energizes you and makes you alive. * God's call assures the importance of your mission. * God's call improves your moral character and helps you to be more in touch with Him than you would have been. * God's call energizes your vision and fuels you with a drive to do more. God's call is a front row seat and gives newness to the task such as what regeneration of the soul does for the human. When you are called, God has a partnership with you that takes you to private places and to sorrowful and cheerful places. This is your lifetime ticket to represent Jesus at weddings, hospital waiting rooms, gravesides, baptisms, Holy Communion and life-shaping questions good people have reason to ask, such as "Where is God now?" The call from God to do the work of the Lord supplies a driving force for work and at the same time it will empower commitment to revolutionize the world for Christ. God-inspired energy t...

How difficult it is when those surrounding you have an attitude of a different outlook about the desire you have laid down for your life. Sometime you could dissolve the situation, but there are some situation you can not, like caring. If someone don’t have the drive for you purpose, they are in the wrong place. The will cause your relationship to fail; they will cause your business to have low productivity and you rhythm to be of key, due to their complaining and lack of motivation. These types of people are never satisfied. There are many way that you tell if a person doesn’t share the same dreams and goals you have for your future. But the most effective one I believe is the visualization they have on their face when the subject is being discuses, this will tell a story if they are with you are not. The sparkle in their eyes and look of interest reveals it pane and simple. Saying I have the passion for this objective. It must be more that just the financial or the sexual int...

In the life of a believer in Christ, a special task has been set-aside for you, although it could be more than one particular task. But the question is how you work that task. The ability to equip the church depends on you working your task. When you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, you automatically gain power, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8) that power is the ability which would enable you to work that task. However, many have misunderstood that power, with the result of the church being lack in certain areas. That power is the birth of your ministry and the planting of a seed in a renewed garden, and the way how that seed get to grow and blossom into your ministry is through your pray. Because the seed you have received is not the spirit of the world, but the spirit, which is of God, you must connect with God, the giver of the seed, and the way that you connect with God is of course through pray, this is that you would kn...

If God is for you who can be against you? If you really want to see God move in you life, start feeling appreciated for the things you have and having faith for the things you need to survive, for God know what you need. But He moves for the things that we believe for through our faith in Him. The kind of faith that you know He will reward you when you call on Him and it shall be done. Take you problem to Him in faith and He shall reward you. There must come a time when you have to realized that you have to go to God in an intensify mode and stop holding back and cry out for the things you need as if your life depends on it, as you know it is. What do you have to lose, you in a win win situation. God is just waiting patiently for you to turn all you problems over to Him. So what are you waiting for.? Carl Mathis author of Life is what you make it - seven Steps to Moving Forward. http://www.carlmathis.com

Getting result is the main goal to achieving success in anything you pursuing. Result comes from being organized and task oriented in your planning. To give a valid explanation in the views of how this works; the life of Jesus is a perfect example. When Jesus calls for disciples, He ensures that they are teachable and most of all task oriented. People who are ever learning and always achieving are most likely task oriented people. For example, fisher-men are well organized in there task. When they go out in the morning, what they catch is what they depend on for survival, so intern they would envision a task that requires them to accept responsible for getting result by doing the right thing. Responsibility: Jesus calls two people, Simon and Andrew to become “fisher of men” because it leaves no doubt about their responsibility to achieve result and be accountable. This is exemplifying of what Jesus Himself was involve in, His own discipleship. He was given a task by His Fath...

Problems are everywhere: from the time you open your eyes in the morning and turn on the TV, all you here about are problems. No person is exempt, we all have problems. However, with problems comes difficult people, and in most case the difficult one is you.  Are you difficult to deal with because you help others hoping to be Recognized?  Do you have a black book on people who did you wrong and should not get away with it?  Are you always looking down and blaming yourself to get recognition? According to the Bible, Colossians 3:5 tells us to mortify those negative things that are in you. In other words put to death the old you, and change your clothes. When you come from doing your tours, you clean yourself up, take off your dirty clothes and put new clothing, right? When you purchase a new outfit, do you put them on over the old ones, no; you first have to take the old one off before you put the new one on, Right? Sometimes we put a blind eye on this important...

Listen to the Parable of the Ten Servants in Luke 19, (NLT) form the mouth of Jesus. First I want you to understand that when Jesus speaks in parables, you have to listen with a spiritual sense. In other words, He is saying a short simple story intended to illustrate a moral or religious lesson. It’s an earthly story with a spiritual truth. Jesus said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.” So many great gifts and talents we were blessed with. For a person to say I don’t have the ability to accomplish the job should be illegal and category as outlaw. Jesus left great gifts for the Kingdom of God and marvelous talents for the world. What more could we ask for. He said utilizes those abilities u...

Working for God is always seen as working in a Cemetery for a lifetime. Many people think of the call of God as a judgment God uses to make them unhappy - to doom them to poverty - and to choke the fun out of he/she marriage, parenting and work. This is very for the truth, why should God's work, be viewed as anything less than an awesome adventurous way to live? Why do so many contemporary believers sigh for something that might allow them to have lost faith in the important of working for the Lord? One of the problems is that your call may have become musty or dim or far-fetched. It seems like many has lost that inner explosion of the reason why they doing what they do for God, and apparently they never missed it. Some have forgotten how persistent the call was when they heard it the first time. Still others, question if a call they heard in their childhood or adolescence has relevance now. Many have forgotten the power of a few ordinary folks like you and me to change the wo...

The truth of the mater is that anything worth having is going to be a struggle, life is not a hop skip and a jump, and you can’t walk into your backyard and pick success from the success tree. So let’s face it, prepared to do some work. First, let go of the old things that you keep storing up and keeping a record of, you can’t grow and keep old wrongs/hurts at the same time. These past negative thinking only hinder your progress and forward movement rather than help it. Take some time and learn how to resolve your problems in a quick and effective way, and get beyond them. According to Carl Mathis' book Life is What You Make It, http://amzn.to/a8sjDU turning things around for the better (and for yourself) after struggles and past situations isn’t easy but it can be done - with the right outlook. What the book really teaches is acceptance and understanding of the situation you are in right now, then working through that to get to the other side. Make a commitment today to t...

For you to be able to move on towards your purpose, you must also know how to put aside those things that aren’t working for you. You have to keep on looking at your life to determine what is right in your life and what has to be shredded. God created you for a purpose, greatness is destined for your life. When making decisions, ask your self, how does the choice I am about to make affect the overall outcome of my purpose. I have seen many people who were faced with this question, but neglected to ask them self, and those who did ask did not take heed to the answer. As a result, the people they associate them self with, dragged them down and hold them back from reaching the height point of their success. By not shredding the heavy load, you place your self in the category of causing hindrance instead of helping. This causes you to wreak ministry and cause damage to your life’s goal. In the end, there were lift with sadness and bitterness in their old age, when they could have been en...

Being able to control or avoid the things that come up in an unknown form, such as an unexpected tragedy or some form of discomfort in your life, is a challenge in itself. Predicting what will happen to you in the future is a job for only God, although we make many attempts claiming that we know what tomorrow brings. Reality is that we have no control over what happens. For too long, many have repeatedly asked themselves this question: How did I allow this situation to enter my secret circle of life? There was a time when they could recognize and deal with a situation before it occurred, but this one sneaked in under their radar right before their very eyes. Now they are faced with having to deal with this situation. However, there is a solution. The way life operates can sometimes confuse the human mind. We find ourselves sometimes doing things we know will lead into something that is not so beneficial for our life. However, the interesting issue is that our brain is limited. Why?...

Woman: you are so beautiful and well sculptured by the hand of God, you beauty could almost hypnotize most men, God gave you honey for your spouse, and sugar to sweeten him when he is better, why would you rowing yourself by making your private place public? Why would you give away your precious ointment to someone who would not treasure it? Is there any amount of money worth your precious pearl? Did you not know this pearl is a rear commodity that cannot be sold? Did your mother ever teach you to hold on to this pearl for the right moment? Did your father ever say to you, use force if it’s necessary to protect your pearl? This is why God put a seal (bloodline) that separates life from life. Tampering with this seal will allow life to come out premature. So be very careful not to prematurely allow life to come out before it’s time. In other words, having intercourse before the appropriate time will temper with God plans. Are you up for the challenge? (Taken from the titled “In...

You may lose the Fight, but you’re winning the Battle. Have you ever felt like you are between a rock and a hard place; your back is up against the wall with no way out? How about the pressure of life is weighing you down, and you felt like life dealt you a bad deal; have you ever felt like that? Having to face a giant in attempt to move forward can be frightening, however we can choose to stand our ground and fight for our future, or run and hide, the choice is ours to make. Coming face to face with our adversity is healing for the soul that yearns for help. When you reach to the point that you could speak about a past experience that injured you, and the many things that are concealed without resolve because of fear, label as a failure. As difficult as the task might be to open your self to others, reaching out to God and others can be a step closer to being healed, and relinquish living a life of fear or being alone. Commit your self to seek what’s needed to cure and hea...

So you want to be SAVED and don’t know what to do? If you want to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior, You about to make the best decision you could ever make in your entire life. According to Romans 10:9-10, That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ……………………………… Read out loud this prayer: Father, God, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He died for me, carried my sins for me, and that He arose, and is alive right now. Lord, Jesus, come into my heart, and save me now. I repent of sin, and I turn toward You. I receive You as my Savior, and I confess You as my Lord. I thank You, Lord, that according to Your Word, I am born again. In Jesus’ name, Amen. ……………………………. You are saved! Though you look the same on the outside, on the inside...

When you are depressed and anxious, getting past such feelings of sadness isn’t easy. Once the mind is set on a particular thing, it’s not so easily persuaded to concentrate on more pleasant things. Most people deal with their problems by relying on others for help and support. While other people are definitely important in emotional situations, the main thing is for you to learn how to deal with the situation in your own way. There are many situations that could trigger a bogged down, depressed mind. Grief from the death of a family member, guilt, regret, career and financial woes, and family problems are just some of the triggers that may create mind control. In situations like these, it’s easy to lose your sense of self. However, you must also believe that you cannot stay in such a rut forever, and putting your life back together is something that you must want and you must initiate. If you examine your life, you will find that some areas need more improvement than others. Whi...

In support of His call for us to be trustworthy, Jesus commits Himself to being our role model. Even though the disciples know the value of trust, they are human and subject to lapses; they were in the company of Jesus for about three and a half years, and witnessed an unbroken trust from Christ. Jesus kept every promise that He made to them. Every leader needs a role model: Look at the distinction between a hero and a model. A Hero – is a person who shows you who you can be. A Model – is a person who shows you what you can do. At an early age we might call our models heroes. Our heroes may be fictitious characters or eminent persons whom we do not know. An editorial in Life Magazine years ago extolled Dag Hammarskjöld, Pope John X11, and Albert Schweitzer as heroes of the twentieth century. After reviewing their individual achievements, the article concluded with the statement that they shared one quality in common because they chose to be good first, they became great later...

In II Corinthians 13:5, the apostle Paul commands his readers: Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! OK, that seems straightforward enough. But what does it mean to examine yourself? What should you be looking for? How do you know whether or not you are "in the faith"? What is the "test" that we might fail? I wrote Am I Really a Christian? in order to try to help answer these questions. Well, we should all hope that we pass "the test" (again, Paul's words, not mine!). And Scripture gives us a few things to look for that would indicate that in fact we are not "in the faith". A few examples: You're not a Christian if you don't believe true doctrine: By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every s...

All Christians should be looking for ways to engage in spiritual conversation with others with hopes to talk about the gospel. Yet, many struggle to see when those doors are open or how to try and open them. Here is one easy way to engage others in a possible spiritual conversation that I was taught many years ago and has proven quite effective when asked at the right time. The only caveat is it has to get asked on Monday. The question is… “What was the sermon about yesterday?” You would be amazed at some of the responses I have gotten over the years. Responses have varied from a joyful response of a good, fruitful sermon heard by a grocery clerk to a tearful confession of skipping church from a bank teller. There is the common reaction of the awkward silence of shock from someone blindsided by the question. Of course, if you try to engage this way, you will eventually be asked the same question back and you’d better be ready to respond. Pastors, you have no excuse not to r...

The key of persistence and perseverance is vital if you desire to be successful in any endeavor. Many of us give up too quickly. We give up right before our breakthrough occurs, right before victory. While it is true that it is not easy to stay with something, amidst all of the distractions and challenges which attempt to deter us from our course and focus, it should be noted that those who develop stick-ability usually get much more than what they were after. This particular key to success is really the ideal for those who have a passion and deep desire to see our goals realized. No one can obtain and maintain success without it. To be persistent simply means to stay with your goal, pursuing it with a focus and relentlessness that will not accept defeat or give up, until that desire is attained. When we make up our minds that we will have something that is worthwhile, not breaching the laws and principles of God, and bringing hurt and damage to our fellow-men, and we gain the inform...

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, from the Eastern to the Western coasts of this planet called earth, from the North unto the South, peace be unto you all, and may the mercy of God keep you safe while I am so for away from you. I was in the spirit while I was in prayer, and God revealed this unto me for you all. I was instructed to send you this letter to let you know that God see the desire you have in your hearts to engage in battle against your enemy in prayer, I urge you my friends by the knowledge and wisdom of God which He gave unto me, that you take heed to the words in this letter. These few words I send to you. Use them wisely when you face the forces of your enemy in prayer. These words I give to you. To the churches from the East to the West, and to the North and the South, I urge you to pray for each other with sincere loyalty. Remember that we all have the same enemy who desires to kill steal and destroy the faith we have in our lord Jesus Christ. Pray earnestly wi...

Have you ever felt like you are between a rock and a hard place; your back is up against the wall with no way out? How about the pressure of life is weighing you down, and you felt like life dealt you a bad deal; have you ever felt like that? Having to face a giant in attempt to move forward can be frightening, however we can choose to stand our ground and fight for our future, or run and hide, the choice is ours to make. Coming face to face with our adversity is healing for the soul that yearns for help. When you reach to the point that you could speak about a past experience that injured you, and the many things that are concealed without resolve because of fear, label as a failure. As difficult as the task might be to open your self to others, reaching out to God and others can be a step closer to being healed, and relinquish living a life of fear or being alone. Commit your self to seek what’s needed to cure and heal your difficult situation. Seek qualified professionals i...

Finding your purpose to push a little further makes you appreciate waking up to see another day. When you find that reason, you see the importance of the steps to survive a longer and prosperous life. Be thankful, it will help you to stay focus on the positive things that will be beneficial to you, and reminds you that there is always a confidence in hope that the impossible will become possible. When you have a sense of purpose, it helps you to revive and become a better person. This life that we live is not a forever-lifetime, it’s shorter than we realize. However, eternity is a life time. According to Psalm 90:10 of the Holy Bible, the writer writes, Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Petty things should not consume your time, for this gift of life that was given to you is so precious, you should be glad and rejoice each and every day of your life. Uncomfor...

To value the potential wrapped up in your calling, will take seeing your ministry as a spiritual counterpart to an old-time country doctor. This qualify country doctor does he duties of delivering babies, saw children through their growing up years, give them preventative shots, cures their fevers, listened to their dreams, help them through puberty and pimples, taught them the facts of life, attend their weddings, deliver their children and then started the cycle again for the new generation. However, he was often frustrated by his failures, underpaid by his patients, poorly equipped by technology and not especially viewed as an important professional by his peers in big city hospitals. But as he live his life, he had the incredible joy of knowing he save Tim’s life, brought Margie and her baby through difficult labor, sat up all night as Granny changed worlds and prescribe healing medicine to make Jack feel better in a few days. Your calling has a similar impact on caring out the ...

If there was a way that you could catch time and make it slow down for your purpose, its possibility that when the end of your road come calling your name, your note book of your life occurrences just may not be empty. However, you must make life your priority to maintain its quality and integrity. Time, is like a NASCAR on its last lap about to finish the race in first place. It’s not waiting for anyone to catch up. Whether we do something with our life or not, time is constantly moving at a rapid pace, uncontrollable, but yet controlled by no one but itself. You go to sleep, you go for a swim, you walk, or you watch television etc, time is a nonstop procedure. In the blink of an eye your life could be taking away from you. Yes, we know that there is a starting point and an ending point to our life, but if I open your notebook of what you accomplished and read your accomplishments, did the value increase in all that God entrusted you with. O how many times...

As I mediate on the past event of what occurred in my life, I wonder if there was not a God could I have survived this devastation. So many times I wanted to give up and just say enough is enough I don’t need all this stress and pain in my life. But because of love, giving up always seems too vanished in thin air. What I am trying to say is, because I know that God love me, and He won’t leave me to handle this all alone, I gain strength to hold on, and then I loved my family too much not to be there for them. But it was not easy. For years my schedule was like this. I would come home from a grave yard shift working at the Miccosukee Indian Casino and then attend to my wife. Take my boys to school. Go out back to my second job, come back home in the evening and attend to me wife, while preparing meals for the boys, then try to get a little rest before going back to my night job. Next day doing it all over again. Keep in mind between all this, there was many hospitals and doctor...

Start by believing in your heart that your ministry equips people to live a Christ-quality life. When you love ministry and demonstrate that love, your expressions of ministry impact people more than you can imagine. You will help people grow. At times you will swing from tender leader to fiery prophet to pleading priest. You will enrich your life too. You will stand taller and noble. You will be more spiritual and less scalar. You will have a cause to live for, to fight for and to die for. You will feel a sense of purpose, of making a different and of recovered self-worth. Wrap your arms around your ministry, and it will love you back in ways beyond loftiest dreams. The leader who relives their call and choose to fall in love with their call all over again will declare their eagerness to go beyond their own inadequacies Christ likeness.  My failure to be even to my own accepted standards.  My self-deception in face of temptation.  My choosing of the worst when I know the bett...

AN ARMOR BEARER PRAYER _____________________________________________________________ What is an armor bearer? In Scripture, an armor-bearer (also spelled armorbearer and armor bearer) was a servant who carried additional weapons for commanders, in others words , a protector. In the church, an armor bearer duties range widely, but generally speaking, a church armor-bearer carries the “armor” of a church leader, such as the leader’s Bible “the sword of the Spirit” A church armor-bearer essentially serves as a church leader’s bodyguard. Armor Bearers are not elected but are appointed by the Pastor from congregants who are in good standing, who are tithers, and who love the church and the Shepherd. The main function of one who is designated as an armor bearer is that of service, for the biblical armor bearer was much more than a hired hand. An armor bearer was a person who undoubtedly spent many years, if not one’s entire life, in the leader’s service. If you area in such positi...

True leadership is “Leading by Personal Example” When it comes to leadership, one might think that it calls for a person with skills. Skills in planning, organizing, staffing, coordinating and reporting – function that describe the role of leadership assistance. Although these are important skills, leadership is calling for people with integrity, practical wisdom and “filled with the Holy Spirit” Integrity: The first qualification for leadership. In the volatile climate of conflict and under the scrutiny of murmuring factions, administrative matters often turn into personal test of credibility and character. In these circumstances, leaders are visible and vulnerable. Visible leadership is the leading edge of a true leader’s public witness, sometimes the court of last resort. Practical Wisdom: The second qualification for leadership. Conflict create by self-interested factions are resolved until someone sees the “big picture” and evasions what psychologists call a “subordinate ...