Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Why Not Put Off Until Tomorrow?

English:Procrastination creeps into our lives when we push difficult tasks down the road. Instead of starting a project that we are responsible to complete, we get distracted. We choose things that are less consuming of our time and easier to accomplish. But these things may not necessarily be our responsiblity. In other words, the projects that God has intrusted us with.

Adversely, we do take on tasks, but too many, or we find ourselves overwhelmed with all the details, so we put off the important projects indefinitely.

Eventually, we are faced with cramming to complete the project and are never satisfied with the result. If we approach the more difficult tasks in life with this attitude every time, we end up dissatisfied with ourselves and with a pile of incompleteness.
Purpose and determination come from God to complete what he has put into our hands, but we must reach out and receive it. God will help, will be there for us, and will see us through.
Proverbs 16:9 (GW) A person may plan his own journey, but the Lord directs his steps.
Remember, God gives us the tasks, the calling, the mission, or the project, but we are responsible to complete them. He does his part, we have to do ours and without procrastinating. Why?
1 Thessalonians 5:24 (GW) The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
A bible from 1859.
Bible 1859
When we procrastinate on doing the things we know need to be done, we slow our progress and we delay our blessings or the blessings of others. Procrastination unchecked and unchanged can lead to death.

It will carry over into all aspects of our lives, including personal, business, spiritual, and social. When procrastination becomes a stronghold it can bring strongholds of neglect, despair, defeat, confusion, hopelessness, doubt, destruction, and any number of demonic strongholds along with it.
5 Biblical tips to overcoming procrastination:

1. Begin each day with prayer, thanksgiving, and praise. Include God from the moment you rise. Remember each day we live is a gift from God. Gratitude carries no pain or negative feelings along with it. Nor does it invite procrastination.
Psalm 103:2 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits—
2. Organize your time at the beginning of your day by listing your tasks and the time it will take to complete them, allowing time to be flexible, time for family and friends, and time for prayer throughout the day.
Ephesians 5:15-16 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), 16 Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.
3. Check off tasks as you complete them. Completed tasks give us a sense of victory. Each completed task is an accomplishment and each accomplishment should bring satisfaction.
Psalm 128:2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
4. Schedule a complete day of rest into your life. God did not rest on the seventh day because he needed rest. but he rested on the seventh day because he needed us to know the importance of rest.
Exodus 34:21 “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.
5. Don’t expect everything to happen at once. But move forward knowing that God has promised to bless you. He promised to be with you, to guide you, to teach you, and to be faithful. Remember everything has a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. Expect the profound joy that will eventually come.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:
Colossians 3:23 (GW) Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as though you were working for your real master and not merely for humans.

Written by Christian author, Pola Muzyka.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Unhealthy or Healthy Guilt?


Have you ever felt as though you did or said something for which you can never be forgiven? If you haven't forgiven yourself, this could be the crux of your guilt?


Guilt is a weapon Satan tries to use to try to separate us from God and cause us to live a life of torment even after we’ve been set free, by making us think that we still have a death sentence. It’s a weapon the enemy wields to turn us away from Christ.

What don’t we understand about freedom in Christ? God sacrificed his own son [filled with all the fullness of the Godhead] for us. In order for us to be free to love him, he first loved us.

Why did God make us so imperfect that we would have to suffer a life of guilt? He didn’t. Sin entered in. God gave us free will. We were free from the beginning to choose right or wrong, good or evil.

There’s no mistaking the difference between good and evil. Evil steals, destroys, and kills; it leads to spiritual death. Good builds up, judges rightly with long term perspectives, and is not selfish as it considers God’s will; it leads to eternal life.

If in our free will, we gave/give ourselves over to sin what can we do to shake that awful feeling? Did you ask God for forgiveness? Have you forgiven others? Have you received the sacrifice that He provided for your sins through Jesus Christ? If so, read on.

wipe-away-tears5 Biblical tips to overcome guilt:

1. Know who you are in Christ. The enemy [Satan] cannot take that away from you.
1 Corinthians 6:11  11And such [sinners] some of you were [once]. But you were washed clean (purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), and you were consecrated (set apart, hallowed), and you were justified [pronounced righteous, by trusting] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God.
2. Keep away from self-righteous hypocrites.
Colossians 2:8-9 See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah).
Matthew 22:18 But Jesus, aware of their malicious plot, asked, “Why do you put Me to the test and try to entrap Me, you pretenders (hypocrites)?”
Luke 6:42 How can you say to another believer, ‘Friend, let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,’ when you don’t see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First, remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer’s eye.
3. Read the word daily. Trust what God says.
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing the message, and the message that is heard is what Christ spoke.
Revelation 3:10 “Because you kept my Word in passionate patience, I’ll keep you safe in the time of testing that will be here soon, and all over the earth, every man, woman, and child put to the test.
4. Forgive others–forgive yourself. If guilt still plagues you after you are sure of your salvation, it’s possible that YOU didn’t forgive you. Remember salvation is for all those who receive it by faith. No condemnation to those who are in Christ. Romans 8:1
Luke 6:37 “Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Luke 1:37 But nothing is impossible for God.”
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.
Proverbs 16:3 Entrust your efforts to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
5. Turn to God. Ask him for his grace and help to live with yesterday’s events so that guilt will no longer have a stronghold in your life, so that you will be able to live free from sin asking the Lord for forgiveness whenever a sinful thought or past action surfaces, and the sting of sin will no longer hurt.
Colossians 2:9 For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature].
Have you received your free copy of Biblical Solutions for Cultural and Social Issues in the World Today study guide? Ask for your free copy today. [written by Pola Muzyka]

Our time on earth is a fraction of eternity. Our earthly bodies are dust.  The glorified body, given to those who receive Christ, will be our eternal, non-corruptible, heavenly body, able to be present with God without guilt.

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