Perspective (Part 2)

"But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: 'The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.'" ~ Numbers 14:6-9

Last week, my Pastor talked about reframing- that is, taking the same old picture but transforming it by putting a different frame on it.

That's what Caleb and Joshua did in Numbers 13 and 14. They looked at the same circumstances that the other 10 spies did but looked at them differently. They reframed the situation. They didn't deny the circumstances they faced. They simply used faith to overcome them.

Jesus promised that in this life, we will face trouble (John 16:33). The key to overcoming is your perspective. Reframe life and you can have God's promises. Live in the same old frame and you'll get the same old results.

Reframe your life today!

God bless,
J.W.

Perspective (Part 1)

"not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors... But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." ~ Numbers 14:22-24

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."~ Mark 2:22

A large part of spiritual and emotional growth is about adopting a new perspective.

God wants us to put away old wineskins, i.e. old ways of thinking, and put on new wineskins, i.e. new mentalities, mindsets, and thought patterns.

Often times, however, we ask for new wine, i.e. new blessings, before we've put on new wineskins. We fall into slothfulness and don't want to put in the work to change. We then wonder why God hasn't elevated us.

But God says to see the promised land He, we need to take on a different spirit. Like Caleb and Joshua, God has called us to follow Him wholeheartedly if we are ever to inherit the promised land.

You can't put new wine in old wineskins. In other words, God can't place new blessings inside of an old life, mind set, or perspective.

That's why Paul tells us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). New elevation comes with a new perspective.

Get your new perspective today!

God bless,
J.W.

Life Is Simple (Part 2)

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." ~ Luke 22:42

Recently, my Pastor said something that stuck with me and it's this: if you take care of the things that God cares about, God will take care of the things you care about.

In Luke 22, we see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, right before being apprehended and ultimately crucified, struggling between what he wants and what the Father wants. Ultimately, the Father's will wins out and as a reward, Jesus gets up with all power in His hands (Matthew 28:18). He fulfilled purpose and got to sit on the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20-23).

So many times, we think the way to get what we want is to pursue what we want.

But in the Kingdom, the way to get what you want is to serve and be obedient to God, even if it's not in line with what you want (1 Samuel 15:22).

It really is as simple as this: do whatever it is He tells you to do.

God bless,
J.W.