Approval Addiction

Approval Addiction by Joyce Meyer

In Matthew 2:13-17 we read an account of Jesus’ baptism. When He came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven like a dove and landed on Him, and a voive from heaven said, “This is My Son, My Beloved, in Whom I delight!” Then, in Matthew 17:5 on the Mount Transfiguration, a shining cloud overshadowed Jesus and His disciples, and voice form the cloud said, “This is My Son, My Beloved, with Whom I am [and have always been] delighted.” One day as I was studying, I realized that if Jesus needed to hear and receive this encouragement twice, how much more do we need to hear that we are pleasing to God? More important, what if Jesus had rejected His Father’s words? How would it have affected His life and ministry?

Never confuse a single mistake with a final mistake

James wanted to make a point that even imperfect people can pray, and God will hear (James 5:17-18). Why does God do that? Because He is pleased with faith and a heart that is right.

I came to a point of my life where I wanted to be relaxed about my relationship with God and my walk with Him. I wanted to be relaxed around people and not afraid of their disapproval. I wanted to be relaxed about my gifts and calling in life. I wanted to enjoy God and not spend most of my time with Him afraid He was angry because of my flaws.

Psalms 75:6, 7 says that true promotion comes from God. We may manipulate circumstances and peope to get a promotion, but we will never be truly happy with it. I have learned by experience that if I have to phony and pretend and manipulate to get something, I will have to do the same thing to keep it. Eventually we become tired of living the way but find ourselves in a trap we don’t know how to break free from.

I encourage you not to let your value become attached to a position. Position can come and go in like, but God and His love for you remains. God is not impressed with the positions that people hold (See Galations 2:6). The bottom line is, if w know who we are in Christ, then we can have a healthy self-image apart from our position or job title.

Failing does not make you a failure. The process of elimination is often helpful, but we may make mistakes in the process.

Will God use us if we have a past? I am not sure He can use us if we don’t have some kind of past. We gain experience by the things we go through. Much of my teaching comes from my past. I have a past, I have applied the Word of God to it, and I am enjoying the future God promised me.

I personally believe failure is part of every success because failing our way to success humbles us. It is vital past of God’s being able to use us effectively.

Thank God for the people in our lives who encourage us!

God told me to give myself permission to have weaknesses. I knew I had heard from God, but it was a major step of faith. I was afraid that if I just accepted weaknesses as a part of life, they would multiply and take over. I had yet to learn that where we stop, God begins.

God can and will open the right doors for you and give you favor with the right people at the right time. For example, God can get you a job that would be far better than anything you could ever get for yourself.

Even though God gives you favor, you wil still encounter times when certain people won’t approve of you. Strive to please God, and let Him deal with the people.

There are two ways to prosper in life : trying to make our own way and struggling according to the wirld’s system, ordoing what God says by tithing all your increase and giving offerings as God leads. When we choose to honor God with our tithes and offerings, He always meets our needs.

God is not glorified by our suffering, but He is glorified when we have a good attitude during suffering.Doing what is right when we don’t have feelings supporting us builds strong character in us. Intelligence and talents are God’s gifts, but character is developed. Many people have gifts that can take them to high places, but they don’t have the character to keep them there once they arrive.

You can starve an addiction to death by simply not feeding it.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

Stop looking at everything that is wrong with you, and start looking at what is right with Jesus.

I did not realize that as long as I was following God’s will for my life, other people’s responses were not my responsibility. It may not always be possible to do what other people want, but a spiritually mature person learns to deal with disappointment and keep a good attitude. If you are doing what you believe God has told you to do, and others are not pleased with you, it is not your fault; it is theirs.

Do the best you can, be the best “you” that you can be, and do not feel you should be able to do more just because someone else does more. And remember a strong confidence in God and your won ability to hear from God and being led by the Spirit are the antidote. God has not given and never will give someone else the job of running your life.

Sometimes we don’t feel peaceful about a certain thing, and we don’t have any idea why. The Scriptures teach us to follow after peace; it is one ways God leads us. We should be bale to say to people, “I don’t have peace about making that commitment right now. “ and they should graciously receive that answer, but it rarely happens.

If we start our life rooted in rejection, it is equivalent to having a crack in the foundation of our house.I traded the old cracked foundation for a solid foundation, one based on Christ and His love.(Ephesians 3:17)

He has told me that he cannot do anything about what people think; all he can do is be himself. We are not responsible for our reputation anyway. God is! So relax and keep saying to yourself, “I can survive rejection. I am not addicted to approval.” When Satan knows he cannot hurt you with rejection, he will stop working through people to bring that type of pain into your life.

It is not God’s will for us to be controlled by anybody except His Holy Spirit, and even that decision He leaves up to us. God won’t even force His will on us, so we certainly should not let anyone else do it.

If we really love others, set them free; if they really belong to you, they will come back on their own. True love means that we help a person make the right decision for all concerned, not just the right decision for us.

No matter where we are, God can give us favor=)

What are you believing Him for?

Are there disappointments in your life right now and you seem to find no answer to it.You question yourself, "Why does He allow me to go thru it", "Why do I not sense His presence", "Why do I still feel this way, I hate the feeling"...You feel alone. It does not matter to you if others are going thru the same pain, you matter how you feel. You sincerely want to come out of it. You are clouded with worry and fear. Sometimes you wonder does your friend really cares when they ask. Even if they do, it does not satisfy the emptiness inside you.

People asked me this questions. We all have in some point of our lives. Maybe even now. It is real. When I look back, I wonder to myself how can I be feeling so down. When I'm in it everything seem so bleak and uncertain.
Going through all this helps me to focus my attention back to God. When I'm face with a dead end situation, I have no one to rely on but Him. His presence seems so tangible. I cry when my feelings overwhelms me. He speaks the loudest during these times. I listen to sermon after sermons. But it seems like a roller coaster journey for me. But in each situation, he is speaking to your heart. He is working in you what only you will know.
But just recently, I found I have come up to a higher level than before. It's a strong conviction in my heart and a knowing that all this has passed. I experience this after the day of prayer in church. We prayed in tongues for more than an hour. After that experience, I could feel as though I have been lifted up a higher level. Whatever that is standing in the way is removed. I do not know how to explain it.
How true then this verse becomes to me, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" Ephesians 6:12
Beloved if you have cease from praying, I urge you to take a step of faith to take time to pray in tongues till you have a knowing in you that the strongholds in your life is broken. Your struggle will cease. You are not the problem for the problem. Do not war against yourself, but let Him pray for you to fight the fight of faith. 
Now that we have establish the spiritual realm, how do we seek after peace in our hearts. How does that relates to a change in our circumstances. When you have a deep understanding and revelation in your heart about the person Jesus, about the truth of His Word, it willl manifest outwardly. This is something the Lord has been impressing strongly in my heart lately. But above all else, seek to establish a loving relationship with Him. It'll be to you the answer you need. It's the one foundation you need to stand strong.
If you find it hard to read the bible or even find verses that is suitable for your situation, maybe try buying a book that speaks to you. What may works for others, may not work for me. Books does wonders to me. After I read, I still remember the words of the author and the verses given. It's similar to meditating on His Word =) This way is easier.
You cannot believe and have faith when you are empty inside. It's like a car. The engine will not start without fuel in it. No matter how much you believe it'll work, it'll never work. The fuel is the Word of God. Now that when you have the Word in you, your believing manifest in faith actions.
Has the situations around me changed?Not fully but will be. I used to say maybe, but now I'm confident that it'll be. The Lord cannot work if you're unstable in your ways, double minded about something. How do you be confident and be focus in what He has promised you. How do you have rest and peace in your heart. It's simply by getting yourself equipped in the Word of God. Knowledge breeds confidence. A peaceful man is someone the devil cannot touch. Be that man/woman of God He has called you to be.
But seek to establish a relationship with Him, seek to know His Word and pray in the Spirit. Faith will be a fruit. Do yourself a favor! =)
Jesus loves you!
"As you share your faith with others, I pray that they may come to know all the blessings Christ has given us." Philemon 1:6(CEV) 

The Confident Woman

Grace to you, God’s beloved=)

Here are a few excerpts from the book “Confident Woman” by Joyce Meyer I have read recently. It’s also one of her latest edition if you are one of Joyce Meyer’s fan. These are passages which I’ve highlighted as I read, words that has spoken to me and words that I would love to keep and remember. It’s a bit lengthy but take your time to pick and chew on the ones that speaks to you. It’s not only for the ladies, but applicable to all=D

Thankfully He sees our heart attitude and our faith in Jesus and not just our actions.

Everyone desires and needs love and acceptance from God and others. Although not everyone will accept and love us, some will. I encourage you to concentrate on those who do love you and forget about those who don’t.

Many people are confused about what they are to do with their lives. They don’t know what God’s will is for them; they are without direction. I felt the same way once, but I discovered my destiny by trying several things. I tried working in nursery at church and quickly discovered that I was not called to work with children, I tried being my pastor’s secretary, and after one day I was fired with no explanation except, “This just isn’t right.”

I encourage you to take time to think about things. He who is hasty always ends up unhappy.

To live in victory, each of us must learn to go beyond our feeling. I have learned that I can feel wrong and still choose to do what is right. I have also learned that I don’t have to feel confident to present myself in confident manner. If I make a decision and believe it is right at the time I make it, I don’t have to change my mind later just because I begin to think or feel I might have made a mistake.

I have had times in life when I felt peace in my heart about a direction I was taking and yet my head argued with me. James 1:22 clearly teaches us that reasoning leads us into deception and betrayal/ When we change our mind about a decision we have made, it should be because we have lost our peace about the direction we intended to take or have gained some wisdom or insight that we did not previously.

If our hearts are sincere and we are honestly seeking God’s will, even if we do make mistake, He will intervene and get us back on track. Quite often, He does it without us even knowing.

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. You will never succeed without making mistakes and possibly many of them. Learn to separate your “who” from your “do”. Making mistakes is something we do as human beings, but we are still God’s children and He has good plan for our lives.

In Joshua 25:15 we see Joshua make a decision. He says, “Choose you this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Joshua made up his mind and nobody was going to change it. He dint make his decision based on what others did. He refused to live under the fear of man. If you make a decision don’t allow yourself to become doubtful just because someone else is not doing what you are doing. Don’t assume you are worng and need to change. Perhaps bopth of you are right. God leads different people to do different things for reasons that only He knows. Don’t ever make a decision based on your age.

“If the job was right for me, God would give it to me, and since He didn’t, He must have something better in mind for me”

Aggressively expect good things! Ask God to give you divine supernatural favor and then expect to see it in your life, daily.

Trust doesn’t just appear in our lives, but it grows as we take steps of faith and experience God’s faithfulness.

If you will do what you can, then God can do what you cannot.

When you do feel you need to say no, you don’t have to give a reason why. So often people want us to justify our decisions and we really don’t need to do that. I try to be led by God’s Spirit—or another way of saying it is I try to be led by my heart—and sometimes I don’t even fully understand why I don’t feel something isn’t right for me. But I have learned if I do feel that way I am not going to go against my own conscience in order to have everyone happy with me. I often say, “I just don’t have peace about it” or “ I don’t feel right about it, “ or even a plain old” I don’t want to” is sufficient. There is nothing wrong with giving a reason if you have one but I think we go overboard in trying to ecplain ourselves sometimes. If an offended person doesn’t want to understand, they are never going to no matter how many reasons you give. Follow your heart and keep your peace. Say “no” when you need to and say “yes” when you should.

You can only be a confident women once you remove fear and worry from your life and it starts with rayer. Prayer opens the door for God to get involved and meet our needs.

Confidence believes that all things will work out together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

When I think of what boldness looks like on someone, I think of someone who is daring, courageous, brave, and fearless.

Take each compliment that you receive as rose and at the end of the day take the entire bouquet and offer it back to God, knowing that it came from Him.Jeremiah got the same speech as Joshua got. Don’t look at your circumstances : just remember that I am with you and that is all you need.

If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been. If David had run from Goliath he would never have been King of Israel. He was anointed by God to be king twenty years before he wore the crown. During those years he faced his giants and proved that he had the tenacity to endure difficulty without quitting.

Even quitting when you know you should keep going will bother your conscience. God did not give us Holy Spirit so we be in bondage to fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.

Did you know the Holy Spirit is called the Encourager? The Greek word parakletos is translated as the word Holy Spirit and includes comfort, edification, and encouragement as part of its definition. Throught the Holy Spirit, Jesus sent us a Comforter, a Helper, a Strengthener, an Edifier, and an Encourager and He sent Him to be in close fellowship with us. He lives inside of those who are believers in Jesus Christ, and you cannot get much closer than that.

Hebrews 5:7(ICB)

" While Jesus lived on earth, he prayed to God and asked God for help. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death. And His prayer was heard because he left it all up to God. "=)

(International Children's Bible)

My Resume

Have you ever needed a job, but every employment ad you read asked for someone with experience? You wanted a job but did not have any experience, and it frusfrated you. I have been in that situation, and I remember thinking, "How can I get experience if nobody will give me a job?"

Even Jesus gained experience through the things He suffered : Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered
And, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him(Hebrews 5:8-9)

How could I be writing this book right now if I had not gone through some difficult things and gained some valuable experience? How could I teach others how to forgive those who have hurt them if I had not first had the experience of forgiving those who hurt me?

(Approval Addiction, Joyce Meyer)

I was just pondering on this two verses yesterday while I was reading it.

What made Jesus perfectly equipped to do what He was called to do?It was His completed experience.

Jesus completed experience = learned[active, special] obedience through what He suffered
Then this thought occur to me.
Was someone without Jesus experiencing a trial and a believer going thru the same thing going on the same road.

It's like when you are applying for a job. The employer looks at the resume.
When Jesus looks at the non believer, he does not see the experience. But when He looks at the one with Jesus, He sees the years of experience and the requirements necessary. Some are longer and some are shorter but in His eyes, it does not matter. He already marked you for the position He has called you to. He is just waiting for the resume to be filled up in His time.

Was Joyce Meyer's sexual abuse an experience for Jesus?How about Pastor's Prince's fear of public an experience? How about Pastor Chin when he had to repeat His poly and the shame he had to endure. The poverty that he had to go thru.
It became an experience in Jesus eyes when they allow Him to come into their lives.
People of the world had nothing to obey when they go thru their trials.

But we children of God could actively take God's word into obedience and apply it into our situation.
Did God come thru for them. Yes He surely did.
It seem at that moment it was a "suffering" but Jesus was in the process of completing the work in them.

Take for example, you try hard to quit a habit. It was a "suffering" for you then. But you learned obedience by applying His Word into your situation. And you became complete in that experience.
2 Tim 3 :16, 17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in rigtheousness,
that a man of God may be perfect, throughly unto all good works.

When did Joyce Meyer became equipped in the call that God has called her to. When she has completed her experience in the area that has held her bondage. For her it was the freedom from shame, guilt, fear that was caused by her dad's abuse towards her
That happen when she applied the Word for her situation.
It wouldn't make sense to see her preaching and bringing the Word alive to you today when she is still in her emotional state of shame and guilt.

Jesus experience on this earth was by what He suffered thru obedience so that He could understand what you and I go thru today.
Your experience counts. It's recorded in the resume that Jesus keeps.
What you have learned will be experience He uses to fulfill the call in your life.

God's beloved, each day is an experience in God's eye =) Your problem today is not in vain. He records it carefully like how you would record your experience in your resume. And it IS for a purpose He is calling you to!=)

Jesus loves you!=D

How do we proof that the Holy spirit (really) lives in us =)

1 John 3:24
(ICB) The person who obeys God's commands lives in God. And God lives in him. How do we know that God lives in us? We know because of the Spirit whom God gave us.
(Amplified) All who keep His commandments[who obey His orders and follow His plan, live and continue to live, to stay and] abide in Him, and He in them. [They let Christ be a home to them and they are the home of Chirst] And by this we know and understand and have the proof that He [really] lives and makes His home in us : by the [Holy] Spirit Whom He has given us.

Keep the change...

Somethings I do lately...

Board a cab from home to station 1) when it's drizzing or raining 2)when I've a luggage with me
and let the uncle keep the change/give "tips".

Previously, I used to pray for the rain to stop so that I dun have to get drench or even pay for the cab fees. And the luggage...I can do without a cab, after all I've a roller...=)

Then this thought just occur to me. Hey it's a good way to bless the cab uncle. After all, most of them are usually retired, a bread-winner or is working the extra shift to provide for their family. One thing I know for sure is, it's not an easy job when one would have to sit a long hours under the scorching sun or even to wake up at wee hours to pick up those who have missed their public transportation.That's you and me=) How little we have truly appreciated them at times.

There are days I do look forward to rainy days so that I can catch a cab=)
After all a short trip wont cost me much. It's a good way to have a conversation with a "stranger" I otherwise dun do in the streets. Hee. It's a good way to sow love into their lives.

I'm sure you've encountered times when you ask the uncle to keep the change.

Was there a different response with the ones you paid the exact amount and the ones you ask them to keep the change?
The former would most likely respond with a word of "thank you" or maybe not. After all they deserve it.

How about the ones you paid the extra?
They accepted the gift(the extras) with gratefulness. A loud thank you.
I especially love to see the smile on their face.

Who knows, your little can mean so much to them. It shows them that someone still cares about them .It can be a point of salvation for them as you shared and he was touched by your act.

I did ask the Lord why and what I expect when I sow in this area. I remember Pastor Chin once said. If you are trusting God for a breakthough in your finances for your wedding, sow into people's wedding. For a car, sow into people's car and so on.

How about to a cab fare?=) All I knew that I was blessing the uncle but how about on my part. What would I be able to believe God for as I do. It's not wrong to expect God to bless you when you sow or tithe to the Lord like what Pastor Prince once said.
We tithe in faith expecting a harvest of blessing.

I never did got the answer for my cab until what He reminded me today=)

On thurs, I attended bible study before I toke the night bus home. During dinner, an uncle came up to me to give me a love gift. Initially, I rejected. The usual auto respond. I thought to myself then, hey it's a gift I should learn to receive it. Even my cab uncle knows how to accept it =) I told my fren later, "My transport money"=)
Little did it occur to me then, this was the blessing I receive when I sowed into my cab fees.
Good deal Abba...=)And not only that I had someone to send me to the station. Doubly blessed.
I had wanted to sit thru the entire sermon and I manage to. Left five mins later than the time I had planned. It was awesome sermon (we always have the best) by Rev Joe Purcell.A good dose for me before I left.

Pastor Lawrence preached in DARE last sat about sowing our time in church.
One thing that he said that really strucked me was, "I will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER apologize to anyone, to any parents for allowing their children to come to church.I'm doing them a favor."
He said that you need to have a revelation on why you come to church. He has time and time again seen those whohad taken their time to church and are so blessed.

I know of someone who attends Bible Study twice even in the midst of her A-Levels. I was actually more worried for her than she was. Is she neglecting her own studies? I was feeling a bit apologetic. But when her results came out and she message me, I almost cried. She scored 3A's and 1B.

A leader did a "calculation" lately. If you have 16 hours in a day to study minus your sleeping hours, is two hours too much for the Lord. Will you not spend these two hours in front of the tv or even on the internet. Hmm. Something to think about.There is of course a place and time for everything. The Lord said be according to your faith. Ask the Lord to give you a revelation in the area you are believing Him for.

God is pleased with Faith. He is a God of Faith.
Lead a life of faith and see Him work!
Sow into His kingdom and reap bountifully!

Believe in His faithfulness

I woke up this morning at three plus. I usually don’t have the habit to or even if I did I could easily fall back to sleep. This time was a bit different, I was unusually feeling awake and fresh. I toss and turn on my bed so many times trying so hard to sleep but simply couldn’t.

I asked the Lord then, “Do you have something for me?”. The many times He had spoken to me usually happen during these hours. I hear no word from him. I went to the net( I rarely do or dun in btw sleep;)) and check my mail. Log into multiply for new post.

Not many. One of it was a post by Jayden about the movie 300 he had just watched and how he related it to the story of Gideon. After that, I went back to my bed still feeling fresh, I toke hold of a book by Reidhard Bonke and just randomly open it. The first page I open up to was with the subtitle Gideon! Never in my wildest imagination would I have expected it. I quickly scan my eyes in that short passage for the number 300. Hee. And there really was. God really have a sense of humour. It’s like a game to me. I had a good read on it. Will be sharing to you guys.

I did asked the Lord again to help me to go back to sleep and He did=) In my sleep, I even dreamt of my dog. Ha~Miss him so much.

After the death of Joshua, very few ever saw a miracle until Christ came, except under Elijah and Elisha. In fact, very little happen that was supernatural. Yet men and women displayed amazing faith. Jesus spoke of them and said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed” (John 20:29). David for example never saw a miracle, and had only sketchiest experience of the supernatural, yet he went away in that total help of Divine help. Today, 3,000 years later, his faith is still a model for us.

Gideon

The book of Judges talks about Gideon. He has heard the great thing that God had done when He brought His people out of the bondage of Egypt. He wanted to see the same God at work. He believed that the mighty arm two centuries had not lost it’s strength. God honored his faith. The story of Gideon tells how a great triumph came about without human prowess and power. Again, God delivered little Israel, as He delivered them before from Egypt. Gideon rightly asked, “Where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about?” (Judges 6:13). God showed him! He chose 300 men without a sword among them. Through them the largest army of desert people ever mustered in those days panicked and fled, so soundly defeated they never recovered to invade Israel again. Gideon only knew God from the past until then.

We see hear that Gideon was a man who has heard of God’s miracle but had never experience it before. He ASK the Lord for it. And the Lord honored his faith.

If you read on in the six chapter of Judges, you’ll see that Gideon family was among the weakest. Not only that, he was the LEAST important. That’s the lowest you can get. Directly after that verse the Lord assured Gideon, “I will be with you”.

I love the example given about David. He never saw a miracle or even had a Bible then with him. Yet he believed. God honored His faith.

David believed in what God had done for him in killing the bear & the lion.  Gideon believed in what the Lord had done for His ancestors. One was experiential, the other was knowledge. We have both today. His experience in our lives after we receive Him, and the written Word.

What both of them have in common was their Faith in God and knowing that the Lord was with them.

What made Joseph different from the rest of the slaves? Why was He promoted?

It was simply because the Lord was with Joseph and he believed in it(Gen39:2)

If you are expecting a miracle now from God for what may seem like a hopeless situation, believe in His faithfulness. He was faithful to David, Gideon, Abraham and many great man of God. Will He not do the same for you=)

Just believe. The Lord IS with you.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed” (John 20:29)

Characteristics of a Server/Leader from the story of David

I read this entry from one of my fren's blog and I thought that the way he brought across the qualities of a leader from the story of David was simply beautiful. Hope you will be blessed by it too! =)
God revealed to me this revelation abt characteristics of a server/leader in the house of God. In this story, Saul was distressed and he asked his servant to seek a man who can play music and minister to him.. The unnamed servant spoke of the son of Jesse (David) and described him in 1 Sam 16:18 => Then one of the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him."
And this is the revelation:
1 Sam 16:18
A servant's description of David => Speaks of man's opinions of a server/leader
skillful in playing
- speaks of giftings and abilities
- speaks of faithfulness => skillfulness comes from faithfulness
- speaks of worship => David's worship to the Lord became a ministering unto the pple
mighty man of valor
- strong
- efficient
- wealthy => rich in the spirit
- brave
- honorable
man of war
- champion
- experienced in war
- fought and won personal battles
prudent in speech (matters/business)
- careful with words esp in leadership/sheep sharing
- prudent at work and general affairs of life
- understanding and discerning
handsome
- comeliness, proper
- glorious
- marked/drawn out using a line
- full of the Lord's favor
the Lord is with him
- brings the presence of God to the pple or into his circumstances
- Yahweh is with him => YHWH: Hands of grace, nailed in grace => brings a consciousness of the finished work
However, God usually doesn't stop at 6 (number for Man) but at 7 (number of rest/perfection). Man's opinions matter, yet the most impt is God's opinion... So in 1 Sam 13, even before the servant described David, God already gave his description of David and this is repeated in Acts 13:22... 1 Sam 13:4 => ...The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people,... and Acts 13:22 =>... He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'

1 Sam 13:14 / Acts 13:22
God's description of David => Speaks of God's opinion of a server/leader
man after God's own heart (broken down word by word with Hebrew meaning)
- man: (Heb: Ish)  man
- after: (Heb: Ka-tah) down from & through out (speaks of humility), according to & along with(God's will), toward (always moving close to God's heart) 
- own: (Heb: Moo) my (emphatic) ie. God's OWN heart
- heart (in OT) : (Heb: Lebab) inner man, conscience, soul, mind, heart, seat of appetite and emotions and passion
- heart (in NT) : (Grk: Cardia) the physical organ, center of physical and spiritual activities, soul, mind, heart, intentions/purposes, intelligence, will & character
man after God's own heart (in summary)
- an ordinary man who is humble before the Lord, always seeking and moving toward the very depth of His heart (Lebab)- All that He is, His emotions, passion, conscience, soul, thoughts, wisdom, intentions, purposes etc. passion
- a man who seeks after God's heart (Cardia), His physical heart which was the broken heart of Jesus, for His heart was broken at the Cross because of His love for the world and for the church.

In reply:

Thanks again for sharing His truths to us =D I'm always so blessed by it.
You know it's interesting that my brother text me last night to read on 1 Samuel 17 on the story of David in His battle with Goliath =)

It was after David was chosen, appointed and raised to be the leader that God gave Him this Goliath to conquer. A blessing to take home. When we are face with an unsurmountable mountain, it is because He feels that we are ready for it. He knew better that we are more than able to conquer it, and they are bread for us.
It's interesting to note too that the man Samuel looks for to appoint is not by his appearance or stature but thru the heart of a person(1 Samuel 16:7)..."Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart."
He found david because His heart was of His own =)

Re : How do I guard my heart?

Thanks to Shlomoh for expounding more on this truth. It is so clearly define and whatever he has said is indeed wisdom in it self. I hope you guys will be blessed too by what the Lord had shown him five years ago when he ask the same question, "How do I guard my heart?" =)
In reply to my previous post :
Yes. The meaning of guarding in it's native form are

- To prevent anything harmful from entering. In the context that you mentioned, it would be to prevent thoughts that are not according to the Word of God, or prevent thoughts that make you not the person what the bible says you are. or prevent thoughts that doesn't build faith but gives in to fear.

- To watch over so as to prevent escape of good things that you should be keeping. Again, in the context that you mentioned earlier, it would be we must keep thinking of good things (not being positive here) but what I meant is to keep thinking of the truth. The kind of truth that the bible talks about and the same truths that the Holy Spirit leads you to.

You might be interested in Philippians 4:4-9 (NIV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Verse 4 to 6 is the answer to your original question. However, Apostle Paul added the word 'Finally' in the beginning of verse 8 to suggest something he wanted to add on. Verse 8 is all about thinking about things that is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, ... ...

Guard your thought life. Because most emotions started with a thought and it was then transferred to the heart and kept in the heart and then out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth confesses. So generally from what people are saying, you do know what they were thinking.

Anyway, I too ask this question about 5 years ago. How do I like verse 8 says, keep thinking of the good things? The answer is (as much as possible) to be around with people and in an environment that promotes those thoughts and feelings. So I like to be around certain people. =) Certain people whose talking promotes good thoughts.

Shalom.
Shlomoh

Right after I post this, I went to my room and reach out for a book under my shelf. I realised that I actually took out a different book from the one I wanted. Randonly I flip it and it was the chapter on having peace in our hearts! Here's a few to bless you with =)

"...Instead of getting upset and responding emotionally, we should keep out eyes on God and seek His peace in all circumstances. That's why Isaiah said God would keep us in perfect peace if we would keep our minds on Him (Isaiah 26:3)

 And Jesus said, In me ye...have peace(John16:33)

"If peace be in the heart," wrote Charles Francis Richardson, "the wildest winter storm is full of solemn beauty, the midnight flash but shows the path of duty, each living creature tells some new and joyous story, the very trees and stones all catch a ray of glory, if peace be in the heart"..."

Don Clowers

You, Lord, give true peace.

You give peace to those who depend on you.

You give peace to those who trust you.

Isaiah 26:3(ICB)

I used to wonder how does peace comes. Do I take a slower breath? =) Tell myself not to worry? Stay calm. Or simply not be in a hurry. Or even stay out of stressful situation.

But true peace comes like how Isaiah says it is when our minds are on Him. It's when we wholely depend and trust in Him to take care of our needs =) Selah.

How do I guard my heart?

Pastor Prince preached yesterday on learning to live a life of Rest that first begins in our thought life. I came home asking the Lord one of the thing he mention—to guard our hearts above all else even before our family, finances, studies…If it was important to the Lord for us, I wanted to know how. But how do I guard my heart? =) How do I “shield” it. It came in as a confirmation when I flip open one of my book yesterday and the verse pop out =)

Pro 4:23  Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues(source) of life.

Preceding the verse, it says to keep His Word in the midst/center of our hearts.

How does that help us to guard?

I picture a heart with two channels. One was the in-flow and the other the out-flow. What goes in is blood. Just caught this=)….Blood is life and in vs 22 it says the Word is life! Without blood there is no life. Without the Word in your life there is no zoe life. The fountain of life that springs forth in your life is the result of what goes in.

But what/where is the heart in the context of the Bible. Is it a separate thing from our thoughts, or is part of our thoughts?

The meaning of heart here in the Hebrew is our will, mind, and emotions. And so is our soul. Heart=soul.

And when we accept Him as our Savior, He gives to us a new heart (Ezekiel 35:26) It’s like a surgeon doing a heart transplant. It’s not something you can do by yourself. But when he has given you a new heart, it’s your responsibility to keep it healthy not the surgeon. That’s when the Lord instruct us to not let our hearts be troubled because in the natural when our heart is in trouble, our organs in our body are affected as well. Our life is at risk. Ask any doctor and they would be more than willing to tell you=)

Your entire system can collapse when your heart is not functioning well.

Likewise the things surrounding us—our family, studies, relationships.

What you allow to come into your heart will affect what comes out. If you feed on destructive thoughts, you will probably reap a life of defeat. If you feed on condemnation, you’ll be living a life of guilt. If you feed on unwholesome materials, you will end up being what you see or hear. Your heart reflects you like water reflects your face(Prov 27:19)

Guarding our hearts simply means to take every thoughts, will and emotions to the obedience of Christ. You have a choice. For example, you can let go of the relationship that you think has been destructive in your life. You may say that it’s impossible. But imagine you saw a pretty gal in your class and you are attracted to her. But the next moment you saw her behind your class shouting foul language at her brother. Does letting go of your emotions now seems like the hardest thing. That’s because our thought affects our feelings. Likewise, in any area. You may ask, how do I know what to think, how do I know if this is the will of God. But have you first keep His Word in you heart. You can’t guard your organs or the hairs on your hair from dropping! =) But you can surely let not your heart be stress. Guard this one thing, your heart, and He’ll take care of the rest =)

Your heart is like a treasure box. In it you keep the most precious and dear things to you. You do not want to put old newspaper or even dirty socks in it. You store the things that are most valuable and precious to you. You guard it because it’s something valuable to you. Treat your heart like a jewel. Because you are one=)

Grace IS with us!

His grace in our fears

"Not confronting our fears denies the grace of God and insult both the giving of the gift and his grace to sustain us as we are learning"

Dr. John Townsend

Read your Bible in just 30days!=)

"It takes approximately 56hours to read the Bible through completely. If you read 40chapters a day, you will complete the Bible within 30days. If you read nine chapters a day in the New Testament, you will finish reading the New Testament within 30days."

Mike Muridoch

When I first read this I thought, "Wow that sounds more simple or achievable than I thought so"=)What may seem like a year or two years plan can be accomplished in a month. That's really acceleration!Heh~
I dunno about you but I've always wanted to read through the Bible. Did it once before with my bro and it toke us a year plus and I never try it again. Hehe.

So yesterday I vowed to take the steps to do it. I open up my Bible from Genesis and started counting 40chapters each. And also to convince myself that it's really a short 30days=)
I gathered and wrote down the books and chapter from Day1 to Day30 that I had to go through. Realising in the midst of it, that it may be my first time flipping thru all the pages of this Bible. Hearing the rustling sound of the pages.Ha.
Soon iI'll be reading them. I'll let you know how it feels like and what I've learn after 30days=)Maybe you can join me along too yeah?

Someone once said, if you want to accomplish a goal, you have to write them down.

Write down what I show you. Write it clearly on stone tablets so whoever reads it can run to tell others

Habakkuk 2:2(ICB)

"What makes a person wise is understanding what to do..." Prov 14:8

"...And understanding begins with knowing the Holy One" Prov 9:10

Day 1 Genesis 1 - Genesis 40
Day 2 Genesis 41 - Exodus 30
Day 3 Exodus 31 - Numbers 3
Day 4 Numbers 4 - Deut 7
Day 5 Deut 8 - Joshua 12
Day 6 Joshua 13 - Judges - Ruth - 1Sam 3
Day 7 1Sam 4 - 2Sam 2
Day 8 2Sam 13 - 1Kings 18
Day 9 1Kings 19 - 2Kings - 1Chronicles 11
Day 10 1Chronicles 12 - 2Chronicles 22
Day 11 2Chronicles 23 - Ezra - Nehemiah - Esteh
Day 12 Esther 4 - Job 33
Day 13 Job 34 - Psalms 31
Day 14 Psalms 32 - Psalms 71
Day 15 Psalms 72 - Psalms 111
Day 16 Psalms 112 - Proverbs 1
Day 17 Proverbs 1 - Proverbs 31 - Ecc 9
Day 18 Ecc 10 - Songs of Solomon - Isaiah 30
Day 19 - Isaiah 31 - Jeremiah 4
Day 20 Jeremiah 5 - Jeremiah 44
Day 21 Jeremiah 45 - Lamentation - Ezekiel 27
Day 22 Ezekiel 28 - Daniel - Hosea 7
Day 23 Hosea 8 - Joel 3
Day 24 Amos 1 - Obadiah - Jonah - Micah - Nahum
Habakkuk - Zeph - Haggai - Zechariah
Day 25 Zech 9 - Malachi - Matthew - Mark 2
Day 26 Mark 3 - John 1
Day 27 John 2 - Acts 20
Day 28 Acts 21 - Romans - 1Corinthians 15
Day 29 1Cor 16 - 2Cor - Galations - Ephesians
Philipians - Collosians - 1Thessalonians - 2Thes 1
Day 30 2Thes 2 - 1Timothy - 2Timothy - Titus
Philemon - Hebrews - James - 1Peter - 2Peter 2
Day 31 1 John 1 - 2 John - 3John - Revelation 22

"My son, remember what I say. Treasure my commands. Remind yourself of them, write them down in your mind as if on a tablet "

Proverbs 7:1,3

The Cracked Pot

I found this beautiful illustration as I was looking for a crack pot picture=)

A water carrier in India had two large pots, each hung on the ends
of a pole which he carried across his neck.
One of these pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect
and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house,
the cracked pot arrived only half full.
.
For a full two years this went on daily,
with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to the house.
.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments,
perfect for which it was made.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfections,
and miserable that it was able to accomplish
only half of what it had been made to do.
.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure,
it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.
"I am ashamed of myself and want to apologize to you.
I have been able to only deliver half my load because
this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way
back to your house. Because of my flaws,
you have to do all this work,
and you don't get full value from your efforts, " the pot said.
.
The bearer said to the pot,
"Did you notice that there are flowers only on your side of the path,
but not the other pot's side?"
That's because I have always known about
your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path,
and every day while we walk back, you've watered them.
For two years I have been able to pick
these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."