What Are You Talking About? Does It Matter?

POWER THOUGHT: What Are You Talking About? It Does Matter! Scripture: Psalms 35:27 & 28 “Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.” In the Book of Judges, Chapter 6, there is a powerful story of a man named Gideon. His life and that of his family, and even broader than that, the children of Israel are about to be changed. But first God had to change this man’s very poor self- image so that His will could be performed. Gideon had to be willing. Here was a man threshing wheat by the winepress, trying to survive, while hiding from his enemies. Gideon's experiences had taught him that every time he would sow something and produce crops, his enemies would come and steal from him. But, when his people began to cry out to God for answers, something wonderful happened. In essence, the Lord said that He had brought them up from Egypt and out of the house of bondage. He told them He had delivered them out of the hands of all who oppressed them and, not only that, but He gave them their land. He also told them, I am the Lord, your God. (God is interested in you as an individual!) Do not fear their gods in whose land you dwell, but you have not obeyed my voice. What was God saying? I had a great plan for you . . . but you forgot and chose another direction. In verse 12, it says, “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Gideon, in shock that someone thought that highly of him said, "0h my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles, which our Fathers told us about saying, did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now He has forsaken us and delivered us into their hands.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites, have I not sent you?” So Gideon said to the Lord, “How can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my Father's house.” Can you relate to some of the questions that Gideon asked God? Let’s look at some powerful truths: 1. God brought the children of Israel out of bondage to bring them into something great. When they took their eyes off of God-and quit talking about His greatness and all that He had done for them and was planning to do, they began to fear and fell captive to their enemies. Fear leads to a feeling of despair that then leads to questioning the faithfulness of God. God had to get Gideon to see himself in the light of who He was and what His purposes were for him. That is why God addressed him as "a mighty man of valor" when, in essence, Gideon, at that time, was anything but a man of valor. He was literally hiding himself from his enemies. He was living in fear. Gideon basically said to God, “Do you realize who you are talking to? Don't you know, God, there is not anyone who has any respect for our family. We are the least in the city?” In verse 24, after God had convinced Gideon he was a mighty man of valor, it says that Gideon built an altar and called it, “The Lord is Peace.” He then became what God declared him to be when he accepted and declared who God was to him. 4. The exciting principle here for everyone who puts their faith and trust in God is that peace and prosperity are God's ideas. The literal meaning in Hebrew for these two words, peace and prosperity, both in the Old Testament and New Testament, is Shalom. Take this to heart today - Shalom means the following: To be made safe in mind, body or estate To be complete To make restitution and restoration To fare well - to be prosperous and whole! As our leading scripture so clearly affirms, if you will favor God's righteous cause, which has so much to do with your conversation, the Lord will be magnified. As you go about the Father’s business growing in the knowledge of His intentions that He has established in His Word, prosperity and peace will be the outworking of this lifestyle which gives the Father much pleasure! That is how you (Let) the Lord be magnified. He is a God of restoration of that which has been lost. 5. Gideon had to destroy the altars of Baal that his family had set up before God could give him victory. Did you know that one of the big mindsets today that can hinder you fulfilling your dream is unbelief? Doubting the goodness of God is unbelief. Everyone believes in something or someone. Check out who or what your confidence is in. Words like, "My family never has had anything. It won't change now or, where I live there are no opportunities or, no one believes in God like that, and I don’t suppose I can expect a promotion this year?” etc. etc. Are all self-inflicting words that bring defeat, despair and open the door for lack to come into your life. Gideon had a choice to stay with the “same old image” or go with God’s image. The same choice is yours. Apply that truth to your situations in life and watch out! Realize that if “what you have been talking about” is not what God has to say about you or your situations, now is the time to begin speaking of His righteousness and all He has planned for you through faith in His Word! And it shall come to pass! Decide today to become a mighty man or woman of valor. This means to become a person of virtue, a person of strength, of might, of power, riches and substance. Decide to agree with God! Start today. That is God’s plan for you!

New 37 Week Series, Power Thoughts to bring power into your daily life , each week you will receive a new teaching.

POWER THOUGHT: Power Thoughts for Triumphant Living is a compilation of words of encouragement given by the Holy Spirit through prayer, study and seeking His wisdom. Early in my Christian walk, I accepted the truth about what the Bible says in Hebrews 12:2 “That we are to look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” It is Jesus who said, “Take no thought by saying, what shall we eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear? In other words, do not give power to your thoughts by saying statements that question God’s ability or desire to provide, because these are the very issues that send individuals into a tailspin and scrambling in their daily life. He also said, “Take care what you listen to and how you listen,” because words are so very important! Power Thoughts for Triumphant Living has been written to encourage the reader to take the Lord Jesus Christ at His Word and to put their confident trust in Him. The way to do this is to accept and declare His promises because the words spoken become seeds planted that will spring up to new life, a good life! James, Jesus’ brother, says our tongue can set the course of hell in our lives, or guide us as a rudder is used to guide a big ship to its destination. We make the choice by how we use our tongue! It is of utmost important for individuals to realize also that there is a cycle of time from the planting of a seed until the harvest. The space of time between the Yes, I agree with your promises (seed) and the Amen, the answer is here, is a span of time where circumstances, relationships, life itself are conforming to the power of the spoken word that originated with our thoughts. Power Thoughts for Triumphant Living is also based on the fact that what you think you will ultimately become. In order for your life to become triumphant, you have been given the choice to exchange negative thoughts for positive thoughts. My experiences have been that the Word of God is a life giving force based on the life of the author of our faith, Jesus Christ, who said the words I speak are spirit and life. Again, in this truth, the “law of opposites” must be considered that the words you speak are both spirit and life or spirit and death. My prayer is that as you read and consider the power thoughts in these weekly teachings, you will experience in a greater way than ever before the abundant life Jesus promised!