Life - Liberty - Happiness can be yours!

POWER THOUGHT:

LIFE - LIBERTY - HAPPINESS CAN BE YOURS!

Scripture:  Psalms 1: 1-2 (Amplified)

“Blessed, happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly (following their advice, plans and purposes nor stands submissive and inactive) in the path where sinners walk nor sits down (to relax and rest) where the scornful and mockers gather.”

Who would not desire to experience being blessed, happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable?  In Psalms 1 God gives us a plan that will bring this into our reality as we meditate on His wisdom!

Also, Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address said:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights to life, liberty and happiness!”

Our Scripture focuses our attention on the man or woman who will put God’s word first so they will be in a position to enjoy the benefits of the blessed life God has in store for them.

Being aware that you are here on earth at this time in history, no longer by the will of man, but the will of God, can activate your faith so that God’s plans can be realized.  John 1:12-13 says: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God!”

Meditating on that alone until it becomes real to you that you are chosen by God to be His child and, to repeat a phrase spoken by someone years ago, “And God don’t make no junk,” will help you to have faith that God has great things in store for you!

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago….” Ephesians 2:10 NLT.

Also Psalms 1:2 illuminates how we get there!  “But his delight and desires are in the Law (the Word) of the Lord and on His law (the precepts, the instruction and the teachings of God) he habitually meditates, ponders and studies by day and by night.”

The word “meditate” is very impacting when we understand that it is more than reading a Scripture or hearing a Scripture perhaps being taught or preached on. To realize the power God wants the Word to have in our lives He wants us to meditate, which means to muse, to ponder, to consider and study closely.  We draw inner wisdom and strength when we think on the Word again and again and allow it to become part of our inner man.

I remember as a teenager there were different genres of music that I loved to hear and sing.  Do you know after singing along with the music over a period of time it became second nature to me.  I knew every word, every pause and the rhythm as soon as the song started playing.

That is how God would have us to be with His Word.  Meditating on it and musing or thinking about what it says and means will cause it to become second nature to us so that we can live in the good of it.

Then the result of focusing on what God has to say about our life and situations when conversation or communication that is contrary to what God says about it arises, you will be well versed as to whether it fits the criteria of Psalms 1:1 “Blessed, happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable!”  Those are the ultimate goals God has in mind for you, your family, your nation, etc.  Being fully persuaded, which is one of the meanings of faith, equips you to be able to make quality decisions.

For instance, are you feeling unhappy?  Who have you been spending time with?  Jesus said, “I came to give you life and give it to you in a more abundant way.”  Changing your focus from situations that foster negative emotions to what our Savior said His mission was can cleanse your thought processes so you are drawing from your meditation on the Word and the truth becomes activated in your life.

2 Timothy 3:16-17.  “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

When we find ourselves experiencing lack in any area of life, I have heard it said, it is caused by a lack in wisdom.  As we seek God’s direction, He will put people in our path that have experienced success in the area we need help with.  I love the Scripture in Proverbs 11:14 “Where no advice is, the people fail; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety, {victory and wisdom}”

Again, being mindful of where your counsel and advice is coming from is important in having the success in life that God intends.

One of the main areas that we must be mindful of is information, advertisements and pictures that come to us through Media.  What is broadcast may be factual in the natural world, but not necessarily the truth in God’s economy!

Envying others?  Envying is a strong feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s qualities, possessions or perceived luck.  God wants us to be so aware that He created us for His pleasure and has opportunities for us that only we can fulfill through seeking His wisdom will keep you from feeling let down or left out when others seem to be having an advantage.  Stay in faith that you are special to Him and that is the way to let go of discontentment or resentfulness!

When we use our faith to acknowledge that we are actually His workmanship created for good works to walk in, this can open channels for us to live the life Jesus paid for us to experience.

Jesus said His purpose for coming to earth was to give us life and give it to us in a more abundant way.  Life in this Scripture means:  the state of one who is possessed of vitality, a fountain of intelligence, a life active and vigorous devoted to God, blessed even in this world with every kind of blessing of those who put their trust in Christ! 

This Scripture says every blessing paid for by Christ belongs to you and the more you put your trust in Christ through knowledge of what He has done, the more faith is released to receive it!

Galatians 5:1 says:  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (or bondage).”

True happiness and liberty comes through us spending time with the Lord and asking Him to reveal who we are because He lives in us.

In order to be happy, it is important to realize that success in life is a journey, not a destination. 

Each day is a gift.  We can realize true life, liberty and happiness when we focus on delighting ourselves in our Creator.  We do this by sharing and talking with Him, praying and petitioning Him according to His Word and expecting with great faith that answers are on their way.

As Abraham Lincoln said, “God has given each person a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.” 

Even though he had failed with many setbacks through life, one of his famous quotes was “I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.”  Could he have been speaking of Jesus? 

As we take time to ask ourselves important questions such as: “Is my life going in the direction God desires for me?   Where should I be focusing my attention?  Find out what makes you happy inside, where Christ lives, and begin to let this be your prayer focus and believe that God will help you as you pursue your talent and purpose you were created for because it says in Colossians 1:27 “To them (that includes you) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” 

Also, today be aware as Psalms 1 says: “Of where you walk, where  you sit and relax and who you are listening to,” because you will either move into greatness listening to God’s truths or falter by listening to others’ opinions that may or may not be the truth.

God has blessed us with the ability to make great choices every day that will bring Him glory.  When you know the truth and the Truth Giver, Jesus, the choice is easy because then you can live life in liberty while pursuing the happiness He ordained from the beginning for you to walk in!

As you take time to meditate on this teaching, I pray Life - Liberty and Happiness will become yours more than ever before in Jesus’ Name! Amen.