Perhaps everything hasn’t gone so well in your life in the past. Regardless, of how big our mistakes are, learn from them. We are all human, and all make mistakes. Learn and move on.

A runner starts his race and knows he has somewhere to get to. We need to know where we are going spiritually and physically. Runners also understand that there are obstacles. Obstacles are a part of life. Embrace them don’t run from them. Runners don’t have time to look back. Their race is from that point in front of them. Don’t look back. Keep looking forward. Runners press forward and beat the mind battle.

Our goal is to make it to heaven and help others make heaven their home. Keep striving for that.

Quitting is not an option. Don’t put yourself in a position to where you just quit. Fight for something as if it is already yours. Spend time in prayer. Runners have to realize there is joy in the end. Visualize finishing! Don’t quit!

Christ always stopped and took time for others. Even to those who were his enemies.

Anything that you really want to do, you can do it! If we are going to accomplish anything we can’t get overwhelmed. Lean on others. Remember we are all human!

Luke 13:24 24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Put forth effort to win the goal! Everything in life does not just come easily. Excuses will only hinder us. Our call is arise go and doubt not! Don’t doubt yourself, God will help you. Many are called but few are chosen! Don’t settle to live on the sidelines.

What can we bring? Use what talents god gives you for his glory.

Genesis 22:1-3 & 7 1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 

When god wants you to do something, don’t listen to your doubts. Don’t think about what you haven’t been able to do, but think about what you have been able to do. Life has its challenges but our help is from God.

We must be willing to give up some things. It takes sacrifice to accomplish some things.

We can’t clock out of life. Don’t let devil tell us we can’t, because we can with God’s help. One way to prevent the enemy from winning is to keep a positive attitude! Other people can do it and so can you, with God’s help!

Take the challenge!  Don’t let the past hinder from your future!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” –Dr. Suess

Never give up! It is important to remember that we have one another to lean on.

Galatians 6:9 says: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

We want our actions to be led out of love, and not only responsibility. That being said, it is also important to have a balance in our lives. God does not want us to have an unbalanced life.

We can’t let obstacles in life stop us from knowing when God is with us. When you are going through a hard time, always remember that God will be with you. God always does his part, even if we don’t always see it like he does.

Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.

God is always here for us! If we put God first, he will fill our voids. Be careful when making life decisions, that they don’t take you away from God.

Here is a video to help us remember that like this father’s love for his child, God also loves and strengthens us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMjcMovZxCA&feature=related
We all have dreams, and God can make them happen!

1 Corinthians 10:13 : There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God will help us make it to the finish line. We can go from struggling to thriving with God’s help. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Yn4b9iClE&feature=related
Some Words Of ENCOURAGMENT:

Deuteronomy 31:6 :  Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Zephaniah 3:17 : The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

– We need to allow God to work for us

– The scriptures are an armor we can put on

– Some may need more help than others, but that’s ok! We are all unique.

– God is in our midst

– God wants us to trust him with everything

– Being continually in prayer will help us tremendously when we are going through a hard time.

Matthew 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you

John 14:14 : If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Words that Give PROMISE:

Matthew 11: 28-29 and 30 : Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Warning and Invitation

Matthew Chapter 11 : 28 : Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

-There is a yoke with or without God. Why not choose the easy one?

-The yoke of Christ brings peace.

-In the end, only our relationship with God matters. Not houses, cars, lands, etc.

John 16:33 : These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

-God equals peace

-We can’t be half in, half out, because it won’t work.

HELP CARRY OTHERS BURDENS!

Our class was asked to write what we all thought love was. Here are some of the things that we all feel define LOVE:

-Affectionate bond that involves trust, caring, and well-being of the other.

-Giving thoughts and emotions completely without reservation

-Strong feeling of appreciation, and attraction to someone or something

-Faith and being there

-Treating others how you want to be treated

-Giving time to others

-Being completely committed to someone

-Trusting that person

-Unconditional care

-Patience

-Complete trust

-No sense of fear, and always feeling safe

-Makes you a better person

-Comfortable to be your real self

-Caring for that person, more than you care for yourself

-Wanting the best for them

-Makes you happy

-More than a passing feeling

-Exposing inner self with complete self

-No hesitation of thought of return

-Kind, patient, and committed

-Feelings that your actions show

-Cant toss away

Here is Webster’s definition of LOVE: a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests  

1 John 4:7-8 : 7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

-God is Love

Corinthians 13: 1-13 : 1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Charity means Love.

A Mother’s Love:

-Wants success for child

-Patience

-Will do anything for child’s well-being and happiness

-Devoted

-Unbiased

-Always love you unconditionally

-Dutiful

-Endless job unending sacrifice

We read Proverbs 3:5-6

Then we discussed the thought of completely trusting God for all our needs and just how difficult it is to blindly trust.

Many things go into learning to trust. We must allow God to prove himself to us which takes time. The same holds true with trusting one another, it takes time and proving one another.

Next we had an exercise where we were to walk through a series of obstacles blindfolded with verbal instructions.

Each person in class had an opportunity to take a stab at being the guide and the one who was blindfolded.

Afterwards we discussed what we felt like when we ran into an obstacle our guide was to keep us from doing.

This led into the main lesson of what is required to really trust. (Based off an article Bro Dan had read recently)

Trust has to be based on the truth.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.

We can always TRUST God. God will never lie to us Sometimes it seems like God has failed us, but he hasn’t. It is not enough to only say that we trust God, but we need to prove it by our actions.

Trust in another requires:

– A relationship built on honesty

– That all parties match their words and feelings by their thoughts and actions

– Following  through with something we say we are going to (We keep our promises)

– Remaining devoted to those who are not in our presence (Not running down or allowing others to run down others)

– Exhibit a humble attitude

– Not partial or unfair

– Hold ourselves accountable for our actions

– Just to those who aren’t just with them

– Give people who aren’t respectful, respect (Two wrongs don’t make a right)

We followed up with a discussion around communication; we need to promote good communication and understanding to maintain trust..

Communication is a key in building a strong, healthy relationship. (ever try and have a relationship with someone you never speak too)?

Most importantly it is important to have communication with God.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Faith cannot grow in an atmosphere of doubt. Doubt is a result of our own thinking.

Mark 9:23    Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.

Hebrews 6  ( This whole chapter is good to refer to. Here are are few scriptures. )  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.And this will we do, if God permit.

God cannot help those who refuse to be helped. Do you have something in your life that is challenging? God is saying, “give it to me, let me have it and make it happen.”

If our own thinking is, “By the will God I believe this can happen,” then you leave room for God to work.

Train your mind to leave room for God.

Genesis 6: 5-6  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

It is important to listen to the Holy Spirit. Don’t take the voice of God for granted, or you might find yourself unable to reach God. When you don’t listen to the voice of God you might find yourself in a situation worse than if you had listened to him when he was trying to help you.

The way we think reflects on how we act.

Sin will take you farther than you want to go.

Sin will deceive you and will leave you in a state of “moral bankruptcy.”

Luke 15:11-32  The story of the Prodigal’s Son      

A wicked desire leads us to the “hog pin.” The world will take everything from us and desert us when we have nothing else to offer.

Romans 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Romans 1: 31-32 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

A mental act can be just as bad as a physical act.

We need to be cautious of what we allow our minds to think about, because the devil plants evil thoughts.

Don’t try and justify what you know is sin.

Another important thing to help us be mindful is to be mindful of our days.

Don’t make everything that comes your way negative. Try to see the positive in every situation. If your focus all day is negative, then you will most likely have a negative day.

We need to remember to always look for things to be thankful for.

Philippians 4&8

These are great examples of how to train our minds.

We cannot afford to miss our devotions, meditations, and prayers with God. When we do this it is like we are missing a meal, which then is not healthy for our minds or body.

Guide to good thinking:

1.Pray for the little things, and acknowledge God for the things he has already done for us.

2.Pray about the big things and acknowledge God for those he has already done.

3.Pray and acknowledge God for direction he gives us.

4.Pray even if you don’t feel like it

5.Praise God when you don’t feel like it

Rom. 15:4

Hope is incredibly important in our walk with God. Our ultimate hope is heaven. The devil’s goal is to distract us from it. If we’re in a dark place, if we’re discouraged, we can draw strength from our hope. Losing it means destruction.

When we’re faced with battles, we can grasp hope through reading scriptures and praying. Everyone goes through hard times. If we lose hope during those times, the Devil can easily take advantage of us.

II Cor. 4:6,7

Our treasure is our hope, and we are the earthen vessel.

8-9

Sometimes we’re caught in very tight situations, just as the Israelites were at the Red Sea. They had nowhere to turn – there were impassable mountains on either side, an ocean in front, and the enemy behind. God stepped in and, in His great power, delivered them in a way they would never have thought possible. When we find ourselves faced with nothing but unpleasant alternatives, we need not despair. God didn’t bring us out to be destroyed by the enemy.

I Cor. 10:13

Temptation can be anything that you are drawn to that will weaken your experience with God. Temptation can come in the form of persecution. God can give us victory over every temptation – unless we choose to give in to it, God will give us strength to overcome. He will not forsake us or allow us to be defeated.

Heb.11:1, 25

We can have hope in eternal things, even though we can’t see them. In these scriptures, Moses had hope greater than the immediate. We have to get to the point where what we have is greater than the temptation.

Rom. 8:37-39

When we’re unsure of what direction to take, God’s light will shine through and guide us. Satan will try to get you to believe that God will endorse your will. If we force God to endorse what we want, we risk losing our hope.

How do we know something is the will of God? You will have a clearness – you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt. If there’s hesitation there, it’s probably not the will of God.

Prov. 14:12

If what you’re wanting to do is causing you to try to convince God it’s okay, that’s a sign that the devil is the one putting the idea in your mind.

Exercise and practice all the things you already know. God has given us hope to carry us through, and everything will work out just as He’s planned.

We have the natural desire to connect with God. Genesis 4:26 is the first account of man reaching out to God in prayer. There are times that, without a thought, we call on God in earnest prayer. It could be for our health, it could be in a moment of urgent need, it could be in an hour of desperation. How important is prayer to one who has been saved from sin and if walking in the will of God? A life without prayer is a life independent from God. Without God, we are nothing. Prayer is absolutely necessary for our spiritual survival.

It is a common misconception that asking for help is a sign of weakness, but going to God in prayer is the ultimate sign of strength. Not only does it strengthen and prove our faith, but it strengthens our bond with Christ.

The Bible is full of thoughts regarding prayer.

Philippians 4:8 admonishes us to always have a mind prepared for prayer. Don’t put God on a schedule by only allowing certain times for prayer. Allow that connection with God to remain open throughout the day.

Matthew 6:5-8 reminds us that prayer does not make one any more spiritual than another. Prayer is an intimate conversation with God. God doesn’t receive any glory or honor when you boast about your personal talk with Him.

II Chronicles 7:14 tells us that one of the most important conditions for a successful prayer connection with God is humility. Remember, God is the one in control. Don’t go to Him in prayer demanding that your needs be met. Acknowledge that you are merely the vessel through which He can work His perfect will.

Jeremiah 29:13 offers the most valuable advice: seek God with ALL OF YOUR HEART. Don’t hold back. God already knows everything that you are going through, and He is already working a miracle. But how can He possibly help you if you don’t open up your whole heart to Him?

Prayer is vitally important in remaining connected to God. Our goal as Christians should be making Heaven our home, and helping others get there. Slow down. Be aware of the needs of the people around you. How can you, in prayer, help that soul?