Finding Peace

Peace is...

- following God's purpose for your life
- having the courage to follow His vision, even when no one else understands
- surrounding yourself with a positive network of people who truly support you
- being okay with uncertainty because you know God has your back
- when prayer becomes your default instead of worry

Life becomes much easier when these five elements of peace have been mastered.  It does not mean that trouble stops coming, but it does mean you will react differently when difficult situations arise.  Things that used to break you down to tears will now just cause you to pause, pray and let go.  Those "friends" who encouraged you to drown your sorrows at the bar will be replaced by those who instead offer a listening ear or a Bible verse for encouragement.  It even means recognizing that everything is a choice and that if your circumstances are less than ideal, you do have the ability to change them.  The consequences are not always easy, but if you are following His purpose and vision for your life, you will have victory.

Strive to keep the peace in your life, and do not let anyone steal your joy!

Remember When?

Since it's still January, I imagine many of us are still setting our 2010 goals.  I know I've been immersed in learning about vision boards, making to-do lists, goal-setting, etc.  Earlier this week I sat in on a call where the speaker introduced me to the "Remember When?" game. It wasn't the traditional, "Remember when this event happened 10 years ago?" kind of exercise. Instead, it asks you to remember forward. This is a way to speak life into your goals and relates very well to the last part of Romans 4:17 that says God "...calls things that are not as though they were (NIV)" and Mark 11:24, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (NKJV)."

This is an exercise you can keep in your journal, but I thought it would be good to do some public "reminiscing."  I can't wait to come back in a year to see how many of these "Remember Whens" have already manifested in our lives.

Here are a few from me to get everyone started. Remember, these are related to your future goals, business or otherwise:

- Remember when I made more money my first year back full-time in my business than I ever made in corporate America?

- Remember when I made the cover of Entrepreneur...twice?

- Remember when I paid off all my debt, including those student loans, and never owed more than I could afford to pay again?

So, what do you "remember?"  Is it the first day on your dream job, the celebration you had because your child finally made the honor roll, marrying the man or woman of your dreams, fitting into a size you never thought possible, starting a worldwide ministry, making $1MM after expenses in your business venture, or something else entirely?  Whatever it is, don't be afraid to remember it.  Put those goals out in the universe, push forward and praise God as they come to pass.

Happy remembering!

Day 8: Planned for God's Pleasure

Ok, I know I've been slacking on the Purpose Driven Life posts, but the new year is a good a time as any to get back on track.  Let's pick up with Day 8: Planned for God's Pleasure.  This is also the theme of Week 2 and what Rick Warren calls Purpose #1.  Before we get into the content, I'd like you to think about that.  God takes great pleasure in us being here.  He doesn't get tired of us or cast us aside like an old toy when we become "broken."  As Psalm 149:4a states, "The Lord takes pleasure in his people."  That should be a great feeling, that He loves me no matter what.  Even when I mess up or lack faith or lean unto my own understanding instead of His, God still finds pleasure in me...talk about awesome. 

The rest of the chapter tackles the misconceptions of worship.  This chapter talks about worship being continual - not something you do only at church, not a particular type of style of melody or even a type of song.  We're asked to expand our definition of worship to include everything we do that brings pleasure to God.  This means that we can dedicate even the most mundane tasks to Him, and He will be pleased.  In fact, the question of the day asks us to think about a common task we would start doing if we were doing it directly for Jesus.  For me, I think I could start being better about putting up clean clothes.  Oh, I can wash and dry like nobody's business.  It's the folding and putting up that gets me.  For the new year, I did clean out all the clean clothes from the laundry room...sort of.  All the clothes with hangers went in their respective closets and linen went into its place, but the clothes that needed folding and stacking...not so much.  Instead of sitting in the laundry room, they are now sitting in a basket at the foot of my bed.  Baby steps people...baby steps.  Before I go to bed, I am going to attack at least some of the clothes in that basket.  I may turn on a little Gospel or Christian Contemporary or even have a nice conversation with God/prayer as I put up the clothes. 

What activity will you do to show God glory?

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Remember, I'm still looking for guests on my Blog Talk Radio show. If you're interested, please send an email to livingonpurpose1@gmail.com.