C.A. Perkins

Can you imagine being gathered around the campfire with family and friends and as you laid more wood on the fire a snake came out of the heat and fastened itself on your hand? Paul had such an encounter. In fact, the scripture describes the viper as a venomous beast. What was Paul’s reaction? He shook off the viper and felt no harm.

What would you have done? I suspect most of us would have shaken the beast off but may not have reacted as calmly as I imagine Paul appeared. Those around Paul viewed the attack on Paul as judgment for being an evil man, but they soon changed their mind when they saw that no harm was done. I must take a moment and say that I believe that this happened. It demonstrates to me that our God is mighty and as we live a life of purpose, we can be confident that he knows what it takes for us to conquer our enemies and ignore distractions sent to stop us. Paul was told in Acts 23:11 that he would be a witness in Rome as he was in Jerusalem. Paul was confident. Paul was on an assignment.

When God has given us a vision, we can shake off anything that would hinder us from completing our task. Luke 10:19 reads “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” However, the choice is ours. How are you going to handle the snake of adversity?

Although I believe this account in the book of acts is a historical fact, let us examine this incidence metaphorically. Often as we go about our daily task distractions seem to appear out of nowhere. What do you do with your snake? Some of us make them into our gods. We carry it around with us, make friends with it, panic over it, or hide from it in fear.

In fact, some of us have a collection of venomous beasts that we think are our pets, so we are unwilling to destroy them. They can become our gods or our idols. It could be fears or feelings of inadequacy. Maybe it is a need for acceptance, false responsibility to a friend or loved one. Whatever it is and whatever the root cause, it is important to remember that if God has an assignment for your life he has empowered, you to accomplish your mission and nothing can defeat you. However, you must be willing to shake off the distraction. In 2 Kings 19:18, the children of God were instructed to throw their false gods into the fire because they were not gods. Today is a great day to recognize that whatever comes to hinder your growing momentum, you can shake it off. Throw it back into the fire and watch it burn.

Scripture References:

Acts 23:11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

Acts 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

2 Kings 19:18 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

Isaiah 37:19 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

Are you living God’s highest best for your life? Historically, we think of individuals that are newsworthy such as Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelo, and Barack Obama. What we often forget is that behind each of these people and their road to greatness are thousands of lesser-known people who in their sphere of influence obtained their own measure of importance.

God plan includes greatness for every human being. Our Christian faith teaches us that Jesus paid the ultimate price to free humanity. God’s objective is that we would worship him which includes how we live our daily lives. Living God’s highest best requires our being enlightened and by letting go of the worlds preconceived definitions of success.

Jesus is our example of greatness. He taught his disciples that to be genuinely great required the heart of a servant. The world seeks self-prominence as their motivation for greatness. We see in the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, and Mother Teresa, modern day examples of greatness. These are individuals who were persons motivated to serve others with their gifts time, talents and financial resources. In them, we see leadership which demonstrated empathy, kindness, and sacrifice. According to Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, Mother Teresa considered herself just “a pencil in God’s hand” and was convinced that God was using her “nothingness” to show His greatness.

The prophet Habakkuk stood on a mountain and waited on God to reveal His plan to save his nation. This reflective thinking and listening to God for clarity is vital in achieving our individual greatness. We must do as Habakkuk wait on the Lord to give us His plan. According to Alex Altman, the author of the book, Take Action, a great way to set yourself up for success is to put a structure in place that forces you to do this [to live your greatness]. As Heavenly Father to give you a plan, I believe everyone can achieve greatness,” but the problem is that most of us don’t want to do the work.

William Shakespeare said, “Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” However, to live your greatness requires moving from it from a dream to reality. For a desire to become a reality, we must do the work. Work is the only means to achieve true greatness.

You may have a plan, a vision, gifts, and talents but without execution, all you have is a wish. Wishful thinking is only in the mind of the person with the thought, so it is best articulated by a written plan. However, even when a wish is articulated, itis not a reality until there is implementation.   Maya Angelou is quoted as saying, “if you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” She also quoted as saying “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because, without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” It will take courage. However, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Scripture References:

Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

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

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

The door swings open and the guest is invited to stay for as long as he desires. He is greeted with hospitably. Because he is new to the environment, considerable preparation was made to make room for him and for his comfort. As a much-desired companion, he was greeted with delight. He was welcomed into the dwelling and given space to make himself at home.

Can you imagine allowing someone to move freely in your space without limitation? To welcome someone in such a way, requires an openness few of us are willing to give without restrictions. However, freedom of occupancy should be the case when we embrace the Holy Spirit into our hearts. We welcome him into our abode.

The person of the Holy Spirit has been given to us by the Father. According to John 14:16 Amplified Bible (AMP) which reads 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another [a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever. He comes bearing gifts. However, we must be open to receive him. He wants to be part of your life and not just restricted to one room. He wants to dwell with you in companionship. In fact, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Amplified Bible (AMP) reads19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God and that you are not your own [property]? 20 You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.

Did you invite the Holy Spirit to dwell with you then proceed to restrict his movement? We often relegate him to a religion service otherwise refusing to listen to him as he attempts to give us direction and counsel. We limit God’s omnipresence in our lives and the power to overcome in this life when we restrict the Holy Spirit’s ability to operate in our lives (Ecclesiastes 8:12). I do not know what the dynamics with the Holy Spirit will be in eternity, but I do know his purpose in this life. He is a gift from God to empower us to live His riches and highest best in this life. He is here to be a Helper which encompasses being a Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, and Standby).

Why relegate him to a religious service when he is here to empower you to navigate through this life with wisdom only the omnipresence of God can provide. He is not pushy or condescending and delights in being your honored guest. He understands family dynamics and the root causes in all family issues. He can give you the understanding to help you parent and be a supportive spouse. Are you facing a career decision or faced with a dilemma at work? He is not only omnipresent but omniscient and willingly works to see the Father’s will done in your life. He takes up residence within you to lead and guide you in all truth and empowers you to live God’s riches and highest best. I suggest that not only do you let him come in but welcome him without limitations.

Scriptures:

 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Amplified Bible (AMP) 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God and that you are not your own [property]? 20 You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.

John 14:16 Amplified Bible (AMP) 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another [a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever.

Ecclesiastes 8:12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:

 

You are the product of your thought! The great thing is if you are not happy with the product you can change it. You can train your thoughts! You have the power to choose what you think, you don’t have to be in bondage to negative, random, or unproductive thoughts. You were created to live a life that is governed by your spirit. The world around you should not decide what to think! This requires training and discipline because the untrained mind has more emotional rollercoasters than individuals that have focused and trained thoughts.

Your mind is like soil. It can’t decern what is being planted it will grow both weeds and crops. You have to determine the seeds! You have to remove the weeds! Your mind will grow any thoughts that you allow to be planted.

If you want to end the cycles and the unhappiness in life change your thinking. Just, stop focusing on what you don’t want! Focus on what you want! Your mind doesn’t know the difference between factual reality and imagined reality. If you focus on what you don’t want, your account will create yours don’t wish to seed.

If you want to change, focused on what you do want. Every day, spend time defining yourself as the person you want to be. If it is negative, then it is a weed. You were not created to be overweight, below-average, poor, uneducated, depressed, sick, weak, miserable, and unhappy. If you allow these thoughts to come into your mind, they become true.

Control the directions you give your brain. Stop Negative self-talk! Your words are a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you vocalize or meditate on negative thinking, you are programming your life. You are reinforcing your habits, you are empowering the weeds to grow.

If you would merely change your self-talk to positive reinforcement your life would change. Live Live-Be Unlimited-Become Legendary.

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