Are you thirsty?

This is a guest post by a good friend and blogger Vanessa Barnes

You can read more posts from Vanessa on her blog:

http://beautyandjoyinlittlethings.blogspot.com/

Have you ever been really thirsty?

I have. This one time I came home from being outside in the hot sun and all I wanted was some water. There was soda and juice, but I didn’t want it. All I wanted was a huge glass of ice cold water. So I poured a glass. Drank it. Poured another. As I was drinking this water, my heart was racing and I realized I wasn’t really breathing. I stopped drinking for a second so I could catch my breath. But I was desperate. I drank more water.

In that moment, I wanted water more than I wanted breath. Now, I know we need to breathe, but all I could think about was quenching that thirst.

Then I thought, Do I thirst after God like that?

We can talk about how thirsty we are all we want, but it comes down to what we do.

We say we’re thirsty, but we don’t turn to Him. We go to magazines and horoscopes and our Facebook News Feed before EVER going to God.

We say we’re thirsty, but haven’t read the Word in days (or longer).

We say we’re thirsty, but we fill our minds and hearts with the most disgusting things and then expect God’s spirit to dwell in us?

Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me like we’re not as thirsty as we say we are. Because if we really were thirsty, we would go straight to the Source, right to the Living water. We wouldn’t reach for the soda or a piece of gum, which will only satisfy for a little while. If we were really thirsty, we’d want Him more than anything else.

That’s what I think about when I read about the three boys and that fiery furnace. They were brave and inspiring and cared more about thirsting after God than their very lives. Daniel 3:16-18 says:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied,
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will NEVER serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Wow. No matter how many times I read that, I just can’t help but be amazed. They were willing to lose their very lives. They wanted Him more than they wanted breath.

And we want a seat at the cool table, a raise, a relationship- all more than we want God?

I think it may be time for us to wake up and accept the fact that Jesus may ask us to give up the very thing that we hold closest to us.

Can you imagine what would happen if we put down our soda glasses and really thirsted after God?

The woman at the well left her jar (John 4:28), the one that only satisfies for a little while, and drank that living water that Jesus was always talking about.  And because of her testimony, many came to know Christ (John 4:39).

I believe the same thing would happen today. If we’d thirst after Him, we’d be filled to overflowing. Living water would spill out and into those around us, MANY coming to know Christ through our testimony.

How can you get more thirsty for God's calling in your life? Comment Here I would love to hear from you.

Do people know your brand?

Have you ever had an amazing idea on creating a product or event that could change lives around the world? I know I have. The reality is you already have a product and it has the potential to change lives.

In order for people to really appreciate this product though and be impacted by it, they have to know about it and they come to know about it by its brand.

Before I tell you about this product let me first tell you about the brand. A brand is a representation of that service, person or product. When you hear a brand name, you automatically assume a certain thing.

When I say Burger King you say Have it your way. (Or heart attack, just kidding)

When I say Nike you say Just do it.

When I say Chic Fila you say Eat more Chicken.

When I say your in good hands you think Allstate.

When I say  Frosted Flakes you say there greeeatt.

When I say Verizon you say Can you hear me now?

In other words a brand is the reputation, and it is important for the success of the person, company or service. With that being said, let me answer the question I asked you at the beginning, you do have a product. That awesome product is you. You were created to do great works for God’s kingdom here on earth.

Everything you do and say is a reflection of your brand. Your name is a brand.

What do people think of when your name comes to mind? What pops in their mind when someone mentions your name?

See, Jesus taught us how to walk and talk in such a way that we may draw others to himself. Jesus has a brand and followers of Jesus should emulate him.

Jesus lived and died and rose again to bring us into a relationship with God the father.  We have been given access to God. Now that we can have a relationship with God, that relationship should bear much fruit throughout our lives in such a way that people who don’t know Jesus can come to know him.

His brand is love. Our brand is love. When people encounter us we can show them genuine love that flows from our relationship with God. By doing this the world will know you are his disciple. In other words the world will know you are branded by the king of kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ the risen savior.

Showing love is showing respect, giving and simply being kind to people even when we don’t feel like it. Let us be the generation that is known by how we love one another, and how we care. Let our brand expand. Shine your light for Christ. Let Jesus be known by how you act and live. Be the type if I can spot you in the mall, your brand will stand out. That it can be said, that man belongs to Jesus.

So, are you ready to represent? What are something's you can do in your daily life to make the brand of love more visible?

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Tested Faith

Have you ever had your faith tested? You know, the kind that shakes your world. The shaking that leaves you crying and confused, the kind of shaking that has you questioning everything you ever believed in? You thought you had everything figured out but something happened in your life that awaken you to the reality that you really don’t. A sudden change in your life’s journey, maybe a divorce, a scary medical report or a need or perhaps an unanswered prayer. I call this a Detour.  You now question everything you ever known including your faith. It seems that everything has been crumbled and nothing is left standing. The world that you knew has changed.

How can I pass this test you maybe asking?

How can I regain my focus and my strength?

Recently I took a flight to Dallas Texas for a men’s conference, and as I was in the airplane meditating on the aircraft I received some inspirational truth that I believe will help me focus on what God is calling me to do, in ministry, business and in life. I began to look out the window, and here is what I saw.

Perception. Look at it this way.

At 35,000 feet the world looks different. Everything looks smaller, and unimportant. Once we took off, the sky scrappers no longer seem huge. The higher we went the smaller everything that was left behind us appeared.

 I Started thinking about my struggles and worries and how sometimes I lose myself in them. How can I accomplish my goals, how will I pay my bills, ect. All legitimate excuses to be worried about. Yet looking out the window changed my perspective maybe these issues that were causing me to worry weren’t so big after all. Worrying wasn’t changing them; maybe I was looking at them from the wrong perspective? 

Could it be that your struggle or situation might not be as big as it seems?

Now I understand personal life changes, they are hard. Yet deep down in my heart I know that as hard and big it may seem, the God I pray to is much bigger. So what do I do to get into this transformation process so that I may look at this life change differently? It’s called perception. Perception is how you are looking at a particular thing, situation, or problem.  

If you look at the sky scrappers from the ground up, they seem huge because they really are. If you look at your situation down and out complaining and feeling sorry for your self, that problem will get bigger, for you have enlarged it. Yet, if you change your view on it and declare that this problem, this layoff notice, this loss of my job is really an opportunity to start a business, or spend more time with my family, then you are going up. High up. You are no longer seeing the sky scrappers from the ground up but from the air down. And the higher you go, the smaller your problem or situation will be.

When you go higher, and see how small everything really is, you will realize How Big God is. So big he calls the earth his footstool and heaven his throne. Now thinking about this doesn’t change your situations or get your bills paid, I understand that. But it will change how it will affect you. Your perception will change how you respond. And that is the most important thing. How you respond.

Friends God is in control of your situation. I understand it maybe hard, and it may feel dark. I would like to remind you that if you begin to change your perception towards your troubles, your joy would come. There is a breakthrough coming your way. Just change your perception, instead of complaining and feeding fear, feed faith, and be grateful, that yes it maybe bad, but it could be worse. It’s not as big as it looks. Your God is bigger. He promised to never leave you or abandon you. So if He is with you, you can overcome.

Have you been looking up or down? How do you feed your faith?

Click it here I would love to hear from you.

What If It Fails?

What if you worked hard to build a dream, start a business, start an organization that has been knocking at your hearts door, and after you have sweated, bleed and shed some tears you failed? or at least you think you did.( because the reality is there is no failing, failing is only attain when you don't try.) Here is an opportunity for me to be completely honest with you. I am terrified right now, as I am releasing this blog and publishing my website. As a writer and preacher I have been wanting to start blogging to further share my thoughts and to inspire someone through this venue.

Yet, because of the " voices" that kept yelling in my ear " now is not the time" or " you have no time for this" has hindered me from starting, but no more!

My desire is to inspire you to stay focus on the things that really matter in life, and to become all who God created you to be. To remind you to dive into your purpose and bless another person with your life. Make your life Count There is something tugging at your heart. You know there is something greater for you to accomplish and do, yet this thing is holding you back. This thing called fear. See, fear holds us back from reaching the next level. Fear robs us from who we were meant to be. You might think I have this all figured out, but I don't,

I am defeating fear alittle bit each day, for I understand that God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.

What is your dream? That project you been wanting to get started, launch, or publish? Here is my advice, launch it, publish it, write it and give it your best and allow God to do the rest. See him do in your life exceedingly abundantly above what you can think, ask or imagine. What if it fails? What if it doesn't work? So what! What if it does. What if you could minister or bless someone's life wouldn't that be sufficient? We all go through fear, after all if you aren't going through moments of fear chances are you aren't doing anything that is stretching you and bringing you higher. Don't let fear conquer you, you conquer it! What have you always wanted to do, yet because of fear it has held you back? How has God helped you conquer it? I would love to hear from you.

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