The First Key to Getting What You Want by Rob Marshall
Copyright 2006 Rob Marshall
I was listening to an interview with a well-known Internet marketer who said that the number one question his clients ask him is: What is the one thing that I can do that will guarantee my success?
No matter where we are on the road to our success, often times lost on a detour away from it, we always want to know if there's one, and we hope it's simple and easy, step that we can take that will help us leap right to a happy, prosperous, and successful ending. The problem is that we too often fall prey to anyone that offers the "secret" to success. Especially if they tell us that they have the one secret that everyone else isn't telling us. I hate ads like that...I almost always fall for them.
Is there some simple step, or set of steps, that we can take that will help us be successful?
I believe that being successful is as easy as being a failure and, since it's no harder to succeed, why not choose success? I know that some people will struggle with the idea that we can simply choose to be successful because we feel like Tevye in "Fiddler On The Roof" who, in the song "If I were a rich man," asks God:
Lord who made the lion and the lamb, You decreed I should be what I am-- Would it spoil some vast, eternal plan, If I were a wealthy man?
We believe that we are victims to some plan that is keeping us where we are. We think that we're powerless to do anything about it, but that's simply not true.
The Bible tells us that God's character, who He really is, is displayed in the things that He has created. If we simply look around at nature, we see that God is a God of infinite abundance. That everything He has created has the innate ability to be successful no matter what it is or where it is. Just try to keep things from growing in your garden. It's an uphill battle because something always wants to grow; it's just not always what we want to grow.
Man is created in God's image. We are born with the desire to have more in life; we are born with the desire to create. God has given us that desire, so why would he give us the desire for more if He didn't want us to have more? God is a creator and He wants to create great things through each of our lives.
So what's the problem?
In the classes that I teach I often ask people what it is that they want. Some will come back with generic answers like: "I want a lot of money," or "I want to travel." But those are things that we think we'd like to have, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, and if God, or anyone else, would be willing to give them to us. But those answers aren't real wants, they're just whims or wishes.
For us to have what we want in life, to enjoy all that God would have for us, we need to make a decision. We have to be very clear about what it is that we want, no if's, and's, or but's.
How clearly have you defined what you want in life? Can you get a clear picture of it in your mind? Is it written down somewhere? How often do you think about it?
In Mark 10:51 Jesus asks a blind man, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man answered, "Rabbi, I want to see." I think it's safe to assume that this was something he really wanted and not just a wish.
If God were to ask you that question today, would you have such a clear answer? Do you know what you really want?
Rob Marshall is the author of "Taking On Goliath - How to Unleash the David in All of Us." Learn how you can unleash your faith and overcome any "Goliath" that may stand between you and your dreams.
http://www.TakingOnGoliath.com
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Is Worrying About God's Will Hurting Your Prayers?
Is Worrying About God's Will Hurting Your Prayers? by Rob Marshall
Copyright 2006 Rob Marshall
Have you ever wondered why your prayers go unanswered? If you're like a lot of people, you've probably spent a lot of time doing some soul searching trying to figure out what's wrong. We keep making our requests to God, but our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears.
There could be a number of things causing problems, but the main problem that plagues most of us may surprise you. The simple fact is: We don't know what God wants. We spend all of our time frustrated because we don't know God's will.
Struggling to determine God's will was the single greatest problem that came up in an informal survey that I did. At a Bible study I was teaching I asked a simple question: What is the biggest difficulty you have with faith? In one form or another the answer that kept coming up was: "I don't know what God wants." This feeling that we might might be wrong stops our faith dead in its tracks.
The solution to this problem will most likely shock you, because God wants what you want. It's that simple.
I may have lost some of you, but listen carefully because this could be the most important thing you'll ever learn about prayer and faith. God's will is to give us what we want, and I can prove it.
In John 14:13-14(NIV), Jesus says, "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
This verse causes some real problems for me. It seems like Jesus is literally giving us a blank check, but I know from my own experiences that it can't be that way. And you probably agree with me when I say, "Yeah, I know that's what it says, but that's not really how it works...or is it?"
Experience is a great teacher, but does it always teach us the truth?
There is one inescapable truth that we all have to deal with. We have to decide what we believe to be true. We have to make up our minds that we will either believe what Jesus says or we will believe what we (and most of the people around us) believe to be true. Will we believe what God says, or will we believe what we experience?
The ultimate test of faith is that we accept what God says independent of what we've always believed, what the circumstances are, and what experience has taught us.
When David faced Goliath he could have listened to what every one else was saying. King Saul emphatically told David that he would not be able to defeat Goliath. David's brother told him that he was just being proud and that he should go back to herding sheep and leave the fighting to the soldiers (my paraphrase :-).
If David had listened to them, he would never have fought Goliath and he probably never would have become king.
The simple answer to the question about God's will is: God's will is to glorify His Son and Himself by doing what we ask. It's that simple. So what is it that you want most in life? Do you know what you want to ask God to do for you?
Rob Marshall is the author of "Taking On Goliath - How to Unleash the David in All of Us." Learn how you can unleash your faith and overcome any "Goliath" that may stand between you and your dreams. http://www.TakingOnGoliath.com
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Copyright 2006 Rob Marshall
Have you ever wondered why your prayers go unanswered? If you're like a lot of people, you've probably spent a lot of time doing some soul searching trying to figure out what's wrong. We keep making our requests to God, but our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears.
There could be a number of things causing problems, but the main problem that plagues most of us may surprise you. The simple fact is: We don't know what God wants. We spend all of our time frustrated because we don't know God's will.
Struggling to determine God's will was the single greatest problem that came up in an informal survey that I did. At a Bible study I was teaching I asked a simple question: What is the biggest difficulty you have with faith? In one form or another the answer that kept coming up was: "I don't know what God wants." This feeling that we might might be wrong stops our faith dead in its tracks.
The solution to this problem will most likely shock you, because God wants what you want. It's that simple.
I may have lost some of you, but listen carefully because this could be the most important thing you'll ever learn about prayer and faith. God's will is to give us what we want, and I can prove it.
In John 14:13-14(NIV), Jesus says, "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
This verse causes some real problems for me. It seems like Jesus is literally giving us a blank check, but I know from my own experiences that it can't be that way. And you probably agree with me when I say, "Yeah, I know that's what it says, but that's not really how it works...or is it?"
Experience is a great teacher, but does it always teach us the truth?
There is one inescapable truth that we all have to deal with. We have to decide what we believe to be true. We have to make up our minds that we will either believe what Jesus says or we will believe what we (and most of the people around us) believe to be true. Will we believe what God says, or will we believe what we experience?
The ultimate test of faith is that we accept what God says independent of what we've always believed, what the circumstances are, and what experience has taught us.
When David faced Goliath he could have listened to what every one else was saying. King Saul emphatically told David that he would not be able to defeat Goliath. David's brother told him that he was just being proud and that he should go back to herding sheep and leave the fighting to the soldiers (my paraphrase :-).
If David had listened to them, he would never have fought Goliath and he probably never would have become king.
The simple answer to the question about God's will is: God's will is to glorify His Son and Himself by doing what we ask. It's that simple. So what is it that you want most in life? Do you know what you want to ask God to do for you?
Rob Marshall is the author of "Taking On Goliath - How to Unleash the David in All of Us." Learn how you can unleash your faith and overcome any "Goliath" that may stand between you and your dreams. http://www.TakingOnGoliath.com
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
A Layman's Commentary on the Gospel of Luke - Introduction
A Layman's Commentary on the Gospel of Luke - Introduction by T.O.D. Johnston
The Writer of the Gospel
It is a generally accepted fact that Luke was the author of the 3rd Gospel, as well as the book of Acts. From the evidence in his epistles, Luke was a frequent companion of Paul - especially in Rome.
Very early in the Christian Church (160-180 A.D.), a straight-forward record of evidence recorded Luke is Paul's companion who wrote the Gospel and Acts. A prologue to the Gospel recorded:
"Luke was an Antiochian of Syria, a physician by profession. He was a disciple of the apostles and later accompanied Paul until the latter's martyrdom. He served the Lord without distraction, having neither wife nor children, and at the age of 84 fell asleep in Boeotia, full of the Holy Spirit. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark were already in existence. In his prologue Luke makes this clear but he felt moved to record an account specifically for the Gentile believers so that they would not be deceived by any mixture of Jewish distractions that could cloud the truth. At the beginning Luke relates the nativity of the Baptist - the Lord's forerunner in preparation by the baptism unto repentance. This ministry had been foretold by Malachi. After writing this Gospel, Luke also wrote the Acts of the Apostles."
About 300 A.D., Eusebuis wrote, "Luke who was by race an Antiochian, and a physician by profession, was a long companion of Paul, and had careful conversation with the other Apostles, and in two books left us examples of the medicine for souls which he had gained from them.
Luke's Sources
He was not an eye-witness of Jesus' life on earth, but he had the best opportunity to talk to and record the witnesses of those who had seen and heard Jesus. He was closely connected with Paul, who also in turn had come in contact with many eyewitnesses of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension (Peter, James, and others).
While in Jerusalem from 57-59 A.D., Luke had ample opportunity to speak to James (Jesus' brother), the elders, and other members of the Palestinian congregations (especially at Caesarea and Jerusalem). As an educated man, he would carefully record all information valuable in getting a full and clear knowledge of everything he could find out from these eyewitnesses.
According to Acts, Luke stayed with Philip the evangelist, traveled with Silas of the Jerusalem church, and was closely associated with Mark. Mark authored the second Gospel and had most likely been eyewitness to some of the later events in Jesus' life. He was known as the close follower of Peter, whose preaching concerning Jesus is generally recognized as the main source of his Gospel.
Luke had been together with Mark during Paul's captivity in Rome (mentioned in Colossians 4:10,14 and Philemon 24).
Though without doubt many eyewitnesses would have written down their knowledge concerning Jesus, it was not until the eyewitnesses, especially the Apostles, began to die that the necessity of recording all that was known about Christ became essential. It is also likely that the Apostles and other early preachers recorded notes of their messages to aid their memory and delivery.
In his own preface, Luke remarks that he had traced the course of all things from the first. He wrote to make certain that Theophilus had the best record of those things concerning Jesus that he had been taught. It has become a precarious assumption of some modern critics, that the art of writing was not widely known and practiced in the time of Jesus. 2 Timothy 4:11,13 gives the careful reader the idea that Paul was then helping Luke in the composing of the third Gospel and/or the Book of Acts.
No certain date has been suggested that can be corroborated within the Gospel or the Acts. It is assumed that the Gospel was written first. Both are generally regarded as being written before 70 A.D.
Luke's writing shows a mastery of the Greek language. In his two books he records with a vocabulary of about 800 words which do not occur anywhere else in the New Testament.
The author taught from the Gospel of Luke at Paran Baptist Church on Highway 341 / Johnsonville Hwy in Lake City, South Carolina. Read more from the above lesson at T.O.D.'s Online Bible Commentaries.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
The Writer of the Gospel
It is a generally accepted fact that Luke was the author of the 3rd Gospel, as well as the book of Acts. From the evidence in his epistles, Luke was a frequent companion of Paul - especially in Rome.
Very early in the Christian Church (160-180 A.D.), a straight-forward record of evidence recorded Luke is Paul's companion who wrote the Gospel and Acts. A prologue to the Gospel recorded:
"Luke was an Antiochian of Syria, a physician by profession. He was a disciple of the apostles and later accompanied Paul until the latter's martyrdom. He served the Lord without distraction, having neither wife nor children, and at the age of 84 fell asleep in Boeotia, full of the Holy Spirit. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark were already in existence. In his prologue Luke makes this clear but he felt moved to record an account specifically for the Gentile believers so that they would not be deceived by any mixture of Jewish distractions that could cloud the truth. At the beginning Luke relates the nativity of the Baptist - the Lord's forerunner in preparation by the baptism unto repentance. This ministry had been foretold by Malachi. After writing this Gospel, Luke also wrote the Acts of the Apostles."
About 300 A.D., Eusebuis wrote, "Luke who was by race an Antiochian, and a physician by profession, was a long companion of Paul, and had careful conversation with the other Apostles, and in two books left us examples of the medicine for souls which he had gained from them.
Luke's Sources
He was not an eye-witness of Jesus' life on earth, but he had the best opportunity to talk to and record the witnesses of those who had seen and heard Jesus. He was closely connected with Paul, who also in turn had come in contact with many eyewitnesses of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension (Peter, James, and others).
While in Jerusalem from 57-59 A.D., Luke had ample opportunity to speak to James (Jesus' brother), the elders, and other members of the Palestinian congregations (especially at Caesarea and Jerusalem). As an educated man, he would carefully record all information valuable in getting a full and clear knowledge of everything he could find out from these eyewitnesses.
According to Acts, Luke stayed with Philip the evangelist, traveled with Silas of the Jerusalem church, and was closely associated with Mark. Mark authored the second Gospel and had most likely been eyewitness to some of the later events in Jesus' life. He was known as the close follower of Peter, whose preaching concerning Jesus is generally recognized as the main source of his Gospel.
Luke had been together with Mark during Paul's captivity in Rome (mentioned in Colossians 4:10,14 and Philemon 24).
Though without doubt many eyewitnesses would have written down their knowledge concerning Jesus, it was not until the eyewitnesses, especially the Apostles, began to die that the necessity of recording all that was known about Christ became essential. It is also likely that the Apostles and other early preachers recorded notes of their messages to aid their memory and delivery.
In his own preface, Luke remarks that he had traced the course of all things from the first. He wrote to make certain that Theophilus had the best record of those things concerning Jesus that he had been taught. It has become a precarious assumption of some modern critics, that the art of writing was not widely known and practiced in the time of Jesus. 2 Timothy 4:11,13 gives the careful reader the idea that Paul was then helping Luke in the composing of the third Gospel and/or the Book of Acts.
No certain date has been suggested that can be corroborated within the Gospel or the Acts. It is assumed that the Gospel was written first. Both are generally regarded as being written before 70 A.D.
Luke's writing shows a mastery of the Greek language. In his two books he records with a vocabulary of about 800 words which do not occur anywhere else in the New Testament.
The author taught from the Gospel of Luke at Paran Baptist Church on Highway 341 / Johnsonville Hwy in Lake City, South Carolina. Read more from the above lesson at T.O.D.'s Online Bible Commentaries.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
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