Food for Thought

​Standing On Our Laurels

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There's a lot of temptation to stand on our laurels. I know I have to humble myself from time to time. Not because it’s bad that I have talents or have accomplished things; it’s just because those talents or things accomplished are not who I am, and couldn't have been accomplished apart from who I am in Christ. At those times I'm reminded that I stand by faith on Christ. He is my foundation.



In the scripture, Jesus said: "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that sayeth to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."



I must admit that when I first read that verse many years ago I didn’t understand it to the extent I do now. Jesus was saying he is the one who gives us life. The closer we draw to him, the more we know him, the more we know him, and the more we find ourselves in him. He created us with a purpose. He gave us our talents and our abilities. We are made whole in him; we find our identity in him. So many people are searching for who they are in other ways, and hoping that standing on their laurels or looking to their relationships will provide them with that wholeness. It is like expecting to drive a car without their being any fuel in it. The car is not complete without the fuel that runs it. Trying to find who we are apart from God who created us, is like trying to run that same car on water. Once we start to find our identity in Christ, we find that we are no longer standing on the things that could not provide it. He becomes our foundation.



Another verse in the bible talks about a man whose foundation in life is Christ. It says "He is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had been well builded."

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One of the things that happens when we seek out our identity in Christ is that our faith in what Christ reveals to us grows. As our faith grows, so does God’s power in our lives. There we find a wholeness and a completeness unlike anything we could have found in our alternatives. The more we know him, the more clearly we see that standing on our laurels is not getting the job done. Then we find ourselves humbled, and being more humble. We won’t be taking the credit for something we couldn't do without him. We won’t be standing on our laurels- we'll be standing on him.

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Copyright 2012 Paul E. Maguire

Scripture reference: John 4:10 ASV/ Luke 6:48 ASV/ 1 TIMOTHY 6:19 ASV/ EPHESIANS 2:10 ESV



​The Power of Positive Thinking

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The power of positive thinking is a topic talked about within many different groups. Some groups are religious, some groups are corporate, and some are not groups at all; just individuals trying to better themselves with positive thinking. But is it any surprise that all of them have seen the good that comes from positive thinking?



When I look at God’s word I see that positive thinking is important to God too. All through the scripture God admonishes us to guard our hearts from evil and to remember that were fearfully and wonderfully made. He teaches us how important it is to believe in what he says about us, and promises for us. How faith is powerful. How we are to have faith, and to keep it. These beliefs are similar in some ways to other groups or individuals that believe in the power of positive thinking, but it’s important that we as Christians don’t confuse those beliefs with the direction God gives us.



You and I can disagree on what’s positive or and what is not. But God is the author of all creation. His word guides us, and lead us. Having faith is important, but what we believe in is just as important. In God’s word we find the truth, and in that truth we find what to believe in. In that belief we find faith. And faith in that truth is positive thinking. It’s interesting isn’t it, how something that works so well has been required of God’s people from the beginning.



You and I have a choice to make. We all believe in something. It’s simply said in scripture "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he". Who you and I will be is directly linked to what we believe in. God has given great power in positive thinking. But only through him can we experience what the fullness of positive thinking can really do in our lives.



Copyright 2012 Paul E. Maguire 

Scripture reference: Hebrews 3:12 ESV "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving

heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Luke 11:28 ESV "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
Proverbs 23:7 KJV "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he."
Psalm 139:14 KJV "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."
Luke 1:45 NIV "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"





Freedom’s Call

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All of us desire to be free, but each of us seeks out that freedom in different ways. Most people think that being free is being able to do whatever they want whenever they want. So there lies the question: What do we want? For some of us, getting what we want will bring a sense of fulfillment. Yet for others: discouragement and dissatisfaction. So if getting what we want doesn't guarantee happiness, we can conclude that it’s not what we want that makes us happy, as much as wanting the right things.​

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​How many people have been slaves to the very thing they thought would make them free? So if being free is greatly gaged by our ability to choose, we can see how important the things we believe in really are. A good example in God’s word is in the verse"and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free". We find there we’re given something to believe in. Whether we choose to believe in it or not is up to us. The truth doesn't change whether we believe it or not. But the truth can change us if we believe. The power of freedom starts in the mind.



We all have the opportunity to choose right from wrong, good from bad, and truth from lie. It isn’t always easy choosing freedom. It takes a brave heart to seek out the truth, and then decide to follow it no matter what. Peace and contentment does not come from doing whatever feels right in the moment. It comes from the certainty of knowing what’s right before hand, and doing it instead of what we might be tempted to do in the moment. That’s true freedom. Those that follow their convictions- that fight for what they believe in- every victory is sweet for them, and there is no sorrow in that. Each of us that do that will live and die free. We'll know we fought the good fight, we ran the race, and we finished well. So we can ask ourselves is our freedom worth it. Because it’s not just the ability to choose that makes us free. It’s our convictions that determine the choices we make, that decide our destiny. You wouldn't expect yourself to fly a plane, without studying how to fly it first. You wouldn't expect the outcome of flying a plane to turn out well if  you didn't know how to fly it. You may be able to take the controls in your hands, but you still wouldn't feel very free when the plane crashed to the ground.



I think we can all agree that having freedom is good, but we also would agree that the outcome of what we do has a lot to do with how we feel about that freedom. It’s our job (if we want to be free) to know what to believe in. To have conviction for what we believe in. There lies the answer to true freedom. It’s in knowing that we can make the choices that truly make us free. Not only will we have had the freedom to make our choices, but we will have enjoyed the outcome of the choices we made.



Copyright 2012 Paul E. Maguire

Scripture reference:  John 8:32 ASV "and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you

free."/ 2 Timothy 4:7 ASV "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:"
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
2 Corinthians 5:17 ASV "Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things
are passed away; behold,they are become new."/ 2 Timothy 2:15 ASV "Give diligence to present thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth"



Forgiveness



Forgiveness is hard. Even when we have given it all to God it can still hurt inside. At those times it's very important that we keep​ our eyes on God and his promises and not on our feelings. The devil does not want us to get the victory over our hurts and pains.​ He will use those hurts and pains to sow seeds of doubt in our lives if we'll let him. So we need to be on guard.​

Often I 'll ask God if there is anything  he wants me to learn from what I'm going through. I keep myself open to God's leading and avoid the pitfalls of the limits of my emotions. God says " I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me". There are no limits there.



God does not want us shackled by unforgivingness or emotional baggage. He gives us feelings but those feelings are there to keep drawing us closer to him. They provide us with an awareness of our need for him. Our feelings have limits, but God’s promises do not. God’s word tells us that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". There needs to be more than just our emotions to lead us through life. There needs to be faith. Faith in a truth that’s greater than our circumstances. Faith that brings hope when things may seem hopeless. God wants you and I to be free. It’s hard to be free when we feel like things are hopeless. It’s hard to be free when are feelings are more real than God’s word and promises are in our lives.

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The pain we feel in life does not have to be so confusing. We can forgive and still be hurting inside. Sometimes our wounds may take a while to heal. But when we forgive and let God show us the way we put our faith in something greater than our emotions. No longer do we find ourselves being led by the brokenness of our hurts and pains. We’re set free to come up out of the dark corners of our mind’s pain. We’re given hope in the promise of God’s word and strength. When we go through hard times its easy for us to want all the answers. If we don’t get the answers we want, or God simply wants us to wait on him, we can get discouraged. God has given us free will, so he won’t make us follow him. Discouragement is another way the devil likes to take advantage of us. If he can get us confused- if he can get us to believe his lie instead of what God’s word promises us, then he can get the victory over us.("For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.") God’s word is our road map. When we go through hard times his word is there to lead us. Whether those times are good or bad, God’s word is there to give us the clarity to make clear decisions. When we forgive, it’s because God said to forgive.

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Sometimes it may seem like the one being forgiven doesn't deserve it. But God still tells us to forgive. We may not have all the answers, but we do have the opportunity to make clear decisions. God has not promised us all the answers. But he has promised every one of us that will keep him as Lord of our lives that he will work all things for our good. This promise is not based on our circumstances. It’s not limited by how much pain we go through. It’s given to and received by (all) those who make him Lord of their lives. One of the ways we do that is by making his word in our lives more real than our circumstances and feelings.
When we forgive we give it to him. When we hurt we give it to him. When we give everything to him, we give up the restrictions that our hurts and pains have limited us to. We take hold of the faith to believe in something more. We experience how God is limitless.​

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In the book of proverbs God gives us more guidance on how to experience his leading. In (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV) it says "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 see there that God is not asking us to find the answers on our own. He’s not telling us to take action on our own. He's saying to trust him even when it doesn't make sense to us. To take action based on his word and not on how we feel. Only then can he direct our paths. It’s when we honor him with our choices that we truly make him Lord of our lives. If he's not Lord of our lives than we can’t expect things to work for our good.

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That same principle applies to all aspects of our lives. Forgiveness is not based on our feelings. Victory in life is not based on our feelings. Faith in God’s word, trust in his leading, and unwavering dedication to those truths grants us the freedom to let go of our limits. When we do that we come face to face with our limitless God. We experience his love, we feel his grace, and we know were free.



Copyright 2012 Paul E. Maguire 

Scripture reference:  Philippians  4:13 ESV / Hebrews 11:1 KJV / 1 Corinthians 14:33 / Romans 8:28 / Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV







Gods anoiting in our lives



In this fast-paced world we live in, many of us are concerned with how productive we are in our everyday activities and the goals that we set. We strive to make the most out of our time. We want to see the fruit of our labor. Often our hard work can feel like we’ve been spinning our wheels, running in place and not really getting anywhere. When we feel that way it’s easy to get discouraged but our discouragement can never provide us with any enlightenment as to why we’ve been unproductive. We must stop, take a deep breath and examine things differently. Often it’s in our times of rest that we find our greatest strength.



All of us at one time or another have poured ourselves into a task that only left us feeling weary and worn out. Resting in and seeking God’s purpose for our lives creates in us supernatural strength which allows us to accomplish things we could never have accomplished on our own. In the quiet care of our God we are given guidance and a purpose. In the knowledge of God’s purpose for our lives we experience how His strength can carry us far beyond our normal limitations. This truth allows us the opportunity to carry out our everyday activities and goals under God’s anointing. This anointing power is what separates us from the weakness of our own strength and infuses us with the strength of God. This is why scripture says “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me“(philippians 4:13 kjv). If we want then to have productive lives, it key that we operate in life under God’s anointing.

Regularly taking time to evaluate our priorities in life is important to our ability to sense God’s direction in our lives. The very act of bringing those challenges and desires to God involves us giving up any agenda we might have and embracing God’s direction, will, and purpose for our lives. In doing so we open our hearts to receive God’s anointing and supernatural power and no longer rely on our own strength. When we make God’s agenda ours we allow God to lead us in His strength. We let go of our doubts and weaknesses. By faith we embrace a plan and purpose not tied to our human frailties, but anchored in and supported by God’s strength. When we humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God, we give up our pride and arrogance and rest in the knowledge of His plan for our lives. It’s when we allow God to be Lord of (all) our lives that we experience God’s supernatural strength. When He leads we go with Him. When we go with Him, His anointing and strength goes with us.

It’s important to remember that God’s anointing does not have limits. God’s power never runs out. No matter what obstacle stands before us if we go in Gods will we go in Gods strength. Diving into God’s word also increases Gods anointing in our lives. God’s word is used as a tool to lead his people. His word exposes His heart. He and His word are tied together. The same power that is in God is also in His word. Regularly reading Gods word also gives us a greater sensitivity to the spirit of God. We become more in tune with the heart of God and are able to guard our hearts from those things that would hinder God’s anointing in our lives. God is faithful to his word. He watches over it ready to pour out His blessing on all who believe. Making the effort to read and honor God’s word in our lives will never let us down. It’s as important to our spiritual growth and strength as food and water are to our body’s sustained vitality. Those that don’t spend regular time in God’s word will only have stifled their opportunity to grow in their relationship with God. Tapping into Gods anointing doesn’t happen by accident. We have to be proactive in our walk and relationship with God. Its only in knowing him that we can be sensitive to his leading. And it’s only in being led by him that we can walk in his strength.

Being in the habit of regularly lifting up our petitions in prayer to God also allows God to pour out his anointing in our lives. When we take all our needs and concerns to God in prayer we are in essence refusing to work through our needs and concerns in our own strength. We are reaching out to God for His strength and placing our faith in Him instead of ourselves. Our pride, our stubbornness, our own strength does not work in the supernatural. When we want all God has to offer we must want all of God. We must pour out our hearts to God. If we give Him all of us, He will give us all of Him.

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Copyright 2012 Paul E. Maguire











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