Shine Your Light…Be a Positive Inspiration

I have written several articles about the light we have within us, and how God loves it when we act as a beacon to shine this light to those around us.

I was inspired again as I read the Bible verse that most prominently discusses this idea. Matthew 5:14-17. It says “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 

Another version puts it like this… “Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.” (The Passion Translation).

Do you want to be an inspiration to others? Keep in mind that the Spirit of God (this wonderful light) dwells within you. You can inspire others by simply removing any barriers to it and allowing it to shine. And the great thing about this is that God is glorified as a result. In addition, your own life will be blessed.

I challenge you today to let your light shine brightly, and see how many people you can “brighten their day”. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

A Different Take On The Lord’s Prayer

If you’ve ever been in any type of Christian church, I’m sure you have heard and probably recited the Lord’s Prayer. In some churches, it is known as the “Our Father” prayer.

In case you are not familiar, Jesus was instructing His disciples of how NOT to pray. Then He showed them the ideal way to pray, which is provided for us with this prayer in the New Testament.

I recently read this prayer in several different versions, and I was able to break it down and make it simpler than it already is. Here’s what I came up with, not taking away from its original meaning. See if this resonates a bit easier for you:

Our Father in Heaven; May your name be kept holy. May your heavenly kingdom come (the one that you say is in our midst) and let it be our central focus; May YOUR will be done on earth as it is in Heaven; Please give us all we need for today; Forgive us for the wrong things we have done, and help us forgive those who have wronged us, helping us let go of any resentment; And do not cause us to be tempted, but save us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom, power, and glory forever. Amen.

I believe this is already a very easy prayer to pray, but as I broke it down thanks to the many Bible translations, it made it even easier and more relevant to my life.

I share this with you in hopes that it makes it easier for you to use this prayer for effective communication with God. As always, I invite you to share how it helps you, or other ways for us to pray more effectively. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

A Positive Affirmation About Self-Talk

If you’ve read this blog or my books, you know that one of the most significant topics I discuss is using positive affirmations to enhance the quality of your life. If you are not familiar, positive affirmations are positive phrases, messages, or scripture verses you repeat to yourself over and over again. The purpose is that, if your mind hears it enough times, it begins to believe it. For more information about using positive affirmations, I recommend these articles…How to Make Your Affirmations Believable and 7 Excellent Positive Affirmation Tips  , along with my free book…The Ease and Keys of Rapid Manifestation.

I learned about using positive affirmations from many inspirational authors. These are people who have changed many lives and empowered many people. What’s exciting to me, is that I recently found information in the Bible that encourages the use of affirmations and self-talk. Psalm 1:2 says that the blessed man delights on the Law (Word) of the Lord and meditates on it day and night.

I researched this information a bit further. I found that the original Hebrew translation says that the blessed man “soliloquizes” on the Word day and night. When I looked up the definition of soliloquy (say that 5 times fast), it is defined as “an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present (often used as a device in drama to disclose a character’s innermost thoughts” (taken from Dictionary.com).

In essence, this is what we do when we use positive affirmations. I fully trust the individuals who I learned the idea of positive affirmations from. However, I was encouraged to know that God Himself in His Word recommends using positive self-talk and repetition of His faithful promises to keep our minds pure and empowered, thus enhancing our lives and of the people around us.

So go ahead…it’s OK to talk to yourself. I promise I won’t call you crazy, especially because I do it all the time. Of course, you may not want to do it in front of other people, and you need to keep the affirmations positive. Focus on God’s Word, or simply repeat what your intention is. Once your mind starts to believe it, you take positive actions, which bring positive results. Once again, I invite you… talk to yourself and tell yourself great things. God encourages it. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

Blogging In a New Direction

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know I’ve been inactive for quite some time. It’s for a variety of reasons. The main one is that I have gone against my own advice and allowed circumstances to govern my actions and thought process.

As I get back to writing information that hopefully inspires and empowers people, I am taking just a bit of a different turn. I have recently discovered excellent resources that translate and explain the verses of the Bible in different ways. I have used these resources (widely available online and on smart phone apps) to enhance my knowledge and understanding of what God’s word says, and I have used it to enhance my own life. It has been very enlightening.

My goal is to share the different takes on these verses along with the concepts I’ve learned and written about previously regarding how to use this information and the power of your mind to take your life to a higher level.

I will say that you don’t have to be a Christian to benefit from this information. If you have further questions about Christianity I would happy to share the faith further. However, my main objective is that you benefit from the Biblical information presented, use it to enhance your life, and empower those around you as well.

As always, I encourage you to share your own thoughts and how you may have used this information or how it relates to your own life. I sincerely appreciate your faithful readership and contribution 🙂