Thoughts of Our Fathers (TOF)

PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS FOR THIS WEEK!!!

Solitary without the confinement.

Humans are social creatures.

With the help of the bonds we form with each other, we’re able to create great works, be the change we want to see happen and find companionship and love. When we come together, there is a strength to be gained for everyone.

However, we also need to learn how to be comfortable with being alone.

As important as it is to be happy in one’s own company, it’s also a difficult task because, as a society, we equate being alone with some sort of deficiency. This notion has been disproven and the results found that those who identified as loners “had just as much ‘social capital’ — defined by physical attractiveness, height, weight, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement — as their non-lonely peers.”

In fact, there are benefits to being periodically alone.

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

—Hebrews 13:15

The Bible teaches that you must acknowledge and glorify God and offer up a sacrifice of praise regardless of what you may be going through. Perhaps you have been experiencing a time of trouble in your life, and you have been praying and trusting God to meet the need…but nothing has changed. While you are waiting for the answer is a perfect time to offer a sacrifice of praise.

It is easy to praise God when everything is going well, but when you acknowledge and glorify Him in the midst of a troubling situation, that is a sacrifice—and it does not go unnoticed. So offer a sacrifice of praise as you spend time with God at the end of your day.

Isaiah 60:1

Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

People might have said to you, “Why are you so lucky?” or “You seem to be looking younger and younger,” or “There is so much bad news these days, yet you seem untroubled by them.”

Now, the people of the world don’t have spiritual discernment. They can only go by your physical appearance, behavior and what happens to you. In other words, if they notice something different about you, it is because they see the evidence of God’s glory on your life—in your family and work life, health and finances.

Your friends and colleagues may have told you that you stand out from the rest as though a spotlight were on you. Indeed, this is so because of Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) When God’s glory rises upon you, your words carry weight, even if you are not eloquent. I should know. I stuttered and stammered right up into my teens. So when your words change people’s lives, you know that it is not you. It is the Lord!

You don’t have to be a straight-A student or someone able to speak the Queen’s English. You may be foul-mouthed like the disciple Peter, but when God changes you and His glory rises upon you, and you stand up and preach, 3,000 people get saved! (Acts 2:14–41) What is important is that God gives weight to what you say.

You might be a nobody like Joseph, a slave cast aside and forgotten in a dungeon. Yet, the greatest king on earth at that time sought Joseph out to have him interpret his dreams. In other words, God will give to you answers that the people of the world do not have.

Maybe it is your hands. When you lay hands on the sick, they recover. Maybe it is your ability to give counsel that is spot on, or your ability to speak into their future with a word of knowledge or word of wisdom from God.

“The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60:3) My friend, when you see this happening, it is because the people of the world are drawn to the glory of the Lord which has risen upon you!

READ: Judges 15:1-20

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;...

Hebrews 6:1

In Judges Chapter 15, we read about Samson's revenge on his father-in-law for giving his bride to his best man. It is a child who would act as Samson did. There are simpler ways of burning a farm. The man was clearly childish in his thinking. Yet, at the same time, he was a very mature man who gave reasonable judgements for at least twenty years.

There are many Christians like that. Their level of understanding of God's Word is excellent, yet they are so childish.

A child is very unsteady and unstable. There are many childish Christians who cannot settle down in any church. They just cannot belong anywhere. They are unsteady and unstable, yet they have great knowledge. It takes maturity to belong to a church.

Children are often easily hurt, and they need a lot of attention. In the church setting, anybody who behaves in this manner is considered a child. Such people sometimes know many Scriptures and have been Christians for a long time, yet they still get easily hurt and need much attention. A mature person doesn't seek attention, but rather gives it.

Maturity is needed in every facet of our lives. It takes a mature man to settle down with one of the many beautiful ladies he sees around him. That is why people respect married men.

Are you mature and yet childish?

Do not worry about your life . . .

—Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Some people ask, “Do you think God has time for me? You don’t know how mixed up my life is, how confused it is; the pressures, the tension at home, the business problems, so many things I couldn’t possibly tell you about, including the sins in my life that I somehow cannot seem to give up.” Yes, God has time for you. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He had time for a thief who turned to Him and said, “Lord, remember me.” That’s all the record tells us that the thief said, “Lord, remember me.” But what he was really saying was, “I’m unworthy. I’ve broken all the laws. I deserve hell. Just remember me.” And Jesus turned to him in that moment and said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The universe is so big, and we’re so small. How could God really care about us?

What if we don’t have time for God? Does He care? Here’s what Billy Graham once said.
Prayer for the day

Even in Your greatest suffering, Lord Jesus, You had time to assure another of Your love. My heart is comforted to know this caring for my soul is infinite.

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.

Romans 15:13, The Amplified Bible

You know, that's what I want to be...running over with hope! I want to dare to throw my whole life and everything I have into building a dream that comes from the heart of God. I want to get out there so far that without God's help, I can't get back.

Many people don't think that way though because they're afraid to fail. Fear of failure is dangerous. If you let it dominate you, it will cause you to do the one thing that inevitably guarantees failure and that's not attempting at all.

How do you counteract the fear of failure?

You turn up your hope. You get alone with God and listen to Him. You meditate on His promises until the picture is so clear on the inside of you that nothing can jar it out of you.

If you're lying on a sickbed and the doctor has told you you'll never walk again, instead of wallowing around in that bad report, you start dreaming. You start building a dream of climbing mountains and witnessing to people in the backwoods. Go to the Word that promises that those who wait upon the Lord shall run and walk and not faint or be weary. Look at it until you see nothing else. Picture yourself walking for miles and running from one place to the next, telling everyone that Jesus has raised you up and made you whole.

That's what hope is all about. It's a divine dream. It's an inner image that's bigger than you are because it's built on the promises of God.

If you're a Christian, you ought to be a dreamer. Take the Word of God and build some dreams today.

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 33:18-22

There’s nothing like competition.

Gianni Versace, the insanely successful artist and businessman once said, “It is nice to have valid competition; it pushes you to do better,” and it appears he may have been on to something.

A recent study has found that when we have someone with whom we can compete, it pushes us to perform at higher levels than if we didn’t have that rivalry.

The 13 week study used college students who were assigned a workout regiment. Some students received a workout buddy along with their exercise schedule while others didn’t and the difference was incredibly clear. Those who had the assigned rival showed more exercise output during the study and encouraged others in their social circle to also sign up for similar workout programs.

The finding show that having a fellow competitor to work alongside will up your game but it also raises the question of how to keep rivalry healthy. Still, if competition is your goal, there are easy ways to keep it friendly.
1. Communicate



At its core, a rivalry is a relationship. Like any healthy relationship, clear and considerate communication is the key to keeping both people happy.

Using open communication, you and your competitor can establish shared goals as well as expectations for each other. Once that’s settled, be sure to keep things positive by sharing encouragements and any new needs that may evolve as your friendly rivalry does.
2. Play Nice



There’s an important distinction between a rival and an enemy. If you aren’t careful, you may forget the difference and lose sight of the reason the you two have joined forces in the first place.

View your new rival as an untapped resource instead of someone you need to beat. The goal isn’t to defeat each other but to encourage the growth of your potential.

With that in mind, don’t allow the rivalry to be brought to offensive levels. Remember: another’s success doesn’t diminish your own but a bad attitude certainly will.
3. Celebrate A Win



The whole point of healthy competition is improving your performance. When that happens, celebrate. Whether the improvement is on your side or with your rival’s, it’s important to give it the props it deserves.

Acknowledging growth benefits both sides of a rivalry by encouraging competitors to raise the bar even higher.

Focusing on the joy found in rivalry makes the competition even more fun and the more you enjoy it, the more you will want to compete. At that rate, the work put into improving won’t feel like work at all!

Start a healthy competition with someone who will challenge you to do your best and prepare to be amazed by the results of your friendly rivalry.