Are you that person?

Change Begins with You

By Frank Sonnenberg Leave a Comment

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Change Begins with You

Sometimes we feel the world is so large and complex that it’s impossible for any one of us to make a difference. When something comes up that requires action, we think, “I’m only one person. What can I do anyway?” The result is that we sit back and wait for others to make the first move — that is, if anyone else is willing to make the effort.

BUT, what if we tried? What if we shed our fears and inhibitions and others did so as well? What if we challenged ourselves to stand up and be counted, and we each made a difference in our own special way? Or, better yet, what if enough people stepped forward and accepted the challenge along with us? The truth is, we might be able to change the world. As Steve Jobs said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

Think what would happen if everyone shouted out their window at the same time. The sound would be unnerving. Now think of the impact that we could have if we collectively made someone feel special, mentored a colleague, or helped a person in need. The impact would be astounding.

There is power in numbers. One person can get things started; a second person can create some momentum; a third person may influence others to join in. And, before you know it, you’ve created a movement.

The world is changing every day. If enough people create a ripple for positive change, we can create a better future. Your choice: Complain about all the things that are wrong or be the person who helps to make them right. One person can make all the difference. And that person is YOU!

Are You Ready to Make a Difference? 

Change begins with you.

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Additional Reading: 
Promise Yourself 
Change Someone’s Life and You May End Up Changing Yours 
What Does It Take to Show a Little Kindness? 
Make Every Moment Matter

Morning Declaration of Psalm 37

Morning declaration of Psalm 37 

We give honor to The God of our Salvation, His Son and The Holy Spirit.

Good Morning Lord,

We will not fret or worry over evildoers. Not their speech, nor what they do; including all the laws they break. Nor are we envious of any of them.

Your word is alive and says they wither quickly like the grass and will fade away.

Instead, we completely depend upon you O Lord. You are our confidence, we put all of our trust in you and choose to do good. We depend upon your Holy Spirit entirely in our lives.

We feed ourselves upon your faithfulness and delight ourselves in you. Your Holy Spirit is our best friend  You give us the desires and petitions of our hearts. You teach us obedience in so many ways.

We commit our ways to you Lord. We trust in your faithfulness. Your Holy Spirit transforms our pursuit of righteousness into godly right standing with you, like a light and your judgement is like the brilliance of a noonday sun.

We will be still Father and wait patiently for you. We will not fret, worry or complain because of those who prosper in their way, nor those who carry out their wicked schemes. We see it, we hear it and it seems like they get away with it, but we know better.

We cast off and put down all anger and wrath that could be inside of us. We will not fret because your word says, fretting leads to evil. Your word says that those who do evil will be cut off, but those of us who wait upon you will inherit the land. We declare to wait upon you in all areas of our lives.

You said that in just a little while those that do wickedly will be gone forever. Though, we might look; they will not be found. 

We choose to practice humility, because the humble will inherit the land. We will delight in you and be in abundant prosperity and peace. Thank you Father.

Though your word says the wicked will plot against us and even gnash their teeth toward us, you laugh at them because they realize their days are short. 

Though they try to harm us by war, and harm those in need and slaughter those who have good integrity and godly character, your word says that their own sword will enter into their own heart and their bows will be broken. Thank you Lord. You are our shield and high tower.

We confess that we would rather have little with the righteous who seek you and your will, then the abundance of the wicked.  For you have said that their arms will be broken.

You uphold us and sustain us.  You know all of our days and our inheritance will continue forever. We thank you for your promises. We will not be ashamed in the times of evil and during times of a famine; we will have plenty and be satisfied. Our trust is in you O Father.

You said the ungodly will perish, even like the glory of pastures and the fat of lambs that is consumed in smoke. They will vanish. 

We will not fret or complain. Help us Lord not to mutter or whine.

The ungodly borrow and do not repay. But those that love you are gracious, kind and gives. We deliberately choose to walk in your word and your promises. We are blessed Father.

All those cursed by you will be cut off.  But, we know that your son Jesus became a curse for us on that cross and we have been set free from this curse and are no longer ashamed. We belong to your Son, we are the Body of Christ. Thank you Jesus.

Our steps are directed and established by your Holy Spirit and you delight in us and bless the paths we take. We walk in your blessings.  When we fall, we will not be hurled down; because you hold our hand and sustain us. O Thank you Lord.

Once we were young and now we are old but I have not seen those in right standing, those who love you O Father abandoned. You have said that you will never leave us or forsake us. Your Holy Spirit lives within us. Our descendants will never plead for bread. For you give us more than what we need. We are blessed Father. 

All day long we are aware of your graciousness and how you lend to our descendants. We walk in your blessings yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

We have departed from all evil and practice doing good. We have replaced one for the another and know we have an inheritance in your Son Christ Jesus. Thank you Father. If there be a stain in our heart that is hard to remove, we ask that you would correct us, so we can be whole in your Son. Thank you Lord. 

We fully confess and declare that you O Father delight in justice and you will never abandon us [your saints]. We rejoice in your promises!

We are preserved forever but the descendants of the wicked will all be cut off. 

We confess and speak of your wisdom. We speak justice and truth. You have placed the love of your son, the truth of His word and instructions inside of our heart and our steps will not slip. 

Your word says that the wicked wait and seek to kill us. But we confess and know you O Father are not a God who leaves us, nor allows us to be condemned when we are judged. We trust in your will and your way. We will be exalted and in the end, we will see the end of the wicked. Your words are truth, we confess what we believe.

We have seen the wicked violent man with great power who spreads this evil as far as he might, yet he passes away. Never to be found again.

We are complete in Christ, we are upright in Christ and our integrity is all in Jesus Christ your son. You have said the future is good for a man of such peace;  because our life of honor blesses our descendants. Thank you for your promises.

As for transgressors, they will be completely destroyed. All future of them will be cut off. But our salvation is from you O Lord. You continue to be our refuge, our strength and our stronghold in time of trouble. You always help us and rescue us. You rescue us from the wicked and save us because we take refuge in your Son Jesus Christ and because of our Lord, we have the victory.

Powerful Prayer for President Trump by Paula White

https://youtu.be/MY4MYPCzAfk

"BE KIND WEEK."

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 kjv

I watched the baby bluebirds flitting throughout the air, singing, playing together and landing upon new branches. Flying feels good as it strengthens their breast bones.  Then, a thought came to me. Birds in general are kind to one another, the parents share the workload, feeding their young, talking to them, giving them protection; then giving them the encouragement to “fly for themselves.” 

Sometimes, we only get one chance to give kindness.  Each act of kindness brings us a little bit closer to being a world changer.  When we give kindness, we promote the Kingdom of God; right here on earth. I think of those I have been kind towards, but I can see now; I could have been much kinder. Before we know it, our loved ones are here and then, gone. How I would love to have a moment with those who have passed over and tell them how much I loved and appreciated them for their times of kindness in my life. 

When I hear or read, “I love you.” A deep sense of their sincerity is stirred within my soul. The love inside of the family in the Body of Christ is powerful! True, pure kindness comes from the Holy Spirit within us and cannot help but manifest itself through His love.

When we give kindness, we will never regret it. But, if we happen to give into our flesh and retaliate defensively when offended; we will regret that decision. 

Look for the good in one another. When you see a spark, be sure and tell them about it. 

Kindness encourages. 

Kindness always forgives.

Kindness is not self-centered.

Kindness smiles when they don’t feel like it.

Kindness gives the benefit of the doubt.

Kindness deliberately seeks to bless others.

Kindness is full of compassion and empathy.

Kindness is rich in love and mercy.

Kindness understands the rich value of a gentle word.

Kindness works with patience and humility. 

Most of all: 

Kindness brings a smile from our Heavenly Father.

Isn’t it time to celebrate kindness with a, “Be Kind Week?”  All it takes is one person to begin a “Be Kind Week” in their county and we would see the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit grow through kindness as it travels onto other counties.  

Can we really do this?   Yes, we all can.  We can rock other people with bold kindness.

“Be Kind Week” involves using your own imagination creatively.

Some suggestions:

Build birdhouses for others and give them away.

Invite people over for pancakes and coffee.  

Take someone out to eat and pay the bill. Be cheerfully generous.

Bake cookies, cakes, fudge and give everything away. 

Pick up loving cards and write “Thank you” for being my neighbor, my friend, my Pastor, Pastor’s wife. Anyone. Tell them, “I appreciate you!”

Invite new people into your home for snacks.

Open up our homes and open up our hearts.

Offer to others, what God has given inside of you. 

Lastly, ask yourself what you are good at, that you can give away?

Think about it.  Kindness is great and can be contagious and will reproduce more kindness.

Let’s pray:

Precious Father,

        

        We give you Praise, Honor and Glory this morning. We ask you to reveal to us how we can grow the fruit of kindness in new ways and celebrate the love you continually give to us to others. Show us new ways to give what we have to others to glorify you. We cherish your ways and your truth. Help us to be more like your son Jesus. We ask in His name, amen. 

Not one of us think alike

Finally, all of you be like-minded [united in spirit] sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted [courteous and compassionate toward each other as members of one household], and humble in spirit;  and never return evil for evil or insult for insult [avoid scolding, berating, and any kind of abuse], but on the contrary, give a blessing [pray for one another’s well-being, contentment, and protection]; for you have been called for this very purpose, that you might inherit a blessing [from God that brings well being, happiness, and protection.”. For, The one who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good-whether apparent or not], Must keep his tongue free from evil  and his lips from speaking guile [treachery and deceit]. 

1 Peter 3:8-10 amp.

If there is one thing I have learned over the years, there are no two people who think alike. Our Creator designed each of us to think differently. All these diverse thinkers are stretched to the far corners of the earth and we begin to have disagreements that shrink all the miles between us, into our own families and into the family of Christ. 

We see things differently.

I can describe a rose that looks to be a creamy pastel light orange color but my husband will see it as pink, even red. My optimistic yet, detailed nature does not necessarily meet with his logical thinking that I consider at times, to be pessimistic. When I look through my rose colored lens, he sees differently.  My husband brings me back to earth to be more logical and practical. He looks into the inner mechanics of a corporation and follows the “money trail” in the physical realm. And, there are times I bring him up to ride upon the wings of a Dove. I see things first in the spiritual side. Either way, there are two sides to every single thing you see in this life. 

Just recently my car started by itself. It was my birthday and I was headed to a small group. The moment I stepped upon my porch, the car started. No buttons pushed, no code involved; the car simply started the exact time I was leaving. I was stunned. I took it as a birthday present from the Lord. Later when talking to one of my sons, I was urged to get it checked out because he saw a program on tv how they are hacking into the computers of the cars today and there could be a bug in my car. My bubble was burst, but I still felt it was from the Lord telling me, “Happy Birthday and yes, I want you to go to that group!”  What would we do without those who can see with a more earthy practical insight? I praise God for them!

God desires to bless us, but we must control our tongues from any guile.

God desires us to have a good life, but our lack of humility can prevent this.

God desires us to be in harmony, but our lack of empathy, sympathy and compassion can prevent this.

Our tongue can block us from giving and receiving love.  

Our pride can do the same thing. 

Plowing in our special life gardens, sooner or later we learn to receive correction and begin to practice: “to this you were called so you may inherit a blessing.” vs 9 niv.

Lets pray

Heavenly Father,

We are so thankful you know our hearts above everyone we are involved. Thank you for showing us our short-sightedness, but we also want to thank you for  teaching us your far-sighted plan too. We know we have been placed in different situations to learn, to be in harmony, to develop more compassion and practice being humble. We will think before we speak and choose to bless those we live with daily.  Father, we don’t want anything to keep us from inheriting the blessings you have for us. It is our desire to bless you O Father, to be pleasing in your sight in all ways. Thank you for those who correct us, who those who care to speak up, for those who are gentle and speak softly to our hearts manifesting your love through the compassion you have given to them, for those who mean what they say and say what they mean. We need one another Father. We realize, we need those who think differently than we do. We ask that your Holy Spirit would give us a clearer eye-view of those who come to us in a different way than our own accustomed thoughts. Thank you Father, in your son we pray. Amen. 

Begin your day with a song of prayer

Begin your day with a song and think about the words in prayer.


https://youtu.be/56-qxg7i118

Pray first thing with me

Beginning your day with a small prayer

Precious Heavenly Father,

We thank you for giving us another day. We thank you for teaching us your will and we thank you for your Holy Spirit who gives us the strength to follow through the path you have chosen for us to walk. We are overwhelmed with love and thankfulness as you hold our hand, all the way. Our desire has become your desire and our will has become your will. We ask that you would continue to work mightily in us today and that we would truly be vessels that glorify you in our walk. Keep your hand a guard over our mouths that we speak only the goodness that we have placed in our hearts and we ask that anything we are unaware of and that is displeasing to you be dispelled completely. We choose to boldly resist and come against anything that causes any division, disunity or anything that would accuse our brothers or sisters in Christ and we demand all those spirits to face His cross in shame! 

We ask that your Holy Spirit would begin to minister to the hearts of your people and cause a stirring, a love, a reckoning and healing towards each other. We pray for a humbleness and a powerful unity to begin inside each individual that would draw your people into forgiveness. We ask that those who are not right, but have fallen into idolatry, seducing, lying and perverted spirits would be awakened by your Holy Spirit and humbled into repentance.  We ask that You O Holy Spirit would reconstruct all wrongs into rights. Awaken your true church into honesty, obedience and fill them up with your love for you and one another. I ask that you would drown all legalistic terms and names of denominationalism and replace them as one glorious body of Christ in you. Give them eyes to see and ears to hear your voice in these days. Fill them up with such faith to receive the healings you have provided to those who believe. Take off any limits or options in your son’s name in their walk. Give those in need a keener clarity, a keener assurance of your voice and your word. We ask that you would fill up the Body of Christ with a “walking, leaping and praising You, overflowing with your joy!” We thank you for this Father. In your son we ask, amen.    

You are more blessed than you think!

‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalms 1:1-3 kjv

Many homes in the west have shelves of Bibles to study. Abroad, some are given one page of the Bible to memorize. When they are finally given a Bible, they lovingly embrace their book and weep with joy. 

I watched a program on TBN talking about the Monks who lived off the coast of Britain long ago. They treated Gods word with a deep reverence as they painfully preserved each page, rewriting the text onto new paper with such delicate care that it took them over 700 years. If it weren’t for them, how would we have God’s word today? 

One particular monk memorized all 150 chapters of Psalms. My ambitious heart thought that was a great idea! But could I do it? Because, if I forget where I placed the car keys, how could I do this? Then, I knew; only through the Holy Spirit.

Today, their island stands alone and empty. These men accomplished their mission so the Bible could be sent forth around the world. I am in awe over the discipline and the reverent love they had for God’s word. 

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father,

Our hearts want to bless you in every way we can. We choose not to take advice from the ungodly. We choose not to be in their path. We will not sit ourselves among them, unless you O Lord direct our mouths to speak your gospel. You have blessed us Father and have written your ways deep in our hearts. We declare your Holy Spirit directs our paths. We meditate upon your word when we get up in the morning until we rest in the evening, we know you are always there for us. You are faithful.  Your hand has made us like a beautiful tree that is planted by rivers of water. We never thirst and you give us what we need continually. We bear good fruit for your glory in the perfect season you have given to us. We rejoice in you O Father! You encourage us continually because our leaf does not wither and whatever we do, we do in your love. We prosper in so many ways as we mature in you O Father. Thank you for blessing us. Thank you for smiling on us. We give you all honor and praise. In Jesus your Son, amen. 

More worship to begin your day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO2JPnxPmFg&list=RDMMx-eHCxMM3PI&index=20

Great song to begin your day

Listen to the words and pray them as you sing.. You will be blessed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9h0bcaLElk

Sign up now to pray for America!

This is a great website. You will be able to see your state and city when you sign up to pray for America.


http://www.cbn.com/prayforamerica/?cpid=DM1609091

Pray for our leaders and each other. Be bold as we pray the word.

Let’s pray for all of our Pastors and all those who love the Lord. 

Precious Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your sweet sleep and your never ending love that is continually given to us in so many ways. Reach into our hearts so we can bless you Father in ways of obedience, drawing closer to you, studying more about your character, desires and have our hearts to be pleasing to your will. We thank you for continually feeding us your counsel, your purpose and your guidance every morning. Thank you for our continual transformation. Thank you Father.

This morning we offer up our Pastors heart to you. We give you thanks for his heart of patience and deep love for you and the flock. We thank you for his humble transparency and love for your word. We thank you for using him to win many souls through the bold faith and knowledge that you have given to him. We thank you for giving him a deep understanding even through his trials as he watches your Holy Spirit move in his life. He sees your hand upon his family’s life.  We thank you for the discernment you have given to him and the keen determination to follow through on the assignments and visions that lay upon the table of his heart. 

O Holy Spirit we depend upon you in every way. We choose to fear you  because you have taught us that this is life and not in man. We refuse to be held captive in anyway and break all lies that would try to hinder us or hold us down. We breathe in your word this morning because your word says, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”  We boldly choose freedom in Christ. We choose His strength over ours and we are filled with the Joy of your Holy Spirit because, Your word declares The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking but one of righteousness, peace and joy in your Holy Spirit. We rejoice over this! 

We declare from our hearts that we have the righteousness of Christ by his shed blood and we’ve set free. We declare we have been given a peace the world can never understand, because your Spirit has told us to come to Jesus when we are weary and we receive counsel and rest. You pick us up, time and again and we are assured; all of our battles are yours, Father. We can declare we are filled up and overflowing with joy in the Holy Spirit.  We can walk, leap up and praise You because of the great love and faith you have given to us. Truly You O Father have given us a new heart. One that is tender and able to receive your love. You have given us favor with times of bliss upon your earth. Our will has become your will, and we are one with our Father.  Thank you for teaching us, for keeping your hand and eyes upon us because of your mercy and such great love.  Thank you for keeping our minds sound and sharp and with boldness to declare you are Lord! Hallelujah!  In Jesus we request, confess and declare. Amen.