The Dream

You can be anything that you want to be- anything imagined, all that you have ever dreamed of within the light of your spirit. Nothing can stop you . . . just believe. In this case, the only enemy to be overcome may, in fact, be ourselves.

Filling Time

"God never closes one door without opening another." If you feel empty, if you have lost something valuable, if it seems you are stuck in a waiting room- take heart. Nothing can be filled until it is first emptied. The Lord may be removing things from your life in order to make room for something better- His ultimate blessing. Sometimes He must tear down your quaint little cottage in order to build you a mansion.

Burdens and Victories

God will allow you the occasional journey into terrifying forests, moments of despair that seem completely hopeless, and visits to places you'd really rather not go. But this is only to show you how spectacular it is after you've gotten beyond it. Only those who have experienced the horrors of the battlefield can truly appreciate the taste of the victory dinner later on. He will not deprive you of your rightful place at the great stone table. Those small burdens here shall one day become magnificent triumphs in His World.

No Fear

Often, the only thing that seperates us from getting that which we really want is fear. It is the large wall that must be scaled, the barbed-fence that must be climbed, the chain to be broken through at all costs. The wondrous thing is that when you finally face it, when you actually begin to climb the wall of fear, you'll find it wasn't nearly as high or big or as treacherous as you had imagined. Those chains that bound you turn out to be, in the end, mere ribbons. We have given them so much more credit than they ever actually deserved.

The Final Chapter

We must never assume God is malicious. Even when He tells us "no" to something we have asked for, remember that there is something else far better waiting for those who trust Him. Other chapters, better than we could have possibly imagined, are being written at this very minute. Even as our heads are hung low and we are feeling defeated, remember that the plans He has for us are steadily being knitted together for just the appointed time. The Great Author's final chapter for our lives will be so much better if we will simply put down the pen and at last let Him write it. And the final chapter is only the beginning.

The Great Adoption

Whenever I am tempted to sin, I remember that I was bought for a price. My life is no longer my own, I am not a free agent to do whatever I please anymore. You see, we are not "naturally" sons and daughters of God. We are currently stepchildren, adopted and plucked from our sinful lives by Him whose name is too wonderful for words. When you are accepted into a family, in this case the Family of God, you must abide by the rules of the House. Take heart, we will not always be stepchildren. Through the miracle and majesty of the Lord, one day we will be natural sons and daughters of God- but this will not happen for a while yet. That will be in another story, in a far greater land than we are living in now- one in which each chapter is better than the last, and the enemy called Time is finally put away in its cell forever.