My husband and I were extremely lucky for 15 years and we got many free things all the time. I’ve ignored filling out free surveys for Taco Bell and Panera Bread for free money, but I’m no longer doing that. I’m going for every freebie I can get. The Indian Creek singles and I went to Fazoli’s restaurant for lunch a few weeks ago, and the electricity was out so they gave us a bunch of free spaghetti dinner coupons. I like free stuff. I just got a reduced coupon for Starbucks.
When we were married with having six little children, it looked impossible to ever take a real vacation outside of driving to Florida to Disney World, but I told everyone I wanted to go to Hawaii. Two years before he passed away, his manager called us up and offered a free trip to Hawaii for five days all expenses paid through a vendor. Coincidence that it happened to be Hawaii, my number #1 dream vacation? The second place I always wanted to go was Australia even as a teen and saw that movie Crocodile Dundee and two of my children moved there so I went to Australia.
While I was married we had free VIP tickets to Verizon concerts, 500 Race almost every year, Pacer’s games, Purdue football games, and many other plays and events through his work. When I worked at Methodist Hospital, I got free baby formula for my children through the pharmaceutical reps. It was “not so lucky” that my husband was born with chronic asthma which I believe was hard on his heart, but it was lucky that he could not get drafted into the Vietnam War so I could even meet him in the first place. I believe my husband served God’s purpose and that purpose was to help me raise my four small children and I helped him raise his two children. Our last daughter was a senior in high school when he passed away. Ecclesiastes talks about “serving our purpose” and David served his purpose.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Eccl. 3:1
For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. Acts 13:36
There was a minister who was kidnapped along with other Americans. I believe it was in Iran and when he came out of the hostage crisis, he made a comment that he wanted no part of Job’s trials. Why did he say that? He had enough trauma in his life that he did want to believe for any more calamity. “Enough is enough.”
There seems to be chasm between what Christians talk about God allowing (the permissive will of God) and the perfect will of God. Jesus prayed that God would not take his flock/sheep out of this world, but to keep them from the evil one (John 17:5). He prayed “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven Mark 6:10.” There is no hatred, murder, stealing, sickness, disease, suffering or death in God’s world. There seems to be three wills of God and it talks about renewing our minds to God’s word to “test and approve” / to determine what is the perfect will of God. We may not make the perfect will of God, but it is something to strive for.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
Paul said that he would have come to them, but Satan stopped/hindered him. There are some goals I have been hindered in. He did not say that God stopped him. I woke up on Saturday morning and I heard in my spirit, put on the whole armor of God so you may withstand the schemes of the devil. Pray with all kinds of prayer for the saints! This is a fight/battle that we are in! It says to put on the full armor!
For we wanted to come to you-- I, Paul, more than once-- and yet Satan hindered (stopped) us. 1 Thess 2:18
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesian 6:11
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13, With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. V. 18
We may not always be able to change all our circumstances---During 9/11, they were able to take back the plane from the pilot that was planned to be run into another building. They still lost their life, but they thwarted the enemy’s original plan. That is what I like to do in my life. How can I change the enemy’s original plan to devastate me in life? That is what happened to Joseph, Judah intervened when his brothers wanted to kill him and they sold him into slavery, but he was not killed. How can we change negative circumstances in our lives?
Many times we may have a “warning” in our spirit and are we going to heed the warning? It’s like going over a railroad track with the red flashers going and that is what it was like in marrying my husband with asthma. I just really did not know what to do with that warning. Marrying someone with a chronic health problem was a continue concern of his and my life every day of my life and unless you lived with someone from the start like this, you have no idea what it’s like to live with a person and be concerned for their safety every morning that you wake up. My husband had “several” near deaths experiences in his life and he lived his life like it was his last breath on a regular basis. For me, I’ve just arrived on planet, “I may not be here tomorrow” since I’ve not had that many near death experiences.
I’m speaking words of positive and blessing on my children and my family. Not that I’m cursed or have bad-luck and God is against me. God’s word says that “God is for me who can be against me?” God is on our side!
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31
So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6
They came out with a movie, “Just My Luck” about a woman who was extremely lucky and she transferred her luck to a guy when she kissed him. First, she went to a fortune teller (bad idea). You do not need a fortune teller to tell you your future, in fact, most likely you will experience oppression from the enemy if you go to someone who has gifts that are not from God. God has prophesy in the body of Christ, and if you really want to know more about what God wants you to do, you should seek God’s gifts and his wisdom, not the wisdom from this earth. I’ve had several prophets of God confirm what God showed me through is word. Prophesy is a confirmation, not a way to totally guide our life.
Do not despise prophecies, 1 Thess. 5:20
Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. James 3:15
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 1 Cor. 2:6
Don’t burn any bridges in life. I never left a job and said, “Take this job and shove it” although I felt like saying it. It did not look positive when Joseph told the servants of Pharaoh their dreams, but they finally remembered him two full years later (Genesis 41:1-13) and you just might meet someone who remembers you on down the road and might lead to your good fortune/success. I consider being kind to strangers and people of a different faith than me. Those were strangers to Joseph in prison. I’ve met some women who told me that certain people were mean to them at a Bible study, because they were not of the same faith (ganged up on her). We don’t want to burn bridges in life, but make bridges to help people. That person may be key to meeting someone down the road, and our acts of kindness and a listening ear to that person pays dividends in the end. We are giving “as unto the Lord” not unto men. We have heard about the waitress that was kind to a person day after day in a restaurant who willed her all his money.
It tells how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, so that He went about everywhere doing acts of kindness, and curing all who were being continually oppressed by the Devil--for God was with Jesus. Acts 10:38
Take heed your kindness not to do before men, to be seen by them, and if not -- reward ye have not from your Father who is in the heavens; Matthew 6:1
So rather than singing, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” now I am singing I am lucky, and I win free things all the time. Let’s have faith that we will see the goodness of the Lord in our lives. Let’s have a little faith in God. A little faith can walk on the water like Peter. A little faith in God like Joshua and Caleb can take the promise land. I’ve had enough bad in my life at its own, not to put any negative faith out there for more worse things to happen to me, but I’ve also had a lot of good things happen to me. I believe there is enough negative in the world, so I want my faith turned around to being positive. I want the faith that moves mountains. I met my spouse in a single’s ad and I consider that lucky, dating sites remind me of the slot machine, just keep feeding them quarters or your meetings with people and you are bound to get lucky. Losing him early---not so lucky. This is the story of getting lucky. So I would rather be lucky most of the time and win free things than have bad luck all the time…how about you?
It is not having confidence in a person, confidence in this world’s system, it is confidence in the goodness of the Lord.
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
I believe that tithing includes giving at least a 10th of our time to the Lord in service besides money. In fact, I was driving back from leading worship at a single’s group, and I was thinking about all that gas I’ve been burning up on the northside of town for three years, and then I heard the Lord say that I should claim that expense for volunteering on my income tax too. I had not thought about claiming gas money in doing volunteer work.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10
It’s asking God for favor with those He wants us to have favor with. If I don’t perceive I have favor with people, than I “shake the dust off my feet” and look for the people he wants me to hang out with and find people he wants me to have favor with. We see in the case of Joseph, his brothers were jealous of him so he did not have favor, but later God healed that relationship with his brothers. Jealousy can hinder favor with others, but God can open doors that no man can shut. Ask the Lord to show you the doors and show the path/the way of favor that he would have you to walk. Bind jealousy from coming against you. God’s word says we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood. Jesus took the keys of hell and death away from Satan so know Jesus has the keys and we have power in Jesus name and blood over principalities and powers in this life. I believe part of this binding and loosing is through the praise like Jehosaphat.
I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Revelation 3:8
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. Matthew 10:14
My daughter networked this year at a marketing event at the NFL Experience this year, and a person gave her five tickets each worth $25.00/piece. She also got her cell phone dealership to take back a phone although the warranty was expired. Sometimes we need to claim favor with our vendors. I got stopped three times recently for speeding and the police officer just gave me a verbal warning – not even a written warning. Sometimes, I stress out about money issues. One summer I got $1500 back in escrow and that was like Christmas in July. I won $300 at my husband’s early Christmas party in a drawing for tickets I entered through a pretend Casino when my children were small that helped out with buying Christmas gifts that year
When I wake up in the morning, I say, “I am blessed and loved of God, I am a blessing everywhere I go. I have favor and I am lucky (I have good fortune) today” according to Duet. 28:13, I am the head not the tail in life.”
Just My Luck :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAiNE3v6Isc&feature=related
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