God Thinking LXX - The Parable Of The Painting 6

"The next truth that I am going to incorporate into my life so that I will never be defeated. Can you say this?

2.     I will never turn back.

Luke 9:62

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jeremiah 7:23-24

“But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 

V24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the

counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.”

I will never turn back.

I will never turn back to my old ways.

I will never turn back to my old habits.

I will never turn backwards in my walk with God.

I will never go back to where I once was.

I will never turn back.

Excerpt from God Thinking LXX The Parable Of The Painting by Keith                                 C. Powell Copyright 2015

God Thinking LXX - The Parable Of The Painting 5

"From now on I am going to take charge of my life.

ü     I will recognize that I am responsible for making something       out of my life, worthy of God’s blessing.

ü     I will understand that nothing will get done until I do it.

ü     I will take charge or my life - No longer do we blame others for        our shortsightedness.

ü     I will discipline myself to work hard to accomplish my goals.

ü     I will learn to make decisions that steer my life to get where      God wants me to go.

ü     I will answer God’s call

ü     But I will wait on everything else until I get a clear and distinguishable go from God.

It’s simple, I am going to take charge of my life.  Amen???

Excerpt from God Thinking LXX The Parable Of The Painting by Keith                                   C. Powell Copyright 2015

God Thinking LXX - The Parable Of The Painting 4

"Now the meaning of the parable.

There’s no place for defeat in the Christian’s life. 

• Knocked down, yes.
• Beaten, yes.
• Broken, yes.
• Traumatized, sometimes.
• Hurt, yes.
• Torn, yes.
• Discouraged, sometimes.

But never defeated.

There’s five truths (five paints) that if you incorporate them into your life you will never be defeated again.

1      From now on I am going to take charge of my life.

2      I will never turn back.

3      I will never play church again.

4      I am going to commune with the people of God and share with           those who are not, the truths that I have learned.

5      I will receive from God all that God has to offer.

Ephesians 5:6-17

V6 “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.  V7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 

V8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

V9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

V10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 

V11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 

V12 For it is a shame even to speak of those which are done of them

in secret. 

V13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 

V14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 

V15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.  V16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

V17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

Ephesians 6:10-18

V10 “Finally, brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. 

V11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

V12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

V13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  V14 Stand therefore, having your loins gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

V15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; V16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

V17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:

V18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Excerpt from God Thinking LXX The Parable Of The Painting by Keith                                    C. Powell Copyright 2015

God Thinking LXX - The Parable Of The Painting 3

"You can hear God more succinctly and understand what God is saying once you understand co-creation. You can love God more perfectly because you stop blaming God for your situations and circumstances and learn to place the blame where it belongs.

You can serve God more willingly because you understand how your relationship with God is one of co-operation.

Picture this - You are still in your parable.

You are painting a week of leisure with money to spend at your favorite vacation spot and someone comes along and paints in more work that only you can do and your picture gets changed.  As you are painting, so is every one else. 

Maybe you were painting a scene of reunion with a loved one and someone comes along and paints on your canvas with greed and riot, meanness and destruction.

Have you ever painted a short term goal:

ü     Maybe shooting a basket from across court at the last minute     of a game to win the championship.

ü     Maybe make a sale that puts your sales team at the top of the      sales teams for the year.

ü    Maybe win a tennis tournament or start a bible study in your trailer park.

Only to see your plans/life, (your painting) painted over, by someone or some thing that wasn’t in your plan.

How about long term goals:

ü     Maybe singing or performing for thousands of loving fans.

ü     Maybe owning your own business.

ü     Maybe seeing your child or your grandchild grow up.

Maybe you are painting, putting money away to send your kids to college or to build financial security so you can enjoy a few years without the pressure of having to make money.

Only to see your plans/life, (painting) painted over, re-arranged or altered. 

You don’t seem to mind too much when you are painting a foggy, gloomy day and someone comes along and splashes on some bright

colorful paint, (money, blessing, a raise, a kind word, a bit of wisdom or love).

But, when you have painted a beautiful picture of how you think it should be and someone comes along and paints over your beautiful picture with something vile and verbose like, (robbery, cheating, lying) you cringe.  

And that is not enough, to add to the story, some of the picture is being painted (generated) by (natural law, nature itself, the fall of man, and even demonic activity.)     

You need to know who you are, who God is and how the big picture, (painting) works. 

How does God intertwine the brush strokes of one with another?

In this study, together you will learn how to:

Pick up the brush, (your will)

Grab a palette of paint, (your gifts, talents, skills and instructions along with the tools to work with)

And paint over, (create a new version of life)

OK - end of parable."

Excerpt from God Thinking LXX The Parable Of The Painting by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2015

  

God Thinking LXX - The Parable Of The Painting 2

"This is how it really is in God’s universe:

In the beginning, God...God always had, has, and always will have, all the components of the universe to use at His will.  God creates mankind - God gives you limited components to use at your will.

Mankind creates a lifetime (paints their picture) - Using these components.

In essence who you are is a combination of what God created, (you) with what you create, (a lifetime) thereby co-creating who you are, what you are, and what you are to become.  We know this from scripture, validated through experience.

If God calls you, talks to you, reveals things to you, shows you the way, teaches you and commands you, then the way you respond is what you become - In other words: 

God gives you the tools; the palette, the brush, instruction and an endless supply of paint to work with.  What you paint on the canvas of life is up to you.  Even though what is on the canvas is not only what you painted, what you paint on the canvas of life is up to you.

Once you understand that you are doing the creating, (painting) of your own picture, (life) and that picture, (life) is integrated with that of everyone else, (On the canvas of life) then, and only then: You can know more clearly how God operates in you and through you."

Excerpt from God Thinking LXX The Parable Of The Painting by Keith                                   C. Powell Copyright 2015

God Thinking LXX - The Parable Of The Painting 1

The Parable of the Painting

Some people want to associate everything that happens in their lives as if:

God is painting the picture

Life is the canvas

And we are the paint

As God strokes His brush across the canvas, your life, lifestyle, livelihood is designed, lived and completed.  If God adds color, your life is filled with joy.  As He brushes shades of darkness, tumult follows and in the end God brushes the final stroke and you are gone.

But that’s not how it really is.  Here’s how it really is:

you are painting the picture

Life is the canvas

God gives you the tools; the palette, the brush, instruction and an endless supply of paint to work with.

But what is being painted is being painted by you - with God’s grace, of course - with God’s gifts, of course - with God’s intervention, absolutely, but YOU are doing the painting.

Sometimes you paint what you want to be.

Sometimes you paint what you really are.

Sometimes you paint an experience or a special memory.

Sometimes you paint a dream.

Sometimes you paint something beautiful.

Sometimes you paint something ugly.

Sometimes you might paint riding a motorcycle.

Sometimes you might paint a vacation, or a new home, or a child.

Sometimes a new relationship.

But you are doing the painting, you and the neighbor next door and those across the world - the righteous, the evil, the uncertain and the spiritual guru, the dictator, the terrorists and the saints all painting.

Understanding who you are and how God works in your life are the two most important quests that you will ever seek.  Understanding who you really are and how God really works in your life is essential - if the truths that emanate from God are to ever find their way into your heart and your home."

Excerpt from God Thinking LXX The Parable Of The Painting by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2015

God Thinking LXIX - The Dichotomy 11

"Catch this, because this is big.

God wants you to die to self, just long enough to reveal Himself to you, (while you are dead to self) so that you become true believers and followers of Jesus Christ. - One who has been convinced by being raised from the dead, having had a glimpse of God and the power of God through the resurrection of Christ in them.

 

When you die to self, you find who you are with Almighty God in control.

You sense the value of a life filled with the things of God.

You see that God is able to use you to do His exploits.

See Daniel 11:28-32

You get understanding about who you are in Christ.

You get excited about the possibilities.

Your faith is increased, because your faith is increased when you see the power of God operating in you and through you.

When you die to self - when you are buried with Christ, then you get to be resurrected and made alive in Christ.

Once you see life as one who was resurrected from the dead - well what do you think?" Just try for a moment to imagine what you might have to say and just how bold you might be if you consciously knew you were raised from the dead. Do you think there might be some excitement there?

Excerpt from God Thinking LXIX - The Dichotomy by Keith C. Powell                                                    Copyright 2014