Having the Life You've Always Wanted

Miserable?

Fed Up?

Depressed?

Spiritually Dry?

Do you want to be happy again, I mean really happy. The kind that is overflowing and so contagious that just being around people like that produces more happiness?

There are 2 keys to having that kind of life. The life of love, patience, joy, contentment, gratitude and a thankful serving heart. Sound good?

Here's how to have that life.

The word life is found in the Bible 733 times but only 25 times with a capital "L" which refers to the life God has promised to all of us. You can have peace and joy everyday.

You can bear fruit every day.

You can help others everyday and not feel taken advantage of or resentful.

Matthew 10:37 - 39 - "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."(NIV).

What God is saying is that He wants to be FIRST in our life.

We need to be "always straightening our priorities" in our life every day and asking where does God come in our lives. Ask yourself, "Is God first in my life today?"

Just because you go to church doesn't make you a Christian, just like sitting in a garage, doesn't make us a car.

Keys are what is required to open a door. You can have one of two lifes. The higher one or the lower one.

The lower one is filled with our self centeredness, selfishness, frustration, anger, resentment, ran by our emotions and focused on our needs.

We need to PUT GOD FIRST! That is the first key.

We need to find time to fellowship with God every single day. Don't be too busy for God. You won't have a real life unless God comes first.

Do you realize that this is the very first of the ten commandments.

YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.

So what comes first in your life? Work? Sports? Family? Spouse? Ladder of Success?

You can be as close to God as long as YOUR willing to commit the time to HIM.

No one else can spoon feed your Godly life to you. YOU have to be the one to do it. It will impact your life.

Matthew 22:37 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment."

Do you realize that the first four of the ten commandments have to do with our relationship with God?

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or the earth below. You shall not bow down and worship them.

3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

In order to have something we want in the world, we are willing to put God aside. We'll get to God later. Tomorrow?

If you want it bad enough, to have this Life you've always wanted, you can do it. Only the devil will try and distract you.

Don't just live your life sneaking into heaven.

Your life should make others hungry and thirsty for God. It's not what you do in that time, it's giving that time to God that will make the difference.

You need to fight for the things you want.

Key # 2. LOVE Your Neighbor As Yourself.

That means love yourself in there as well, but be not in love with yourself. Respect yourself. Take care of yourself, but don't be the center of your life.

Do somethings you enjoy otherwise you will be bitter and resentful.

When you attend church services on Sunday, it's for practice for how you will live the rest of the week. You're there to hear what you're suppose to do for the rest of the week.

Our world needs more love. God's love heals.

Be consistent in showing that love. Love never fails.

We are becoming more and more spiritually fat. We often wonder why we sit in services or conferences at church and nothing really ministers to us. So we blame the minister or the church for not feeding us and might even change churches. However what the real problem is, is that we are taking it all in, but not letting any of it out. There is no more room inside us for anything else God wants to show us.

When are we going to take what we've learned and begin doing it?

We are so afraid of what we'd have to give up instead of just doing it. Bless people. Encourage them. This alone could be the very reason that at times in our life we find ourselves spiritually dry. People need love, encouragement and mostly patience.

1 John 3:14 - "We know that we have passed from death to Life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death." (NIV)

Ask yourself another question every day besides where does God fall in your life today. The next question should be, " What have I done to help someone else today?"

Stop trying to make yourself happy and instead try to make someone else happy. Try the keys and see if your life doesn't change into the Life, you've always wanted today and for the rest of your life.