Declare war on boredom!

Possibly one of the most consequential battle grounds in our lives, but least known is – boredom.

How am I defining boredom?  We’re not necessarily talking about idleness.  Rather, we’re talking about something that is much more crucial and influential.  Boredom occurs when our soul and spirit man are not inspired or engaged.  By all outside evidences we may look very busy… but inside we’re purposeless and languishing.

This kind of boredom saps our vitality.  It robs of our ‘cutting edge’.  We ‘dangle’ in ambiguity and lethargy… and end up frittering away our time and energies.  This profound battleground starts out very subtly.  It creeps into our minds and hearts so incrementally as to not even be noticed until it has gained a significant and effective beachhead of influence in our thoughts.  It can suck us down into a dark hole… or it can be the indicator that we need to activate a fresh new ‘jump start’ in our lives.

Unless we know the reasons for the onset of boredom and it’s M.O. (what it looks like), we may think that we’re just experiencing a ‘slump’ in normal life.  But there are some easily identifiable key ingredients, that if allowed to persist in our lives, will end up leaving us feeling hollow and inspiration-less.  Here are some reasons why people find themselves bored, empty or ‘lost’ in life.  

Things which lead to boredom

1. We give others too much right to think for us… and make our decisions
2. We don’t listen to our heart… we live from our head and too much by the rules
3. We don’t know who we are or our purpose in life… we’re passion-less
4. Our views of life and ourselves are generally negative… glass half empty
5. We don’t hang around the right people to inspire our DNA
6. We regret the past or fear the future… find it hard to live in the now
7. We ignore our ‘down-time’ and God-times… so our fuel gauge is on ‘E’
8. We don’t give God a specific way to direct us… put His ‘hands on the wheel’
9. Life has become all about ‘me’… and very little about others

Have you ever noticed how bad choices can give boredom the opportunity to get established in our thinking?  Failures can tend to demoralize us.  It’s our thinking that gets us in trouble.  In order to turn this thing around, we must arrest our faulty thinking.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” – Rms 12:2

I wrote a post about the two essential ingredients for healthy life, that are necessary for every living thing on the planet; plants, animals and humans.  And then I created a virtual ‘dip stick’ through which you can evaluate your own heart health.  Click here to check on the status of your own heart: ‘How’s Your Heart?… Try This Spiritual ‘Dipstick”

In that article, you’ll notice that in our downward journey, boredom is one of the first indicators of a problem.  And if we don’t arrest our ‘spiral’, the issues and consequences continue to get more severe.  So what’s the answer?

How do we escape boredom

1. Begin to take personal responsibility for our own life
2. Get in touch with our heart… how’s it doing?  where does it find ‘life‘?
3. Go on a search to find our own identity… who are you?
4. Take negative thoughts captive… force feed ourselves a positive environment
5. Find people who know who they are and can call forth the real you
6. Receive mercy for the past, find courage for tomorrow and live today to the full
7. Get radical to spend time with God… get ‘gas in our tank’
8. Don’t make any decisions without clearly hearing from God
9. Be a giver… give what you can (time, money or deeds) to someone in need

What do you think?  Can we do it?  Be patient with yourself because this process will take some time.  Resetting and refueling our heart is not usually a one time event.  Actually, it requires a lifestyle of staying in-touch with the status of our mind and heart.

So let’s declare war on Boredom.  Eradicate the conditions in our lives that promote boredom.  Then expect to experience “life and life more abundantly”… Soon!  

— MLH

 

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Moving into supernatural provision – getting started

Let’s try a simplified approach to our journey into supernatural provision.

How do I get started?

Let’s say you have a skill, service or anointing and you believe that if you were to develop it, God could use it to supply for you.  But before you ‘burn the bridges’ and make some impulsive radical decisions which may cut off your current provision, let’s address some issues.

1. Are all of your bills caught up and paid in full?  If not, and if you are chronically behind in your bills, then temporarily get another vocational job because a man “must provide for his household…” – I Tim 5:8

The principle here is; either our provision comes 1) through our faith, anointing and growing favor in our relationship with God… OR… 2) we must obtain our provision by our brains or our brawn.

2. Self-discipline is vital.  Learning to be good stewards of our time is a very big deal in this process.   Too much idle time will jeopardize our potential and make us vulnerable to trouble.  Too much busy-ness will sap our time and emotional reserves… leaving us depleted, making it difficult to move into something new.  We must develop and adopt appropriate disciplines that meet the demands of the scope of our territory!

3. Learn how to host and impart eternal value through our unique field of inspiration.  Our ‘field’ doesn’t need to be a stereotypical ‘ministry’… but our heart’s approach to our avocation, vocation, craft or ministry, needs to have the decidedly focused objective of impacting the Heavenly realm for eternity’s sake.  Father is watching to see if we’re gripped with making His business our business.

4. Amass all the email addresses or social media connections of all your friends and contacts… then be a GIVER extraordinaire!  Give away all your testimonies.  Tell your trophy stories… or family stories, etc.  Be an encourager!  Make eternal deposits in their lives as frequently as you are able.  Let people know what God is doing in your life and around you, even if those things seem small.  Do not ask for money or even hint at it!   Be a giver!

Being a ‘giver’ must come from a heart that is consumed with desire to be ‘about our Father’s business.’  If being a giver isn’t an overflow from our heart, we’ll ‘burn out’ quickly.  In addition, being a giver will establish in the hearts of ‘our people’, that we are operating under Kingdom values and we’re worthy ground to sow into.  Their sowing into us may include; bringing their business to us, their time, their contributions, their prayer, their favor, etc.

5. Expect that moving into full time activation of our avocation, skill or ministry… and experiencing full provision… will be an incremental process.  Allow 2 to 10 years to reach our goal.  Expect that there may be times along our journey when poor finances may require us to supplement our growing faith with an extra temporary job for additional income.  This is not to be seen as a setback.  This is more likely a step to let other necessary factors catch up.  These factors may include: character, self-discipline, fullness of time, anointing, skill, people connections, circumstances, etc.   

Summary

After you’ve evaluated these matters and have several inarguable God-signs to validate His will, then you’re ready to take your first steps into the next phase.  Be sure to reevaluate your progress many times along the way to insure that you’re still ‘on course’.  Be patient, be consistent and develop your intimacy with Jesus so that your ‘hearing’ is at it’s peak and your heart is most empowered.  Happy adventures!

For more on this subject, read my book entitled, Supernatural Provision – Where God guides God provides!

— MLH

Increasing Our Authority

The question is, “How can we increase our influence and authority?”  I believe it can be reduced down to these simple insights

Three values to increase true authority

1. Possess a contagious ‘fever’ (have the presence of God on us)
      Infects them beyond their understanding and will
      Make ‘em jealous – awaken desire in them for what we possess
2. Acquire a track record of ‘trophies’ of effectiveness
      Testimonies help to establish our credibility
Creates faith for it to happen again
3. Be a giver!  Serve!
      Service and sacrifice with and for people grants us access and authority in their lives

Three values to increase true authority – (expanded)

1. Possess a contagious ‘fever’
   Moses may have said it best in Ex 33:15, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.”  In the world of real estate, it’s all about ‘Location, location, location’.  In Kingdom realities, it’s all about His Presence, His Presence, His Presence.  Another way of saying it, “We ain’t nuthin’ without His presence.”  Moses went on to say in verse 16, “How will anyone know that you look favorably on me–on me and on your people–if you don’t go with us?  For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”  The power of His presence is so winsome and so impacting that it sometimes creates desire in others even when their minds are resistant.  That’s because when someone meets their Creator, his spirit-man awakens and overrides his soul and body.  This is so completely satisfying… and proves the transcending influence of the love and presence of God. 

   His presence not only distinguishes us, but it creates ‘jealousy’ in those who see the favor and benefits that come with His presence.   This is a holy jealousy… a God inspired jealousy.  You see, it’s His delight to give us His glory so that we look better than just mere humans.  Question: What really and deeply changes lives?  Is it our perfection?  Or is it our infection?  True Christianity… the Jesus type of Christianity, is designed to be real to the point that it’s contagious and desired.  After all, He is the “Desire of all nations.” – Hag 2:7

1. Acquire a track record of ‘trophies’
   Testimonies are our ‘business card’.  Testimonies of His Presence are our proof that this Kingdom reality is valid and relevant.  They are our pedigree… or calling card… our door opener.  They help validate our message and our lives.  Testimonies also create faith that it can happen again in the lives of those who hear the testimony.

1. Be a giver!  Serve!
   Giving and serving invests in the ‘soil’ of another person’s heart.  It tells them that we care… we care enough to stop the locomotive of our own world, in favor of their world.  This can be more impacting than words.  Our investments into their hearts and lives are just another expression of Jesus’ desire to show His care to the world.  Make everyone’s life richer because they are around us.  Increase their value! 

   In the world’s systems it’s possible to buy earthly power over others with money, position, intimidation, leverage, etc.  But this is not to be mistaken for true authority.  Unearned power over someone may grant you temporary compliance from them, but that compliance is rarely from their hearts.  When you wield a position of control it signals that they would be better served to yield to you… at least for now.  But when push comes to shove, they will revolt… or they will bolt.  Earthly power only brings temporary compliance.
   
   Jesus modeled influence and true authority by serving, spending time with, washing feet, feeding, healing, etc.  This granted Him an inroad into their hearts, which motivated people to willingly let Him ‘write’ upon their hearts.  (Think Zacchaeus)  This method fosters radical transformation at the heart level.
   
   Earthly power only gains temporary compliance.  True authority is transformational and has eternal impact.

As we practice these three values, we will be granted welcomed access into people’s lives.  And as we walk honorably in their lives they will give us more license to ‘write’ upon their hearts.  God’s heart is thus modeled and conveyed on earth.

Here’s a little incentive program straight from the Throne — Heaven is eager to “strongly support those whose hearts are completely His.” – II Chron 16:9

— MLH