Christian-Secrets.com

As 2010 begins, it is a great time to reassess and adjust your life plan, particularly evaluating financial stability and life fulfillment, which were major difficulties for Americans in 2009.

1. Remember, you are the boss of your life! When making life-changing decisions, such as employment transitions, maintain control of your future! Like many, you may have entrusted your life and your financial plan (fixed salary, pension, benefits, etc.) to someone else and ended up at a financial loss you never expected. So, do not trust or rely solely on others (an employer, financial advisor and investment broker) to control your financial future. Follow God’s advice and direction. To avoid others from getting a grip on your finances, read “How to Hear God to Prosper.”

2. Remember the things you are thankful for. Many people experienced challenging times in 2009 because of material-losses—houses, cars, possessions, salaries, investments, etc. Do not overlook non-material assets in your life. Loyal family and friends are always a blessing. Good health is extremely valuable, particularly during hard times. If you have a sense of humor or an optimistic outlook, you have a good thing. Materialism does not contribute to a life of worth and fulfillment, but many of the things we cannot buy, like great personality attributes, do.

3. When incorporating a new plan, assess what you have done wrong or would like to do better in order to experience a change for the New Year. Don’t beat yourself up for wrongs you have suffered, just address them, so you do not repeat them. If you worked at a job you hated, start planning to change to something you enjoy. Being true to yourself eradicates discontentment.

4. Find your happiest self. What makes you happy? What is the one thing you would love to do everyday for the rest of your life? Do not dismiss something because you do not have the money or resources to do it. Once you determine what you really want to do, then find resources to make it happen.

5.  Make a difference in someone else’s life. Help someone by using your expertise; give someone free advice or a free service. Many problems we face, as a nation, can be solved by helping one another. A change in our outlook is necessary in 2010—instead of looking for the government and others to help us, 2010 needs to be the year we seek out those we can help, in our community and elsewhere.

6. Make sure to include God in your plans for the New Year. This does not necessarily mean you have to go to church every Sunday. More importantly, you must know God. Many Americans have incited third-world conditions for themselves because they practiced the customs of foreign religions, rather than Christianity. Too many Americans have never studied Christianity, even though we live in a country that was founded on Christian principles, and blessed. A simple way to understand Christianity is to read the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (the first 4 books of the New Testament of The Bible). To learn how to prosper, using simple godly principles, read “How to Hear God to Prosper.” Do not underestimate knowing the true God. Knowing the true God is the difference between having a prosperous year and having a year worst than America experienced in 2009.

© Found Treasure Publishing 2010

Christian-secrets.com

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The Main Ingredient of Christmas

By VC Edwards

A favorite southern holiday recipe is candied yams. Candied yams are sweet potatoes prepared with a variation of sugar, brown sugar, molasses or maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, dabs of butter, and topped with marshmallows, if desired. Any way candied yams are prepared, the main ingredient is sweet potato, made sweeter with added sugary ingredients.

One can only assume that, generations ago, someone devised this method of preparation after experiencing a bad crop of sweet potatoes. To sweeten the sweet potatoes, a cook went to her cupboard and used everything sweet that could be found, until the sweet potatoes lived up to their name. Clever as that may be when faced with a bad crop of sweet potatoes, it is unnecessary when good sweet potatoes are available. When this nutritious food is turned into a sugary dessert, it is impossible to enjoy the natural sweetness of the sweet potato. The art of cooking sweet potatoes is knowing how to pick them and then cook them to maintain their natural sweetness.

The basics of picking a good sweet potato is to never choose huge sweet potatoes or narrow potatoes with roots (the larger ones are not the sweetest ones, and if there are roots on the outside, there will be strings inside). Chose medium-size potatoes with a deep orange color. Bake them in their skin, like a baked potato. When they are soft (when you are able to stick a fork in them), enjoy nice, hot sweet potatoes. Once you have eaten properly picked and cooked sweet potatoes, it is unlikely that you will ever want sugar-coated sweet potatoes again.

Similar to sweet potatoes, Christmas has become sugar-coated—overloaded with store-bought, glittery, meaningless stuff. Christ has been bumped from Christmas, as department stores compete for our time, energy and money. We are left unfulfilled after the holiday season because we get caught up in wrappings and bows, with no gratitude for Jesus. Every Christmas, we look to do things bigger and better, with gifts and activities that have nothing to do with Christ. When we let merchants take control of our Christmas, we end up empty inside because nothing bought us closer to God. Jesus Christ is the central ingredient in Christmas and the message of Christmas never needs to be sugar-coated with fairy tales for children or expensive or unnecessary presents to those who will do likewise.

Jesus Christ gave us the greatest gift ever given. (See “God was Born” below.) If you want to do something big at Christmas and year round in gratitude of the gift Christ has given you, seize opportunities to give to someone who cannot give you anything in return. Help someone who cannot help you. Be kind to those who have no expectancy of your kindness. However you chose to celebrate Christmas, remember to invite Jesus, by sharing the message of Christ with everyone you know.

God was Born

God designed the world to operate by love. In order for God to be true to His order, He has to punish everyone who fails to love. But God, in His infinite love and wisdom, has provided man an escape from eternal death, the punishment for not loving. God made an exchange to save us from our deserved fate. He, Himself, stepped forward to be born of a woman, in order to be subjected to human conditions and temptations. When God was born, He was given a new name. You shall call His name Jesus: for He saves those from sin who accept Him as Lord. (Matthew 1:21) Jesus lived in a world of hate without ever committing a sin, choosing to love, and therefore qualified Himself to be an exchange for us. He accepted total guilt and punishment for our offenses of not loving! Jesus did not give us a license to sin; He gives each and every person an opportunity to be free from sin. Even though Jesus died, He is alive—being the only One in history to rise from death, never to die again, but ascend into heaven—proving Himself to be God!

©VC Edwards

If you confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved! (Romans 10:9)

© VC Edwards 2009, All rights reserved.

Found Treasure Publishing

Christian-secrets.com

by VC Edwards

Wealth to Witness

A misconception of Christianity is that Christians should not desire wealth, but should only attain means to sustain themselves. This is undoubtedly a myth started and spread by people who do not want Christians to have wealth to have power and influence in the world. And unfortunately, many Christians have bought into this myth for them and their families. In biblical days, everyone who represented God, from Abraham to King Solomon, were exceedingly wealthy. And, Jesus sought people for His entourage who had their own businesses and practices—people who were not influenced by secular bosses, earning hourly wages, but people who had unlimited financial potential, and therefore were respected and influential in their time.

The love of money is the root of all evil.

1Timothy 6:10 KJV

Never let money influence you to act contrary to God’s will, but gain money to advance God’s mission, without limits. Do not use money to purchase “things” in excess for your personal use. When making and spending money, use godly discernment, the same as you must do, as a Christian, with everything in life—from relationships with people to career choices. The more money you have, the more potential you have to promote Jesus Christ.

Wealth is a factor in determining who has control, power and influence in the world. Christians necessitate wealth to influence the world for Christ. Wealth is a product of God’s blessings and when we forfeit our blessing of wealth, we relinquish our ability to spread God’s message throughout the world.

It is not a problem for Christians to be wealthy; it is a problem for Christians, of whatever means, to forget Christ and forget to minister to people for Christ. If wealth will make you turn your back on God, then you should not aspire to be wealthy. In order to do great works for Christ, it is necessary to handle money wisely. Your faith is in question if you cannot handle money responsibly for Christ.

For more info, read “How to Hear God to Prosper” by VC Edwards.

© VC Edwards 2009, All rights reserved

Found Treasure Publishing

Christian-secrets.com

Related Posts:

- A Gift for You

- The God Who Makes America Great

by VC Edwards

4^th of July Observance

The diversified cultural traditions of those who make up our country have clouded our historical traditions; we have grossly forgotten the God who made us great because along with varied cultures comes varied gods. As the greatest country in the world, it is crucial for every American to know and understand the God who makes us great. Jesus Christ has proven to be the true God (read “A Gift for You”) and without question, blessed America to greatness.

If you will listen diligently to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe and do all His commandments…this day, then the LORD your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth. Deuteronomy 28:1

Virtually every immigrant, who comes to America, has come to escape some form of oppression in his or her home country. Immigrants, typically, but illogically, do not let go of their “gods” when they come to America; instead, more and more American citizens, ironically, have become fascinated with foreign gods and have taken on “gods” that are prevalent in oppressed countries. And now we are experiencing dreadful, cumulative, conditions of a recession because we have neglected the God, who blessed us. Americans have called on “gods” that are nothing more than statues, have practiced forms of witchcraft originated from the darkest places in the world, and have labeled people who are subject to death as idols, while ignoring and disrespecting the true God; all of which have caused Americans to lose homes, jobs, cars, benefits, basic necessities, family connections and everything short of freedom, which could also be taken away, if America continues to worship false gods, instead of the God who blesses.

America, we found the true God to be indisputably Jesus Christ, but allowed ourselves to be fooled into entertaining other “gods.” As we celebrate our independence, in what is still the greatest country in the world, it is time to rededicate to the God, who blesses.

Start your rededication to Christ, by reading “How to Hear God to Prosper” by VC Edwards.

© VC Edwards 2009, All rights reserved.

Found Treasure Publishing

Christian-secrets.com

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