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A blueprint for the new year part 1

Have you ever received a blueprint from heaven?

Synonyms for a blueprint is a model, design, strategy or template. Blueprints are used to describe the detailed, blue, photographic prints which architects used for their buildings since 1942. 🏠 I love the word ‘blueprint’ is also used in the paraphrased, modern translations of the bible. 

A blueprint is more than a vision. It is a plan on how to live it out. There are countless examples of this in the bible.

God revealed to Noah how exactly the Ark was to be built to carry out God’s rescue plan from the flood for the righteous (Genesis 7). David received the exact blueprints from God to pass on to Solomon to build the temple of God. (1 Chronicles 28:11 MSG) Jesus taught us the blueprint on how to pray (Luke 11:1 NIV).

I believe in the strategies of heaven. I believe God has designated plans for us and I know He wants to share His secrets with His friends: “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him” Psalm 25:14.

With 2019 just around the corner, we can draw near to God to receive blueprints of heaven for our new year: 🎆 

“Or, to put it another way, you are God’s house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. 

Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.” 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 MSG. 

I love the analogy of our lives as a house, and I feel the weightiness of the scripture too. God is serious about the foundation and the materials the house is built with. Why? Because the house we are building with our lives is the home He dwells in, His sanctuary. 

Therefore, regular heart-check-ups are healthy. Is our foundation still  Jesus Christ? Are we co-builders of His house building something of eternal value? Are the materials we use silver and gold that will stand the test of fire?

Or is it rather hay and straw that will make our house come burning down by the exposure of time? 

In The Passion Translation commentary, it says that “there is an allusion here to the temple of Solomon, which was built using gold, silver, and costly stones. Wisdom will build her house with divine substance (gold), redemption’s fruit (silver), and transformed lives (costly stones). See 1 Chronicles 22:14-16; 29:2. 

Wood, hay, and straw are emblems of the works of the flesh, the building materials of men, not of God.

It is both quality and durability that God commends. Fire will cause the better material to glow brighter, but the inferior material will be consumed. 

How we build and what we build matters to God. Note that it is possible to build on the true foundation of Christ but with wrong materials. We need God’s work done in God’s way.”

We need a blueprint to build something of quality and durability in 2019. Are we building with His wisdom, His insight, His understanding, His provision and His perspective?

I hope you are encouraged that God is a God of blueprints. God has a blueprint for the wicked (Job 20:29 MSG), God used wisdom’s blueprints to build the earth’s foundations (Prov.3:19 MSG) and God has a blueprint for your life and season! You are heaven's assignment. You are believed in and dearly loved, and your life has purpose. 

With your wise strategy for 2019, you can wage war and confuse the enemy’s blueprint for your life. (Proverbs 24:6 TPT; Psalm 55:9 CEV)

Be encouraged to build your life on the foundation of Jesus Christ with materials that will last and stand the test of time: 

“You will find true success when you find me, for I have insight into wise plans that are designed just for you. I hold in my hands living-understanding, courage, and strength. They’re all ready and waiting for you.” (Prov. 8:14 TPT)

Let's press in and receive what God has for us. He has exciting things in store!

Bless you,

Sandra.

 

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by Sandra Hultén

No doubt about it

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv_8e8fSMNg

To watch the message, click above⬆

To read the message, continue below ⬇

Have you ever entertained doubt in your mind? Doubt about the future, doubt about your abilities (self-doubt), doubt about your relationships, doubt about your direction? Doubt can show up everywhere and it can be debilitating.

Doubt comes up for me, especially in waiting seasons. Big dreams and vision are awesome and without them, we perish. But in the in-between-space of dream becoming reality, our minds can easily spin into, 'Did God really say?',  'How will this come about?' and 'Have I missed anything since it has not happened yet?'

Rarely will these kind of questions do our heart any good. We'll start reason our way into a downward spiral, jumping to conclusions on how our future will become reality and we'll afflict our life with self-doubt about the seeming gaps in our lives.

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I think Jesus wants to ask some of us: "Faint-heart, what got into you?" Jesus asked this question to Peter as he started to doubt and sink down into the water he just so bravely walked out on to follow Jesus.

So sweet, amazing faint-of-heart-you, what got into you?

No matter what kind of doubt has taken hold of you, it's a gift for us that the topic of doubt is covered many times in the bible!

Why is it important for us to deal with our doubt?
God promises us, His people, that we'll triumph over huge obstacles if we embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt Him. We'll be able to say to a mountain, 'Go jump in the lake', and it will jump! Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as we make it a part of our believing prayer,  gets included as we lay hold of God.                                         (See Matthew 21:21)
The bible makes it clear that there is no doubt about that we've all messed up. The good news is that the bible leaves no room for doubt either about the extravagant grace available for us all every moment of every day!

Let's look on three keys that can help us combat doubt when it starts to damage our day:

1. Simple trust

In this story below, Jesus is appearing for the first time to the disciples after His resurrection. Despite the disciples' doubt, Jesus had been true to His word. He was teaching them simple trust:

"While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, “Peace be with you.” They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. He continued with them, “Don’t be upset, and don’t let all these doubting questions take over. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it’s really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe (Luke 24).

Have you done the one thing needed? Being in Jesus' nearness? It's with this simple decision He can minister to our doubting hearts in the same way He did to the disciples: 'Don't be upset, and don't let all these doubting questions take over.'
As we quit focusing on our own limitations and start confidently trusting Him who makes us able, there is no limit to how much God can strengthen us.
2. Wait and watch 

When doubt arises, instead of acting on our doubt, let's wait and watch how God will come through. We might not see the bigger picture right now, but that's where we got to trust God's timing. A delay does not mean denial. Mark 9 tells us that there are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen. Therefore, watch in expectation what He will do.

Wait and watch for God - with God's arrival comes love, with God's arrival comes generous redemption. No doubt about it - He'll redeem you, He has bought you back from captivity to sin. (See Psalm 130:7)

 

3. Ask for help

"If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you’ll get slapped in the face; confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins. So don’t waste your time on a scoffer; all you’ll get for your pains is abuse. But if you correct those who care about life, that’s different—they’ll love you for it!" Proverbs 9:7.
Sometimes I am the arrogant cynic who starts reasoning with myself about what's happening in my life. As the Proverb above plainly tells, I end up slapping myself in the face instead of receiving peace to my doubting, confused heart and mind. Reasoning by ourselves is not wise. We are called to trust, not always understand.
We don't come far by reasoning. We do come far with asking for help. Instead of trying to fight our doubts in our own strength by reasoning, we can be honest with our Father. It's okay to ask for help and say, 'I believe. Help me with my doubts.' The same did a father in Mark 9 who doubted Jesus' ability to set his son free from a demon that had made him mute. Despite the father's doubt, God set his son free!
I pray you will know beyond doubt that God is with you and that you are part of God's dear flock, the flock of His pasture, His human flock. (See Ezekiel 34:30) Practise simple trust, wait and watch for God, and ask Him for help with your doubts.
May the Master of peace Himself grant you His robust peace!
No doubt about it, you can stop doubt from defining your days.
In this together,
Sandra.
Photography: Lasse Hultén.
Bible references: All from the Message translation.

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by Sandra Hultén