Chris Burge Ministries' Podcast

This may be obvious but given the choice between being positive and negative, being positive is better. Think about how often we fall prey to having negative thoughts. Phil 1:20 states: According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. In this passage we see Paul choosing to be positive about his outlook, and positive about his future. So the next time you face a fork in the road, follow Paul’s example and watch God come through for you!

One of the most powerful tools that you can have in your arsenal as you go through life is enthusiasm. The word enthusiasm comes from the root words “En Theos”, which literally means to be “God infused." God desires that we live lives of enthusiasm and passion. He wants us to embrace each day and seize each moment for all that it has to offer! Revelation 3:15-16 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

satan wants you to use your memory to remind yourself of past mistakes. Jesus wants you to use your memory to remember His faithfulness; He wants to give you hope and fuel for your future! If you will discipline yourself to focus your relationship with Jesus and who He is, and on all the times Jesus has come through for you, your memory will be-come a tool in your arsenal that will allow your faith to grow, instead of your memory being an anchor of negativity that holds you back! Proverbs 10:7 The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.

If we are honest nobody ever wants to feel vulnerable, we all want to feel like we are in control. Unfortunately life puts all of us in positions where we have to live with uncertainty--but instead of feeling vulnerable we have to put our trust in God. God wants to let you know that you can trust Him and enter into His rest. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

It's amazing the number of times wives have asked me this question: "What can I “say” to make my husband change?" Unfortunately many wives start with a false premise that assumes that there are words that will make a man change his behavior. That mindset completely contradicts the instruction the bible gives us. Scripture teaches us that wives will influence their husbands not by words, but by their attitude and body language. Far to many women try to change their husbands by complaining about them, or criticizing them or trying to control them. But that kind of behavior never produces the results the wives desire. 1 Peter 3:2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

False accusation is something that cuts to the heart like few things. If you are like me and you acknowledge that sometimes your execution is flawed, but your motive is pure, it hurts to have someone attribute a malicious motive to something that you know was unintentional. If you work hard to be a good example and blessing to others and then they turn around and falsely accuse you of something, it can leave you reeling. The challenge is to not allow the false accusation to totally derail you, but rather to keep your eyes focused on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Few things can be as nerve-wracking as an unexpected expense. Whether your car needs to be repaired or your insurance premium has been increased, if you just don’t have the funds in the natural, there's a great temptation to panic. However you have to stay mindful that while this expense may have caught you by surprise, it did not catch God by surprise! He is Jehovah Jireh, your provider, and if you believe, He will provide. Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.

Few things are as frustrating as feeling stuck; it's one of the worst feelings in the world. When you feel "stuck" it seems that regardless of what you do, nothing seems to change or bear fruit. In the world of psychology feeling stuck is called “learned helplessness,” because you feel as if you can't influence the outcome. But Jesus went to the cross to help us remember that there is always a way of escape! So regardless of how stuck you feel if you stay committed to the process and keep doing the next best thing, you will reap in due season! 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

The bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." The word depart means to “turn off.” This is powerful be-cause no matter what the child is doing, this verse promises us that the child will not be able to "turn off" the Godly counsel that the parent gave them.

One inevitable part of life is conflict. Sometimes our convictions and beliefs will be different than those around us. The bible tells us in Romans 12:18: "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." If you need help with conflict resolution allow the Holy Spirit to guide your speech and body language and you will be able to conduct yourself in a God honoring fashion--instead of remaining in conflict and allowing your speech to deteriorate to the degree that the person feels attacked. Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

In the body of Christ we have to guard against the subtle tendency to manipulate a person or situation. In its most extreme expression, manipulation is a form of witchcraft. God does not want people to control you according to manipulation. Romans 8:14 states that He wants us to be led by His spirit. If you constantly feel like people are twisting your arm and placing pressure on you to do things you have no interest in doing you are being manipulated. 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Have you ever noticed that most people don’t like the way you showed up in the world. I say this jokingly, but have you noticed that if you're quiet or don't talk with a loud voice, people tell you to “speak up.” If you talk a lot, folks tell you to “shut up!” The reality is that if you aren't firmly established in your identity in Christ you'll you seek approval from the world and you'll fall prey to people pleasing. Think about it: if Jesus couldn't please everyone, what makes you think you can? Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

A word that has become more and more popular is "boundary." The word boundary means to set a limit with others, and minimize access. A boundary can be either emotional or physical. A boundary is similar to a fence that you put up to keep things out. Most Christians have a hard time setting boundaries when it's necessary. Instead, they al-low themselves to be manipulated. We all have certain people in our lives who continue to cross the line, and instead of addressing the behavior, we keep giving them slack and as a result we bear the consequences. God never tells us to condone wrong behavior! 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

One of the most humbling things I experience in ministry is when someone confides in me, and they share something that they've never shared with anyone else. Usually people tell me what I've come to refer to as the “big sin,” and by that I mean something that people fear others will find out about and judge them. It may be an abortion, an affair, sexual sin, loss of money, or anything that could cause tremendous embarrassment and shame. From a psychological perspective this category of sin attempts to cripple and immobilize the person, and prevents the individual from moving forward. But God desires that you embrace His love and remember that you are forgiven--He's forgiven you--so sin no longer has power over your conscience. Isaiah 43.25: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.

God wants to give His beloved rest. He reminds us that our bodies are the temple of God and when we engage in activities that wear us out, we are dishonoring our temple. Burn-out occurs when we engage in activities that God never called us to do. So if this de-scribes your life--you may have to reexamine where you work, where you live, and expenditures that you've made. From time to time, we all need to conduct an audit on our lives and examine ourselves to make sure we are doing the things that God called us to do (2 Cor 13:5). My prayer is that you do not spend a lifetime doing things that God never called you to do! Lord, give us the wisdom to differentiate between busyness and fruitfulness. Psalm 127.2: It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.

If there's one quality we could all use it's wisdom. What is wisdom in its simplest form? Wisdom is knowing what to do next, and the bible is contains many scriptures about wisdom. Here are a few: Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; 1 Corinthians 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption; James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. So the bible is very clear: wisdom is something God wants us all to have. If God wants us to have it, we should desire it!

There are over forty scriptures in the bible that deal with fatherlessness, and this is a topic that is close to God's heart. He's wants you to receive the paternal nurturing that we all desire. God wants to father you and nurture you, and He also gave you your spiritual family to provide what your family of origin, or nuclear family isn't incapable of. If you don't have a relationship with your biological father, or your dad has passed away, remember that God is your Heavenly Father and He will care for you, and He will also send good Christian male figures across your path to help supplement what you're lacking. Deuteronomy 10:18 He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing.

As you get older it's really tempting to dial-down your dreams and start settling for what life hands you--instead of demanding what God has promised you. Some folks adopt the mindset that their life is as good as it's going to get, but God wants you to keep dream-ing. He does not want you to think small! Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us...

Sometimes we feel as if we've lost our joy. Life seems “ho hum” and boring. But guess what? If you're born again you can't lose your joy! Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit that's de-posited in our inner man, so while you may not be manifesting joy in your life, you never lose it! If we learn to quiet our flesh and yield to the Spirit, it won't be long before the joy reappears. Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

The bible is crystal clear about the importance of community and healthy connections. Did you know that there are over fifty “one another” verses in the bible? Relationships are of utmost importance in our lives, and there two types of people you can be in relationship with: "Basement" people bring you down; and "Balcony" people lift you up! It's critical that we learn how to discern the difference between the two. Ecclesiastes 4.12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.