Thought For Today - 11/30/09

As we move into the month of December and into the season of Christmas, let this be the best Christmas you have had up to this point!

Get a desire to walk in a higher degree of God's love during this season. Make a point to become more of a loving husband and father.

Let your desire be one to exemplify the love of Jesus to others that are hurting and there are many.

It is now your turn to allow the love of God to flood through you to others. Let this God kind of love be one of devotion, faithfulness, commitment and loyalty.

Let this kind of God's love see the preciousness, worth and goodness in others. This love is a sacrifice with no expectation of return.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/29/09

It is a fact that changes in your life are not going to stop. You might be in a situation that you think you can just ride it out and things will just work themselves out.

From personal experience, things just don't work that way. There is no such thing as "things will just work themselves out." Things, situations, challenges are going to be here for a while, a long while, even after you have left this earth.

Today is a day that I have never seen before and will never see again. I can not change that. However, what can be change is the way I deal with things, situations, challenges and changes.

The truth of the matter is nothing ever remains the same. Everything is moving forward. Change is the natural order of things. We have been in the mist of a constant change since the day we were born.

No matter where you are in life. No matter what the situation is, you can deal with change. You can deal with challenges. You can deal with moving forward by knowing that Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever will be there waiting for you tomorrow and the next day and the next.

He will see you through the changes of your life. Let Him.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/28/09

I want to wear God's blessing every day of my life. I want to walk in love, not only because it is a great way to live but because Jesus needs us to.

Again, I want to walk in Jesus love, not only because it is a great way to live but because Jesus needs us to.

He needs us to clothe ourselves with His compassions so we can fulfill our mmission of Blessing throughtout all the nations of the earth.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/27/09

Hey, how about repeating this today - maybe several times a day? Just a thought . . .

My God is my provider!
God is my source!
I believe and receive God's love.
I receive God's care for me.
My belief in God brings His provisions for me to me.
With this God allows me to be a blessing for others.
I accept my calling to tell others about the Love of God.
I am always ready and willing to bless others!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/26/09 - Thanksgiving Day

Today is November 26, 2009 - Thanksgiving Day. Today, make a decision, a very important decision - to walk in the joy of the Lord whether you feel like it or not.

Joy is an essential part of a life of victory. Without it, you can only have an occasional triumph now and then. Joy is what gives you the strength to stay faithful and in love when the circumstances get tough.

Joy gives you the ability to smile at negative things when confronted. Joy give you a kind of staying power that will make you on top again and again.

Again, today, make a commitment to God that you're going to walk, not only in faith and in love but in joy as well. Make it a point to rejoice in the Lord daily - no matter what and no way will darkness ever be able to steal your victory from you!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/25/09

There is not a day that goes by that I don't spend some time in prayer. I had to learn however, how to pray "right." You may ask "how do you pray right?"

Well, for one thing, I stop praying just because it was proper. I started praying to get results. I started praying according to the Word of God and I begin to expect to receive what I asked for every single time.

You might say, isn't that a little presumptuous? No, it's bold, and I have a God given right to be bold. I have a standing invitation from God to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that [I] may obtain" (see Hebrews 4:16).

Today, pray expecting to get possession of what you need, not just once in a while, but every time! Go to God in prayer and in the Word and find out where you missed it and get the problem corrected.

God will answer you. He will meet your need exactly as you asked Him. Start expecting Him to do it today!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/24/09

Failures and disappointments. Too many times in the past, I focused on them until I became bogged down in depression, frozen in my tracks by the fear that if I went on, I would only fail again.

Then, one day, God showed me that I'm not to look back at the past - failures are there. Unbelief looks at the past and says it can't be done. Faith looks at the future and says it can be done or should I say "it is done".

Today, put past failures behind forever and allow faith to step out and acts like your prosperity (spirit, mind, body) is already successful. Today, get your eyes off the past and onto your future, a future that's been guaranteed by God!

Again, today, replace thoughts of yesterday's mistakes with scriptural promises about your future. As you do that (as I did), hope will start taking the place of depression.

No longer look behind in past which says "You can't," but look ahead in the future and say, "I can!"

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/23/09

Conflict is something we all are faced with one time or another. From conflicts, we can learn from them. The way in which we handle ourselves in conflicts will show our overall level of just how much the love of God we have resting on the inside of us.

No matter how exasperating the disagreement at hand, we should approach our adversary with an open heart laden with compassion and the love of God. Judgments and blame must be cast aside and replaced with mutual respect and the love of God.

When we come at conflict with the love of God. It shows Him living in our hearts, which empowers us with a solution.

As you seek for the solution in the conflict, note that there is a lesson to be learned here. One lesson could be that you learn to approach disagreement rationally and with a willingness to show the love of God.

If you listen thoughtfully and with an empathetic ear during conflict, you can transform clashes into opportunities to show God's love. Examine yourself carefully. You may discover stubbornness within yourself that is causing resistance to walk in His love.

As your part in disagreements becomes gradually more clear, each new conflict becomes another chance to further increase your love walk. What an opportunity!:)

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/22/09

Someone once told me they can not love people like God does. I told them they could.

For them to love as God loves requires for us to make some changes. We have to renew our minds with the Word of God until, out of the fullness of our hearts, we speak love and not anything else to people.

We must meditate on and confess the love of God that has been expressed toward us and imparted into our spirit by spending time every day reading and fellowship with God.

We can flow in the fullness of blessings if when we arise in the morning, we put ourselves in remembrance of the commandment of love. We can fulfill our day if we start our day by celebrating the love of Jesus.

The same love God put in Jesus is in me. The same compassion with which God so loved the world, that He gave is in my spirit and I am going to release it today everywhere I go. I am going to look for people to whom I can give, people I can bless, all day long.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/21/09

A few days ago I was handed an opportunity to make an apology. Without me going into details, it was brought to my attention that I needed to apologize to this individual. I did without much hesitation.

An apology can be a perfect response to imperfection. Yes, it can be looked at as a debit we owe to those we have mistreated. Yet, apology can also be a gift that benefits those who owe the apology.

Being quick to apologize can be challenging if you are not use to it. I don't know too many people who likes admitting they made a mistake. Apologies does have a price tag on it too, but apologizing can pay off for the apologizer in various ways.

Apology will send a clear message that we have the strength of character to reconcile ourselves with the truth. God is truth. Apology is the most courageous thing we can make to ourselves.

Yes, there are costs to apology, but saying that you just don't apologize also can bring about costs. Relationships suffer when we lie or try to limit our responsibility instead of just being honest on the mistakes we encountered.

One main point to consider is the costs of apology are never as dear as the costs of lying, denial, and defensiveness.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/20/09

In my profession of being a Yoga teacher, I come in contact with a variety of people. Some of the people I come in contact with are a joy to be around. They have a loving presence which encourages me to love more.

Then, there are others that have the opposite effect, draining my energy, leaving me feeling tired and exhausted. Yes, I have found that my energy level has been influenced by individuals I have been in contact with.

From this experience, I have learned to work toward filling my life with individuals who help me cultivate healthy and positive relationships. Yes, I do, you do, we do have control over who we are with.

The power to step back from these individuals lies within us. Just take take a few moments to reflect on how another person makes you feel. Do they add something constructive to, or subtract from, our lives?

Do I allow a friend, a student, a class sap my strength? I had to be honest with myself in this, I made some drastic changes in my daily life, including my social life which brought about a personal transformation that truly empowered me.

When I surround myself with positive people, the negativity goes away and I have been able to create more room to welcome nurturing energy. In my doing this not only enriched my life, but also helped me to love myself on a deeper level.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/19/09

As I have made it a point to walk in love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control, against these, outside forces will have challenges trying to come in.

When I walk, live and teach Yoga from the above attributes, it allows me sow them into the lives of the students I teach and from this I reap the joy of their success. When we do good to all at every opportunity, it means love (God) is at work in us.

As an instructor, it is not for me to criticize the students in any way, talk down to them in any way, or compare my teaching style to another instructor. If I can not be in position to serve the students, why am I teaching?

It does not matter what students can or can not do regarding poses in class. It is very important they find strength in our love for them. As they experience my love for them, the correct alignment will come (if there is a such thing as a correct pose), the ability to perform certain poses will come or not.

Faith works by love. I look at the students I'm allowed to teach through the eyes of faith - they are right where they are suppose to be.

Love is pure. Love is precious. There have been times I have check myself according to the commandment of love. I have had to forgive students who offended me and I have repented also for offending others. I am patience with the students. I love them!

As an instructor, I am here hear for the students I teach. I am committed to take them to the next level of their Yoga practice in love. As I teach, stand and watch, I see a sea of Yoga students being right where they are suppose to be.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/18/09

What I Know Now from personal experience is that happiness is only temporary and it comes from external stimulation.

Joy is a state of mind and being that feeds and nurtures our soul. Many things that make us happy satisfy the demands of the ego. Joy is a Spirit-driven, Spirit-given experience which can ONLY be receive from God.

When we have joy, we are centered in the heart, grounded in calm, and unshaken by the world and it's conditions. Again, only from God can this come about.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/17/09

Everything we do should be based on love. But, without asking God for love, we cannot possess love and we are yet less able to give it to others. Just as people speak about various situations but they don't have personal experience about those various situations, I too cannot talk so much about love and yet not know how to love.

I may be exhausted with work, I may even be too tired to rest after working, but unless the work I do is interwoven with love, it is useless. For me to work without love is slavery.

I have found people (I come in contact with so many different people within the Yoga community) throughout the world may look different or have a different religion, education, or position, but they are all the same. They are the people to be loved. They are all hungry for love.

You have to possess before you can give. In order to have a mission of giving to others, you must first grow in the knowledge and love of God. You must be full of that knowledge and love.

To be able to give, you must have. Love to be true has to begin with God. If we love God, we will be able to love, and if we love, we will be able to serve.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/16/09

I pray about everything I do and I always pray to see if what I am doing is in agreement with the will of God for my life. I have to allow the peace of God to be my guide in all things. If I do go about doing my own thing and realize I don't have peace about it - I don't do it!

I have learn that this inner guiding on the inside, this subtle sense of uneasiness or peace God gives me, is something I have to watch and listen for carefully. God generally will not just come face to face with you and tell you what you need to do. God primary way of communicating with me is what is called "the witness on the inside."

So, let me suggest as I do - listen. You can not be too busy about the things of the world all the time. You have to give God time and attention. You have to build a relationship and communication with Him so that you can hear and know His voice.

Side note - If you are frustrated and upset about things in going on in your life, it will be challenging to receive that quiet guidance from God. Take this advice, "be thankful, be appreciative, giving praise to God always." Maintain a thankful and grateful heart to God. In doing this, you will find it is much easier to hear the "peace" when you communicate with Him.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/15/09

Believing. This is the key to receiving. This is the way we come into the very power of God. Most people, including myself already know this. Yet, we don't put it into action.

However, it is so simple to do. It is as simple as saying the following words, "I believe, therefore I receive."

When you believe in your heart (spirit) and speak with your mouth, the universe knows. God knows. Something then begins to happen in your spirit and things begin to start moving in the spirit world on the behalf of your words.

After you speak those words, it is not for us to understand how it will happen. We know that it WILL happen!

When you take in the promises of God, you are actually feeding your spirit with His Words. As you do this, faith becomes alive and is released and things begin to take form to accomplished what you spoke - "I believe, therefore I receive."

The more you say it, the more it becomes a reality inside of you. You may say it once, twice or more times a day regarding whatever you are believing for. The more you say it, the more your faith is strengthen.

Because of the world's current condition and situation, NOW is especially a great time to say it more "I believe, therefore I receive." No matter what you are facing today. No matter how dark it looks. No matter how everything looks from the natural eye, you keep the words going forth.

As you say these words everyday, several times a day, you will see and experience that they work!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/14/09

I'm seeing many, many people not having "Joy." Joy is one of the most powerful spiritual forces in the world. Joy is strength.

Joy is not just a state of mind. It is not a fleeting emotion. Joy is a very real force, and darkness doesn't have anything that can stand up against it. Just as fear has to yield to faith, discouragement has to yield to joy.

Whatever circumstances you are facing today, you can be full of joy. You can be strong in the Lord. You can draw on the supply of God within you and come out on top.

Keep joy alive!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/13/09

God's going to get you for that! People have said that kind of thing for years and they are yet saying it! They somehow believed that God slaps us down with pain and punishment every time we miss the mark. But that's just not true.

God has warned us to not to travel the road that leads there to destruction. He has promised to give us freedom. He will allow us to choose our own way. If we get on the road to destruction and don't get off of it, we're going to wind up in trouble. Is that because God sent us there? No! He urged us not to go.

At any point of the journey whether you're on the road to destruction or living in the middle of it - God will deliver you from it. He will take you out of there and deliver you.

Today if you find yourself on the wrong road and see destruction ahead, get on the right road. Just commit your way to doing the right thing. Today, choose life by choosing God's way.

Remember, no matter what you've done, God doesn't want to get you for it, He wants to forgive you of it. He doesn't want to slap you down, He wants to deliver you and lift you up. Trust Him and let Him put you on the road of life today!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/12/09

Dissension, discord, strife and disagreement will just inadvertently slip up on us one day. And, today I'm asking you today to take a stand against those opportunities for dissension, discord, strife and disagreement.

If you let things irritate you, make a decide today to overcome that tendency. See with clear eyes that that this world isn't perfect and that there are people in it that aren't going to be nice to you. They will stir you up and annoy you on purpose or by accident.

Make up your mind that, by the power of God, you're not going to let them steal your peace. That peace is so important to your total being (spirit, mind, body). It will keep your body healthy. It will keep your relationships healthy. It will put you in a place where God can guide your steps and save you from making mistakes.

If you have spent the last several or many years letting things get to you, it may take a some time for you to break through. You may have to work at it a moment at a time. But you can do it. I did!

Ask the God to help you start to notice and overcome dissension, discord, strife and disagreement. Then, every time you start to get upset about something, your denounce it, resist it and say out loud, "I am walking in the peace of God today."

You'll be surprised how much more wonderful living can be when you do!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/11/09

There was once a time that I had challenges forgiving someone. I just could not do it! I called out to God about it. I prayed about it. I asked God to help me forgive. Yet, I could not forgive and the pain or hurt they did just didn't go away.

What I had to do was based my forgiveness on faith rather than feelings. I found that true forgiveness does not have anything to do with how I feel. It is an act of my will. It is based on me obeying God and having faith in Him.

In other words, when I forgave, I then consider that person forever forgiven. When that feeling would come again to try to convince me that I still have not forgiven, I had to speak out loud. I would say "no" I have forgave them by faith and I will not allow the old feelings to take root again.

To really bring it home, I had to forgive as God forgives. I had to purposely forget as well as forgive. As this happen, it was like a supernatural thing occurred on the inside of me. The pain and hurt caused by that person left.

The power of God will wash away any effect of pain and hurt as you forgive. You can leave it behind once for all. I did! And, as I did, it open up a whole new world of blessing for me.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/10/09

Love is the greatest tool, device that God gave us. However, I see so many neglect to use or follow it.

If you have the love of God in you - then you are a candidate for serving others - people. Now if you have anything else in your heart besides love, then you are not living by the love commandment of Jesus - spiritual things are foolishness to you.

When you're in this condition, God just can't work. Faith will not work either. Why? Because faith works by love.

If you want to see the incredible power of God released through your life? Then start putting the love command in action. Start loving those around you.

Love is the source of power. Whatever God has planned for your life just won't work without it. Starting today, you and I can turn things around. We can make up our minds to let the Word dwell richly within us.

We can set our hearts on keeping the commands of Jesus and speak His Name with confidence and authority. And, most important of all, we can begin to love one another.

Then and only then will we truly see the power of God begin to flow.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/9/09

From personal experience, when you find yourself having to deal with failure or sin - check your love walk with God. Sit down and ask God to show you if you're in strife with anyone or if you've taken offense. If you have, darkness can come in and cause all kind of challenges for you.

Remember this, taking offense never comes from God. God states we're to be rooted and grounded in the love of God. So reject feelings of offense. Give yourself to that person in love and in prayer. You'll be able to walk right on through that situation without ever having to deal with challenges at all.

Much love
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/8/09

In the past, I would limit God without even realizing it by training my mind on the limited resources of this world rather than the unlimited riches of God's kingdom.

I found that I needed to wake up to the abundance of heaven that I have obtained through Christ. I now know that I have been translated out of a world of poverty into a kingdom of abundance. I now Rejoice and you can too! Heaven's unlimited resources have been made available to you and I!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/7/09

There was a time that I was pretty much always in need. It was not a good feeling. Being in that position of need left me feeling vulnerable and full of self-doubt.

From my past experience being in that condition has made me NOW to meet people in need without judgment and with the awareness that I am not superior to them simply because I'm no longer currently in their position.

I actually now have a different view on this - we can see that we all began life in need of a lot of care and attention, and many of us end life in the same way. Giving and receiving are companion energies that take turns throughout our lives, and we all get a chance to be on both sides of the exchange from time to time.

As I am now in the position of the giver, I honor those I am helping when I remember the many people who have helped me! Now I can look the person I am helping in the eye, aware that I am making contact with a human being who is my equal.

Only through the love of God can the be accomplished. You got Love today?

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/6/09

Do you know why so many are losing the battles in their lives? They're fighting the wrong enemy! They've been deceived into believing that just because a person said or did something to hurt them, that person is the one they need to fight. But they're wrong.

People are never the source of our problem. Who is that real enemy? Darkness. It is your lifelong enemy! It is behind every personal affront you encounter. The people who hurt you and persecute you are only darkness's tools. When it wants to strike out at you, it uses people to get the job done.

Persecution is not the manifestation of another person's hate for you. It's a manifestation of darkness's fear of you. When you start reading the Word of God and start swinging it around--using it like the sword of the Spirit it is--darkness gets scared. So it looks for some person it can send in there to stop you.

Next time someone hurts you, don't let yourself get sidetracked into fighting them. Bind the spirit (energy) behind them. Put flesh and blood battles behind and war with the weapons of the Spirit. Zero in on darkness with authority and the Word of God and bring your real enemy down!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/5/09

Your destiny is already within you. You just have to find what it is and start moving toward it! One sure way to find it is to let the love of God enter your TOTAL BEING!

Here is something I started during a few years back. It has help me grow in the love of God and find my purpose in life! Feel free to use it and repeat it several times a day or as many as you like until it becomes who you are. Then, expect the revelation of your calling in life to appear.

Joseph is patient, Joseph is kind, Joseph does not envy, Joseph does not boast, Joseph is not proud. Joseph is not rude, Joseph is not self-seeking, Joseph is not easily angered, Joseph keeps no record of wrongs. Joseph does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Joseph always protects, Joseph always trusts, Joseph always hope, Joseph always perseveres.

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/4/09

I try my hardest to avoid individuals with too much drama in their lives. From personal experience in dealing with such individuals, they feel uncomfortable when confronted with insights of having peace and contentment come into their lives.

It seems as if the drama (mainly what they create) serves them in various areas of their lives. They seem to get a burst of energy when they become upset or something doesn't go right.

If they want to rid the drama from their lives, they must confront it face-to-face. Meditation if one way to help them. They can start a meditation on transferring this need into a vivid image of it manifesting itself in the natural.

After repeated meditation sessions (it can take days, weeks and maybe months to accomplish this), the reasons behind the drama can become clearer. In meditation, you focus your attention on what you want to happen, the purpose of it and how it can serve others and you in a positive light.

As they continue their meditation practice, each time they consciously see themselves choosing not to take part in dramatic situations or associate themselves with dramatic people and a place for calm and tranquil stillness develops.

And, I'm writing from experience, it worked for me! :)

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/3/09

I often tell students during Yoga class that they are right where they are suppose to be in their Yoga practice. To take this a step further, we can also be right where we are suppose to be in all areas of our lives.

We all have a purpose for being born. We fulfill that purpose(s) when the time is right. Sometimes the fulfillment is delayed due to we are on a fast-track to success (what we consider success) that can be different from what God's plans are for us. But, as we are on the fast-track to success, we become disappointed due to our desires are not being met.

What seems to you as a disappointed or delay can be a preparation for what is coming - God's plan for your life. What we must do is to not resist His plans. I have learned and continue to learn to move with the flow of God rather than against it.

God puts nothing in our path that we are incapable of handling. So, why not just relax and rest in what He is doing for you. You are right where you are suppose to be and you are ready to grow!

Much love,
Joseph

Free Yoga Class @ Lululemon (Galleria), 11/3 @ 5:30pm

Hey, I'm teaching a free Yoga class this coming Tuesday, November 3 at the Lululemon store in the Galleria Mall from 5:30-6:30pm. Come join me!

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/2/09

I hear people sometimes say "God, please help me." God does hear them. However, God has already given us everything we need to survive, maintain and proposer on this earth.

We have a source of angels - just waiting to serve us. The angels are all around us and they appear when we need them most. We release them by the words we speak - words of faith, love and hope, not words of fear, doubt and despair.

The angels come at the right time and for some in the nick of time to help when we need it. How are your angels working?

Much love,
Joseph

Thought For Today - 11/1/09

The beginning of the holiday season has arrive in the classes I teach. Actually I believe it arrived several weeks ago due to the number of students not attending. Yes, I'm seeing most beginner Yoga students taking a break from their practice and the seasoned Yoga students being somewhat steady.

I have taken the responsibility to let students know the importance of maintaining a consistence Yoga practice especially during this time. I'm also telling students to apply what they have learned in class - breathe and meditate. I tell them it is vital important that they develop a daily meditation time.

As you move about during this holiday season, stay present, stay grounded, stay centered. Yoga is a way of being - a life style. As I also mentioned - breath is the thing we can do to retain our conscious and calm.

Much love,
Joseph