The story of Joseph

“He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that his word came; the Word of the Lord tried him, (Ps. 105:17-19).

Those who are called to be a part of the first rank and order, find that they travel a lonely journey, to blaze out the trail for those who follow. The whole family of Jacob, all the sons, their wives, their children, were destined to make a sojourn in the land of Egypt, but “He sent a man before them.” One had to go first, and his journey was not the same as those who followed later.

Rejection and loneliness

It was an adventurous trip when Jacob and all his family came down to Egypt. Pharaoh had sent wagons to carry him, and all his cattle and goods came with him. But it was far different then the trip Joseph made, being the “man sent before them.”

Joseph’s brethren sold him as a servant. He was separated from his brethren. He knew the agony of rejection and loneliness. He knew the heartache of ‘holding a vision” that seemingly did not have the remotest chance of fulfillment. All the outward circumstances were in opposition to that which his heart yearned after. He became a servant to the mundane!

When all seems lost

To the natural mind there is no continuity to the process. Sent by God, sold for a servant. Called to be a preserver of the people, his feet shackled with fetters, hemmed in, restricted, he was laid in iron. To use the vernacular of present times, these things just do not compute.

The inner vision says one thing; the outward circumstances are seemingly saying something else. This is the perplexity that faces those who spearhead the way from the old into the new. Only our Lord Jesus Christ has gone before us.

In due time

But the dreams and visions, which Joseph held, became a reality. After the Word of the Lord had fully tried him, his deliverance came, and he was made ruler in the land – and able to provide for his whole family in due time.

The post God Has Not Forgotten You first appeared on My Love Link - Love.

1) There is another Law that works in reality which is as equally important to understand as the Law of Attraction. It is the Law of Detachment. It is this Law that gives the crucial distinction in utilizing the Law of Attraction successfully. The Law of Detachment is complimentary to the Law of Attraction.

2) The Law of Detachment says that in order to successfully attract something, you must be detached to the outcome. If you are attached, you project negative emotions of fear, doubt, or craving which actually attracts the opposite of your desire.

You are operating from a position of worry, fear and doubt rather than serenity, trust and faith. Of course, there are times when negative emotions are meant to be felt and acted upon, but your dominant emotions should be positive ones.

3) Let go and let God. Anything you want can be acquired through detachment, because detachment is based on resting in the complete grace of God and knowing that He is always working everything through you and together for your greatest good.

To be detached is to realize that everything good is from God and nothing at all is from you. It is God doing it through you and the elements and people in your life so there’s nothing to hold on to as your own, all you have to do is to believe and let God do it.

4) Ease and perfection of action depend entirely upon the degree in which you cease to depend upon your conscious efforts. You must take your conscious mind off it in order to let your subconscious mind take over.

The pilot and the autopilot cannot control the plane at the same time. You must let go in order to let God take over. To detach is to allow God to bring your desire into manifestation in whichever way is best for you. When you are detached, your desires will manifest much faster.

5) To be attached means to be powerless because what you attach yourself to, you give your power to it. When you look to outside sources to bring you fulfillment, you are giving your power away.

When you are looking to something outside yourself for power and happiness, you are making something other than your true self your source. Detach knowing that whatever you detach from has no power over you, but you have complete power over it.

6) Attachment to anything will always create insecurity no matter how much of it you have. In fact, some of the people who have the most of what they want are the most insecure. Attachment to someone or something makes you wonder if you will keep having them or it or if you may lose them or it. Insecurity causes unhappiness stress.

7) The search for security and certainty is actually an attachment to the known. There’s no evolution in that, absolutely none at all. And when there is no evolution, there is stagnation, entropy, disorder, and disintegration.

Uncertainty and the unknown are the field of all possibilities and pure potential. It is ever fresh, ever new, always open to the creation of new manifestations. It is the realm of pure creativity and freedom. When you are attached, your intention gets locked into a rigid mindset, and you lose the fluidity, the flexibility, and the spontaneity inherent in the field of pure potential.

 When you experience uncertainty, you are on the right path so don’t give it up. You don’t need to have a complete and rigid idea of what you’ll be doing next week or next year, because if you have a very clear idea of what’s going to happen and you get rigidly attached to it, then you shut out a whole range of possibilities.

Realize that there is an infinite God working IN YOU and alongside you, and HE is the ONE that can bring you a better way or more worthwhile experience. All you must do is state your intentions and desires and detach from the how and when they manifest.

9) Are there times when you want to work something out, but yet the more you try to work it out, the worse it gets? When God works, it is effortless. God arranges the situations for you when you are not in it, so that when you step in, you experience the blessings.

It is so much better to depend on God than to depend on your own strength. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they that labor do so in vain.” What you can control, you should control. What you can’t control, you should let go and let God. When you trust God, everything is under control.

The post THE POWER OF DETACHMENT first appeared on My Love Link - Love.

In order to deal with us and bring us to this level of maturity, the Lord places us in tough situations that force us to confront the reality of His purpose in us and mature as a result. “I will compass you around, hedge you in, close you up, strip away every prop, and remove everything from which you have relied on, trusted in, and derived your substance,” God says. Then I’ll put you through the most difficult trials, afflictions, and persecutions imaginable.

To transform you

In order to transform you into an “Overcomer,” I will increase the temperature of the furnace by seven times!” All our beautiful, cozy religious props are ripped away at once, and we find ourselves thrust into a world with which we are completely unfamiliar.

We have been cut off from everything that has kept us alive. Do not be discouraged, ‘Overcomer’! For a time, it appears that you will perish in the whirling waves — but your ‘Father’ knows that before you go down the third time, you will learn to swim!!!

The post The Making of An Overcomer first appeared on My Love Link - Love.

What are you looking for in life? Are you only after a better life? Are you just seeking some “choice” blessings from God? Are you looking to make someone love and care for you? Are you working your butt off for the “Good Life”? How does your life compare to the people in the Bible who waited on God expectantly?

Much of the Christian work we see all around us is related to materialism, the size of things, and their outward appearances. Ministries that seem to only do things to be seen, generally looking for immediate, instantaneous results. They are the least concerned with the eternal value of what they do, which is what God is most concerned about. God does not judge things by their size or by appearance. Nor does God look for instant remedies and big results.

The way that man chooses is often the popular way that pleases everybody. In the ministry and the work of God we are often pressured and compelled to go the same way the masses are going. Just because a ministry takes the name of the Lord before they do anything, and has a bunch of people in attendance, does not mean that what they do is initiated by God. We need to understand this. Everything we do as Christians, needs to, not only be initiated by God, but also continually led by God.

There are two kinds of works

there are works that are of God, and there are works that are of men. Therefore, and hear this well, there are two starting points, one of man and one of the Lord. The way of man is usually to start with largeness and greatness……giant sized publicity and organizational structures with glitz and glamour. Man tries to impress others so that they will be drawn to the bigness being displayed. This is how man usually starts when he is going to do something for God.

We are spiritual people going for big meetings, big crusades, and big seminars and conferences. I hear people say, “ our God is a mighty Big God, and He is worthy of something gigantic and big. Do we really honor God by doing things in a BIG way? This may sound logical and reasonable, but it is actually full of deception. Certainly, God is worthy of our best efforts, but generally there is a hidden agenda in all that the carnal or humanistic man does. On the face of it, all he seems to do is for God’s Glory but the spirit behind all that he does points the honor and fame solely of himself.

Everything starts small

On the other hand, God’s beginnings are always humble, simple, and unnoticed. God brought something “small and insignificant” when he sent His Son to earth. He was born like any other baby but in a dirty, out of the way, “barn”. During Christmas season we like to call it a “Manger” and we pretty it up, but it was a dirty, stinking stable where animals were kept. God Almighty displayed the ultimate humility appearing in the form of a man and in the eyes of man being born as a “little” baby….Miraculous!

God’s beginnings are so small and appear so little. This is what we can observe throughout the Bible in the principle of “The Seed”. It starts out in God as such a small thing yet look at all the potential in that small seed. If you can receive it, God has planted that same “Seed” within you. And that is the “Seed” of Himself. It is “THAT” Seed containing God’s own creative power and potential that when cultivated and nourished develops meaning and purpose in your life.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE NO ACCIDENT…….YOU WERE BORN FOR PURPOSE.

The post Your Purpose Is In a Seed first appeared on My Love Link - Love.

Giving to others without regard to personal gain is commonly referred to as self-sacrifice. Gifts, time, resources, support, emotions, etc. are all forms of giving that can be given to others.

But what if we conduct good deeds for others because we know we’ll get something in return? Is it still altruism if that’s what you’re doing? For ages, scholars and philosophers have been debating this question. Is there such a thing as a selfless act of altruism? Or is it always driven by the desire for one’s own benefit?

For example, we laugh to make others happy, but also for our own amusement, or because we have a desire to make the other person like us more. As you can see, it’s tough to separate the various factors at play here.

Acts of kindness have a similar effect on others as laughter does on us. However, this very thought makes the altruism of selfless giving questionable: Are we doing it to be awarded as virtuous, or are we doing it because we really want to give?

We might also ask ourselves the following questions when pondering these thoughts and reflecting on our own motivations:

To what extent, if any, are the replies relevant?

As a result, is it more important for us to feel healthy and connected to others, or for others to feel cared for and significant?

Answering these questions is up to each and every one of us. While you’re waiting, here are some of the most significant components and outcomes of giving.

Fortunately, they’re all good.

Giving Is Good for Our Well-Being.

Many studies have looked at the link between kindness, positivity, giving, and other such positive actions and human health, especially since the advent of psychological science.

Giving back to the community

People who are generous and selfless are more likely to live longer and healthier lives, according to research. Pain and discomfort are less prevalent in their lives. In terms of lowering your risk of death, studies have shown that volunteering is more important than exercising four times a week–almost as significant as giving up smoking.

For those with chronic illnesses, Stephen Post, a professor of preventative medicine, found that willingness to donate to others can boost their immune systems.

Giving and mental health

When it comes to our mental health, acts of generosity and kindness also serve as a preventative measure. Dopamine and endorphins are released in the brain as a result of such behaviors, making us feel happy and uplifted. This has a profound effect on our thoughts, feelings, and psyche, and boosts our self-esteem, confidence, and self-assurance. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns can be avoided this way.

It’s hard to comprehend how this is possible. In order to understand why giving is so beneficial for our physical health, we need to answer the following question:

Giving produces balance

This way, instead of excreting “bad” neurotransmitters and hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that alert our organism and harm our health, we are much more in balance with our entire being.

People reported feeling more energized, less depressed, and more self-respecting after helping others, both physically and emotionally. Giving back has the power to make you feel euphoric.

Making Others Happy Makes Us Happy

Giving, in addition to boosting our energy levels and making us healthier and more energized, it makes us joyful. Dopamine and endorphins are released when we engage in acts of kindness or volunteerism, as we’ve already explained.

This all suggests that giving is more essential than receiving when it comes to happiness.

When we are able to give, we feel as if we are making a difference in someone’s life, which inspires us to do more good and help others. Volunteering has been found to have a strong association with happiness, according to research. As compared to their classmates, teenagers who are driven by altruism are happier, more enthused, engaged, involved, and active than those who are not. As a result, they are more socially savvy and confident as well.

Giving Inspires Positive Attitudes and Behaviors

Giving encourages others to do the same. Instilling positive ideals such as these is simply one of the benefits of giving. In addition to feeling grateful for being a part of someone’s life, recipients often become motivated and want to give back in some way.

Furthermore, if you give to others, you are more likely to be rewarded and to receive something in return, whether it is from the same person or from someone other than that person. The foundation for other positive emotions and values, such as trust, cooperation, intimacy, and life happiness, can be found in these types of interactions.. Additionally, giving improves the beneficial ties and collaborations within a social community.

As a general rule, communities where everyone knows one another and participates in communal activities together (such as babysitting one another’s children and exchanging/borrowing one another’s things) tend to have lower crime rates and higher levels of satisfaction in life.

Gratitude and the Art of Giving

It’s surprising how both the giver and the recipient can feel appreciative in the act of giving. It’s possible that the giver is showing their appreciation for something while also encouraging the recipient to feel the same way.

Grateful people are happier, healthier, and more connected to others, according to current studies. It is yet another modulator of perceived stress that helps us to be more resilient and cheerful when life gets difficult.

Giving to others is a wonderful way to spread the joy of gratitude. The more you appreciate what you have, the more inclined you are to want to share that happiness with others.

The post Generosity: What Does It Really Mean? first appeared on My Love Link - Love.

We’ve known for quite a while that some people seem to escape cognitive decline well into their nineties and beyond. Intriguingly, the brains of these sharp older people often reveal the extensive abnormalities like the “plaques” and “tangles” seen in people with Alzheimer’s. We think it’s because they’ve built what neuroscientists call “cognitive reserve.” Most systems in our bodies can sustain some level of damage before they start to malfunction, and the brain is no exception. We build cognitive reserve — extra neurons and the connections between them — by resisting habit and inertia and continuing to learn new things. But how does this forestall or prevent memory loss and other diseases associated with old age?

When scientists at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center in Chicago dug deeper, they uncovered another, overarching factor. They examined the brain tissues of 246 people who died during a long-term study of more than 1,400 older men and women. The autopsy results, reported in Archives of General Psychiatry, were striking. People who exhibited very different levels of cognitive decline often showed similar levels of damage from Alzheimer’s. The brains that functioned better, it turned out, belonged to people who had indicated ‘purpose’ in life over the course of the study.

Purpose preserves brain function

In other words, having a ‘purpose’ in life actually affects cellular activity in the brain. Plaques and tangles still form, but having a ‘purpose’ seems to increase the brain’s protective reserve. Not only that, the stronger the purpose, the more it adds to the reserve. The results held up even after the researchers controlled for differences in exercise levels, education, and other factors. Other studies link a sense of purpose not only to slower rates of cognitive decline but to lower rates of disability and death.

The study defined purpose in life as “the tendency to derive meaning from life’s experiences and possess a sense of intentionality and goal directedness that guides behavior.” I’d say it’s being part of something bigger than yourself that feels like it has value. For me, purpose means making the world safe to grow old in. So if you don’t happen to have one, Join me in the radical age movement and bolster your brain for sure. 

Our collective challenge

Even if you’re not worried about losing your marbles, here’s another good reason to jump on the pro-aging, anti-ageism bandwagon. Over five million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and their numbers will swell as the 65+ population continues to increase. It’s a massive public health challenge. Several factors are responsible for the disease, and a cure is frankly unlikely, so encouraging preventive measures makes all kinds of sense. This means helping all people stay engaged and purposeful. 

What’s the biggest obstacle? Challenge purposelessness and help spearhead a public health initiative to prevent dementia, and boost brain function!

The post Biological Benefits of Purpose first appeared on My Love Link - Love.

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12)
There is a principle to be found in spiritual truth and experience which can briefly be stated this way: the highest order of anything is to become that very thing. Thus, in relationship to our Lord, whatever it was that was spoken of, be it a door, a way, a shepherd, every symbol, and type was personified in Him, as He declared, “I am the Way” – “I am the Door” – “I am the good Shepherd,” if you look for the fulfillment and consummation thereof, look to Me, for I AM.

We are expressions of God

Over the years the Spirit has quickened the fact that this same principle ultimately is to be wrought in His people: that the highest form of praise is not just to lift our hands and say “praise the Lord,” but that our very life and being becomes His praise. The highest form of prayer is not to bow the knee and offer petitions, but when our whole state of being becomes a prayer, an out-breathing of desire for God’s will to be fulfilled in the earth. So it follows, whatever we see in Him, then being joined unto Him and being brought into His fullness, we are also to become expressions of these various attributes which are found in Christ, until it shall be said, “because as He is, so are we in this world.” (I John 4:17).

Our inherent nature is love

When we are totally one in Him who is Love, and we are fully a partaker of His divine nature, we shall literally manifest love because it is our inherent nature to do so. Whatever the Spirit applies this principle to for you, as He focuses His illumination upon that thing, to work it into your life, praise God, that vision becomes prophetic of your destiny.

“For He made Him to be sin (Greek, literally, a sin-offering) for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (II Cor. 5:21). Be made – literally, TO BECOME, become the righteousness of God in Him. “Because it hath been written, become ye holy, because I am holy.” (I Pet. 1:16, Young’s) “Nevertheless not my will, but Thine, I BECOME (Greek, BECOME.” (Luke 22:42). Amen!

The post MY HEART IS FIXED first appeared on My Love Link - Love.

Many of us are currently dealing with weariness that in most cases has nothing to do with being tired in our bodies. This type of tiredness generally originates in the mind and in the spirit. It’s the type of weariness that comes over you when you think too much about yourself. When you are alone you try to bear the burden of yourself and the burdens of your life, and those burdens tend to become too heavy to bear alone. This type of weariness of spirit saps your zest, motivation, and appetite for living.

This type of weariness destroys perspective and your focus, and you cannot see clearly. When you become weary in your spirit you magnify the trivial things in your life and ignore the good all around you. You tend to become impatient with other people. Many people who become weary of trying to bear the burden of themselves begin to seek escape through pleasure and stimulation hence ‘Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc,etc.

Most tiredness originates in a mind constantly preoccupied with itself

It is the mind which creates in the body the “illusion” of fatigue. When you think too much about yourself and when you think negatively about life and other people, you consume emotional energy and burn out your emotional bearings. You become mentally and physically tired and disgruntled.

The Bible tells us not to “worry” or be “anxious” about anything. The Bible also says we cannot “change one hair on our head” by worrying. Worry is nothing more than allowing yourself to be consistently occupied with “yourself”. Worry produces a mind that is “out of control.” At night when you go to bed your mind jumps from one thought to another, you are restless, and you toss and turn eventually becoming unbalanced.

Worry enslaves you

Worry creates a vicious cycle in your mind and enslaves you. Your thinking tends to go in circles, and you get nowhere. Worry forces you to take you and life too seriously. One of the surest ways to have a nervous breakdown is to take yourself too seriously.

So if weariness originates in the mind, then the cure will be in transforming the mind from centering on “self” to centering in God. What you need is another focus that will elevate your mind, that will lift you out of yourself, that will get you away from yourself and provide you with something higher and bigger than you to live for.

Someone Bigger thank you

Only the person living for ‘Someone Bigger’ than themselves can get away far enough mentally to experience peace and rest. Only worship and devotion to God provides the ability to lift us out of weariness and worry, fear, anxiety, and negative attitudes because it takes us away from preoccupation with ourselves.

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

The post How I Got Out of My Funk first appeared on My Love Link - Love.

What are you looking for in life? Are you only after a better life? Are you just seeking some “choice” blessings from God? Are you looking to make someone love and care for you? Are you working your butt off for the “Good Life”? How does your life compare to the people in the Bible who waited on God expectantly?

Much of the Christian work we see all around us is related to materialism, the size of things, and their outward appearances. Ministries that seem to only do things to be seen, generally looking for immediate, instantaneous results. They are the least concerned with the eternal value of what they do, which is what God is most concerned about. God does not judge things by their size or by appearance. Nor does God look for instant remedies and big results.

The way that man chooses is often the popular way that pleases everybody. In the ministry and the work of God we are often pressured and compelled to go the same way the masses are going. Just because a ministry takes the name of the Lord before they do anything, and has a bunch of people in attendance, does not mean that what they do is initiated by God. We need to understand this. Everything we do as Christians, needs to, not only be initiated by God, but also continually led by God.

There are two kinds of works

there are works that are of God, and there are works that are of men. Therefore, and hear this well, there are two starting points, one of man and one of the Lord. The way of man is usually to start with largeness and greatness……giant sized publicity and organizational structures with glitz and glamour. Man tries to impress others so that they will be drawn to the bigness being displayed. This is how man usually starts when he is going to do something for God.

We are spiritual people going for big meetings, big crusades, and big seminars and conferences. I hear people say, “ our God is a mighty Big God and He is worthy of something gigantic and big. Do we really honor God by doing things in a BIG way? This may sound logical and reasonable, but it is actually full of deception. Certainly, God is worthy of our best efforts, but generally there is a hidden agenda in all that the carnal or humanistic man does. On the face of it, all he seems to do is for God’s Glory but the spirit behind all that he does points the honor and fame solely of himself.

Everything in life starts small

On the other hand, God’s beginnings are always humble, simple, and unnoticed. God brought something “small and insignificant” when he sent His Son to earth. He was born like any other baby but in a dirty, out of the way, “barn”. During Christmas season we like to call it a “Manger” and we pretty it up, but it was a dirty, stinking stable where animals were kept. God Almighty displayed the ultimate humility appearing in the form of a man and in the eyes of man being born as a “little” baby….Miraculous!

God’s beginnings are so small and appear so little. This is what we can observe throughout the Bible in the principle of “The Seed”. It starts out in God as such a small thing yet look at all the potential in that small seed. If you can receive it, God has planted that same “Seed” within you. And that is the “Seed” of Himself. It is “THAT” Seed containing God’s own creative power and potential that when cultivated and nourished develops meaning and purpose in your life.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE NO ACCIDENT…….YOU WERE BORN FOR PURPOSE.

The post What Is My Purpose in Life? first appeared on My Love Link - Love.

Do you worry that you’re missing God’s plan for your life because you don’t think you’re discovering Him? Is the weight of this load even heavier since you have no idea where you went wrong or how to fix it? Can we now see that this anxiety was unfounded? Take a step back and let God reveal you what’s really happening. Is it possible for us to believe that we are more concerned about this than God?

This weight is carried by so many Christians unnecessarily. If we don’t figure out what God has planned for us, we’ll miss out on something. We believe that we are always on the outside of God’s plan, and we can’t figure out how to get inside. Deception is at play here. We aren’t peering in from the outside at God. Through Christ, we have access to God’s inner workings. In the end, we can turn to God and seek Him for help in freeing ourselves from this folly and seeing the Truth.

No, we don’t believe that we can discover the Truth on our own. It was Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit would guide us to the truth. Does this pledge make sense if we’re on our own? God is not waiting for us to figure things out. His desire is that we surrender to Him so that He can reveal the Truth to not only those who are outside but also those who are listening within. To put it simply, this is all about Christ in us. This is a task that only God can accomplish. He wants us to perceive things differently. He only desires our total submission.

PRAYERS

For your sake, I will not stop thanking you, making mention of your name in my prayers, so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ may bestow upon you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, so that your eyes will be enlightened and you will know what is the hope of HIS calling, what the riches of his glory are in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to his working in our lives” (Eph 1:16-19)

Would it not be wonderful if we would just open ourselves up to God and surrender to Him in this way? “God, I know that you have a plan for my life that you want to see come to fruition. Do whatever it takes in me to make that achievable. Bring me to a place where I can choose to be free from all of my doubts and worries. Do whatever it takes to bring Yourself glory in me and Your plan and kingdom to fruition in my life.”

You will be set free if you accept this reality

God will always hear and answer this plea. In spite of the fact that the ultimate goal is an intimate relationship with God based on the Truth, it may be necessary to go through a period of hardship to get there. To get God’s will, I must give up my own desires to have my own will. If I want God’s kingdom to be fully established in my life, then I must give up my own kingdom. To get God’s glory, I must do everything in my capacity to allow God do whatever it takes. But what does God have to do? So, death has come to me through the Cross. Until then, I cannot be a child.

“Make me what you want, Lord, whatever it takes. There is nothing I can do for you, Lord. Do whatever it takes to instill faith in me. There are so many questions about this topic, Lord, and I’m not sure I’ve seen Your Truth in it. That’s why I’ve surrendered myself to you, so that you can show me the truth and make it a reality in my life.”

The post Lost and Found: My Purpose first appeared on My Love Link - Love.