Keys to Thrive, Part 1

God has given us everything we need to live a godly life (I Peter 1:3) and offers us abundant life (John 10:10). It is our desire to equip you with the keys to unlock this potential and THRIVE in life:

Togetherness – “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” I John 1:3

God has called us to be in relationship with Him and with others. The quality of these relationships affects all areas of our lives. In order to live the life we were called to, if we are to thrive in life, we must connect in healthy ways with God and with others. What is the quality of your relationships? If there is some lack there, you can bet it is affecting all other areas of life. In Godly connectedness, we become available to the will and call of God as well as to others we are in relationship with. A commitment to Godly togetherness means we need to be willing to be vulnerable or emotionally naked with God and in healthy relationships with others.
Wow, that sounds scary! Well it certainly is, but remember that we serve a big and compassionate God who wants what is best for us. He wants to meet you where you are and help you each step of the way. Fear is probably the biggest limitation in life. Removing limitations is one of our core concepts in our THRIVE philosophy. As you remove the limitation of fear one step at a time, you will be moving closer and closer to your call to THRIVE in life. When looking at the whole process of overcoming fear and connecting in a vulnerable way it is overwhelming. But taken one step at a time with a patient God, skilled helper, and quality connections it is very doable. With God you CAN do it!

Holiness – “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” Hebrews 12:14
“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” I Peter 1:15-16

God has called us to be holy and without holiness we cannot connect with God or live a godly life. In a world that is addicted to self and to comfort, we are taught to pursue happiness. This influence from the world gives us another limitation. It limits our view of our circumstances and makes us very ego centric. As we remove this limitation and stand in awe of God’s holiness, our perspective on ourselves, our circumstances and the world we live in completely change. We become open to a whole new understanding that helps us THRIVE no matter what our circumstances are. We begin to recognize that we can have something so much better than happiness. Holiness leads to joy which is not dependent on our circumstances and no manner of suffering can remove joy that comes from God.
Are you ready to shed the limitations that come from the pursuit of happiness and put on the rewards of pursuing holiness? Where ever you are, God wants to meet you there, embrace you and impart to you His joy. The more we become consumed by this joy the more we see how lacking the pursuit of happiness was. This is what Solomon was referring to when he said in Ecclesiastes 1:14, “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.” Like trying to catch the wind, all attempts to capture what the world offers only leads to momentary happiness that is gone in an instant. Even if we could catch it and keep it, it isn’t worth having anyways, it is only vanity.

Relevant – “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” I Corinthians 13:1-3

“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.” I Corinthians 9:19
Ok so this is super important. We need to be relevant and to be relevant we need to love! Love, not just as I understand it but love so that others receive it. If I love in a way that it is not received, it is irrelevant. To truly love and receive love we need to have people in our lives who are willing to get to know us and understand how we are wired. Do you have people like that? It is our desire, through these “Keys to Thrive,” to meet you where you are and communicate God’s love in a manner that is relevant to your life and your circumstances. .
The limitation here for people is perspective. Through life’s experiences our perspective becomes limited so when we see something that we don’t understand we can’t adapt to it. When we can’t allow ourselves to see things from the other person’s perspective this becomes very toxic not only for us but to others in our lives.
My friend, we are all damaged. We all hurt and we all are limited by our perspective. We suffer loneliness, disconnection, and a lack of satisfying relationship when we don’t truly here others and know how to be truly heard ourselves. Do you feel like sometimes people don’t understand you and that you are often not on the same wavelength with people? This could be a problem of not knowing how to be relevant and how to give and receive love in a transformational way.