Archive for January, 2012
If You Want it Bad Enough… (Accept no Excuses)
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“If you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don’t, you will find an excuse.” ―E. James Rohn
Every since we were kids we’ve had amazing dreams. For some, being the world’s greatest sports star or big time musician was the ultimate dream. Others wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer. For someone else, a firefighter or a teacher was enough to make their future a success.
Somewhere along the line, we stopped dreaming and started making excuses. We’ve allowed discouragement to set in and deter our focus. At some point, many have listened to the naysayers say things like, “that’s impossible” or “I tried that and it doesn’t work.” They would even go as far as to say, “your chances are slim to none compared to the other contenders.” And what’s worse is we’ve made excuses for ourselves.
But if you want it bad enough, you’ll accept no excuses. You’ll stop at nothing. God has given you all the tools to do any and everything you want to do. Tap into those tools. Take your God-given talent and put it to good use for you.
What dreams and visions have you forfeited? Maybe you wanted to be a big time lawyer, but you allowed room for the voices of defeat. Maybe all your life you Read More→
See Yourself Through God’s Eyes
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In the grand scheme of things, God sees you as whole, equipped and complete. To Him, you are a royal masterpiece of honor, greatness and power. His Word says you’re an overcomer, more than a conqueror and able to accomplish all things.
But too often, we don’t see ourselves through the eyes of God. We see the setbacks and failures. We see the impossibilities but God sees the possibilities. We see our incompetence but God sees our potential. We see our lack thereof and the Lord sees provision. We see no way out, but God has a way of escape.
If you’ll start seeing yourself through the eyes of God, you’ll realize you can accomplish more than you think. Get a vision for who you are in the grand microscope. Focus on the big picture
Sure you may have failed in the past. You may have made some bad decisions. In the natural, you may have some handicaps, but these are the ingredients that make up your success. Some of the most successful people have had the greatest failures.
Realize that you have an advantage. Before the foundation of the world, God ordained that you would do great things. He had a plan for you before you were formed in the womb.
Know that you are the apple of God’s eye. You are His most prized possession. He sees you from the big picture.
I think about how when we travel in an airplane, everything looks magnificent and beautiful when looking down from above. Even the most run-down looking cities with graffiti, torn down buildings and pollution, have a splendid picture of perfection looking down from thirty-thousand feet in the air. From that high up, you can’t see such Read More→
ShareToo Blessed to be Stressed
Posted by: | CommentsDay in and day out, we all face unexpected opposition. The little things stress us out. If things don’t go our way, it stresses us out. If someone says the wrong thing to us, that gets the best of us. If someone cuts us off in traffic, we’re on edge. And it’s easy to look at the curses instead of the blessings. It’s easy to focus on what went wrong instead of what went right.
Maybe you didn’t get the grade that you thought you should’ve got on that school project. Maybe that business presentation didn’t go the way you expected it to go. Someone may have done all the wrong things to push your buttons. You might have given it all you had, you held up your end of the bargain, but that relationship still didn’t work out.
In the interim, it’s easy to get bitter. You may be tempted to get sour on life, but know that all these things are really blessings in disguise. God sends setbacks, disappointments, and challenges to make you stronger.
Don’t let the bitter waters of life steal your joy, enthusiasm and peace. Don’t stress over the bad hand that you’ve been dealt. No, you’re too blessed to be stressed. You’re not at a loss. No, shake off the defeat and the stress.
I think of an athlete. When they’re in the game they understand this one principal. They realize that the best defense is a good offense. In other words, they know Read More→
ShareGod Abides With Us
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“No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” – 1 John 4:12
God has sown seeds of greatness in you. He has given you everything you need to show Himself strong in and through you.
He’s not off in a far distant place looking down from the heavens. He’s not in a church house where you have to attend just to experience His presence. No, He lives among us.
We can’t see Him, He’s intangible, we can’t feel him. But if we love and display good fruit, He abides with us and through us.
I’ve heard it said that for someone, you’re the only Jesus they’ll ever see. In other words, when you display the Fruit of the Spirit, you are displaying the essence of who He is.
I love how today’s scripture says, “no one has ever seen God at anytime. But if we love each other, God abides in us…”
Here’s another way to put it. When you’re joyful and patient, God abides. When you’re forgiving, loving, and kind, God abides. When you exercise temperance and self-control, God abides. When you’re a light in a dark world, God abides. When Read More→
ShareStuck in a Rut? How to Get Out
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By nature, we all desire to progress forward in life. We all have hopes, visions and dreams. But for many, its the same day in and day out, year in and year out.
For some, traditions are holding them back. Others fall prey to the barely-get-by, lackadaisical mindset. But know today that we serve a God who makes all things new. He doesn’t want you to be stuck in a rut. He wants to bring you into increase, promotion, and a higher dimension.
If you’re going to come into your God-given destiny, you’re going to have to leave the old mindset behind. Don’t fall prey to that toxic mindset that says, “I’ll never achieve that dream” or “I don’t have the talents to be an achiever.”
Don’t say what you can’t do, say what you can do. Don’t be stagnant, make positive declarations that will catapult you into your destiny.
I’ve heard it said that you believe more of what you say, than what anybody else says about you. If you’re going around saying, I’ll never break this bad addiction… I never get the right breaks… I never come into the right relationships, then that’s all you’ll ever acquire. Like the Children of Israel in the Bible, you’ll be stuck in a rut. You’ll be circling that same mountain over and over again, day in and day out.
In order to progress, you’re going to have to break bad traditions. If you’re going to stretch forth to the next level, you’ll have to change some things.
Instead of saying, I don’t have the talents, say I have everything I need to do anything I could imagine. Instead of saying, this relationship will never work, your Read More→
ShareFind the Lessons in Your Failures
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I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13
Thomas Edison was one of the most brilliant inventors of all time. He was an inventor of many things that changed the world. The light-bulb was one which has a significant impact on us today.
I read where it was reported that Edison had nearly nine-thousand failed attempts at inventing the light-bulb. I would imagine that he got discouraged along the way. He probably felt like throwing in the towel.
But yet he had the courage, drive and determination to bring his invention to completion. He gave up at no end.
One day, he finally came into the success of completing the light-bulb. What I find interesting is afterwards, he was asked how it felt to have had nine-thousand failed attempts at creating the light bulb? He responded, “it felt great, for every time, I learned a way NOT to create the light bulb.”
I’m sure Edison lost hope along the way. I’m sure he had critics and naysayers saying, “Edison, it’s no use.” “Why don’t you just give it up? All the odds are Read More→
SharePress Through in Faith
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“She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.” – Mark 5:27
There was a woman in the Bible who had an issue of blood. The scripture says she suffered for many years under the hand of physicians. She spent all her money, and she still didn’t get any better. In fact, she got worse.
One day she heard Jesus was passing through the crowd and she came up behind him. She touched his garment. She knew that in doing so, she would be made whole. The scripture goes on to say, that when she touched his robe, she felt her body being immediately healed of her affliction.
This woman understood a principle. She understood that Jesus responds when we press through in faith. Here’s the thing, she was just one person in the crowd who was pressing Jesus. I’d imagine her complaint was, “I’m in the midst of all these people.” “I’ll never get a chance.” “What are the chances that I could be one of the ones to press through and be made whole.” But she defied all odds and pressed through in faith.
After twelve long years suffering this affliction, I’d imagine she was without hope. She spent her last dime. She was probably ready to throw in the towel. But she pressed.
Just like this woman, our gracious Father responds when we press Him in times of trouble. Maybe there’s an area in your life that needs to be made whole. Maybe you’ve struggled, toiled and suffered, yet still to no avail. Like this woman, maybe you’ve Read More→
ShareChoose Your Thoughts
Posted by: | Comments“…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew 12:34
God has given us the wonderful gift of choice. And one of those choices is the ability to choose our thoughts. Day in and day out, we’re bombarded with thousands of thoughts. Some are good and some are bad.
I’ve heard it said that the average person has somewhere around 7,500 bad thoughts a day. This may be an alarming statistic to swallow but the truth is, you can change those negative, defeating thoughts.
Here’s the key, you don’t have to entertain every thought that enters your mind. Whatever you meditate on will take root, multiply, and grow.
If you’re unsuccessful at something, don’t meditate on what went wrong, dwell on what went right. if a friend betrayed you, don’t think that you’re “less than” or “not good enough.” No, your thought should be, “It’s their loss.” “That person lost a good thing.”
Maybe you had a bad day, and you’re tempted to get in despair. Your declaration should be, “as long as I’m among the living, I have hope.”
You see, the enemy wants to get you down in the dumps. The scripture says that the thief came to steal, kill, and destroy. How does he do that? Partly by Read More→
ShareThe Great Exchange
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We serve a God who loves us for better or for worse. He loves us in sickness and in health. And the good news is nothing can separate us from His love.
When you come into Christ, a great exchange takes place. You trade your disappointments for His divine appointments. You trade your doubts for His blessed assurance. You trade your sorrows for the joy of the Lord.
It’s like a couple who gets married. It’s no longer yours or mine… it becomes ours. In marriage, you take on the benefits of each other. In most cases, she takes his last name. Her family becomes his family. His home becomes her home. And her belongings become his belongings.
In the same way, when you come into Christ you take on his benefits. He changes your name. He takes your mess and gives you a message. No longer are you defeated, no, your name becomes victory. You enter into the royal family and you become a child of the most High God!
When the great exchange takes place, you’ll go from broken to mended, from decrease to increase. You’ll go from strife to everlasting peace and from pain to Read More→
ShareHave A Right Now Faith!
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“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:17
Our God is moved when we take leaps of faith. All it takes is mustard seed faith and we can move mountains.
But too often, we find ourselves looking for the end result in the beginning. Day after day we’re making the wrong declarations. Declarations such as: “I’ll give more to charity once my finances get in order.” “I’ll wash my car, when God provides me with a brand new one.” “I’ll lose weight and get in shape once the vacation to the beach is booked.”
But you need to know that the Lord is looking for you to have a right now faith. That means you have to put your faith out there regardless of the conditions around you.
Remember, without faith it’s impossible to please the Lord. One of the reasons you’re not getting your breakthrough is because you’re not exercising your faith. In order for you to come into your season of abundance and increase, you must sow some seeds of faith.
The good news is all you need is a mustard seed faith. The scripture says Read More→
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