Archive for Goals and Aspirations
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→
Stuck 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→
Find 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→
What’s Your Bigger Picture?
Posted by: | CommentsAlong the journey, it’s easy become distracted and neglect the things that matter the most. Little by little, if we’re not careful, we’ll allow our priorities to get out of order.
Day in and day out, we get so many distractions. We discover new ideas and new concepts. We’re confronted with new issues, we take on bigger challenges and responsibilities. Over a course of time, we’ll ever so gradually take our focus off the big picture: the purpose, goals, and destiny that God has in store for us.
When obstacles come to distract us, our “big picture” shifts. We allow the obstacle to become the big picture instead of the focusing on the finish line.
.Keep first things first. Don’t allow your “big picture” to shift. Keep your priorities in order. Your time and attention should remain on the big picture.
The enemy wants to distract you from God’s plan for your life. His plan for you is the big picture. It’s the thing that drives and motivates you. The big picture is the center of it all, it’s what gives you hope.
When you get a bad break, don’t allow this let down to deter your focus. Keep your focus on the big picture that God has for you. If one door shuts, realize that it’s the almighty God working to draw you closer to His plan for your life.
When you keep the bigger picture in mind, everything else falls into place. Today, I’m asking you, what is your bigger picture? Are you allowing the Read More→
Your Labor is Not in Vain
Posted by: | CommentsNothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. There will be times when you’re tempted to think that your work is in vain or that you’ll never gather the fruits of your labor. But you never know, your just reward may be closer than you think.
You see, humans can forget the little things you do. They may forget the times you went the extra mile or those times you went above and beyond the call of duty. But not with God, He records every little thing you do. And the good news is, there will be eternal rewards for those who serve Him faithfully.
1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us to “be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Sometimes, there’s a natural tendency to let the outside circumstances affect the nature of our work. And if it seems like our work is pointless or our labor is in vain, we start to loose faith in our efforts and abilities.
But know today, my friends, that your labor is not in vain. Sooner or later, you’ll gather the fruits of your labor. As the scripture says, you just have to “remain steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” When discouragement comes, shake it off. When doubt sets in, dig your heels in deeper. Don’t allow it to throw you off course. Instead, stand strong, be bold and courageous.
God never forgets the little things you do. There is no such thing as Read More→
Don’t Wait too Long
Posted by: | CommentsMany people have a tendency to procrastinate in one way or another. We all have excuses that cause us to delay our goals for another day.
When you continue to make excuses or wait until the right circumstances are in place, you run the risk of never achieving your dreams. There comes a point in time when you have to override the excuses and take action.
I want to encourage you to take action as soon as possible. Don’t wait too long before charging after your destiny. Everything doesn’t have to be in place before starting. No, sometimes you have to take a step out on faith.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.”
I always say life if full of twists and turns. Even if the conditions are favorable in the beginning, whose to say that they will stay that way? Whose to say that the adversary won’t throw a curb ball your way?
I’d encourage you to do like the scripture says. Don’t wait for the perfect weather. Don’t wait until conditions are perfect, no, you must be diligent. You have to charge after your dreams even when things around you aren’t looking favorable. A curb ball may get thrown but continue Read More→
It’s Not Too Late
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the greatest deceptions we fall prey to is believing that it’s too late to achieve our goals. The greatest trick of the enemy is to cause you to abort the divine appointment God has for your life.
Too often, we tell ourselves that our dreams are too far out of reach. We think that we’re too old to achieve them, or we don’t have the talents, or we don’t have the motivation. And many people even go as far as to make up excuses for why they shouldn’t achieve their goals.
But you should know that if God has given you a dream and a destiny, it’s your job to fulfill it. He may give you an assignment early on in life or He may reveal it to you at a much later age. But know that if God has given you a goal to shoot for, you should defy all the reasons why you shouldn’t do it. Instead, be bold and courageous enough to take a step of faith!
Remember, Moses was eighty years old when God sent him back to Egypt to deliver the children of Egypt out of bondage. Abraham was ninety-nine when he had his first son, Issac. Noah was over five-hundred years old when God told him to build the ark. So my friend, it’s never too late for you.
That business that you’ve been wanting to start, it’s not too late. That house that you’ve been looking for, it’s not too late. Maybe Read More→
He Has A Purpose for You!
Posted by: | Comments“For i know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God has a plan for all of our lives. From time to time, you might get tempted to think, “well, I don’t have any gifts or talents.” You might think that you have no purpose, but God has a plan even for you!
He assures you that even before you were formed in the womb, He knew you and He set you apart. Isn’t that amazing? That God had something great in store for you even before you were thought of?
I believe that if you seek the Lord God, He will show you the plans He has in store for you. Notice the scripture didn’t say He has plans for you to just barely get by. No, it says He has plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future!
I dare you to walk around in expectation! He has gifts and talents waiting on you but in order for them to revealed you have to seek after Him. You have to inquire about your purpose and His plan for your life!
Not only does he have a plan for you but He’ll carry it on until the end. I don’t believe it’s God’s will for you to give up on your gifts and talents. The apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:6, “I am confident of this, He who Read More→
Don’t Be Weary In Well Doing!
Posted by: | CommentsThere are times when we’re tempted to give up when things aren’t happening the way we think they should be. Often enough, we throw in the towel and lose all hope.
But I like how the scripture says in Galatians 6:9, “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season we will reap a harvest of blessing if we faint not.” That word faint in this context simply means to give up. It encourages us that, just when we feel like throwing in the towel, there is a harvest of blessing waiting on us if we continue to press on and not give up.
It’s so easy to look to the left and to the right and see the current situation. It’s so easy to fall prey to those negative thoughts that convince us that progress is too far out of reach. But if you’ll just keep doing your work for the Lord, in just the appointed time, you will see the fruits of your labor.
I like to call it the road runner mentality- that means you’re giving it all you’ve got but it just doesn’t seem like you’re moving forward. You’re kicking up nothing but dust from under your feet but it seems you’re getting no where. Be encouraged, my friend! Don’t be discouraged by what’s happening around you. Keep pressing on regardless. The scripture says the race is not given to the swift, neither to the strong but to he who endures until the end!
You see, God won’t give you an assignment that is too much for you to bear. It may be a tall order but there is no order too tall for God. And with God on your side, you can Read More→
Fish Out In The Deep
Posted by: | CommentsI’m reminded of the story in Luke 5 where the Disciples we’re fishing in shallow waters. After they toiled all night they came up empty handed. At this point they became discouraged and tired.
Then Jesus told Peter to gather the fishermen and go out into the deep and fish again. Peter replied, “Master we worked all night and caught nothing.” He said “but if You say so, I’ll let the net down again.”
The story goes on to say that when Peter went further out into the deep, they caught so much fish that their nets broke. They had to call out for the other boats to fill their nets. It turns out that in the end, they had an abundance-overflow of fish.
This story is representative of the way many of us live our lives. For many Christians, shallow water represents shallow living. Remember, Peter said, “We toiled all night and were exhausted. But because You have instructed so, I will.”
This should be the anthem in the mouths of believers. Too often, we fish in the shallow waters of life. We go where we’re comfortable but come up empty handed. We set high goals but often times we’re not willing to roll up our sleeves and get down and dirty.
You should learn to defy the excuses. Disobedience will get you no where. Instead of Read More→
