THE WORD FOR TODAY: For it is GOD who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.(Philippians 2:3 NIV)
You do not try to run a marathon, you train to run it, otherwise you end up exhausted and defeated. The kind of training we are talking about is teeth-gritting, white knuckle, do or die attitude towards things like prayer and bible reading. No it’s training yourself to be more sensitive to God. It’s learning to do the right thing, in the right way with the right spirit. Your goal maybe to read several chapters of the bible daily but what if God tells you to linger at a certain scripture because he wants to make that particular truth a reality in your life?
The different between trying and training is like the difference between the motorboat and a sail boat; you can turn on one and drive it away but with the other you have to wait for the wind, Jesus said the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So is it with everyone born of the spirit (John 3:8 NIV). Its the wind that does the work. We can’t turn it on or off. We can’t engineer it to take credit for it. But like good sailors we can train ourselves to ‘read’ it and respond to it. Once we can learn to do that we are working in the spirit and not in the flesh.
Today ask God to help you leave that way.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
DIVINE PROTECTION
THE WORD FOR TODAY:I will protect those who trust in my name. Psalm 91:14 NLT
On a chilly March afternoon before going home for dinner, Pastor Walter Klempel fired up the church furnace in preparation for the choir practice. When it was time to return to church with his family they were delayed because his daughter changed clothes. At the time student Ladona Vadergrift was struggling with a geometry problem and stayed home to work on it. Sister Royena and Sadie Estes’ car wouldn’t start. Herbert Kipf lingered over a letter which he had put off writing. Joyce Black was feeling “plain lazy” and stayed home till the last minute. Pianist Marilyn Paul feel a sleep after dinner and her mom, the choir director had trouble waking her. Pals Lucille Jones and Dorothy Wood were late because of a radio broadcast every single choir member was late; something that’s never happened before nor since. Was it just a fluke? No! At 7:30 that night the Westside church was flattened by an explosion from a gas leak ignited by the furnace .......directly below the empty choir loft!
God’s looking out for you when you don’t even know you’re in danger! As His child you ‘live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by......God....He rescues you from every trap... He will shield you with his wings...His promises are your armour.....He orders his angels to protect you wherever you go’ (Psalm 91:1-11 TLB). The bible says: ‘The angels of the lord guards and rescues all who reverence him’ (Psalm 34:7 TLB);’to trust in God means safety ‘(proverbs 29:25 TLB). You can call it coincidence, chance, fate, or you can call it what it really is Divine Protetion!
THE FOR GRACE FOR DIVINE PROTECTION
On a chilly March afternoon before going home for dinner, Pastor Walter Klempel fired up the church furnace in preparation for the choir practice. When it was time to return to church with his family they were delayed because his daughter changed clothes. At the time student Ladona Vadergrift was struggling with a geometry problem and stayed home to work on it. Sister Royena and Sadie Estes’ car wouldn’t start. Herbert Kipf lingered over a letter which he had put off writing. Joyce Black was feeling “plain lazy” and stayed home till the last minute. Pianist Marilyn Paul feel a sleep after dinner and her mom, the choir director had trouble waking her. Pals Lucille Jones and Dorothy Wood were late because of a radio broadcast every single choir member was late; something that’s never happened before nor since. Was it just a fluke? No! At 7:30 that night the Westside church was flattened by an explosion from a gas leak ignited by the furnace .......directly below the empty choir loft!
God’s looking out for you when you don’t even know you’re in danger! As His child you ‘live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by......God....He rescues you from every trap... He will shield you with his wings...His promises are your armour.....He orders his angels to protect you wherever you go’ (Psalm 91:1-11 TLB). The bible says: ‘The angels of the lord guards and rescues all who reverence him’ (Psalm 34:7 TLB);’to trust in God means safety ‘(proverbs 29:25 TLB). You can call it coincidence, chance, fate, or you can call it what it really is Divine Protetion!
THE FOR GRACE FOR DIVINE PROTECTION
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Scriptural Keys to Success in Life part 4
THE WORD FOR TODAY:DO EVERYTHING WRITTEN IN IT AND YOU WILL BE.... SUCCESSFUL JOSHUA 1:8 NIV
Have you ever wondered why God refers to his word as ‘laws’? Because laws are meant to govern, guide, and guard us. Without order, all you have is chaos and confusion. Imagine living in a life where 12 inches never make one foot and 2 + 2 doesn’t make 4. God established his laws for our good. When you disobey them you suffer, when you honour them you succeed. Furthermore, His laws are not a la carte menu; you can’t pick what you like and leave the rest. At the beginning of Joshua’s career God gave him some foundational advice about His law: ‘Do everything written in it. Then you will be ....successful.’ If you want to be successful in life talk about, think regularly about, and live your life according to God’s laws. Why? Because ultimately your character is more important than your career. Your career is what you do; your character is what you are!
Many people with talent make it into limelight, but those ones who have neglected to develop strong character rarely stay there long. Absence of strong character eventually topples them. Why? Because you can not climb beyond the limitations of your character, John Maxwell writes: ‘talented people are sometimes tempted to take shortcuts character prevents that. Talented people may feel superior and expect special privileges. Character helps them to know better. Talented people are praised for what others see them build. Character builds what’s inside of them. Talented people have the potentials to be different makers. Character makes the difference in them. Talented people are a gift to the world. Character protects that gift.
BUILD YOU CHARACTER FOR THE BETTER
http://theword4today.blogspot.com/
Have you ever wondered why God refers to his word as ‘laws’? Because laws are meant to govern, guide, and guard us. Without order, all you have is chaos and confusion. Imagine living in a life where 12 inches never make one foot and 2 + 2 doesn’t make 4. God established his laws for our good. When you disobey them you suffer, when you honour them you succeed. Furthermore, His laws are not a la carte menu; you can’t pick what you like and leave the rest. At the beginning of Joshua’s career God gave him some foundational advice about His law: ‘Do everything written in it. Then you will be ....successful.’ If you want to be successful in life talk about, think regularly about, and live your life according to God’s laws. Why? Because ultimately your character is more important than your career. Your career is what you do; your character is what you are!
Many people with talent make it into limelight, but those ones who have neglected to develop strong character rarely stay there long. Absence of strong character eventually topples them. Why? Because you can not climb beyond the limitations of your character, John Maxwell writes: ‘talented people are sometimes tempted to take shortcuts character prevents that. Talented people may feel superior and expect special privileges. Character helps them to know better. Talented people are praised for what others see them build. Character builds what’s inside of them. Talented people have the potentials to be different makers. Character makes the difference in them. Talented people are a gift to the world. Character protects that gift.
BUILD YOU CHARACTER FOR THE BETTER
http://theword4today.blogspot.com/
Friday, June 12, 2009
Scriptural Keys to Success in Life part 3
THE WORD FOR TODAY: Be careful to obey all the law JOSHUA 1:7
Notice three things God said to Joshua: (1)’Get ready to cross ......into the land’ (Joshua 1:2). Henry Ford observed,’before everything else getting ready is the secret of success. ‘The frustrating about preparation is, sometimes it takes more time than the actual event you are preparing for. There is an old saying: ‘you can claim to be surprised once; after that you’re unprepared.’ (2)’your territory will extend from......’(Joshua 1:4 NIV). You have to know where you are going ! you can not be like Alice in through the Looking Glass who ask the Cheshire cat:’ Would you tell me which way i ought to go from here?’ that depends on where you want to get, ‘the cat. Replies, ‘i don’t care much where,’ she answers. ‘then it does not matter which way you go,’ the cat responds. People who are undecided can not draw on their faith or their gifting. As a result they just drift along. Author Bill Copeland advices, ‘you have removed most of the road blocks to success when you know the difference between motion and direction.’ To be successful in life you must do the right things, moment by moment, day by day, following through with them in a consistent way. (3) ‘Be careful to obey all the law......you may be successful. ‘Identify your spiritual values! Henri Frederic Amiel stated , ‘The man who has no inner life is a slave to his surroundings. ‘Our spiritual values are the principles we live by everyday. They are the light that guides us. They give us stability and structure to our inner world. And when the world is in order, we can navigate our way through anything.
What principle do you live by? Review them today.
Notice three things God said to Joshua: (1)’Get ready to cross ......into the land’ (Joshua 1:2). Henry Ford observed,’before everything else getting ready is the secret of success. ‘The frustrating about preparation is, sometimes it takes more time than the actual event you are preparing for. There is an old saying: ‘you can claim to be surprised once; after that you’re unprepared.’ (2)’your territory will extend from......’(Joshua 1:4 NIV). You have to know where you are going ! you can not be like Alice in through the Looking Glass who ask the Cheshire cat:’ Would you tell me which way i ought to go from here?’ that depends on where you want to get, ‘the cat. Replies, ‘i don’t care much where,’ she answers. ‘then it does not matter which way you go,’ the cat responds. People who are undecided can not draw on their faith or their gifting. As a result they just drift along. Author Bill Copeland advices, ‘you have removed most of the road blocks to success when you know the difference between motion and direction.’ To be successful in life you must do the right things, moment by moment, day by day, following through with them in a consistent way. (3) ‘Be careful to obey all the law......you may be successful. ‘Identify your spiritual values! Henri Frederic Amiel stated , ‘The man who has no inner life is a slave to his surroundings. ‘Our spiritual values are the principles we live by everyday. They are the light that guides us. They give us stability and structure to our inner world. And when the world is in order, we can navigate our way through anything.
What principle do you live by? Review them today.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Scriptural Keys to Success in Life part 2
I WILL NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE YOU. JOSHUA 1:5 NIV
Imagine trying to fill the shoes Moses walked in. Joshua wondered,’ do I have what it takes?’ then God told him: (a) ‘ I will give you every place where you set your foot’ (Joshua 1:3NIV) God promises success for those who have the faith to take the first step, and keep walking with Him regardless of what they encounter. That means showing up earlier, staying later and working harder. (b) No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life’ (Joshua 1:5 NIV). Expect opposition; certain people will always ‘stand up against you.’ In his book High Maintenance Relationships, Les parrot identifies the types who will do this: critics who constantly complain or give unwanted advice. Martyrs who are forever the victim and wracked with self pity. Wet blanket who are pessimistic and habitually negative. Steamrollers who are blindly insensitive to others. Gossips that always spread rumours and leak secrets. Control freaks who are on able to let go and let things be. Back stabbers who are two faced. Green eyed monsters who seethe with envy. Volcanoes who build steam and are always ready to erupt. Sponges who are always so needy and never give nothing. Competitor who always keep tracks of tit-for-tat. (c)’Be strong because you will lead this people to inherit the land’ (JOSHUA 1:6 NIV) successful people are not necessarily more gifted, they are just more passionate. What do you pray about? Cry about? Dream about? What arer you willing to risk everything for? That’s the well from which you’ll draw your strength and strategies when you experience setbacks, when others disappoint you, when jobs feel too big and you feel too small.
Pray for passion today.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Scriptural Keys to Success in Life
A MAN’S GIFT WILL MAKES ROOM FOR HIM PROVERBS 18:16 NAS
Your giftedness will get you noticed, separate you from the rest of the pack and give you a head start on others. But your advantage will only last so long. Song writer Irvin Berlin understood this truth when he said,’ the toughest thing about success is, you’ve got to keep on being a success. Talent is only is only a starting point in success. You’ve got to keep working on talent.’ You can’t coast on your abilities. If you try to wing it others will soon fly past you. Mega-best-selling author Stephen King asserts that,’ Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.’
And much of that work takes place in your character and your private world. Haven’t you known people who should have risen to the top but didn’t? They had all the talent they ever need, but they did not succeed. There talent made them to standout but their lack of integrity made them to sit down. Their friends, families, coaches and bosses see their giftedness but wonder why they keep falling short of expectations. Their talents open door but their wrong choices shut it.
Consider Nehemiah’s talent. He built Jerusalem’s walls in under 2 months a outstanding feat ! Now consider Nehemiah’s character. While some of his peers lined their pocket by lending money at such exorbitant rates people couldn’t repay it, he said,’ what you are doing is not right (Nehemiah 5:9 NLT). Then he announced,’ I did not that way, I devoted my time to working on the wall’ (Nehemiah 5:15-16). Want to develop your character? Follow in his footsteps!
Your giftedness will get you noticed, separate you from the rest of the pack and give you a head start on others. But your advantage will only last so long. Song writer Irvin Berlin understood this truth when he said,’ the toughest thing about success is, you’ve got to keep on being a success. Talent is only is only a starting point in success. You’ve got to keep working on talent.’ You can’t coast on your abilities. If you try to wing it others will soon fly past you. Mega-best-selling author Stephen King asserts that,’ Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.’
And much of that work takes place in your character and your private world. Haven’t you known people who should have risen to the top but didn’t? They had all the talent they ever need, but they did not succeed. There talent made them to standout but their lack of integrity made them to sit down. Their friends, families, coaches and bosses see their giftedness but wonder why they keep falling short of expectations. Their talents open door but their wrong choices shut it.
Consider Nehemiah’s talent. He built Jerusalem’s walls in under 2 months a outstanding feat ! Now consider Nehemiah’s character. While some of his peers lined their pocket by lending money at such exorbitant rates people couldn’t repay it, he said,’ what you are doing is not right (Nehemiah 5:9 NLT). Then he announced,’ I did not that way, I devoted my time to working on the wall’ (Nehemiah 5:15-16). Want to develop your character? Follow in his footsteps!
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