Shelter from the storm

As you go through the storms of life, know that you have a rock solid shelter that will keep those falling bricks of accusations, those slicing knives of hate, those shredding blades of jealousy, those icy stares of contempt and those downright mean words from touching your soul.

You may feel some of the cold blast, maybe feel a bit of a pinprick here and there, and possibly a slight surface wound; but nothing that will scathe your soul or leave a deep scarring. God is your solid shelter from the elements of life that come at you!

He tells us to make sure we are geared up for the battles of life in Ephesians 6: 10-18, by putting on the FULL armor of God. God equips us with all we need to fight that old enemy, satan. When people abuse you, talk about you and hurt you, remember that satan is busy working to cause you pain and suffering.

We will go through this from time to time, but it will not define us nor have a lasting effect, as long as we remember WHOSE we are!

Positive through negative

There will always be those who will NEVER believe in you, support you, encourage you, nor have anything good to say about you. They find a way to make sure you hear about something they have said about you, or told someone else. In fact, they go out of their way to feed you with their negativity, in hopes that they can convert you to their way of discouraging thinking and actions. Do Not Fall for it!

Be sure of who you are and whose you are! There is nothing that the opposition can say to you that being a believer in Jesus Christ can't overcome! Nothing! In fact, He tells us, that it is Him who the world hates, and not you. As long as you are trying to do right, live right, and be about something, you can believe that there will be naysayers and haters! Your job is to make sure you don't fall into the trap. Stay strong in the Lord and you will project the good things that believing in Him manifests.

Matthew 5: 44-48; The golden rule of doing good unto others, even when they mistreat you.

No Greater Love

God says He will never leave us, nor forsake us. What does that mean? What does God's promise mean to us when we are in pain, when we are worrying, when we lose someone close, when we are homeless, when we are broke, unemployed and hurting? Has God left us at those times, or have we temporary left God to dwell in our own circumstances?

God doesn't leave us, but too often we leave Him. He has promised us that He doesn't change and will always be there to comfort, strengthen and love us; but too often, in our distress, in our difficult times, during disasters and in our lonely times, we feel He is nowhere to be found and doesn't care about us. When nothing could be further from the truth!

God's love for us is so all encompassing and everlasting that we can't comprehend it enough to understand it! There is no greater love that we can or will ever experience than the love of Christ! Nothing can keep us protected like God's love, and nothing can ever be as great as God's love! When He says, He so loved the world (his creation of mankind) so much that He GAVE His ONLY SON; there is nothing that we can try to do or compare to that will EVER repay such an awesome, selfless gift.

Is it for you or me?

If I don't do this how you think I should; does that make me a failure?

Why do we pressure ourselves to be what others think we should be; and try to accomplish what others think we should accomplish? We try so hard to live up to others expectations of us, that we fail to recognize what it is that God wants US to do for OURSELVES!

We must learn to realize that our happiness begins and ends with our own satisfaction with what we do or don't do, as long as it's based from our own needs. Living for someone else is not going to bring you the satisfaction or fulfillment that you seek. It will only bring an endless journey of circle chasing, where you end up where you started.

You can't fulfill someone else's dreams and ambitions through your life, you MUST pray for direction, create and go for your own!

Do you have R or R?

Are you focused more on religion than a relationship?

Many people spend their time spouting religious philosophy and saying how blessed they are and how sanctified they are because they go to church. Let me tell you, this does not make you a Christian! Let me repeat, this does not make you a Christian.

What we need to be focused on is seeking, finding and maintaining a relationship with Jesus. Anyone can be religious, but to have that relationship is when you KNOW that Jesus has saved your life, when you KNOW that He makes a way for you out of no way and when you KNOW that He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. That is establishing a relationship with Him.

When your inside relationship with Jesus is right, your outside religion will shine through with that inner peace and glow that only He can give.

Make sure you focus on your relationship with Jesus and your religion will speak in your actions!

Woe is me....

When you get to feeling down on yourself and your life, take a visit to a nursing home, cancer ward, cemetery, orphanage, unemployment line or soup kitchen and see how good you really have it.

Most of us don't know the real meaning of suffering. We think in terms of not getting our short term desires or wants satisfied, and think we have it bad. That nothing is going right for us, and we always seem to get the bad hand.

When your mind starts wandering in this direction and you get to feeling depressed because of what you don't have, where you aren't and what you haven't accomplished, start thinking on how much worse it could be. Hopefully this will get your mind refocused on appreciating what you have; your health, your mind, your job and your family.

Don't talk..just listen

Everyone take the time today to actually listen to what others are saying to you.

Don't try to out think them, prepare your response, cut them off, or out talk them. Just LISTEN!

We never take the time to actually listen to what others have to say because we are too busy figuring out what we are going to say next. If our mind isn't preoccupied with our own thoughts and opinions, then we are searching for errors in others conversation. We only hear them talk instead of actually listening to what they have to say.

Just for today, resist the urge to have a response to everything someone says to you. Instead, take a break when the conversation is done, tell them you would like to think about what they have said, and come back later with conversation based on your reflection of what you heard.

Talking for the sake of hearing yourself speak demonstrates your inability to control your thoughts.

Are you spinning your wheels....

One day, you will get tired of spinning your wheels and hoping to get somewhere.

Why is it we want to do better, be better, go places, move ahead and accomplish goals; but, we keep doing the same things we are doing now? Is it that we are afraid of the work associated with change, or because deep down, we are really content in our familiarity and resist attempts that cause us to chart a different course? Familiarity is not your ally when it impedes your will and course of action to get there.

Start taking baby steps now to ease yourself into a different course of action if that is your desire. Incorporate into each day, something that is out of the ordinary of your normal behavior. Make a conscious effort to do one thing that sets you on the path towards your dreams and goals.

Take the time to pray about your direction and where you would like to see yourself, then start moving in that direction one step at a time, and before you know it, your wheels are hitting pavement once more and you find yourself in motion.

It's only new the first time...

Tackling a new task can seem like an overwhelming adventure.

It can leave you feeling alone, which brings about intimidation and uneasiness about whether you are up for the job, and if others will be happy with your work.

Once you are in such an insecure state of emotional upheaval, your mind starts playing tricks on you. You start thinking self defeating thoughts, and self consciously start sabotaging your success. Finishing the project is now further away than when you first took it on.

Your uneasiness can be turned into positive reinforcement through a series of self questions:

• What am I losing if I don't do this? You will have lost the opportunity to show what you can do when faced with a challenge, further diminishing your confidence factor for future undertakings.

• Who am I affecting by not finishing? Yourself first, by defeating the effort before you even start; then those that are depending on you to complete the task, by showing no dependability.

• How will I feel about not finishing? It depends on your internal motivational and responsibility structure, but I would venture to guess, you will feel frustrated, defeated and embarrassed to an extent.

Don't get caught up in the self depreciating cycle of being hesitant to undertake new adventures because you don't feel experienced enough, or that you posses the know how to finish; instead, view the challenge as an adventure into learning what drive and motivation you have when faced with new tasks.

Customer friendly

Business tip of the day:

Realizing that the customer is always right, doesn't have to be an act of resignation. Realize that the customer, for whatever reason, is looking to you to provide a rewarding experience for them when they spend their money. A reassurance of sorts.

Interacting with your customer can be the best service or product you offer at your business. They will remember how you treated them far longer than the product will last. So offer your best service to all who come through your doors to ensure they come back!

More or Less

Some People don't want more..

That is a sobering realization when you see the potential someone has and you try to assist them in bringing it forward, but they can't understand where you're coming from. They are perfectly content in doing what they are doing and not looking for anything more. Your challenge is learning to accept this fact.

No matter what you may wish, beg or plead, for someone to pursue; if they don't have the ambition to want anything more, then nothing you say or do will change their mind. Your job is to encourage them in the place they are and to be the supportive friend, family or spouse. Don't make it your mission to try to change their mind through your eyes; however, offer subtle encouragements and ask suggestions of how they may approach a particular problem. Let them see for themselves that they possess more than their self-limiting thought pattern.

Provide kind words, gentle guidance and offerings of assistance if needed. Being that person who doesn't push beyond abilities, but one who helps guide past the comfort zone, is the best kind of support person they may need.

Change of Heart

There is so much in life that we can change; our clothes, our mind, our friends, and our outlooks, but only Jesus can change our hearts. We go through great efforts to appear that we have changed, by altering our outward appearance, but our hearts remain that same filthy, selfish person that we really are. No amount of make-up, perfume, hair do's, shaves, designer labels, etc. will change the fact that when your heart is ugly, you produce ugly actions.

Focus on getting the ultimate makeover with a change of heart being your primary focus. Once you get the main inside component changed, the outward appearances will manifest themselves naturally.

Basic tools...

Use your thoughts as tools for success.

We use all kinds of tools to help us achieve a desired result, but how often do we apply this concept to our thoughts? Our thoughts are basic tools that can propel us to action, or paralyze us to inaction.

Our thoughts can feed our desire to be something more, and to achieve higher goals; or they can feed our fear of not being good enough, or whatever the negativity suggests, thereby keeping us stagnant and rendering us immobile.

Make sure your thoughts are productive and work towards progression of your goals.

Overcoming pessimism of your goals..

Don't let the negativity of others be a stumbling block to achieving your goals. Use naysayers comments as fuel to propel you to the next level of your journey. The best way to overcome pessimism is to put optimism into action!

Take your enthusiasm for your dream, formulate that dream into a plan, preview that plan with fellow entrepreneurs for ideas and suggestions, expand on those ideas and finally, put the plan into action! These may seem like a lot of steps to take, but once you are into the stages of creativity and advance to plan cultivation, you will start seeing just how far you have come.

Don't give up on your dreams to become the greatest you ever!

One day...

One day....

One day, love will overshadow all the negativity that is being expressed in this world.
One day, we will be able to smile at one another rather than blankly stare past our fellow man as if they are transparent.
One day we will all hope for the best for each other, rather than waiting and watching for someone to fall and then help to make sure they stay down.
One day, we will simply want to do the right thing and care about the outcome, rather than doing what we please and not worry about who we hurt in the process.
One day, it will be the fashionable thing to do in reaching out a hand to help others survive.
One day, it will be too late to make the change that's needed today.
One day......

Tranquility in chaos

Finding your inner peace through these chaotic times can be trying. Not knowing if your job will keep pace with your bills, or if your house will still be yours after those missed payments, can cause even the most optimistic person to pause and shake their head in discouragement.

There is a place that you can be assured of peace and tranquility while you are going through the storms of life; it's in the sure grip of Jesus' love. In His arms you will find contentment and solace to see you through, even when your world seems to be in a state of upheaval.

In full Bloom

Flowers bloom at their appointed time.

God knows just when each and every flowers time to bloom is; and He knows even more so, when it's our time to bloom.

There may be times when you don't think you will ever reach your full potential in your career, your social life, or your family life, but rest assured, God knows just when your time to bloom will be!

Not a moment too soon will you achieve your goals. It will be at the exact moment that God has pre-appointed you to shine! All will see your beautiful petals (accomplishments) in their full array when you least expect it, and when others have counted you out.

So If you don't think you're blooming at the same time as others, or it seems your budding has stalled in life's greenhouse, take comfort knowing that God has your blooming time already scheduled!

Lights on...Lights off

Lighting up the world

We are sometimes afraid to shine our light because light has a way of revealing things, and uncovering that which was hidden. Light brings attention to ourselves and invites others to see what we have going on. We shouldn't be afraid of this inspection, rather embrace it and use it as an opportunity to share what God has done in our life to make us a better person; and we should want to help others receive the same. Too often we don't help others let their light shine, because we are afraid they will outshine our own light!

The inner light we have doesn't do any good if we don't turn it on; and it won't turn on, if the power source is not adequate. Make sure your light can shine brightly by being plugged into the ultimate power source, which is Jesus! Our light can't be any good to anybody else if we don't turn it on for others to see.

Walk by Faith

A Faith walk is a journey into the unknown!

It does not mean we will clearly see the path, nor will we have a self- made plan to guide us. We will not know the specific outcome, or when we will reach the goal. Faith is letting ourselves be led, guided and shown the steps along the journey.

Not only will God be our GPS and navigation; He will also be our strength and encouragement when we feel overwhelmed. God prepares the path, guides us through the obstacles, and gives us endurance to reach the destination He has planned. Our only task is to FOLLOW.

Following is indeed difficult when we don't know where we're going or how to get there. We are used to having some sort of plan of action to achieve a desired result, but our thinking and planning doesn't compare to what the Lord has for us. We must learn to listen to what God is telling us to do, pray for the direction and strength, and take action by heeding to His word.

For we walk by Faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Broken windshield glass

Broken glass causes many splinters...

It starts as a ding, grows to a small crack, splinters and spreads like spider legs and ends up in shatters. This is what happens when we let life's many obstacles get to us and we never tend to them. They spread and grow and before we know it, they become many fragments that we can no longer control.

If we had only taken care of the situation when it was small, it may have been a small amount of pain, discomfort or sacrifice; but when we leave it unattended and ignored, it becomes a big pain, a lot of discomfort, and an even larger sacrifice!

When you have life issues or obstacles that are small, take care of them in the present before they multiply and become more than you can control.

Where are you running to?

Coming in first doesn't matter if you have been running in place...

No matter what effort you put forth to win that race (job, raise, promotion, recognition, election, etc.), it is all for nothing if you are not progressing towards the finish line. Spending your time going over the same details, doing the same things and acting the same way, only serves to keep you in the same place.

If you want to move forward in life, you have to take steps to get you there. These may be small steps that introduce you to a new situation, intermediate steps to carry you through the various obstacles, and bigger steps to help you cross the finish line to your goals. You may not come in first by others standards, but you will be doing what YOU need to do to achieve your success!

Make sure your life race propels you forward towards your goal achievements !

Ashes vs Bonfires

When you are stuck dwelling in ashes, other peoples success looks like a bonfire....

We have all been there; so stuck in our own burnt out ashes (life's situations, burdens, don't haves, and can't do's) that when we see other peoples accomplishments, no matter how small, they seem as if they have a bonfire going on compared to our own life.

What we need to concentrate on is getting out of our ashes, and creating our own spark that leads to a bonfire! Think of ashes and what comes to mind; leftover from being burnt! These ashes no longer hold the flame or spark from the lively fire, but the remnants from what once was.

We need to pick ourselves out of the ashes in life, dust off the residue, and get busy igniting our own spark. That spark that gives us creativity, purpose and motivation to Be! Not to copy or wish for others success, but the desire and motivation (fuel), to fan our own goals (flames), so we continue to burn bright in life.

I challenge you to find your motivation and desire to achieve, and to fan those flames into your own bonfire of success!

Preparation

I am prepared for tomorrow by making each present day count.

Life throws many curve balls at us daily, but it's up to us to start learning the signals of what's coming. We create many of the trials we go through each day by always looking for tomorrows promises in our present living. For some reason, we are more interested in what we can secure tomorrow, how much we can gain for later, and what our to do list is for the next day; rather than performing and living in the here and now and concentrating on the good for this day.

I challenge you to start the day with prayer for what you can do on THIS day to make your life more enjoyable, to better someone else's life, and to live EACH day to the fullest.