Tag: Success

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Fall to Pieces

DECEMBER 20

MATTHEW 7:27_and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell…

It is a sad thing to see a life fall apart. There are many ways a life can break. It is not always from hardship. Sometimes success can break a life.  Sometimes, the greater the success the harder the brokenness. The truth is, very often success destroys. 

If you find it hard to believe that success can lead to destruction open your eyes. Pay attention to people who are in the limelight. Have you been a fan of a celebrity and watched them fall off the porch? This is especially true for those who are an overnight sensation. 

Building character requires time, lots of time.  When you try to rush through life by skipping over your God-designed waiting period you often develop the talent, but not the character. Character is the rock-solid foundation of life. Talents are like houses, they need to be squarely set on firm foundations. Brilliant talents and abilities built on sandy soil, then beat upon by the floods of success and popularity, can fall to pieces.

Psalm 27:14 (KJV), “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

You may be destined for global greatness, but give God time to prepare you.

 PRAYER

Savior of the World, Help me wait on You to develop character in me! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ prepares me for my purpose – I will wait!

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The Great Hope

APRIL 7

MATTHEW 5:32_But I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife…

You wouldn’t want to have open heart surgery without some kind of anesthetic. Even with an anesthetic, the entire process will not be a piece of cake. Expect pain. It will come. Pain is an inevitable part of the heart transformation process. Even if you choose to opt-out of Jesus’ heart surgery – pain is a part of the life process. If you are expecting a pain free, drama free, heart-break free, struggle free, or easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy-mac’n-cheesy (learned that from my niece, Mary) life – face reality!

If someone offers you something for nothing – beware! The good things don’t come easy. When you receive the results of your surgery, or the payment for your hard labor, or whatever you have suffered your way through to success, the pain is not something you dwell on. It was simply a means to an end. 

The Holy Spirit will help you focus on the facts. The fact you have a hard heart. The fact The Great Surgeon can transform your heart to love. The fact heart surgery transforms self-centeredness to self-sacrifice.   

All of life is all about decisions. The ultimate decision is to make the main thing (Jesus) the main thing. Make that decision first and you greatly lessen your chances of feeling compelled to put away your spouse.

Nobody enters a marriage expecting it to end in divorce. Sometimes things happen – don’t give up.

The Great Surgeon is also known as – The Great Hope!

PRAYER

God of Hope, Help me never lose hope that You can change any situation I bring to You for a cure.  In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                                                                             

Christ wants to give me hope—I will accept it!

Posted on

Fall to Pieces

DECEMBER 20

MATTHEW 7:27_and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell…

It is a sad thing to see a life fall apart. There are many ways a life can break. It is not always from hardship. Sometimes success can break a life.  Sometimes, the greater the success the harder the brokenness. The truth is, very often success destroys. 

If you find it hard to believe that success can lead to destruction open your eyes. Pay attention to people who are in the limelight. Have you been a fan of a celebrity and watched them fall off the porch? This is especially true for those who are an overnight sensation. 

Building character requires time, lots of time.  When you try to rush through life by skipping over your God-designed waiting period you often develop the talent, but not the character. Character is the rock-solid foundation of life. Talents are like houses, they need to be squarely set on firm foundations. Brilliant talents and abilities built on sandy soil, then beat upon by the floods of success and popularity, can fall to pieces.

Psalm 27:14 (KJV), “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

You may be destined for global greatness, but give God time to prepare you.

 PRAYER

Savior of the World, Help me wait on You to develop character in me! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ prepares me for my purpose – I will wait!

Posted on

The Great Hope

APRIL 7

MATTHEW 5:32_But I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife…

You wouldn’t want to have open heart surgery without some kind of anesthetic. Even with an anesthetic, the entire process will not be a piece of cake. Expect pain. It will come. Pain is an inevitable part of the heart transformation process. Even if you choose to opt-out of Jesus’ heart surgery – pain is a part of the life process. If you are expecting a pain free, drama free, heart-break free, struggle free, or easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy-mac’n-cheesy (learned that from my niece, Mary) life – face reality!

If someone offers you something for nothing – beware! The good things don’t come easy. When you receive the results of your surgery, or the payment for your hard labor, or whatever you have suffered your way through to success, the pain is not something you dwell on. It was simply a means to an end. 

The Holy Spirit will help you focus on the facts. The fact you have a hard heart. The fact The Great Surgeon can transform your heart to love. The fact heart surgery transforms self-centeredness to self-sacrifice.   

All of life is all about decisions. The ultimate decision is to make the main thing (Jesus) the main thing. Make that decision first and you greatly lessen your chances of feeling compelled to put away your spouse.

Nobody enters a marriage expecting it to end in divorce. Sometimes things happen – don’t give up.

The Great Surgeon is also known as – The Great Hope!

PRAYER

God of Hope, Help me never lose hope that You can change any situation I bring to You for a cure.  In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                                                                             

Christ wants to give me hope—I will accept it!

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Dangerous Ground

FEBRUARY 12

MATTHEW 5:14_Ye are the light of the world.

Would you ever want to be referred to as the light of the world? That might not sound too bad. May be more appealing than being called salt. Just be sure you don’t confuse this light with the limelight.

The light Jesus wants you to be is not the limelight. That does not mean He never wants you to experience success. Jesus not only wants you to experience success, He wants to give it to you! But success from Jesus must be in His time and in His way.

Jesus wants your light to shine for His glory, not your own. God knows the tremendous danger involved with living in the limelight. He doesn’t want you to go through that kind of heartbreak. Jesus keeps you safe when your light shines for Him. When it shines for you, you’re on dangerous ground.

Think of this light as a flashlight. It shines on a path to protect walkers from stumbling blocks. It shines inside or under dark places to help a seeker find something they’ve lost. It flashes on and off to signal someone from a distance who is trying to find their way to safety.

This is the light Jesus has called you to be. One which lights a path to Him. One which helps prodigals find their way home.

  PRAYER

Savior, Please keep my light shining for You, and not myself. Your light will lead me to help others find their way to You. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.              

Christ’s light leads to truth—Truth leads to freedom!