godsworshippers’s posterous

  The Power Of Vision
Today's Word
Let your eyes look straight ahead. ~Proverbs 4:25
Today's Thought
Behind most success stories you'll find:
1. Great Sacrifices Made In Order To Fulfill A Dream;
2. Principles That Govern Lives, In Public And In Private;
3. The Ability To Turn A Single Victory Into A System Of Success; And
4. A Relentless Quest For Personal Growth.
Howard Hendricks writes, "As a boy I loved to watch the older men play checkers. One day one of them invited me to play. At first it looked easy. I captured one, then another of his checkers. Then suddenly he took one checker and hopped across the board yelling, 'King me!' With that King he proceeded to wipe me off the board. That day I learned about long-range vision. Nobody minds losing a few checkers, as long as he's headed for King Territory!"
What sustained Joseph during his years in prison? His dream! What sustained Moses in the wilderness? Listen, "He persevered because he saw Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27). Your vision will sustain you when nothing else will.
What do you see in your future?You'll never seize it until you first see it!
Take time to write down:
1. Your Vision And The Reason You Want To Fulfill It.
2. What You're Willing To Go Through To Make It Happen.
3. Every Challenge You'll Have To Overcome In Order To Pursue It.
Do that, and you'll be mentally prepared for anything that comes your way. The only difference between winners and losers is how they view failure.
Losers see failure - winners see beyond it!
Today's Prayer
Father In Heaven; Help me to SEE what I CAN BE; & Where I Could BE. Open my Spiritual eyes so I can see Your Plan for my Future. Then I will work on the How of getting there. I will be Positive in spite of my present circumstances, In Jesus Name. ~Amen.

  What's Love Got To Do With It?
Today's Word
If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. ~1 Corinthians 13:2-3
Today's Thought
Influential individuals often demonstrate a care and compassion for the people they are around. This love propels them to make a difference. Without love nothing else matters. The famous love chapter, written by the apostle Paul, reminds us of the need for love.
Love Keeps The Flame Of Influence Burning Brightly. T. Chardin said it this way: "The day will come when, after harnessing space, the winds, the tides and gravitation, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, we shall have discovered fire."
What is love challenging you to do in your life, at your church, in your community? What sacrifices are you willing to make to see God's dream for you become reality?
A college professor had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories of 200 young boys. They were asked to write an evaluation of each boy's future. In every case the students wrote, "He hasn't got a chance." Twenty-five years later another sociology professor came across the earlier study. He had his students follow up on the project to see what had happened to those boys. With the exception of 20 boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved more than ordinary success as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen.
The professor was astounded and decided to pursue the matter further. Fortunately, all the men were in the area, and he was able to ask each one, "How do you account for your success?" In each case the reply came with feeling, "There was a teacher."
The teacher was still alive, so he sought her out and asked the old but still alert lady what magic formula she had used to pull these boys out of the slums into successful achievement.
The teacher's eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a gentle smile. "It's really very simple," she said. "I loved those boys."
Today's Prayer
Father In Heaven; Help me to Love More so that I will Give More and be compelled to Do More! I want to be a Positive Influence in my World. Today! In Jesus Name. ~Amen.

  Tempered Steel
As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit. ~Emmanuel Teney
Today's Word
Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice. ~Isaiah 41:10
Today's Thought
It's easy to look around at what's happening in the earth today and be tempted to feel afraid or dismayed. Circumstances may seem overwhelming. Maybe your business is struggling, maybe you lost your job, maybe you're struggling in a relationship or concerned about the economy. Remember:
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. ~Helen Keller
During times like these, it's important to remember that God has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. In fact, not only is He with us, He has promised to strengthen us and harden us to difficulties, to Temper us. That means, when tough times come, they just bounce right off of you. You don't allow your circumstances to steal your peace and joy. You have the attitude that says, "This may be a big problem, but my God is bigger!"
Keep in mind that the enemy isn't after your checkbook; he's ultimately after your peace and joy. He knows that if he can get your joy then he can get your strength. But when you stay connected to the Father through prayer and studying the Word and declare His promises over your life, you'll be hardened to difficulties and stay safe in the palm of God's hand!
 Today's Prayer
Father in heaven, thank You for Your precious promises. I renounce fear today and choose to trust that You have a plan of victory in store for me. Thank You for filling me with Your peace and joy and staying close to me all the days of my life. In Jesus Name. ~Amen

  Moving In Faith
Knowing Is Not Enough; We Must Apply. Willing Is Not Enough; We Must Do.
Today's Word
Joshua said to the Israelites, Come near, hear the words of the Lord your God. Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you ... So now take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord shall rest in the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall stand in one heap. So the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan ... And when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were in the brink of the water... Then the waters which came down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, and those flowing down toward the Sea were cut off. And the people passed over on dry ground, ~Joshua 3:9-17
Today's Thought
It is a never-to-be-forgotten experience when we hear a promise of God and step out on it in faith and then see God doing things on our behalf. The priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River saw God work.
It would not have been enough for them to have stood close to the edge of the water and to have believed in the great ability of God to stop the flow several miles upstream and pile up the waters as though there was a great dam there.
If we were asked, "Is God able to do such a thing?" we undoubtedly would answer yes. But if each of us had to answer the question "Will God do this for me?" what would our answer be?
Every Christian is as precious in God's sight as the people of Israel were precious in His sight. What He promised them He did for them, and what He has promised you and me He will do for us. If we step out in faith, God will work on our behalf.
The Israelites did not make the mistake at the edge of Jordan of merely reckoning on God's ability to do what He promised. They did not stand to see what God would do.
When they received their marching orders to go into the river and the priests led with the Ark, then the waters parted. Those priests got their feet wet. That is the only way faith operates. Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go.
Today's Prayer
Father In Heaven; Enlarge my Faith, Help me to be "Ready," I will make the necessary preparations and "Get-Set." When You say "Go" I will Move out or Over whatever is holding me back from "My Promised Land of Victory." In Jesus Name. ~Amen.

  Preparing To Move!
Success Always Comes When Preparation Meets Opportunity.
Today's Word
Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3and commanded the people, "As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. ~Joshua 3:1-3
Today's Thought
There is a time for action, and there is also a time for waiting. There are times when we get in too big a hurry and are too impatient to wait on the Lord's time. On the other hand, there are some who lag behind and are not ready to move forward when they should.
We need to remember that God is never too late. If we really want to do His will, He will always do His part on time.
So there was a three-day delay when the people reached the Jordan River. This gave them the opportunity to become quiet before God and made it possible for Him to give them final instructions. It was when they were ready to hear that the orders were given.
The same is true in our spiritual experiences. We must make a decision and then act upon that decision. After we have acted on our decision, it may be that God will have us wait for a while.
This may sound like a paradox, but it is not. We need to learn to be calm before the Lord and await His time and timing for the events in our lives.
The reason for Israel's delay at the Jordan, and often the reason for a delay after God has made plain to us that we are to move ahead, is in order to see if we are truly serious. When this is evident, then further instructions are given us.
Today's Prayer
Father In heaven; Forgive my Impatience. Help me to be "Ready To Wait." I Know Your timing is always best. Having "Done All" I know to do; teach me to "Stand-Ready" To Move ~ To Wait ~ To Obey. In Jesus Name. ~Amen!

What Goes Around ...
Joy To A Giver Is Discovering Someone Or Some Cause Qualified To Receive.
Today's Word
Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you. ~Luke 6:38
Today's Thought
"How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people -- first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." ~Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Swiss physicist
Today's Prayer
Father In Heaven; I just want to say THANK-YOU! For everyone that You have brought into my life that has Blessed me & Helped me. Help me to Pay-It-Forward and find someone I can Bless Today. In Jesus Name. ~Amen.

Decide
Winners Make Decisions That Create The Future They Desire; While Whiners Make Decisions That Create The Present They Complain About.
Today's Word
BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. ~Psalm 1:1-3
Today's Thought
You're a winner when you decide to be.
No other person must give you permission to be successful. There's no one else to blame when you're not. Your life is exactly what you determine to make of it.
There are others who can help you and point the way. There are those who will attempt to stand in your way, and some who will probably throw you off track without even meaning to do so. Yet ultimately, you must make the decisions and take the actions which bring to your own life fulfillment or lack thereof.
You have the freedom and the responsibility to make the choices and live the commitments which determine how your life proceeds. It is an awesome and sobering reality, while at the same time truly liberating and full of boundless hope.
You are up to the task. You find yourself here, now, in the truly enviable and challenging position of creating a life filled with greatness. Look in grateful amazement at what you have, at what you can do, and make the most of every minute.
Today's Prayer
Father In heaven; Thank You for all the opportunities that You bring into my Life! Grant me the courage and divisiveness to seize the moment. Help me to understand the power of "Taking Responsibility" for my Decisions. Today I will Decide to Make This A Great-Day! In Jesus Name. ~Amen.

  Remain Open to Learning and New Ideas ..By Donald Trump
There is only one thing I know, and that is I know nothing. ~ Socrates
Today's Word
The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly] ~ Proverbs 1:5
Today's Thought
Remain open to new ideas and information. Nobody knows it all and thinking that you do is dumb; it can slam the door on great discoveries and opportunities. If I had started in business thinking that I knew everything, I'd have been finished before I began. Don't make that mistake. Every business has surprises, hidden dangers beneath the surface, and simple problems that become complex.
In my life, I want each day to be full of discoveries, and I frequently wonder what I'll be learning each day. It's a terrific way to start the day. When I learn, it makes me feel great, alive, and excited - it makes me want to learn more. As a result, I'm never bored, which I think is a big reason for my success.
Never think of learning as a burden or a chore. It may require some discipline, but it can be a stimulating and exciting adventure.
To Make It Happen In Your Life . . .
·Become a perpetual student. Gobble up information on many subjects.
·Periodically ask yourself, "What should I learn more about?" Take inventory and study areas in which you may be weak or may wish to investigate. Look into topics that you always avoided or those that are outside your area of expertise. Every day, I try to read newspapers, like the Financial Times, because it's important to my business to know what's going on worldwide, but I also love to read golf magazines.
But Beware . . .
Nothing turns people off more than a person who constantly needs to demonstrate how much he or she knows. Before long, people stop listening, but they never forget when someone is such a bore.
Today's Prayer  (Not by Donald Trump)
Father In Heaven; I want to grow in my Understanding so that I can grow in my Usefulness. I don't need to be Huge, I want to be Helpful. I will study Resources so that I can be Resourceful. Keep me Humble & Hope-Filled. In Jesus Name. ~Amen