Jon Gordon vertel: "Ek praat met baie organisasies oor die belangrikheid van positiewe leierskap en die voordele van 'n positiewe werkskultuur wat produktiwiteit bevorder. Steeds is die vraag wat ek die meeste teëkom: 'Hoe bly ek positief as my baas nie positief is nie?'" Hy gee die volgende voorstelle: Al is jy nie 'n leier nie, bly daarop gefokus om die beste te wees en om die beste in jou kollegas uit te bring. Vermy negatiwiteit. Jy kan nie beheer wat ander sê en doen nie, maar jy kan wel beheer hoe jy daarop reageer. Dr David Hawkins sê: "Tagtig persent van die populasie vind aanklank by negatiwiteit ... Moet jouself nie daaraan oorgee nie." Jesus sê: "Julle is die lig vir die wêreld. 'n Stad wat op 'n berg lê, kan nie weggesteek word nie." (Matt. 5:14 NV). Besluit om die lig te wees wat skyn in jou werksplek. Die meeste mense geniet dit nie eers om negatief te wees nie. Dikwels is hulle net so as gevolg van stres, 'n besige skedule of vrees. Sommige kort net 'n bietjie aanmoediging om weg te breek uit die groef. Jy kan 'n instrument van verandering wees, al dink jy dalk nie so nie. Jesus sê: "Julle is die sout vir die aarde." (Matt. 5:13 NV). Sout preserveer kos en gee dit 'n lekker geur. Jou werk as 'n Christen is om die mense om jou te bewaar, te versoen en hoop te gee. Dit sluit die mense in saam met wie jy elke dag werk. Vat God saam werk toe.
Sielekos: Jos 5:1-8:29; Luk 19:11-27; Ps 103:1-12; Spr 22:27-29
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"A certain man was there who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, 'Do you want to be made whole?" (John 5:5-6)
You may have heard the old story (a fable to be sure) about the father who knocks on his son's door. "James" he says, "wake up!" James answers, "I don't want to get up, Papa." The father shouts, "Get up. You have to go to school." James says, "I don't want to go to school." "Why not?" asks the father. "Three reasons," says James. "First, because it's so dull; second, the kids tease me; and third, I hate school." And the father replies, "Well, I am going to give you three reasons why you must go to school. First, because it is your duty; second, because you are forty-five years old, and third, because you are the headmaster." When I ask people in seminars how many believe that God has a purpose for their life, most will raise their hand. But when I ask how many know what it is, only a few have any idea what it might be, and even fewer have clearly defined it. Most say they want to know what it is but don't diligently seek God to discover what it is. Many people say they want to overcome their problems too, but are not prepared to do their part to make it happen. Even the best psychologists will tell you that "people don't really want to be cured. What they want is relief; a cure is too painful." One surgeon said that many patients who come to him with a problem would rather that he operate on their body than they operate on their lifestyle, and that only about 25 percent of his patients accept responsibility for their wellness. Jesus didn't say, "Do you wish to be made well, but rather, do you want to be made well?" To be made well needs to be more than a wish. It needs to be a true desire, with determination and commitment to do what one has to do to get well. As a Chinese proverbs puts it, "Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes." Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the want to get well in every area of my life, and reveal to me any areas of resistance so I can deal with these issues, and accept full responsibility for my wellness. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen." "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10) Romans 8:1
'Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.' - God does not condemn you. - He loves you and His desire is that you would receive His love. - His loving arms are always wide open, ready to receive us. - Run, run to Him, there is no better place. PRAYER: Lord, thank You for Your love towards me. Thank You that You do not condemn me but You are always ready to receive me. Amen. When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you. As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back. Here are some ideas to get you started: Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. Read The Road Less Traveled. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you likeeveryone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. Read Stumbling on Happiness. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action. You cannot change what you refuse to confront. Making progress involves risk. Period! You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?” Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough. But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past. You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation. So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done. Read Getting Things Done. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile CAN change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing
The status quo requires no risk. Nothing ventured; nothing gained. But excellence, by its very nature, requires that you break out of the pack and pull away from the common and ordinary, shaking off the mundane and mediocre. Hey, the only thing in the middle of the road is yellow stripes and dead armadillos!
It has be said many times, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got." What this means, then, is if you want something that you've never had before, you must be willing to do something that you've never done before. And that is where RISK comes into the equation. Noah built a boat in the middle of a desert —that was a risk. Abraham left his home and went out, not knowing where he was going – that was a risk. Moses forsook the security of Pharaoh's palace, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God —that was a risk. Daniel prayed to God though the king had decreed death to any who dared do so—that was a risk. David faced a giant in the open field of battle—that was a risk. John the Baptist confronted the sins of King Herod—that was a risk. Peter walked on water—that was a risk. Paul openly declared to Caesar himself that Jesus Christ is Lord—that was a risk. These were men of whom the world was not worthy. These are the fathers of our Faith, and we are their sons and daughters. Now it is our turn. Now we have the opportunity and the abilities to not only follow in their steps, but to go beyond where they themselves were able to go. But it will require a definite dose of vision, passion, discipline and risk. Are you willing to make that leap? Luke 6:39 - 'Then Jesus gave the following illustration: What good is it for
one blind person to lead another? The first one will fall into a ditch and pull the other down also.' The devil loves to put people together that will rehearse failures, negativity, bad decisions, and sinful communications over and over again. You see, when you error, the enemy wants you to discuss it with a fool! When you are in trouble or doing the fool, the devil wants you to surround yourself with foolish friends. Why? Because you will talk about your stupidity to them and they will tell you how stupid they are, and both of you will fall into a ditch! It's like a foolish counsel or like you can't hear the right thing for always being surrounded by the wrong thing. Get off the island of misfit friends and allow God to bring people of purpose into your life. Friends that will challenge you to be better and a stronger Christian. Did you pray for the friends you have? I mean in the sense of, praying for God to bring the right people into your life? If your current friends agree with your stupid decisions or always have a foolish move to compare to your errors, then you need to ask God to add whom he will, and remove those that are not ordained to be your friend. There are even times when you have to forsake family for the cause of growth because it's more important to know God than to have a bunch of family and friends that reject his truth! You must make some changes if you plan to move forward. If you do not make certain adjustments, you may end up being in the same errors year after year, always the victim of foolish counsel. Suggested Reading: Psa. 1:1, Psa. 106:43, Prov. 19:20 2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. God wants us to seek His righteousness and not our own righteousness. When we seek our own righteousness, we will always end up feeling miserable because we can never be righteous by our works, no matter how hard we try. That is why our loving Father wants us to remember that righteousness is not right behavior but a person—Jesus (1 Corinthians1:30), and that we have “become the righteousness of God in Him”. I know of a lady who, before coming to our church, attempted to establish her own righteousness by confessing all her sins to “clean” herself up. But she found that the more she confessed her sins, the more sins she discovered in herself. She became guilt-ridden and miserable. Feeling stressed out and weary of confessing her sins all the time, she eventually left the church she was attending. In fact, she never stepped into another church again for the next 10 years. One day, someone gave her my message tape entitled You Will Never Lose God’s Everlasting Righteousness Given To You and she started listening to it. Once she learnt that Jesus was the measure of her righteousness and acceptance before God, she began to seek God’s righteousness by seeing Christ as her righteousness. Before long, peace and joy came flooding back into her life. Today, she worships in our church. She testified of how God has supernaturally healed her of a long-term medical condition she had. Even her husband, once balding, found hair sprouting supernaturally! God was adding all these things to her according to His promise—“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. (Matthew 6:33) Beloved, seeking God’s righteousness means that you see Jesus as someone who knew no sin but became sin for you, so that He could give you His righteousness and make you the righteousness of God in Him! As you proclaim daily the truth that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, you will see “all these things” (Matthew 6:33) added to you without even asking for them! |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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