“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”(Proverbs 22:29, ESV)
There was an article out recently that talked about how to reduce the risk of being laid off. There are three main things that employers look for when deciding who to keep. They want to keep people who are positive, people who are versatile, and people who are always improving. Are you focused on developing your gifts in such a way that your company cannot make it without you? Do they notice that things don’t run nearly as smoothly when you’re not there? If you take a week off and nobody misses you, all the work gets done and sales are just as good, unless you’re the owner, it’s time to sound the alarm. If you’re not being missed, then maybe you’re not needed. You need to kick it into a new gear and start producing more than you have been. Scripture is clear, when we sharpen our skills, when we work with a spirit of excellence, we will stand before great men. Leaders will take notice. Promotion comes. Like cream rising to the top, you will rise higher as well. Remember, as you keep doing your best, as you stay faithful and keep growing, God will cause you to be noticed and move forward in the life of blessing He has prepared for you! Father, thank You for the gifts and talents You’ve given me. Help me to see the areas where I can rise higher. I desire to serve diligently with an attitude of excellence so that I can bring You glory in everything that I do in Jesus’ name. Amen.
0 Comments
“He has filled them with skill to do all manner of work...”(Exodus 35:35, NKJV)
It’s easy to fall into “destination disease.” That’s when you’re comfortable where you are. You’re not stretching, not learning anything new. There is nothing wrong with being happy where you are, but you have to remember, you have so much more inside of you. You were created to increase, to grow, to stretch and sharpen your skills. Studies tell us that the average person only uses 11% of their brain. Think about how much more potential we all could be tapping into. Maybe you’re an accountant. That’s good, but don’t settle there. Why don’t you go get your CPA license? There’s a new skill you can develop. That gift will make more room for you. Maybe you’re an electrician, a mechanic, a plumber. That’s great, but what steps are you taking to improve? I believe in this day and age, if you are at the same skill level today as you were five years ago, you’re at a disadvantage. Today, shake out of that “destination disease” and start sharpening your skills. Keep stretching, keep growing and keep moving forward into the life of blessing God has prepared for you! A PRAYER FOR TODAYFather, thank You for every good and perfect gift that You have given me. I choose to honor You with every gift and every talent. Show me how to sharpen my skills in a way that always brings glory and honor to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.— Joel & Victoria Osteen “And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man...”(Genesis 39:2, KJV)
Many heroes of the faith started out at the very bottom. Think of Joseph. He was thrown in a pit and sold into slavery by his own brothers. But even as a slave, he developed his skills. He was so valuable that he was put in charge of his master’s whole household. When he was falsely accused and put into prison, he was so valuable there that they put him in charge of the whole prison. What is that? Cream rising to the top. When Pharaoh needed someone to run the country and administer the nationwide feeding program during the famine, he didn’t choose a cabinet member; he didn’t choose his department head. He chose Joseph, a prisoner, a slave. Why? Joseph developed his skills right where he was. His gifts made room for him, and he was always rising to the top. Friend, there’s never an excuse to not keep rising. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like your current job; it doesn’t matter if other people don’t treat you right. God is saying, “It’s time to get out of the pit.” It’s time to shake off the past. It’s time to rise to the top! Father, thank You for the gifts and talents that are within me. I choose today to have an excellent spirit. I choose to shake off the old; I choose to forgive. I take my eyes off of my circumstances and lift my eyes to You knowing that You are the one who lifts me up in Jesus’ name. Amen. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 1:6, NIV)
God will always finish what He started. The moment God placed a dream in your heart, the moment that promise took root, God not only started something in your life but He also set a completion date. Scripture tells us that God is called the Author and the Finisher of our faith. God wouldn’t have given you the dream; the promise wouldn’t have come alive if God didn’t already have a plan to bring it to pass. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been or how impossible it looks. Your mind may tell you that it’s too late. You’ve missed too many opportunities. It’s never going to happen. No, God is saying, “It’s not over. I have the final say. I’ve already set the completion date.” So if you will stay in faith and not talk yourself out of it, it will just be a matter of time before it comes to pass! Father, thank You for completing what You’ve started in my life. I choose to trust You. I choose to wait on You. I put my faith in You knowing that through faith and patience every promise will come to pass in Jesus’ name. Amen. “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”(2 Peter 3:8, NIV)
Have you ever thought, “It’s too late for me?” That’s what two sisters in the scripture thought, Mary and Martha. Their brother, Lazarus, was extremely sick. They sent word to their good friend, Jesus, to come to their city and pray for him. A day went by and Jesus didn’t show up. They asked the messengers, “Did you tell Jesus it was us?” “Yes, we told Him.” “Did you explain how sick Lazarus was?” “We explained it to Him.” They couldn’t understand why Jesus wouldn’t come immediately. Lazarus ended up dying. Four days later, Jesus showed up. Mary said, “Jesus, if You had been here sooner, my brother would still be alive.” Have you ever felt like God showed up too late? If He’d just got there a little sooner, maybe things would have worked out. That’s the way these sisters felt. But Jesus spoke to Lazarus, and he came back to life. The sisters wanted Jesus to come and heal their brother. But Jesus wasn’t thinking about a healing, He was thinking about a resurrection. A healing would have been good, but Jesus had something better in mind. Always remember, God has another option. No matter how bad your circumstances look, it’s never too late with Him! Father, today I choose to trust Your timing. I trust that my days are in Your hands. I ask that You breathe life into my circumstances as I give You the glory for everything in Jesus’ name. Amen. “Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you. (Ecclesiastes 11:1, NLT) God has a system that is based on the principle of sowing and reaping. In other words, what you pour out to others will come back to you in increased measure. When you give generously, a generous harvest will return to you. When you help others succeed, you will find abundant success on your path, too. Are you helping others succeed? Are you helping others get ahead? There are some people in your life who hold the keys for you to reach your full potential. These are people that God has placed in your life for you to help along. The higher they rise up, the higher you will rise up, too. When you give generously of your time, talents and resources, you are setting yourself up for greater success. People will come across your path that will help you grow and reach your full potential. Do your part to step out and sow the seed. Be on the lookout for ways you can help others. As you give of yourself to help others grow, you’ll see increase in return. You’ll see success and live the abundant life He has prepared for you. Father in heaven, I open my whole heart You. I invite You to use me to be a blessing in the lives of others. Show me where to invest my time, talents and resources for Your glory. Thank You for the harvest that is coming back to me in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24, NIV)
Has God spoken things to your heart that haven’t come to pass yet? Anytime you step out to believe God, the enemy will try to distract and discourage you in order to get you off course. But when you receive that promise by faith, when you hold it in your heart, when you picture it in your mind and declare it with your words, you begin to feel more confident. You feel empowered and settled in your heart. You begin to have joy and peace because you know God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. I encourage you today, grab hold of the promises of God and don’t let go! Can you see it in your mind’s eye? Can you see yourself healed? Can you see yourself paying off that last debt? Can you see yourself at your ideal weight? Can you see yourself sharing the gospel with a family member or coworker? Ask the Lord to give you a vision for your future. Open your heart and allow His thoughts to become your thoughts. Receive His promises by faith, and just like it says in today’s verse — whatever you ask for in prayer will be yours! Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You. Thank You for the gift of faith. I ask that You search my heart and mind and remove anything that does not please You. Give me Your thoughts of peace and joy today so that I can learn to receive all You have for me today in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
(Matthew 6:10, NIV) God longs to give you a glimpse of heaven while you are here on earth. He wants to show you His wonderful plan and bring it to pass in your life. Have you ever thought about how God’s will is accomplished in heaven? In heaven, God’s will is automatic. There are no opposing forces of darkness or anything that would come against His will. On earth, His will is activated in our lives when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior; and then, we must choose His will on a daily basis in our thoughts, words and actions. On earth, we have to stand against the forces of darkness and refuse those negative, self-defeating thoughts that come against His will. Today, open your heart to the will of God which is the Word of God. As it says in Ephesians 6, you will be empowered by your union with Him. Declare what God says about you and be empowered to overcome opposition. Stand strong in faith and see God's will come to pass in your life just as it is in heaven! Heavenly Father, I humbly come to You today and invite Your will to be done in my life. I submit every area of my heart to You. Let everything I say and do bring glory to You in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Gal 6:9
Are you praying for something that’s taking longer than you thought or expected? No matter how long you may have been standing on God’s promises, don’t give up! Your season is coming. Your harvest of blessing is on its way. It might be today, it might be tomorrow, it might be next week, next month or next year; but remember, at just the right time, you will experience your breakthrough. Be encouraged today because God is faithful and His promises are true. Keep standing, keep hoping, keep believing. Keep doing good. Keep declaring the promises of God over your life. Choose to be around people who are going to encourage you and fill your heart and mind with God’s Word. Let a song of praise come out of your mouth. Press on in faith and keep an attitude of victory. Don’t get tired of doing what is right because your harvest of blessing is on the way! “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6, NIV)
Sometimes when things don’t turn out the way you thought; when they don’t happen on your timetable, it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like God has let you down. But, I believe that simply means that God has something better in store for you. If you’ve been praying, obeying His commands and standing in faith but you didn’t get the answer yet, now is not the time to back down. When one door closes, God always has another door. We have to remember that the enemy is the one who is trying to bring discouragement. He’s trying to get you focused on the closed door instead of the open door just ahead. Don’t fall for the trap! Keep moving forward. Keep praising God in the hallway. Stay in faith knowing that God has something better in store for you! Father, thank You for Your faithfulness in my life. I trust You even when things don’t turn out the way I had planned. I know that You are working behind the scenes and bringing something better into my life in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
All
Archives
June 2015
|