Category Archives: Success

What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

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What to do when you don’t know what to do

What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

I recently received a question from a sweet reader on a previous post I had written, How To Use the Correct GPS–God Positioning System. This person felt like they might be on the wrong track and may have made a wrong decision about attending a design school. They were starting to doubt their original decision to attend. The essence of this reader’s question was basically, “What do you do when you don’t know what to do?”

I think that many people could relate to this question. So today I wanted to share my advice to this reader for when you don’t know what to do, in hopes that it may help others too. There are 3 simple steps that I find helpful in any decision-making process, large or small. I’ll jump right into your practical steps…

Take Some Practical Steps When You Don’t Know What To Do:

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A 5 Day Lesson in Generosity

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A 5 Day Lesson in Generosity... a start in my journey to overcome greed

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18 (NIV)

A 5 Day Lesson in Generosity

There are many, many things that I need to work on and improve upon in my life. Thankfully God doesn’t convict us or work on too many of our flaws all at once! He doesn’t want to overwhelm us, and he meets us where we are. This week I thought I would share with you something that God has been teaching me the last few weeks. It’s the concept of generosity.

Recently, in my church small group we’ve been doing a book study on Andy Stanley’s Enemies of the Heart. It’s been a very convicting study. I started the book thinking that I didn’t really struggle with some of the “heart issues” he discusses. However after further study, I found myself saying, “Crap. I totally struggle with that.”

Greed

Unfortunately, greed was one of those heart issues. I never really considered myself a greedy person. After reading the book, however, I discovered that greed and selfishness are issues that I still need to conquer. Tithing has never been an issue for me since I was taught that growing up. Also, I’ve always been giving with my time and gifts. Sometimes though, I have a harder time letting go of money, material things or even my desire for superficial things in life. Sometimes I struggle with contentment.

NOTE: God wants us to be blessed, prosperous, and have good things. However He does not want those things to become idols or lord over us. Nor does He want them (or the desire for them) to pollute our hearts with greed and selfishness, causing us to become less effective in loving Him and our neighbors.

With each heart issue Andy Stanley covered a practical step to overcome that issue. (You know how I love practical steps! 😉 ) According to the book, the best way to overcome greed is by practicing generosity.

He listed a few examples in the book of ways to apply generosity. First and foremost though, he suggested that we pray and ask God to show us how HE would have us carry out acts of generosity. For after all, we are just managing His assets/money anyway. I also remember hearing another pastor give similar advice many years ago. He suggested that you pray each day and ask God to show you how you can be more generous that day. 

The best way to overcome greed and selfishness is by practicing generosity.

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My lesson in conquering greed started with 5 days of generosity.

Day 1: Giving 2% of my paycheck

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God Is Our Rock

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God is our rock. Learn the characteristics of rocks that God displays and how they are helpful to us in times of need.

God Is Our Rock

“No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2 (NLT)

We are living in a time where so much is going on around us. It’s a world of change, unsettling events and circumstances, and things going awry all around. We face disturbing political conditions, natural disasters, crime, death, racial tensions, unstable economies, moral corruption and breakdown, and the list could go on and on. Quite honestly it’s pretty depressing. We need something steady and calm to ground us in times like these. We need a firm foundation in a shifty world.

Quite honestly the same could probably be said for many generations. I’m sure they felt much the same in biblical times as well. So, we can lean on the same principles that gave them rest and peace in unsettling times. One such principle is that God is our rock. He is strong, dependable, never shifting or changing, always there to protect and shield us from the storms of this world. 

God is our rock–strong, dependable, never changing, protecting us from the storms of this world.

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Here are some of the characteristics of rocks that help us understand how God is our rock:

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Remember the Biscuits and Don’t Give Up

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Remember the biscuits and don't give up...a story about overcoming life's problems. Remember the Biscuits and Don’t Give Up

This past week my sister, Shawna, shared something with me that she posted on Facebook. It was so insightful and helpful that I got her permission to share it here on my blog as well. I think many of you might find it encouraging and helpful too. God showed her that just because it looks like nothing is going right, that it doesn’t mean there isn’t peace, a place of rest, or a promise still there waiting just past the problem. I hope that you will “remember the biscuits”, and don’t give up the next time you are tempted to throw in the towel.

Shawna’s biscuit story (9/29/16)

So my day started out like this:

Having a rough mental kind of morning, kids fighting, worries building, heart hurting, etc. etc. etc.

I decided that before I get to work, I’ll take some extended time out for me and God. I will enjoy this beautiful fall morning by doing my quiet time on the front porch today in a sweater (cuz today you actually need one!), a cup of coffee (and it’s #nationalcoffeeday), and some hot jellied biscuits.

I cook my biscuits, make my coffee, and grab my sweater.

On my way out the front door to go renew my mind, soul, and spirit, my dog trips me. Jellied biscuits fly out of my hand all over the door and floor, and coffee spilled all over me and soaked my sweater.

At this point I want to cry and give up. I’m on the verge of doing just that when a thought occurred. If I give up then I’m letting the devil win. And I’m letting him steal my plan, purpose, and peace from me.

So as much as I want to do something else, Continue reading →

Obeying God Should Come With A Warning Label

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Obeying God Should Come With A Warning Label! Warning: Obeying God may cause serious side effects to occur. Some people have reported financial trouble, health problems, criticism, false accusations, betrayal, relational trouble, natural disasters, legal trouble, physical assault, and life threatening events. In some cases death has occurred. This is not a complete list of possible side effects.

Obeying God Should Come With A Warning Label

I’ve decided that obeying God should really come with a warning label. I mean really, people should be warned to expect opposition and attacks when they start obeying God. Quite honestly the devil doesn’t like our obedience. He knows the good that will come of it. He knows it’s dangerous for him. So, He’s going to fight back. People need to know to expect it.

Warning: Obeying God may cause serious side effects to occur.  Some people have reported financial trouble, health problems, criticism, false accusations, betrayal, relational trouble, natural disasters, legal trouble, physical assault, property damage, life threatening events, and things just going wrong in general.  In some cases death has occurred.  This is not a complete list of possible side effects.

When we step out and start obeying God, we’re going to have some attacks from the devil. It’s inevitable. It doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll experience attack every time, but it is a definite possibility. The more we expect it, the better prepared we can be.

Somebody warned me about obeying God

One of the best things anybody did for me was give me similar advice. When I first started volunteer teaching at Glory House, the director, Susie, told me expect attacks and expect things to go wrong. It kind of actually took me by surprise. At the same time, however, I felt a bit relieved because I had already indeed started to experience exactly that!

I was sitting in her office during my interview Continue reading →

Your Gift Will Make Room For You

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Your Gift Will Make Room For You

Your Gift Will Make Room For You

God gave us our gifts and our talents for a couple of purposes.  One is to point people to Him, which we’ll talk more about later.  Another purpose of our gifts is to bring us prosperity, honor, influence and happiness.  Pretty cool, huh?!  The bible says that your gift will make room for you.  I’d like to encourage you today that God does want you to be Happy, Healthy & Prosperous, and He will use your GIFTS to help you accomplish that!

Your gift will make room for you…your gift is designed to prosper you, to make you money and bring you wealth, and to provide for you. Your gifts were designed to help you make a living.  They will advance you in life and move you forward.  God wants to bless you through your gifts.  In turn, your gifts will be a blessing for other people too.  Your gifts will meet a need, and consequently you will be compensated for that.  It’s a win-win!

It’s pretty cool to me that I actually get to do what I love (teach, write, speak) and get paid for it!  I think for so long I felt like I was just going through the motions in life, in my jobs, and in my roles.  I lacked a sense of purpose.  I think a major factor in that was that I hadn’t discovered my gifts yet and wasn’t fully using them.  I was frustrated because I was operating outside of my gifts.  When I started to discover my God-given gifts and started to use them, joy was an automatic by-product.  Knowing that I was helping others with my gifts and getting paid to do so was a huge bonus!  The proverb that your gift will make room for you started to make a lot of sense to me. 

Your gift will make room for you. #success #prosperity #fulfillment #proverbs1816

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YOUR GIFT WILL MAKE ROOM FOR YOU MEANS THAT IN ADDITION TO ADVANCING THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, YOUR GIFTS & PURPOSE ARE MEANT TO PROSPER YOU AND BRING YOU SUCCESS AND FULFILLMENT.

“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.” Proverbs 18:16 (AMP)

“A present [gift] is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; Wherever he turns, he prospers.” Proverbs 17:8 (NKJV)

“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)

When we faithfully operate in our gifts the way God intended (to serve Him and His people), those gifts will bring promotion into our life.  If used right, Continue reading →

You Will Have to Answer to God for How You Used Your Gifts and Fulfilled Your Purpose

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You Will Have to Answer to God for How You Used Your Gifts and Fulfilled Your Purpose

You Will Have to Answer to God for How You Used Your Gifts and Fulfilled Your Purpose

We talked a couple of weeks ago about how we will one day be evaluated by God.  Part of that process will be an evaluation of how we used and stewarded our gifts, talents, calling & purpose that God has given us.  We will have to answer to God for what we did with what He gave us.  Essentially, we will have to give account for how we used our gifts and how we fulfilled God’s plan for our life.

“So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” Romans 14:12 (NIV)

“For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive [his pay] according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing].” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (AMP)

“For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.” Matthew 16:27 (NLT) 

We will have to give an answer to God for the question, “Did you do what I asked you to do?”

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In John 17:4 (Message Translation) when Jesus was praying at the Last Supper he said, “I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do.”  Even Jesus had an assignment for which he had to answer to God.  Just as God had an assignment for Jesus, He has an assignment for us as well.  It’s up to us to figure out what that assignment is and then to use our God-given gifts to fulfill it.

It is our responsibility to discover and use what God has given us.

The famous 1800’s preacher, Charles Spurgeon said in his sermon Our Gifts and How to Use Them, “Every living saint has his or her charge to keep — their talent, over which they are a steward. A measure of gift is in all of us, needing to be fanned into a flame.”  His sermon uses the example of Paul telling Timothy not to neglect the gift that is him.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”  2 Timothy 1:6 (NIV)

Rick Warren, renowned pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?, stated in a devotional (‘Make the Most of Your Talents’), “You are a manager of the gifts God has given to you.  They may be great or small in your eyes, but they matter to God.  “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2 NIV).  When God made you, he made an investment in you, and he expects a return on that investment.” 

Give God a return on his investment in you. #Godgivengifts #stewardship

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We can see an example of that statement Continue reading →

You Will Have a Performance Evaluation from God Someday

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You Will Have a Performance Evaluation from God Someday

You Will Have a Performance Evaluation from God Someday

Have you ever had to do a performance evaluation for a job?  A performance evaluation is an opportunity to be assessed on our contributions to an organization, job or event.  It has the ability to measure the quantity and quality of our work and the extent to which we add benefit.  Well, did you know that we will have a performance evaluation in heaven someday?  One day we will all stand before God and have to give an account for our “performance” on earth.  We will be held accountable to God, similar to doing a performance evaluation with our employers.  Our contributions will be evaluated.  God will assess the quantity and quality of our work and if and how much benefit we added to His kingdom.  When I think about it that way, it’s kind of ominous sounding! 

God will someday assess the quantity/quality of our work and the benefit we added to His kingdom.

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JUDGEMENT/GIVING AN ACCOUNT TO GOD

“He will judge everyone according to what they have done.” Romans 2:6 (NLT)

“So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” Romans 14:12 (NIV)

“For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive [his pay] according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing].” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (AMP)

“For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.” Matthew 16:27 (NLT)

“I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.” Ecclesiastes 3:17 (NLT)

“God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” Ecclesiastes 12:14 (NLT)

To clarify, this is NOT a judgement or performance evaluation for deciding your eternity or salvation.  Rather, this judgement is a performance evaluation to reward you for your works and deeds performed.    Your works and deeds do not get you into heaven—only professing Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior can do that, but they can earn you treasures not only in heaven, but also here on earth (Psalm 27:13, Psalm 31:19, John 10:10).

SALVATION AND HEAVEN BY JESUS…NOT BY WORKS

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)

“Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” Galatians 2:16 (NIV)

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV)

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 (NIV)

In general, a performance evaluation can be a bit intimidating.  I’ve had a few in my lifetime.  I recently had one for my college teaching. Continue reading →