It was my turn to teach bible study at church last week and I thought I would share some excerpts from the teaching. Lessons for Success in 2014. This applies to spiritual, life and business Success.
1. Check your Net Mt 13:47. The parable in this chapter is about fishermen who caught some fish and sat down to sort through what they caught. They kept the good fish and threw the bad ones back in the sea. On a daily basis, a lot of things come our way both good and bad. Things we see, hear, experience. Positive and negative thoughts or interactions with people. Separate the good from the bad. Keep the good and let go of the bad. We have many opportunities thrown at us every day and we need to make the right choices regarding what to keep and what to lose. Keep the ones that have eternal value and dump the others. Keep only what pertains to your destiny and your goals. Keep what aligns with the word of God and get rid of those that don't. Not everything, not everyone, not every activity can go with you to your destination. So think about what comes your way every day and make the right choices.
2. Go Outside Mt 13:1-2. It is time to go outside. In this bible passage, Jesus went out to meet the people that were waiting after he finished teaching inside the house. The world is waiting for the manifestation of the God's Children. We are functioning only inside the church and the world is not being saved and people are not being helped. Jesus went about doing good and that is what the church is supposed to be doing today.
Jesus came to the lost sheep. We are so focused on the 99 sheep instead of the one. We are so focused on ourselves. As an individual, as families and as a church, let us be more outward. Use the platform God has given you to share the love of God. This is one thing I'm really working on this year; reaching out and sharing God's love.
As it relates to business, after you've reached out to people you are naturally comfortable with, or people in your area, go out. Get out of your comfortable and familiar zone. Although it's great to have a niche, don't limit reaching out, collaborating with, and selling your blog or your business to just people who look like you or act like you or are close to you or the same age as you. There's a bigger market out there. Go for it.
3. Stretch Forth Thine hand. Mt 12:10, 13. In this passage, Jesus healed the man with a withered hand. He told the man to stretch forth the withered hand. He did and he was completely healed. This is faith in action. Take the first step at His word, at His prompting and He will do the rest. God’s grace is available for that thing He is asking you to do.
You don't know how much you have in you until you try. You think you can't but you can.
Many of us don't go for our dreams or do what we need to do because of lack of faith. Because we still see that withered hand. It is in stretching forth that hand that we get the victory. It is in spending that last dime that we will get our abundance. You want to start a business but you say there's no money. What if you could invest the little money you have and see what happens.
If you are waiting for the right time, the right time will never come. God works with little. He specializes in working with our faith.
4. Be a Person of Vision Prov 29:18. Have a plan, write it down. Anything goes if you don't have a vision, you cast of restraint. Be intentional with your life, with your day. I believe in the power of writing things down. Write the vision make it plain. If you don't have anything you're living for then anything goes. You will easily allow things in your life; like sin, lack of discipline, and useless activities. What do you want for your life, your business, your marriage, your blog, your ministry? It is only when you are intentional in all these areas that you will succeed.
5. Believe in the Impossible. Luke 1:37 and mat 19:25-26. "It is impossible with man but with God, all things are possible". Lay your impossibilities at the feet of Jesus. Give them to Him and let Him make it possible. It is impossible for you but with God, all things are possible. Through your weakness He is strong. Things will remain impossible for us only because deep inside we don't believe or we really don't want it bad enough.
....and a bonus, Believe in yourself. This one is brought to you by Lattes and Paw Prints. I love her quote here
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(I should be done by now) and I love the thoughts on creativity. I've never seen myself as a creative thinker and never thought I could learn to be creative. I thought people were just born to be creative. There are so many points which warrant a seperate post but here are a few phrases listed that kill creative thinking: I'm not a creative person, Follow the rules, Don't ask questions, Be practical, We've never done it this way before, It didn't work for them, We don't have time, We don't have the money etc. How many ideas have you killed because of these phrases?
