There's no elevator to success take the stairs by Charlotte Gambil.

THERE’S NO ELEVATOR TO SUCCESS, TAKE THE STAIRS! 

Here’s a thought for you today! Just in case you are tempted to spend this year looking for the short cut or the elevator to get you to where your heart desires; can I save you some time and suggest you take the stairs. Stairs are your friend in 2016, each step you take builds more strength into your story. 

The staircase will teach you the value of journey and the lessons in your progress. Yes climbing stairs can be tiring and at times tedious but it’s the way you sustain the very things your dreaming of attaining. Anything that flings you forward can also throw you backwards. Stairs keep your momentum consistent and the ground you gain becomes established. Don’t waste months or more years of your life trying to leap where you should learn to climb. Don’t wish away your days, when you can take the same energy and take more steps. God will promote, bless, bring favor but I have found that always happens for me on the staircase that I have already committed to take. He can bring you new landings you weren’t expecting, amazing opportunities at different levels, new relationships as you climb. These are all things you miss in an elevator, that only has one direction and often no view of anything greater than its own confined space. 

The elevator only teaches you how to press a button, limiting your capacity inside its own ability. The elevator decides your journey and limits who can get in with you at any floor without your approval. If all you’re concerned with is arriving then sure the elevator may appeal, but if your desire is to achieve great things then the staircase is your friend. So maybe renew your commitment to those stairs this year. Let the steps you take be the success you seek and you will find you go a lot further than you thought possible. See you on the staircase!

Here I am! God is calling YOU!

In today's bible reading the passage included Exodus 3-5 and Luke 22.

Exodus chapters 3 & 4 really spoke to me.

 In Exodus 3 we see that God speaks to Moses at Mt. Sinai thru a burning bush. God calls out to Moses and Moses replies "Here I am!' God had chosen Moses to lead his people out of Egypt. We see that Moses protested 5x's when God asked him to bring his people out of slavery. 

             Moses Protest - 5x's                                                  God's Response
1. Who Am I to do this task?                                                  I will be with you!

2. What if they don't know who you are?                              I am Who I am!

3. What if they don't believe me?                                          I will give you miracles to perform!

4. I am not good with words!                                                I will give you the Words to say!

5.  Send someone else!                                                         I will send Aaron with you!


I can so relate to Moses - God has called me to certain task even opened the door wide open and I have lame excuses why I can't do it! I have thoughts run thru my mind - this is too much work, you don't have time, your not qualified, too much money, I can do it later, etc.  My thoughts are me focused - this is so messed up!!!!

When God calls me to do something - the outcome does not depend on my ability - but upon my willingness to let God's power operate thru me. Is God calling you to do a task or even to let something go - be obedient and watch the power of God.  When you can look back on this time - you will know God has his best interest for you and you will give Him the glory!

God of the Impossible - Anne Graham Lotz

God of the Impossible "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26, NKJV God is a God of the impossible. When we are utterly helpless, He is our Helper. But He requires the cooperation of our obedience. What seemingly impossible task has God given you to do? Have you done it, or are you procrastinating? What if Noah had procrastinated and told God he would build the ark but at a time when he felt he was more rested, more capable, when he had had sufficient training, when his financial situation was more stable, when his family was more self-sufficient, when it was just more convenient? If he had had the attitude many of us do when God gives us an assignment that is beyond our ability, he would have been totally exposed in his helplessness and unprepared for the awesome devastation when it struck. Instead of procrastination, Noah obeyed without question or hesitation. Noah did everything just as God commanded him (see Gen. 6:22). What impossible task could you accomplish if you would cooperate with God by obeying His Word? Blessings,

Run the Race with Perseverance

Run the Race with Perseverance - January 18, 2016

There is a race marked out for all of us, as the author of Hebrews puts it.  We have the same finish line, the same prize, but different courses – different routes but the same goal.  The command in this verse is to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” and “run with perseverance” the race marked out for us by God.  It is so important that all Christians understand their divine calling.  Until we see our days as divinely mapped out, our encounters as divine appointments, and our resources as divinely entrusted to us, we will never be used by God the way we could be.  And I have never met a Christian that didn’t, at least deep down, desire to be used by God in ways that were bigger than anything he could do on his own.

 

 

What is hindering you from persevering in the race God has marked out for you?  Any hindrance is not God-given, and must be thrown off along with all sin so that we can bring glory to God as we faithfully endure each day.

Dear Father, Please forgive me for allowing the cares of this world to creep in and hinder me in the work You have given me to do.  Give me wisdom to know what I need to throw off, and how to do it.  I want to run with perseverance, being used by You in ways that are far beyond my own strength and ability.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

adapted from Touching Lives

 

Too busy for God - by Debbie McGrath

Are you too busy and you need to let some things go?

This past year I have been way too busy - many times I was too busy for God.  I was too busy for my family and too busy for my friends.

Satan loves for us to be so frenetically busy, so occupied with the things of this world - that you have no time or energy left to devote to your spiritual life.  The greatest New Years Resolution you could make is to be a more active-authentic follower of Christ. My New Year's Resolution - to reset my walk with God.  Have you thought that this is the year you would make a commitment to spend every day in God's Word and in Prayer.

When was the last time you enjoyed time alone with God?  Time so good that you didn't want to leave.
The greatest thing you can do today is spend time with the Creator.  There is no substitute for being alone with God.

If you do not have time to spend time in God's Word - you need to quit something to make room.  Skip a meal, cancel a meeting, end some regular commitment, etc.

I have learned when you spend time with Jesus - you will not get what you expect - you will receive so much more!  A person in the Word of God is less consumed with themselves and more consumed with Jesus.

What Word has God Given You this Year? by Laila Wahba

What is the word that God has sown into the good ground of your heart? Which word has the enemy come to steal in you? It may be a seed of a godly spouse. It may be a seed of a business flourishing. It may be financial independence. It may be healing. This one thing I know for certain, GOD HAS SOWN A WORD, a particular word in you. And when God sowed it in you, it became yours.
Satan only bothers people who are doing something for God. He only attacks those who are making an impact and he only steals, or attempts to steal what is of value. If he is attempting to steal your word it is for one reason; he knows it is of great value and he has to do anything he can to stop it from coming to full fruition.
 
The good news is that he doesn't have the power to stop that word in you. 
Only you have that power and if you refuse to let go of that word, it will remain in your heart and keep growing. It will grow until it has come to fruition and you see it manifest.

When I went through attack after attack and loss after loss, I realized the enemy was attempting to steal worship from me. Worship is my power tool. It is the place from where everything flows for me. Everything wonderful that has ever happened in my life has come from intimate times of worshiping God. That was the thing the enemy wanted to stop in me. And I will admit, it was very difficult for me to worship freely during those times - but worship I did. I worshiped by faith when I had to, but I worshiped. Now, worship is free flowing again. The enemy can't steal your word, if you refuse to allow him to.

There is something that God has put in your heart. You feel you have fought for it for years and years and still haven't seen it come to pass. Don't give up on that word, don't stop believing, if the enemy is attempting to steal it, it can only be because he sees what you will do with that word, he sees the value in it. Hold tight to that word.  It's YOURS. It is your word, sown in the good ground of your heart. It is safe, keep believing that it is yours and you will see it come to pass.

You know...God will sow many more words in your heart. The moment they are sown, they are yours, it's time we learn to hold fast to those words, refuse to let them go and see them come to pass...don't you agree? This is our year to see it all. Hold fast!-Kim Potter

A Prosperous New Year

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

 

Around the world New Year’s Day is celebrated with different customs meant to bring good luck and prosperity.  Each country has its own superstitions and traditions including special meals, clothing, and decorations.  Millions of people adhere to these rituals.  Some do it just for fun; but most believe or hope that it will bring them good fortune and happiness in the year to come.

 

The Spanish people, for example, have the custom to eat 12 grapes at exactly 12 o’clock – one grape for happiness in each of the coming 12 months.  Greek people eat a specially prepared cake with a coin in it for happiness and good luck in the year to come.  The first piece of the cake is left for Baby Jesus; the second for the father of the house, and the third is for the home.  If the coin is found in the third slice, the family can look forward to happiness throughout the year.  In America, we practice superstitions such as kissing at midnight and eating black-eyed peas and greens to bring good luck and money in the coming year.

 

Jeremiah 29:11 is perhaps one of the most widely known verses in the entire Bible.  It reminds us that God has a plan for our lives…and that His plan is good.  The word “prosper” in this passage does not mean what many people think it does.  It does not imply material possessions, but rather prosperity of the inner man.  It means completeness, soundness, welfare and peace.  It is a tranquility and contentment that rises above circumstances. 

 

In order for God to glorify Himself through our lives, He often pushes us out of our comfort zones.  He leads us to mountaintops; but He also leads us through dark valleys.  His will does not always make sense from our limited perspective.  But we must remember that God anything He allows into our lives is for our good and His glory. He can prosper us, giving us hope and a future no matter what is happening to us now.

 

As Christians, we must not put our hope in silly superstitions and traditions.  Remember that what you need isn’t something from God…you need God.  His plans are always good, because God is always good.

Father, Thank you for this promise from Your Word.  Help me to remember that Your plans are always for my good, even when I may not understand how You are working.  Increase my faith in You, Lord.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Adapted from Touching Lives _ James Merritt

Reading God's Word: Adapted from Anne Graham Lotz

Life-Giving Power Your word has given me life. Psalm 119:50, NKJV Sometimes when we are depressed, we feel lifeless. It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning. We seem to have no energy to do even the most routine functions. If you are depressed by the greatness of your problems, read God’s Word! That’s where you find help. That’s where you find joy. Let the rushing waters of the living Word drown out all other sounds and voices. There is life-giving power in the Word of God! At the most difficult times in my life – the loss of a baby, the forced removal from a church, the execution of a friend, the robbery of our home – God’s Word has sustained me. There have been times when I have only been capable of reading a few verses at a time, yet the supernatural life-giving power of the Word of God has not only helped me maintain my emotional and mental balance, it has given me strength to go on, even if only one day at a time. Blessings,