Month: February 2019

Posted in Beyond Comfort Zone, Motivation, Safe with Jesus, Uplifting Christ

Courage to Move Forward

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

The year is still young and I was considering what makes some people more successful than others. Could there be a formula for their success? I wish there were but one thing I have discovered they do is their COURAGE to MOVE FORWARD.

photo credit: https://ru.depositphotos.com

Last month, I wrote about setting your goals and living one day at a time. If you could easily figure out how to meet your goals, then maybe the size of the goal wasn’t big enough. However, if you are surrounded by uncertainties and/or see giants on the land you intend to possess, then you need some fuel to MOVE FORWARD.

Merriam-Webster defines Courage as mental or moral strength to  venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty . 
Cambridge defines it as the ability to control your fear in a  dangerous  or difficult situation. To be brave and confident enough to do what you believe in.

It’s easy to move forward (requiring less or no strength) when you are certain about your destination but when every step you want to take leads you to the unknown, then you need Strength to move one step ahead of the other. When storms of life hit you hard, fear is inevitable and quitting may seem to be best option but don’t quit. Look up to God for strength to Keep moving forward.

 Three things to consider when you need strength to withstand the storm and/or do what you believe in:

  1. God is your strength:
    • The scripture says no man shall succeed by strength alone (1 Sam 2:9). Your strength isn’t enough when your dreams are bigger than you.
    • David saw Goliath and thought if God could help him kill those animals in the forest, he won’t miss this giant because God will deliver Goliath to him.
    • Esther was frightened, yet in the face of uncertainty she trusted that God will see her through.
    • And you, as you take steps into the unknown, know that with God on your side, you can do all things. You can accomplish everything and withstand any storm that comes your way.
  2. Talk to God:
    • The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8, NLT)
    • God has promised to lead you along the best pathway for your life. He is your adviser and protector. Nothing that would ever happen to you can surprise Him because every day of your life was written in His book before each day came to pass. He understands you more than you do about yourself. Therefore He is the BEST SOURCE of energy for your journey.
    • Discipline yourself to talk to Him always. Remember that He is interested in having relationship that will transform you. When you talk to Him about your fears and things you intend to do, He will provide remedy and urge you on.
    • Peter asked Jesus if he could come on the water, Jesus said Yes. Talk to God and He will provide the courage you need to move forward.
  3. Trust in God:
    • Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the way? (Proverbs 20:24, TLB)
    • In order to move forward, you have to be like the soldier who obeys instructions without questioning. Often times we want to know why God wants us to act in certain way(s) before we move.
    • In our world, when there is a proven records of a superior who always gets things right, no subordinate or member of the team dare questions his/her decisions. And everyone follows while he/she leads. Yet when it comes to the Almighty God, the Omniscience God, we question his strategies and sometimes choose not to obey.
    • Trusting God is essential ingredient in mounting up courage to move forward. When you trust Him, there is strength to move forward without questioning.

God knows your plans for the year and I can tell you that He is ready to help. He wants you to move forward because the Best lies ahead of you. Yet moving forward requires some strength, bravery, and confidence, all of which you can find in God, through Jesus Christ. He is READY to help You move Forward…Talk to Him Today.

Posted in Humility, JESUS, LOVE, Uplifting Christ

It was LOVE

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

Could He have saved Himself? Yes, but He chose to do otherwise. The shame, beating, spitting, mocking, the CROSS, etc couldn’t stop Him from sacrificing His Life for us. It was LOVE that held Him to the Cross.

Jesus said that “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, KJV) Nothing could quantify the depth of His Love for you.

Three things to consider about His Love:

  1. He chose to be man in order to understand our nature (by dealing with things we face as human). The scripture says He was tempted in various ways yet he didn’t sin.
  2. He chose to be poor so that we can become rich.
  3. He chose to die so that we can be bought back to God.

Genuine Love is about Sacrifice and Jesus gave up all to show how much He loved us when we least deserved it. Seeing how Jesus loves you,

  • How have you sacrificed your Life to LIVE for Jesus?
  • Do you seek God’s interest in the things you do?
  • How about your neighbor, do you love him/her as much you do to yourself?

The world celebrates LOVE today. We can seize this opportunity to demonstrate our Love for God, and our neighbors. Yeah! that person who doesn’t deserve your LOVE. Don’t forget that Jesus Christ did it when we least deserved it. It’s all about LOVE

It’s important to note that your love for God and man will be tested daily, and how to pass this test is to learn to:

  1. Be thankful to God for everything (that comes your way)
  2. Be merciful to your neighbor (regardless of what he/she does.)

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30, NIV)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35, NIV)

Posted in Beyond Comfort Zone, DO NOT WORRY, GOD'S KINGDOM, Uplifting Christ

More than ENOUGH

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

Economics talks about scarcity of resources and the need to prioritize your unlimited needs. The concept of scale of preference plays critical role in affairs of life.

credit: economicsconcepts.com

Let’s talk about scarcity of resources today. The widely acceptable belief is that your resources are limited relative to your needs. You want this, you want that, yet not enough money to buy all. As I pondered on this concept and tried to see the connection it has with God’s Word, I noticed the correlation is negative.

Let’s look at how Mark narrated the miracle of feeding 5000 men and their families with the few loaves of bread. Ref: Mark 6:30-44

When Jesus talked about feeding crowd before dispersing them, the disciples had different view. They thought about how impossible it was to feed the numbers at that moment. It was just impossible to feed such crowd at that remote location. Think about instances when after assessing requirements for a project, job, or something you really wanted to do and just concluded that you don’t qualify. They said what you and I would likely to say that “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” (Mark 6:37, NLT)

Although the disciples were right with their analysis, Jesus had different view. Jesus knew that LITTLE in God’s Hands was more than ENOUGH. He asked them to bring the little bread they had, He prayed over them, and the Miracle happened.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) says “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.“

Maybe all you have at this time of the year is LITTLE. Economics principles will tell you it’s not enough. Human reasoning will tell you that you need time to let it grow, or like the disciples, you are wondering “I’d have to work for months to earn enough money”. Maybe what you seek to achieve this year is beyond reach. Maybe every analysis you have done is true but there is another realm which has different set of rules. The LITTLE you have, when placed in God’s Hands, is more than ENOUGH.