The secret of your future

A lot of people in our society spend a lot of time blaming others for their own lack of initiative, insight, ambition, and effort. 


The Southern Baptists one year had a slogan for church growth that would fit us individually: "If it is to be, it is up to me." 

Zig Ziglar said, "If you're looking for helping hand, there's one at the end of your sleeve."
 

Dr. Kenneth McFarland, the dean of American speakers, said, "The person you need to see about self-improvement is always available."

Mike Murdock is an Assemblies of God preacher and a motivational speaker. Some of my favorites of his statements are these: The Secret Of Your Future Is Hidden In Your Daily Routine.

That's true in health, wealth, relationships, and most importantly in your spiritual life.

Let me ask you this... 


What's your future of your spirituality look like with your daily routine today?

Are you moving towards to your ideal spirit-filled Christian or moving away from it?


What are you doing routinely to develop a deeper relationship with God?

You see, you should be more proactive to develop your faith in God. 


Surely, sitting in a couch and watching 3 hours of television won't help you.

Instead, consistently read, memorize, and meditate scriptures. Make it part of your daily routine. This seemingly small activity will make you a stronger Christian overtime.

How can I get the air out of this glass?

Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, "How  can I get the air out of this glass?"

One man shouted, "Suck it out with a pump!" Moody replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass."

After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. "There," he said, "all the air is now removed."

He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by "sucking out a sin here and there," but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.

The point is, unless you're filled with the Holy Spirit, you'll continue to struggle with sins.

Florida State Building Code

A TV camera crew was on assignment in Southern Florida filming the widespread destruction of Hurricane Andrew.

In one scene, amid the devastation and debris stood one house on its foundation. The owner was cleaning up the yard when the reporter approached.

"Sir, why is your house the only one standing?" asked the reporter. "How did you manage to escape the severe damage of the hurricane?"

"I built the house myself," the man replied. "I also built it according to Florida State building code. When the code called for 2x6 trusses, I used 2x6 trusses. I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane. I did, and it did."

How about you?

Are you living according to God's code or God's word?

Or are you playing the worlds' standard and make it your our own standard way of living?

We're now seeing the signs of the times. Today...

...Pornography is everywhere.
...Premarital sex is a normal for a relationship.
...Lying is just part of day to day conversation.
...Homosexuality is becoming a new gender.
...Any sinful act has become a norm in our society.

That's why you need to be vigilant in memorizing and meditating God's word.

God would like you to live base on a solid commitment to His words and His ways.

But here's the thing...if you don't know and don't meditate His words, how can you be sure if you're still in God's perfect will?

So today, make a commitment to live fully according to God's code by memorizing and meditating scriptures.

And teach your kids and grand kids to do the same.

It's the greatest inheritance you can give your love ones.

You Gonna Talk, or You Gonna Fish?

There was a man in a community that had the reputation for always being able to catch fish.

Regardless of the time of the year it was, or whether anybody else was catching fish, this man was always managed to come back with a boat load of fish.

His brother-in-law, who happened to be a Game Warden had always been amazed at the man's success.

So, one morning the man agreed to take his brother in law fishing with him. They went to a lake that was known for its poor fishing.

The Game Warden watched his brother-in-law take the boat out to the middle of the lake and cut the motor off.

The Game Warden was confused as he noticed that his brother-in-law didn't worry about finding a ledge or brush-pile, or anything like that.

Then instead of getting his rod and reel out, the Game Warden's brother-in-law pulled a stick of dynamite out of a sack, lit it, and threw it overboard.

A few seconds later, there was a big BOOM, and almost immediately the surface of the lake was covered with stunned fish.

The Game Warden couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

He immediately began reciting the fishing laws and regulations to his brother-in-law.

But this didn't seem to bother his brother in law in the least. He simply reached into the bag for another stick of dynamite, lit it, and tossed it to the game warden and said...

..."You gonna talk, or you gonna fish?" The game warden noticed the fuse was almost to the end and He quickly decided to fish.

Now that story probably isn't true, but it's still a good story.

Unfortunately, I think God would like to throw some of us a stick of dynamite this morning and say, "Are you gonna talk, or are you going to fish?"

Don't let this day pass without talking to God. You can't afford to.

In addition, take at least one scripture and start memorizing it.

Land of the dying and the land of living

Professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer at age 33.

He had just won a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit.

He wrote, "A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then another reality hit me even harder. I'm going to die eventually anyway, whether from cancer or something else. It's just a question of when.

Everything I had accomplished in golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live."

Then he remembered something that Larry Moody, who teaches a Bible study on the tour, had said to him...

"Zinger, we're not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying. We're in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living."

Golfer Paul Azinger recovered from chemotherapy and returned to the PGA tour.

He's done pretty well.

But that bout with cancer deepened his perspective. He wrote, "I've made a lot of money since I've been on the tour, and I've won a lot of tournaments, but that happiness is always temporary.

The only way you will ever have true contentment is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I'm not saying that nothing ever bothers me and I don't have problems, but I feel like I've found the answer to the six-foot hole."

Paul's message was a great reminder for us that our life here on earth is just a dress rehearsal for eternity.

We should always aim to please God and let Him be the center of our lives.

Today, if you feel overwhelmed, stressed, and tired take a short break. Breathe, utter a prayer, and meditate your memory verse.

Life can be much easier if we marinate our minds with scriptures throughout the day.

Patient Teacher

A teacher friend of mine once worked with a student who  couldn't understand Algebra no matter how hard she tried. She'd gone to her professors and they were no help . She'd gone to the study lab at her community college and they couldn't help either. And finally she asked my friend for help.

First he tried doing what all her other teachers did. He showed her how to do Algebra using some simple examples. And she was able to do them immediately  after his instruction. But when she tried a little while later, she could not remember what to do.

He knew this student was doing well in her other  classes. He knew she was intelligent. So what was keeping her from learning Algebra?

Eventually he realized she didn't know know one basic  concept about math. The root of her problem was that  she didn't know that the equal sign meant that the value on both sides of an equation is the same.

Once he showed her how the equal sign worked it was like a light went on in her head. "Oh. I get it."

He then showed her how to apply this principle to Algebra: Whatever you do to one side of an equation must be done to the other to keep it equal.

She was then able to solve the problems he presented to her and eventually she was able to solve more and more complex problems.

At that point she really understood Algebra for the first time. Most importantly she was able to remember how to do the problems later.

A few years later my friend got a call from this woman. She was excited to tell him that she had the highest grade in her math class at the University of Alabama  and that she was studying to be an accountant.

What an incredible turnaround for her. And it's all  because she had a patient teacher who assumed she had the ability to succeed even when she had her doubts.

Love Letters

When the now-famous poet Elizabeth Barrett became the wife of Robert Browning, her parents disowned her because they disapproved of the marriage.

Their daughter Elizabeth, however, wrote almost every week, telling them that she loved them and longed for a reconciliation.

After 10 years, she received a huge box in the mail that contained all the notes she had sent. Not one had been opened!

Although these "love letters" have now become a precious part of classical English literature, it's really sad to think that they were never read by Elizabeth Barrett's own parents.

Had they looked at just one, the broken relationship with their daughter might have been healed.

All of us are alienated from God because of sin, but God has provided a way of reconciliation. In the Bible, He tells about it, and also expresses His earnest desire for fellowship with us.

The question is, are you reading God's letter to you regularly?

Are you meditating His Words daily?

If not, let this message today be of an encouragement to you.