Author: admin

The world desperately wants you to be dissatisfied. It will assure you that your current phone, or car, or computer, or television is outdated and desperately needs to be upgraded. It can assure you that if you only had this item, or took this vacation, or dressed like this, you, too, could experience unimaginable happiness and success. In our world, nothing lasts forever and life-long commitments are considered passe.

But what about your most intimate and crucial human relationship? What about your spouse? Are spouses upgraded as well when they no longer produce the same excitement and sizzle as they did in earlier years? What if you “fall out” of love with them? What if they hurt or disappoint you? What if you find someone else more attractive and enjoyable to be around?

The writer of Proverbs gives us clear, direct, uncompromising advice: find satisfaction in your spouse. Just as water quenches our thirst when we draw it from a cistern, so God gave us our spouse to meet certain needs in our life. Do not look to others to meet the emotional or physical needs your spouse is intended to satisfy. If your spouse is not all that you had hoped for, invest more deeply in your marriage! Don’t give up! Do whatever it takes. God is prepared to help you. In the long run, the investment you are willing to make will largely determine the caliber of marriage you enjoy. If you are currently dissatisfied in your marriage, stop looking around at others, roll up your sleeves, and get to work!

It has been said that if you don’t know where you are going, any path will take you there. The problem for many people is not that they do not have a vision of where they and their organization should be going, but that they do not maintain their focus to remain on the path that leads them to their desired destination.

The world is filled to the brim with distractions. Every day they cry out for our attention and investment. There are of course many sinful enticements that can lead us to our destruction and disgrace. There are also a plethora of activities and concerns that while fundamentally good in nature, lead us away from where God intended for us to be. We can become so immersed in doing good things that we have no time for those few things God insists that we do. And, just because we were on the right path yesterday, does not mean we are still going in the correct direction today! We need to check our bearings daily.

Don’t be satisfied just because others assure you that you are going in the proper direction. Don’t become so enamored with the praise of others that you neglect to examine the current direction of your life. Have you veered even slightly to the left or to the right? Have you taken an unauthorized detour? Has your progress slowed? Is God pleased with where your life is heading today?

Our hearts are desperately wicked and can deceive us faster and more completely than can our most sinister enemy (Jeremiah 17:9). We may assume we are in control of our heart, but too often it is actually setting the direction for our life. When our heart is filled with pride, we will pursue the recognition and praise our heart covets. When our heart is filled with greed, we will relentlessly grasp what we desire. When our heart is filled with lust, we will rationalize to ridiculous extremes so we can have what we desire. Likewise, when our hearts are filled with love for God, we will serve Him fully and joyfully.

The problem is that just because our heart was pure and true yesterday is by no means a guarantee it is so today. The world is filled with pollutants that infect our heart and contaminate its purity. Watching one advertisement on TV, or seeing one billboard, or gazing upon one forbidden object, is enough to contaminate our heart and point our lives on the path to destruction. Our hearts are incredibly vulnerable!

That is why we must diligently tend to our hearts. No one else is responsible for caring for or guarding our heart. That is solely our responsibility. Half-hearted, lazy, or careless stewardship invites our ruin. With so much at stake, we must guard our hearts zealously and thoroughly. There is no use in protecting 90% of our heart but leaving 10% open for the enemy to enter. We must set a sentry over our heart that refuses to allow it to deviate even one degree from its total love and commitment to Christ.

The world is perishing in a sea of good intentions. Many people intend to do something about world hunger one day, or orphans, or the poor, or the sick, or those who have never heard the Gospel . . . But too often that day never comes.

We are surrounded by people in need. Turn on the television and you will be inundated with people who are impoverished, devastated by crisis, or starving. Often these people are on the other side of the world, so we assuage any feelings of guilt with the knowledge that we have no contact with those people anyway.

But you do not have to travel to Africa to find someone in need. We are surrounded by people we could help. If you are in management, you have the power to bless your employees in numerous ways. Paying them well and offering generous benefits is just one way (albeit an important one). Some need time off to be with a loved one in thehospital. Others need words of encouragement and affirmation. Some need to be forgiven. Others need to be mentored. Some need you to believe in them and to give them a chance (or a second chance).

God’s greatest work is not done in the past or in the future, but in the present. God wants to work through your life to bless someone today. Don’t develop the habit of putting off until later what you have in your power to do today. Don’t allow excuses to rob you and others of the blessing that could be had if you acted immediately. Before today is over, take the time to do good to someone. Over a lifetime of blessing others, you will develop an amazing life.

There are many ways to honor God with our lives. Working with integrity honors Him. Demonstrating Christ-like character magnifies him. Sharing our faith with others and being a person of prayer brings glory to God. But throughout Scripture, God regularly instructs us to also honor Him with our possessions.

Why does God talk so much about money? Because He knows it is vitally important to us. Money represents our ability to acquire worldly goods and to enjoy the bestthat the world has to offer. Money represents our freedom to do what we want. It signifies our autonomy. It also can bring us prestige and respect. To part with our wealth is to surrender our ability to achieve those things the world declares to be most important.

How do you know if you own your money or if your money owns you? Simple. Give it away! If you can do it easily, you possess your money. If you can’t, it owns you. God does not ask us to give Him our leftovers or what we feel we can comfortably afford without impinging in any way on our lifestyle. God commands us to give to Him first and to give Him our best. What we surrender to God reflects our view of Him and our love for Him. Don’t declare that you love God with all your heart and then only give Him your leftovers!

But, know also that God will not be your debtor. You will never outgive Him! He will match your generosity and then give you far more. Take time today to reflect on what your current giving to God reflects about your love and commitment for Him.

In how many areas of your life do you acknowledge God? Certainly it is easy to acknowledge Him as you worship Him at church. But what about on Monday, when you go to work? How do you honor Him when people are criticizing you or when you are sick? Do you uphold God’s name when you are in crisis as well as when you are experiencing blessing? Do you exalt God as you work through the mundane tasks of your job as well as when you are undertaking exciting tasks? At how many points in your life do you knowingly and intentionally glorify God?

If you always give God the credit for what He does in your life, don’t be surprised if God does amazing things in your life! God knows how you can honor Him. He can orchestrate events and circumstances in your life so the maximum glory is extracted. Are you willing to allow God to use your life to bring the greatest glory to Himself?

We tend to assume that God is glorified when we get a promotion or when people praise us or when we experience financial success. But what if God is glorified when we suffer unfairly, but still exhibit the joy of Christ in our life? What if God receives glory when we love those who persecute us and we forgive our enemies? Just how much do you really want to glorify God? Are you prepared to acknowledge Him in every part of your life?

It is one thing to believe in the Lord. It is quite another to trust in Him. God expects us to do far more than merely acknowledge that He exists or that the Bible is true. With God, head knowledge is never enough. God wants our heart’s total commitment. Believing God is all-powerful means little if we never step out in faith depending upon His power in our lives. Believing God can perform miracles does not compare with personally experiencing the miraculous.

Trusting the Lord with all of your heart means that you hold on to God and His word even when your circumstances are confusing or difficult. It includes being confident in the Lord when you are in the midst of a crisis. It involves refusing to worry when you know God is guiding you. God does not ask for us to trust Him with a portion of our heart, or on Sundays. He expects us to be wholly committed to Him and His purposes for us at all times under every circumstance.

The greatest challenge for leaders, however, is resisting the temptation to rely on our own understanding. If we are leaders, it may seem that our wisdom and “street smarts” has helped us many times before. When pressures come or challenges arise, our natural inclination is to use the same thinking we relied on in the past. But our ways are not God’s ways. We cannot begin to understand all the ramifications of our actions and the decisions we must make. Too often we want to use our understanding coupled with God’s power. If you want God’s power in your life, you must do things His way.

It can be perilous to lead. We may be surrounded by critics who love to magnify our every mistake. We may face aggressive competitors who are eager for us to make one misstep. Temptations abound. There may be those who speak evil about us and to us. Even the best-intentioned leader can fall as a result of the machinations of evil people.

The key to successfully navigating through an evil world is discretion. Discretion is applying God’s wisdom to our specific circumstances. It is being wise, rather than naive. It is striving for what is best but keenly aware of the worst that people can do. It entails avoiding placing ourselves in compromising, no-win situations. Using discretion protects us from being put in a corner where there is no escape.

Many leaders cry out to God for deliverance when their enemies are surrounding them and their circumstances are overwhelming them. Yet discretion protects leaders from getting into that situation in the first place.

Discretion comes from depending upon the Lord’s guidance throughout the day and not just during our morning devotions. It results from resisting the temptation of making decisions rashly or without proper counsel. Discretion originates from listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice when He makes you uneasy about a proposal or an opportunity that looks too good to be true. It comes from expecting the best but preparing for the worst. It also results from doing our homework!

Are you a leader who is known for your discretion? Or, are you constantly stumbling from one crisis to the next as a result of regularly making hurried and careless decisions? We live in confusing, evil, and complex days. In such times, discretion for leaders is mandatory.

Soldiers never take their shield for granted. Before entering every battle, they ensure it is in good working order so they have maximum protection. No warrior, no matter how skilled or valiant, can survive battle without proper protection. A weak or ineffective shield will mean quick and certain destruction. What manner of shield do you currently have from those who would assail you?

God does not promise to exempt us from facing attacks or criticism. He does assure us He will be our shield. Those who trust in the Lord and rely upon His wisdom will have the God of the universe personally protecting them.

Sadly, in today’s world, anyone who seeks to live for Christ and to uphold biblical standards, will inevitably be misunderstood, criticized, and attacked. It is not “safe” to do things God’s way! One way to avoid this is to simply play it safe and not do anything that makes you susceptible to the attacks of others. Another way to protect yourself is to take your defense into your own hands and aggressively lash out against anyone who dares to assault you. A third approach is to trust in the Lord’s protection.

God does not merely provide you a shield; He is your shield! Your enemies must go through Him to get to you. Could there be any greater safety than that? If you are currently under attack, take your focus off of your enemies and on to God. As long as God is your shield, you have nothing to fear. Your enemies may threaten and rage, but they cannot harm you without God’s permission. Put your trust not in God’s protection but in the God who defends you. Could there be anything more reassuring than having God Himself, personally protecting you?

The key to gaining wisdom is not going to school. Modern universities graduate many fools every year! There are even university professors to whom Scripture would apply the label of “fool.” Wisdom also does not come from attending seminars or reading books and journals. It does not result from enlisting a mentor. While of course all these things can be good, they make no difference to a person whose heart and mind are sealed shut. All the profound wisdom in the world is worthless if you are not in a position to receive and apply it.

Judas received the same teaching as the other twelve disciples, but he made enormous mistakes with his life nonetheless. King Rehoboam had two sets of counselors yet made one of the greatest blunders in his nation’s history. King Saul had godly counselors just as David did yet he made mistakes that cost him his kingdom and his life. The availability of wisdom is not the key. It is a heart and mind that is predisposed to believe and apply what is shared.

How do you set your ear to hear and your heart to understand? First, you radically deal with sin in your life. Sin can blind the most brilliant people and cause them to act like fools. Humility leads us to humble ourselves to seek a word from the Lord. Cultivating a love relationship with God puts us in a place where we will do anything for Him, even if it does not make sense to us. Unfortunately, no one can care for our ears or hearts but us. Their tenderness and receptivity to a word from the Lord are our responsibility. What is the best way to develop an obedient heart? Obey! The more you obey, the easier it gets! The more time you spend in God’s word and prayer, the easier it becomes to detect His voice. What are you doing today to ensure your ears and your heart are prepared for the next important thing God wants to teach you?