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I have become convinced of something. Often, I hear people tell me they are believing God for greater victory in their lives. I even hear pastors tell me they are trusting God for their church to grow and expand. But, so many times, even though people say these things, time comes and goes, and very little change takes place. I believe this is because what they have expressed by their words doesn’t align with what they are doing in their actions. They speak of a desire for success, but they do little to prepare themselves for that success.

It’s wise to have ’safety nets’ such as savings, insurance and investments. Rainy days come unexpectedly. But – what are you doing to prepare for success? God says He can “Open the windows of Heaven and pour out blessings so great, you won’t have enough room to take them in” (Malachi 3:10). If God pours out His blessings on you, will you be ready to handle them? Are you preparing yourself for greater things, or just settling for the status quo?

After fishing all night without success, Jesus told Peter, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets” (Luke 5:4). Explaining that the fish weren’t biting, Peter says, “Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5 NKJV). Take note that Jesus said, “Let down your nets” (plural). Peter responded, “I will let down the net” (singular). Clearly, Jesus was thinking bigger than Peter! That night they caught so many fish, “their net was breaking.” Next we read, “They beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees” (Luke 5:7-8). Peter needed more than one net and one boat to handle what God had in mind. Getting the idea?

If you’re praying for greater success, are you taking steps to prepare yourself for it? Are you furthering your education? Are you sharpening your skills and developing new ways of doing things? Are you open to working with others? Are you willing to fall at the feet of Jesus, acknowledging Him as the source of all blessing, and sovereign Lord of your life?

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.34. Live for God, on purpose, aggressively pursuing your goals, dreams, and calling in Him.

Walking In Victory

Like most folks, I have been watching my fair share of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Sporting events we care little about at any other time now captivate our national attention, as we see our athletes competing against the best from around the world. Most notably, we Americans have rejoiced with gold medal winners Nastia Liukin, in all-around gymnastics, Shawn Johnson, in balance beam, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, now two-time beach volleyball champions, and of course, Michael Phelps, with his eight gold medal performance in swimming.

Following their victories, each of these champions took a “victory walk,” greeting the cheering fans. All their practice was done. All the long hours and hard work was finished. They had completed their race, and finished their course. Now, they were able to bask in the thrill of victory! What an amazing experience that must have been for each of these gold medal winners!

As believers in Christ, we too can have a walk of victory as we live in the power of His Holy Spirit! What does it take to be experience this walk?

In Psalm 28:6-7, we read “Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” This Sunday, we will look at this passage, and discover four keys that will enable each of us to continue “Walking In Victory!”

How to Walk Through
Life’s Hot Spots

Living through the pressures of life can be compared to walking through fire. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah believed that if you have faith in God, you can walk through fire and not be burned. He didn’t promise that you won’t feel the heat, just that you won’t be burned.

Keep On Walking.
A surefire way to get burned is to stop walking. When you are afraid, or under extreme stress, or hurting — keep going. You will get through if you keep dealing with the everyday tasks at hand to the best of your ability. PERSEVERE

Remember That This Difficult Time Will Pass.
It may feel that you are in a repeating time warp, but realize that pain is time-limited. All problems have a beginning and an end. BE PATIENT

Make Rough Times Work For You.
Not everything is good, but the Bible reminds us that everything can be used for good if you submit your will to God. Look for ways to learn, grow, or cope in your pain or stress. HAVE COURAGE

Take “What Is” And Make The Most Of It.
Make lemonade from your lemons. You are not called upon to create perfection from every situation, only to make the most of it. Don’t waste your time on ceaseless complaining, but look for meaning and joy in all situations. BE CONTENT

Clean Up Your Own Trash.
Stand on your own feet and don’t try to blame others for your problems. You are not a victim. Choose to live the rest of your life with a controlled response to what is happening. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

Be True To Your Self.
You will have more strength for dealing with ordeals in life if you have the courage to be true to your own values. Hypocrisy destroys internal energy. MODEL INTEGRITY

Be Gladder Than Madder.
Expressions of gratitude calm the soul and clear the mind. SHOW GRATITUDE

Have As Much Fun As You Can.
Anticipation of fun raises the level of your energy. Learn to laugh through your trials. DISPLAY HUMOR

Determine What Is Within Your Control.
You cannot control what happens to you, but you can choose the frame you put around your experiences. You can choose how you will deal with all situations. EXHIBIT INTERNAL CONTROL

Be Enthusiastic.
Enthusiasm literally means, “God in us.” If He is in you, let your life so shine. Learn to love life. Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire. SHOW YOUR PASSION

Training Elephants

Although more humane methods are now employed, for years, the method for training elephants was very harsh.

As soon as a baby elephant was old enough to leave its Mother, it was taken from its family to a special training area. It was then placed inside a small enclosure for three days that was just large enough for it to turn from side-to-side.

At the end of three days, it was taken from this enclosure in the pitch dark to a large bonfire area. A big, strong rope was tied around the elephant’s leg and then tied to a huge post that’s driven deep in the ground. All night, the people around the elephant would shout and jump around. Every time the baby elephant tried to move, they would hit him with Bamboo sticks. After several hours of this, the baby elephant quits trying to move. Now, all he needs to hold him is a small piece of rope and a piece of wood the size of a tent stake to hold him.

Do you get the image here? This big powerful creature, who could crush a car with his foot, can’t pull a small stake out of the ground. It’s not because he doesn’t have the power, it’s because the elephant has been convinced that he doesn’t have the power.

Has Satan convinced you that you can’t run the race? Has he convinced you to give up because you can’t win? To quit trying because you can’t do it? To not make the effort, because it’s not worth it?

You have the power! You have the strength! You can do it! Press On!

1 John 4:4 tells us “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Paul says in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Let’s follow the prescription of Philippians 3:13-14. “But this one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried,
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait.”

“Wait? You say, wait!” my indignant reply.
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By Faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I’m needing a ‘yes’, a go-ahead sign,
Or even a ’no’ to which I can resign.

And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:
I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.”
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting... for what?”

He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
And he tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want – But, you wouldn’t know Me.
You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You’d not know the power that I give to the faint.

You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there;
You’d not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.

You’d never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You’d know that I give and I save... (for a start),
But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.

You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that “My grace is sufficient for Thee.”
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I’m doing in you!

So, be silent, My Child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft may My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still, “WAIT.”

Psalm 23 (For Work)

The Lord is my real boss, and I shall not want. He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me. He gently reminds me to pray and do all things without murmuring and complaining.

He reminds me that he is my source and not my job. He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions that I might honor him in all that I do.

Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mails, system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, gossiping co-workers, discriminating supervisors and an aging body that doesn’t cooperate every morning, I still will not stop, for He is with me! His presence, His peace, and His power will see me through.

He raises me up, even when they fail to promote me. He claims me as His own, even when the company threatens to let me go. His Faithfulness and love is better than any bonus check.

His retirement plan beats every 401k there is.

When it’s all said and done, I’ll be working for Him a whole lot longer and for that, I will bless His holy name.

Amen!

The Bar vs. The Church

In a small conservative town, a bar/tavern owner started to build a new bar to open up for business. A local church started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayers.

Work progressed, however, right up till the week before opening, when a lightning strike hit the bar and it burned to the ground.

The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means.

The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building’s demise in its reply to the court.

As the case made its way through the legal system, the judge looked over the paperwork at the hearing and observed, “I don’t know how I’m going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner that believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that doesn’t!”

The Last Impression

A man and his wife are out walking when they encounter a friend. The man says to his friend, “I’ve got to tell you about this memory course we took. It’s fabulous!”

“I could use it. What’s it called?”

“Uh, what’s that red flower you give to someone you love?”

“A carnation?”

“No, no. The other one.”

“A poppy?”

“No, no, no. You know, the one that’s red and has thorns.”

“You mean a rose?”

“Yes! Thank you. Rose, what’s the name of that memory course?”

Here’s something to remember – God has promised to bless us in a special way this Sunday as we gather together to worship Him! The Lord actually inhabits the praises of His people, and promises that when we gather together He is there in our midst! Looking forward to being in the presence of God this Lord’s Day with you here at WFA! See you then!