Lesson for Life 11

Are you going through tough times in life? Maybe you have given your best but somehow it was just not enough. It seems everything you've done bring you nowhere and still not producing any good result. Life seems doesn't treat you well and fair.

Friends, don't be discouraged. Keep on trusting God! Although life is not always fair, remember that God is fair.

The Scripture says in Romans 8:28, "...God causes all things to work together for our good". I hope this verse will bring encouragement to you today. Your life doesn't stop because you got a bad break. You are destined by God, the Creator of universe for something great.

Year 2010 is the year of your significance! It is the time to trust the Lord for something great. This is the year we must surrender to Him and make Him to be the God of our life. This is the time for us to stay open to His words and His plans.

When you look at your life, maybe you see not much growth and nothing is exciting. Don't be discouraged! quit from dwelling on disappointments. You must shake that off. That's the first thing you must do before you see miracle.

Remember the story of Moses? When Moses was leading people of Israel through the wilderness, they went without water for days. They finally came to a river, and they rushed to drink from the water. They were so excited. But when they tasted the water, it was bitter. They were very disappointed and began to complain to God and Moses.

When God heard their complains and murmurs, God spoke to Moses to put a tree branch in the water. When he did, those water were suddenly turned sweet.

Have you arrived somewhere with great expectation, only to meet a great disappointment, just like the Israelites? Because the water was bitter, their life became bitter too. That's not the attitude God wants us to have. When life turns out bitter and things seem unfair, God is not at a loss and He is not losing control. He is still in control. Faith is all about trusting God when you don't understand.

This year if we want to see miracle, change, and renewal in our life and our family, we need to learn to put our trust in God. This is a simple lesson that often neglected by so many Christians.

Lesson for Life 10

In life, we all need relationship that could help us flourish and grow strong. We all need "true" friends that really can help us to reach our fullest capacity in life. And without right relationship in our life, we'll probably be drifted away from our destiny.

One important relationship we must have in life is "Nathan's Relationship". We pursue relationship with someone that can stand as prophet Nathan in our life, someone that can speak directly to our life. Someone that can point a finger to our face and say the words with double meaning and someone that can bring you to come in and "sit before the Lord". He is the "editor" of life that brings back us to the right path.

In today's culture, many people include believers, refuse to embrace this kind of relationship. Many avoid personal accountability because they don't want anyone in the world knows their hidden sinful habits.

Friends, accountability is not an option, it's necessity. The moment we refuse accountability, we open ourselves for the attacks from the enemy. Accountability is necessary to protect our life, our marriage, and our future.

Our accountability begins with our relationship with God (Psalms 139:23-24). It is crucial to begin to open ourselves in our personal prayer.

The next step is to be planted in the local body of Christ. It is within the local body we are mold and shaped. We can't have accountability without being planted in the local body of Christ.

The third step is to seek someone whom God placed in our life to be our "Nathan". One practical step we can do is to build and strengthen our relationship with other God-seekers that not emotionally needed - who is also known in their diligence in prayer and in word.

Don't make any more excuses. The key is to just get started right now. Pray today and ask God to lead you to the accountability partner you need.

Lesson for Life 9

What causes impatience? Lack of peace! Why developing patience in us is so important? Whether you believe it or not, impatience is one of the roots to many troubles. The bible says, "Impatience will get you into trouble" (Proverbs 19:2).

When you have peace in your heart, almost nothing can make you impatient. But when you don't have peace in your heart, almost anything can make you impatient. And impatient person almost always make wrong and foolish decisions in life.

So how to become a patient person? Learn from the Bible about these four important things:

1. Develop a new perspective. Patience begins by changing the way you view something. When you become impatient, you actually have a limited perspective. All you see is yourself, your needs, your goals, your wants, your schedules. This will lead to selfishness. Find a new way of looking at the situation or the person that is giving you problems. (see Proverbs 14:29).

2. Acquire good sense of humor. Learn to laugh at your circumstances and yourself. Proverbs 14:30 says, "A relaxed attitude lengthens a man's life". Laughter is life's shock absorber!

3. Deepen your life. Learn to love people. When you love someone, you care about that person's needs, desires, and point of view - not just our own. And when you are filled with anger almost anything can provoke us. So deepen your life.

4. Depend on the Lord. Patience is not merely a matter of human willpower. It is the fruit of the Spirit. Patience is a form of faith. It says, "I trust God, I believe that God is bigger than my problems". The hardest kind of waiting happens when we are in a hurry and God is not, but waiting patiently is an evidence of faith. It is also a test of faith. So how long can you wait?

Lesson for Life 8

One morning as Alfred Nobel was reading the newspaper, he was shocked to find his name listed in the obituary column. It was a mistake, but nonetheless, there it was. He was stunned to see that he was primarily remembered as the man who invented dynamite. At that time in history, dynamite was used in great effect for warfare. It distressed Nobel to think that all he would be known for was inventing dynamite, something that was used to take the lives of others. As a result of reading this mistaken obituary, Nobel decided to change the course of his life. He committed himself to world peace and established what we know today as the Nobel Peace Prize. When the name Alfred Nobel is mentioned today, dynamite is rarely the first thing that comes to mind. Rather, we think of the prize that bears his name. It's all because Alfred Nobel decided to change the course his life was taking.

If you were to read your own obituary today, what do you think people would remember you for? It isn't too late to change your direction.

Lesson for Life 7

The late astronaut James Irwin said, “You might think going to the moon was the most scientific project ever but they literally threw us in the direction of the moon. We adjusted our course every ten minutes and landed inside fifty feet of the 500 miles radius of our target”.

Do you know that on that mission every change no matter how small, was essential to success of the whole mission? God does that for us!! Psalms 138:8 says: “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me”. Wow.... isn’t that encouraging?

Everyone wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instruction” but he that regards reproof shall be honored” (Proverbs).This sounds simple but the whole mission of our lives depends on small adjustments we make everyday in life.

Wise people sometimes change their minds - fools never do. So be open to changes in your plans. It is a sign of strength to make changes when necessary. The road of success is always under construction. Success and growth are unlikely if you always do things the way you’ve always done them.

IS GOD FINISHED WITH YOU YET?

Lesson for Life 6

Discouragement will be easily sets in when you start to feel a sense of hopelessness about your future. But if you look beyond your circumstances to God, you'll discover the real hope and better future that He promises you.

Below are the 11 steps overcoming your discouragement:

Pray. Honestly vent your frustration to God. Pray for deliverance from circumstances that aren't God's will, and perseverance to endure circumstances that are His will until you learn all you're supposed to learn from them.

Remember Who God is. Shift your focus from your discouraging circumstances to God Himself. Trust that God will help you because that's consistent with His character.

Stick to your assignment. See if you can recognize a pattern to help you to discern if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. If it seems as if you're doing is of God, then you just need to overcome some challenges while doing it. Fight discouragement by writing down a fresh vision how to continue it in the future.

Get guidance from a Christian leader. If your discouragement has become so deep that you're struggling to overcome it, share your concerns with a Christian leader who can give you biblical advice about how to move forward.

Take care of your physical health. Giving your body the care it needs will help you feel less discouraged. Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep.

Spend time with someone who isn't discouraged. Time in that person's positive presence will naturally make you feel better yourself.

Simplify your life. Base your schedule on your priorities. Don't waste time and energy on activities that don't reflect what's most important to you.

Share your faith with others. Whenever God gives you the opportunity to share your faith with non-Christians who seeking Him, do so. You'll remind yourself of how God has worked in your life and experience the joy of helping others discover Him.

Use the talents God has given you. Letting your talents lie dormant will only increase your sense of discouragement. Ask God to lead you to specific situations where you can put them to full use and to help others to become better people.

Resist Satan's efforts to discourage you more. When Satan tries to deceive you and you feel confused, pray to discern the truth. Keep in mind that God's power in you is greater than any of Satan's schemes.

Choose faith over fear & never give up!. Recognize that God is always with you. God may not change your circumstances when you'd like Him to, but He will always give you the encouragement you need to deal with them as long as necessary.

Lesson for Life 5

Before you were born, God saw you, and He endowed you with gifts and talents uniquely designed for you. He gave us ideas and creativity, as well as specific areas in which you can excel.

So why, then, still so many people today feel unfulfilled? trying to earn living and stuck in a career even they don’t like? The answer is because they aren’t pursuing the desire God has placed in them.

Friends, if we are not moving toward God-given destiny, discouragements, dissatisfaction, and tension will start to creep in our life and it won’t go away; it will stay with us for the rest of our lives until we move toward God’s design for our life. We may manage everything around us, but we will never live with passion and enthusiasm. This is sad because we never allow our inner potentials to bring us to fulfill our destiny.

So how do we discover our sense of divine destiny? It has to do with what excites you, what you are passionate about. Your destiny is somewhat connected to the dreams and desires that are in your heart. God was the one that created you and He was also the one that put all those desires and dreams in the first place. If you love art or design, may your destiny is connected with something that has to do with it - inspiring people with arts - just like Thomas Kinkade. Or if you love kids, your destiny might be connected with teaching, coaching, or caring for kids.

Pursuing our destiny always requires perseverance, skills, and hard work. It won’t come quickly or easily. Sometimes we must push through and learn new things more. But do not be discouraged, as you faithfully exercise releasing what’s inside of you, the Lord will open more new ways for you until you reach your destiny.

TO THINK ABOUT:

Are you tapping into the potential that’s on the inside?
Have you discovered what you do best, what comes naturally? And are you exciting in that area?