Rid yourself of painful echoes

First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
– Epictetus

Monday, July 10, 2017

Rid yourself of painful echoes

Forgiveness doesn’t mean what happened was acceptable. Forgiveness means you are ready to move past it.

Keeping score just prolongs the pain. Seeking to get even, creates more pain.

Forgiveness is not about what’s right or wrong, what’s justified or what’s not. Forgiveness is about being free to focus on creating a positive, fulfilling future.

No person in your world is perfect, many are far from it, and will always be. You can choose to fight that reality, or you can learn how to live with it.

Forgiveness enables you to live well, no matter what others may do or fail to do. Forgiveness fills you with the power of peace, of clarity, of purpose.

Rid yourself of painful echoes from the past. Forgive, and turn yourself toward the beauty and possibility of now.

— Ralph Marston

You’ve Got It!

“…his favor lasts a lifetime…” (Psalm 30:5, NIV)   You’ve Got It! Friends, success in this life isn’t necessarily about how popular, influential or educated someone is. Success is about living a life of excellence in obedience to God’s Word. When we step out to do what God has called us to do, scripture says that His favor surrounds us like a shield. When we have His favor, we have everything; we have an advantage for success! God’s favor opens the right doors. His favor will bring good breaks. The favor of God will cause you to accomplish what you could not accomplish on your own. It gives you an edge. Now, if you’re going to see the gracious hand of God at work in your life, you can’t go through the day feeling intimidated, thinking that you’re average, looking around and comparing yourself to everyone else. No, you have to live like you have His favor, think like you have favor, talk like you have favor, walk like you have favor, dress like you have favor! Not arrogantly. Not in a way that portrays that you’re better than somebody else, but with a quiet confidence knowing that you have the gracious hand of God on your life! Live like you’ve got it because you do! A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for Your grace, favor and mercy upon my life. I praise You today because You are good. I receive Your truth by faith and rise up to walk in my calling. I know that You are going before me to prepare the way as I walk in Your favor all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Receive Power

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…” (Acts 1:8, NKJV)   Receive Power God wants to empower you. He wants to strengthen you and equip you to rise higher in every area of your life. He wants to see you become all that He has created you to be and walk in victory each and every day. Scripture tells us that when Jesus left the earth, He told the disciples that He was sending a comforter. He was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not only our comforter, He’s our counselor, teacher and stand by. He searches our hearts and helps us understand scripture. Today, if you desire to be filled with God’s power, invite the Holy Spirit of God to do a work in you. When you read the Bible, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and reveal God’s plan to you. As you invite the Holy Spirit to operate in your life, today’s scripture says that you’ll receive God’s power! You will be strengthened and equipped for everything God has in store for you! A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit who is my helper in this life. I choose to open my heart to Your Word to receive power so that I can walk and live in the victory You have prepared for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Keep Seeking

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7, NLT)   Keep Seeking Is there something you are believing God for today? Does it seem like it’s taking a long time to come to pass? Be encouraged because the Bible says that through faith and patience, you will inherit His promises! If you’ll stay in faith, if you’ll keep on seeking Him, it won’t be long until you see that breakthrough! The problem is that most people give up just before they get their miracle. They stop when things get hard or when they don’t get the answer they want the first time. But today’s verse encourages us to continually ask and continually seek. That doesn’t mean that we seek Him one time and then stop. No, we seek Him until we have the promise! Today, submit your prayers to the Lord and keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking on the door, and it will be opened to you. Know that God is working behind the scenes. He is perfecting whatever concerns you. Don’t give up! Instead, start thanking Him for His faithfulness in your life. Thank Him for His promise that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek after Him! A Prayer for Today “Father in heaven, thank You for giving me a diligent spirit. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Give me strength to stand and seek You until I see Your promises fulfilled in every area of my life in Jesus’ name! Amen.”

Live with passion

There are two kinds of failures: those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.
– Laurence J. Peter

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Live with passion

How long has it been since life stirred your heart? That’s too long.

If you’re not feeling intensely, you’re not living fully. Let passion carry you away, for passion will carry you to amazing places.

Substance matters, quality matters, excellence, awe and magnificence matter. Life is about so much more than just checking the boxes.

Bring to each moment the whole of your multifaceted self. Feel the confidence of all you are and all you know, the mystery of all that is beyond, unknown, unknowable.

Be more than a mere caricature of who you are supposed to be. Be your real, alive, enigmatic, passionate self.

Yes, be sensible, use your head. At the same time live with passion, feed your dreams, and follow your heart.

— Ralph Marston

The Reward of Diligence

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” (Proverbs 13:4, ESV)   The Reward of Diligence God longs to pour out His favor and blessing upon you, but you have to do your part. You have to be diligent. First of all, you have to be diligent in seeking His ways and following His commands. Then you also have to be diligent with what you have in your hand—your time and resources. In Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about three men whose employer entrusted them with some money called talents. Two of the men were diligent and invested the talents and received a great return. The third man was afraid and buried what he was given. The first two men were rewarded and praised for their diligence while the third man was basically fired. Follow the example of the first two men and look for ways to be diligent with what you have in your hand. Whatever you do, do it with excellence. Be the best you can be and go the extra mile even when you think it goes unnoticed. Even when people don’t notice, God notices and promises to reward the appetite of the diligent. As you stay faithful in the little things, God will make you ruler over much, and you’ll live the abundant life He has prepared for you. A Prayer for Today “Heavenly Father, thank You for Your favor and blessing on my life. Today I choose to be diligent. I choose to live in excellence and do everything to the best of my ability. I give You all the glory in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Open to know more

If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.
– Zig Ziglar

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Open to know more

If you read, watch, listen merely to confirm what you already know, you’re wasting an opportunity. Some of the best learning obliges you to admit you were wrong.

Don’t let the illusion of knowledge prevent you from gaining actual knowledge. Don’t let the smug satisfaction of thinking you know the answer, hold you back from actually knowing the answer.

Expose yourself to concepts that challenge your assumptions. When you discover you have been mistaken, be thankful for the opportunity to correct your mistake.

When it comes to gaining new knowledge, humility outperforms arrogance. Put mental energy into learning rather than into proving how much you know.

Seek to grow and refresh your knowledge, your opinions, your assumptions as you experience each day. Consider what you already know as a starting point, not an irrevocable conclusion.

Your knowledge has great value. Increase that value by always being open to know more.

— Ralph Marston