then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. (Hebrews 10:9)

Who do you know that will benefit from participating in this new online community to experience God in fresh and exciting ways?

Will you invite them? If so, when?

I’m thrilled to report what the Holy Spirit birthed this morning. The outcome from this will be extraordinary.

Tomorrow (March 24) I’m launching a brand new, 12-week series of webinars on Tuesday evenings covering much of the material in Henry Blackaby’s book Experiencing God. You, your family, and your friends are invited to participate in this world-wide, online LIFE group. This is free and will be inspirational and transformational. To learn more and register, see today’s Blessings of the Day.

What makes this LIFE group different than most, if not all, previous Experiencing God life groups around the world is that this one is online and will integrate online journaling. Because it’s online, people from different countries will be able to interact live during each webinar. God will use this venue to build and unite a vibrant online community of disciples of Jesus. And through the life and leadership coaching by Jerry Graham and me, participants will be propelled forward into their destinies.

In his outstanding book “Experiencing God,” Henry Blackaby writes, “In the mind and teaching of Jesus, a church was a vital, living, dynamic fellowship of believers. The Greek word “koinonia,” most frequently translated “fellowship,” is the best way to describe what a church ought to be.”

Henry Blackaby writes, “When God speaks, it is important to write down what He says.” While Henry talks some about journaling in his book, he doesn’t go into nearly the depth we will. Bruce Wilkinson, in his book “Secrets of the Vine,” shares how journaling played a key role in him breaking through to a deeper abiding in Jesus and a life filled with fruitfulness. Yet, Bruce doesn’t explain how to journal strategically.

On several occasions during my 2-way journaling, Jesus has told me, “Coaching people to journal to hear My voice is your sweet spot.” The LORD has wired me to be an UNCOMMON Journaler, spending hours each day journaling strategically. Why? Mark Jarvis says if a leader must jump six feet if he wants his followers to jump six inches.

There’s a huge miracle story behind the Experiencing God Through Journaling series. I’ll share more about that later this week.

Prayer Power
Most gracious and merciful heavenly Father, we praise You as the Master with the master plan. Thank You for birthing this UNCOMMON idea and opportunity today. May you bless the launch of this new online community. Thank You for the many, many people around the world who will be transformed as a result. Jesus, we humble ourselves before You acknowledging that You are the King of kings and the LORD of lords, the Holy One of Israel. Amen and hallelujah!

Blessings of the Day
1) “The Birth of Life Skills Coaching” [http://webinars777.com/the-birth-of-life-skills-coaching/] – free webinar at 11 am EST on Tues March 24, featuring Ben Stewart, my top business coach

2) “Experiencing God Through Journaling” [http://webinars777.com/gods-will-and-your-life/] LIFE Group – Tues March 24 (8 pm EST) is the launch of a vital, living, dynamic fellowship of believers, featuring a 12-week series of webinars

3) Download free Intro to UNCOMMON Journaling For Breakthroughs

4) Invest in my “UNCOMMON Journaling For Breakthroughs” ebook with audio

5) Begin 45 day free trial of The Journal software

“If we don’t act on a good idea within 24 hours, we are less than 50% likely to ever act on it. If we haven’t acted on it inside of days, then we are less than 2% likely to ever act on it.” – Bill Gates

Blessings to learn to discern God’s will as you live your everyday life!

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

How can you empower your life story?
Will you commit to meet with Jesus daily?
When and where are you going to start?
How long are you going to meet with Jesus each day?
What resources do you need to meet with Jesus?

I’ve had a Wow! morning. God is so good! I’ll share part of the story this morning and more tomorrow. If you need encouragement today, read on.

Yesterday at Soul Purpose Church, Pastor Matt preached a message titled “My Life Story Empowered.” He shared that you’ll never know you’re soul purpose until you meet Jesus and then meet with Jesus daily. Key scriptures were Psalm 119:105 and Exodus 33:7-17.

Matt first addressed the question “How do I meet with God?” and then laid out these 4 simple steps

1) Opening prayer – preparation (confess sin) and permission (“Whatever You tell me to do, I’ll do.”)

2) Read (or listen to) Bible. According to Hebrews 4:12, the Word of God is living and active (if you let it be). According to Henry Blackaby, “The Bible is not something that leads to a connection with God; It is the connection with God.” Matt pointed out that while the U.S. Constitution is often referred to a living, breathing document, it’s not really. But contrast this with the Bible.

Matt answered the question “Where do I start in reading through the Bible?” by recommending John, 1 John, Luke, Acts, Romans, then Genesis in that order. What a great suggestion.

Matt’s answer to the question “What am I looking for as I read?” was SPACE PETS = Sin to confess, Promise to claim, Attitude to change, Command to obey, Example to follow, Prayer to pray, Error to avoid, Truth to be believed, Something to thank God for.

3) Journal – meditate and record answers to these questions:
a) What did God say to me? (Which of the SPACE PETS really got my attention today)
b) Why did God say that to me today?
c) What am I going to do today because of what God said to me? (What needs to change?)
d) With whom can I share what God said to me today?

4) Record your response prayer. Commit to follow what He has shown you today. Praise Him for who He is. Thank him for what He has done.

Then Matt did something that every preacher would benefit from. He gave each person 10 minutes to actually practice what he taught using Psalm 1. As I read that Psalm, I underlined “meditates on it (the Word of God) day and night” as my one Command to obey. I made the commitment to spend an hour each morning and night in My Secret Place reading the Bible and praying for specific people on a written list starting that evening.

So yesterday evening before I went to bed, I read all of 1 John out loud in our home. That resulted in a rocket launch this morning. Be sure to catch tomorrow’s message and opportunity.

Prayer Power
Jesus, thank You that every day each of us has the opportunity to meet with You by reading your Word with an open mind and an open heart. Thank You for helping me write today’s message. May those who read it be doers of Your Word, not just hearers. We bless You. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Everyone should have a blog. Here’s why

Blessings to empower your life story through a daily meeting with Jesus!

UNCOMMON Opportunity
To learn more about Today’s life changing webinar “Introduction to UNCOMMON Journaling for Destiny,” CLICK HERE. Testimony: What a blessing! Journaling and using The Journal is revolutionizing my life. – Dan Paulsen

Secular coaches call it ‘intuition”.  LLC coaches have learned that we are really helping clients Hear God for themselves in a coaching conversations and discovering the empowering joy of their own voice in the process.  We train coaches to “listen to what really matters” by serving clients to hear, engage, embrace, and activate God’s Destiny Directions for them. – Joseph Umidi

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8)

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your ability to consistently hear God’s voice?
What can you do to improve that?

In yesterday’s devotional titled “Changing Lives – Breaking Through,” we continued with our theme of Christ-enabled living, impossible living, heroic living. Yesterday’s key message: “When you change your thinking and your HABITS, you will change your life.” You were presented with an opportunity to participate in today’s life-changing webinar to change your thinking and habits.

Today at Noon EST, Jerry Graham and I are hosting an introductory webinar about our outstanding 5 week Journal 201 course titled “UNCOMMON Journaling for Destiny.” Rev. Matt Gregory and Dan Paulsen will be sharing their first hand testimonies of the impact of our prior course. Even if you are not available, you can receive a link to the recorded webinar simply by registering. CLICK HERE to learn more.

While preparing the PowerPoint presentation for today’s webinar, I was prompted to write down some of the new fruit I personally experienced from the Journal 201 course. Here is a partial list:
1) Began using The Journal myself
2) Got connected to Debra Thompson Roedl and the Wealth Alliance Group
3) Transformation Virginia was officially launched
4) Launched my own web store with products, courses, and memberships
5) Soul Purpose Church (my church) formally adopted “Coaching you to discover and fulfill your soul purpose” as its mission
6) Door opened for an alliance between Team Destiny and Lifeforming Leadership Coaching
7) I bought a brand new bicycle. My old one was more than 25 years old (literally an antique).

In my August 22 devotional, I mentioned that Joseph Umidi was my top new contact in 2006 and Debra Thompson Roedl has been my top new contact in 2008.
 
On August 19, Joseph sent the monthly Lifeforming Leadership Coaching e-newsletter promoting our webinar to his 1,500 or so contacts. In his message titled “Coaching with an ‘Ear To Hear’,” Joseph wrote:
 
“I am pleased to offer all of our coaches the unique combination of 2 keys to Hearing God for yourself that will translate into more effective “hearing” with your clients.  This is the unique combination of journaling and coaching to clarify what God is saying to you and giving you the ability to help your clients discover the same for them. Dr. Jerry Graham and Dr. Randy Peck have collaborated to design this life changing 5-week process for you that I highly recommend.”
 
Debra Roedl is regarded by some as the top internet marketing strategist in the world. When I met in person with her at the Marriott Crystal City (VA) on August 16 (the same day as The Call DC), she committed to promote our combo journaling and coaching courses. to her Wealth Alliance contacts around the world.

A few weeks ago I talked to Buddy Smith, Executive Assistant to the Chairman for the American Family Association. He told me he is willing to have Jerry and I interviewed about our combo coaching and journaling courses on Today’s Issues (American Family Radio). AFR has more than 1 million listeners nationwide.

Obviously God has His mantle of favor on the “UNCOMMON Journaling for Destiny” course. On behalf of all our Team Destiny teammates, we invite you to be blessed by registering for today’s webinar. Even if you aren’t available today, you will receive a link to our recorded webinar just for registering. Our target audience is people who are passionate to know God and make Him known. We are training champions for Christ. To register for today’s webinar, CLICK HERE.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we praise You as an intimate God – as a God who speaks to us regularly. Thank You for training me to hear Your voice, which makes life flow so much easier. Bless each reader who chooses to register for today’s webinar to learn to hear Your voice. Thank You Jesus. You’re my all in all. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Unthinkable: The Scott Rigsby Story

Blessings to develop an ear to hear God’s voice!

Now go, write it before them on a tablet, And note it on a scroll, That it may be for time to come, Forever and ever (Isaiah 30:8)

What is the lead domino for YOUR life?

As mentioned in yesterday’s devotional, I have come to the conclusion that God wants me to coach people in groups of 15 and 1,000 to journal in UNCOMMON ways to experience breakthroughs and for LIFE Focus. Dr. Jerry Graham, my top mentor for the past year, has agreed to partner with me in this endeavor.

I’ve shared over and over that journaling is the lead domino for my life. This applies to all areas of my life. When I asked each of my web team members what is the lead domino for their lives, two of the three said journaling, even though that may not have manifested fully yet in their habits. Recently, I came to the realization that journaling may well be the lead domino for most people to experience breakthroughs in their own lives. Therefore, I am starting an entire series about journaling.

Before  my “UNCOMMON Journaling for Breakthroughs” webinar yesterday, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation. That will serve as the basis for my upcoming devotionals. Here is the basic outline of what I cover in my introductory journaling webinar and what I’ll be covering in this series of journaling devotionals:

Why journal? (Benefits)
How do you journal? (Styles)
Why journal ONLINE? (Power)
History of Dr. Peck’s journaling
Demo of Dr. Peck’s journaling
Fruit of journaling
Testimonies
So What? Now What?

It’s amazing how when you take a step in the direction of your destiny, God takes 10 steps toward you. Today, Jeff Bernstein, founder of Gates of Zion, called me out-of-the-blue. He told me that he recently started journaling using outstanding software that he downloaded from the web. There’s a 45 day free demo if you are interested. To learn more, visit today’s Link of the Day.

Take a step toward discovering and fulfilling YOUR destiny and REGISTER TODAY for one of my FREE webinars titled “UNCOMMON Journaling for Breakthroughs!”

Wednesday, June 11, Noon – 1 pm
Wednesday,  June 11, 8 – 9 pm
Thursday,  June 12, 4-5 pm

I like what Bill Gates (Microsoft) says, “If we don’t act on a good idea within 24 hours, we are less than 50% likely to ever act on it. If we haven’t acted on it inside of days, then we are less than 2% likely to ever act on it.”

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God of HIStory. You told Your people in the Bible over and over to “Remember!” One of the best ways to remember what You’ve done and to discern what You are doing is to journal. Bless my readers to comprehend the significance of journaling. May many of them choose to learn more by participating in one of my upcoming webinars. May they refer their friends to do likewise. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
The Journal – a powerful journaling and writing tool that can help you take control of your life

Blessings to explore the topic of journaling in depth!

So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.’” (Zechariah 4:6)

What is your soul purpose?
What one habit can you establish to discover that?

The LORD has really been working in my life on how best to COACH and bless those he has placed in my sphere of influence. With all the people I know and who ask for my help, it’s not really practical for me to coach people one-on-one. I have come to the conclusion that God wants me to coach people in groups of 15 and 1,000.

Since journaling is the lead domino for my life and I do more journaling than almost anyone in the world, God has prepared me to teach others. Therefore, coaching others to journal effectively will be my primary focus. As a physician and LIFE coach, I have a desire to positively impact the WELLNESS of leaders, businesses, and communities. Using the web to exponentially multiplying people who journal well will be one of the main ways to accomplish this.

In the past year, God has connected me with several UNCOMMON Destiny LIFE coaches. One is Dr. Jerry Graham. Another is Ben Stewart. As certified Lifeforming Leadership Coaches walking in our destinies, we will lead groups to COACH people to discover and fulfill their own destinies.

Through my extensive journaling (now on the computer) over the past 7 years, God has coached me to get in alignment with my assignment to fulfill my destiny. Now I’d like to share some of my experiences and methods with you to COACH you to journal in UNCOMMON ways to experience breakthroughs in your life. Discover YOUR Destiny!

Take a step toward discovering YOUR destiny and REGISTER TODAY for one of these FREE webinars titled “UNCOMMON Journaling for Breakthroughs!”

Thursday, June 5, 2 – 3 pm
Wednesday, June 11, Noon – 1 pm
Wednesday,  June 11, 8 – 9 pm
Thursday,  June 12, 4-5 pm

Participants in these webinars will be given the option to join a 5 week (35 day) online journaling course in small groups of up to 15 people. These classes will be led by me and Dr. Jerry Graham, one of the top LIFE Focus coaches in the world. Each student will be taught and expected to journal every day. After 35 days, journaling will become an enjoyable, steady habit. Jerry and I will be coaching student regarding LIFE Focus. Seize this UNCOMMON Opportunity!

We have had a very good response from the first two webinars we already did.

I like what Bill Gates (Microsoft) says, “If we don’t act on a good idea within 24 hours, we are less than 50% likely to ever act on it. If we haven’t acted on it inside of days, then we are less than 2% likely to ever act on it.”

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, I praise You as the Master Coach with Master Plan. Thank You for coaching me to this point where I can now coach others in small groups to discover and fulfill their soul purpose. I pray that many people on my devotional list will choose to reorder their priorities and seize this UNCOMMON opportunity to participate in one of these upcoming journaling webinars. Thank You Jesus. To You be all glory, honor, and praise! Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
UNCOMMON Journaling for Breakthroughs

Blessings to seize this opportunity to discover your soul purpose!

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1)

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your enthusiasm at the start of each day?
What daily habits do you have that inspire you?
What role does knowing your purpose and destiny play in your enthusiasm?
What roles do positive and negative friends and family members play?

Almost every morning I wake up filled with anticipation for what the day holds. While lying in bed, I often feel like a little child on Christmas morning eagerly waiting for his parents to get up so that Christmas presents may be opened.

Knowing my destiny makes a big difference and gives me a reason to get out of bed every day with passion. Who I chose as my closest friends also makes a big difference.

For the past month I’ve been saying a simple prayer each morning, “LORD, open my eyes of understanding to the good gifts You want me to receive from You today.” It’s been amazing how God has been answering that prayer – every day.

On May 10 I began a new habit of writing down one question in my journal each morning that the Holy Spirit inspires. I’ve found that God answers His own questions quickly and fruit comes rapidly as a result.

As I journal and review my journals, I see God’s signature on circumstances all around me. That causes my faith to grow. Sharing God’s stories inspires other people. I consider myself a farmer because I delight in sowing good seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, encouragement, etc into the lives of people I am privileged to meet or somehow connect to.

We’ve heart it said, “Attitude is everything!” But, how do I maintain a positive attitude? By dwelling in the secret place of the Most High. How I start my morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. So typically I start my day with several hours of quiet time – singing to God, praising Him for who He is, listening or reading His Word, praying, and journaling. Good habits really are the secret of success. The secret of my future IS hidden in my daily routine. So is yours.

While many days I fail to accomplish all that I hoped, I I frequently remind myself, “Each day I consider my efforts as but one blow against the mighty oak. While today’s efforts may seem trifling, eventually that mighty oak will tumble.”

God wants us to SIMPLIFY our lives. Most things Jesus said were profoundly simple. For example, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

During an inspirational conversation today, Erick Kalenga told me he wants to get a book called “Simple Church.” He went on to say that we need to simplify things so we can do the exact thing that God wants us to do that day. I know I have lots to work on in this regard. How about you?

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God of big things and the God of details. Thank You that You often do extraordinary through ordinary things that we do well. We praise You as an on-time God, never early, never late. Help each of us to SIMPLIFY our lives so that we can do the exact things you want us to do each day. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Link of the Day
Photos of visit to Liberia Embassy on May 16, 2008

Blessings to establish daily habits that fill you with anticipation!

He must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the terms of this law. (Deut. 17:19, NLT)

How committed do you feel you are to achieve your goals?

Yesterday’s devotional mentioned that Dr. Jerry Graham has been my primary coach and mentor over the past year. In September 2007, he and his wife Sharon began their own daily e-prayer devotional. Today’s message is taken directly from Jerry’s Daily Graham sent on March 17. 

What is the difference between the person who seems to consistently achieve their goals and the person who seems to consistently fail? Is it intelligence? Could it be talent? Is it their genes? Maybe the one is more blessed, more anointed, more fortunate, or some such intangible outside force?

Actually, it usually is none of those things. The difference is often just a series of simple, easy, “insignificant” actions done day after day after day. Yes, it’s the easy-to-do things that make all the difference in the world. The problem is that those easy-to-do things are also all too easy-not-to-do.

You see, the easy-to-do things done repeatedly begin to add up as the days, weeks, and months go by. They accumulate to make up massive progress toward the goal. Whereas, the repeated procrastination of those same easy-to-do actions simply because they are inconvenient, uncomfortable, or less fun than something else also accumulates over the weeks, months, and years to a giant zero. Successful people do what ever it takes to get the job done, whether or not they feel like it.

One of my favorite books is The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. In that book he writes: “Why do you walk past the exercise bike? Because it’s easy. If you don’t exercise today, will that kill you? No, of course not. You know what you need to do to stay healthy and feel fit and live a long life. Get your heart rate up, a little over normal, for twenty minutes, three times a week. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. And it’s easy to do.

“But it’s also easy not to do. And if you don’t do it today, or tomorrow, or the next day, you won’t suddenly drop dead, and you won’t suddenly put on twenty pounds, and you won’t suddenly lose all your muscle tone and flop around like a marionette with his strings cut off. But that simple error in judgment, compounded over time, will take you down and out.”

Bottom line…success at any goal is really pretty simple according to our good buddy Ralph Waldo Emerson…Do the thing! Do the thing today, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, ad infinitum.

Link of the Day
The Slight Edge Philosophy

Prayer Power
Lord, give us the grace to daily do those simple, little, insignificant things that will move us one step closer to that destiny You are calling us to.

Blessings on you as you commit to take that simple little step today…and tomorrow…and tomorrow…etc.

Opportunity
Today I am hosting a free online “UNCOMMON Internet Marketing Seminar” at Noon EDT. Learn more and register.

but exhort one another DAILY (Hebrews 3:13a)

What would a healthy daily routine look like to you?
Have you written that down?

Yesterday’s webinar (web seminar) with Rev. Ron Davidson was awesome. What he had to share spoke so strongly to my spirit. Several times while Ron was sharing, my eyes flooded with tears. Ron has the heart of Jesus to serve the poor. While the group attending this webinar was quite small, every person was deeply impacted by what Ron had to say based on survey results. Every attendee made a commitment to make a donation to Gleaning for the World to benefit Operation Rescue Liberia.

Ron says, “A vision is not a business plan. In fact most visions if written as a business plan would not make sense. A vision is from God for the purpose of reaching people with Gods love so God’s receives the glory. A vision is not normal and is uncommon.” That message really spoke to me since my growth goal for my current Implementation coaching course is to develop a business plan for my web company.

Last night I went to bed at 10:30 PM and set my PDA alarm for 5:55 AM. Wouldn’t you know it, the Holy Spirit woke me up at 5:54 AM to formally begin my morning quiet time. This was less than one minute before my alarm went off. Mind you, it was dark and I had no clue what time it was.

While lying in bed and listening to my scheduled iTunes playlist for the day, the Holy Spirit gave me an instruction to make a slight but profound change to the wording for the gorgeous poster image on my computer desktop. JJ Phillips, my anointed graphics artist, designed that.

What was this profound yet simple change in wording? “The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine!” became “The secret of my future is hidden in my daily routine!” While this may seem insignificant to many people, the change was huge because the message became personal and I see it every day when I come to my computer. The Holy Spirit made it crystal clear to me that my simple desktop image and scripture is His business plan for me. To see this gorgeous custom image, visit today’s Link of the Day.

God has given me a huge vision and I won’t fulfill it by planning in detail. The Holy Spirit refuses to be put in a box. He’s much too great for that.

Prayer Power
O Holy Spirit, soul of my soul, I do adore thee. Thank You for enlightening, guiding, strengthening, and consoling me. Open the eyes of my readers today, speaking to them Spirit to spirit, to have them understand and apply today’s message to their own lives. Thank You Jesus, my King and my Redeemer! Amen and Hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Holy Spirit inspired poster image (business plan) for Dr. Randy Peck  [see below]

Blessings to be men and women of “every day” like Dr. Jerry Falwell was!

UNCOMMON Opportunity
I am hosting another free webinar titled “UNCOMMON Internet Marketing Seminar” from Noon – 1 PM EDT on Wed March 19. This can be a huge blessing to your own network of friends and supporters. To learn more and register visit https://www.webinars777.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=43&webinar_id=0000015. Thank you.

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
(Psalm 1:1-3)

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Are you embracing God’s glory each and every day?
What morning habit can you establish to do that?

There is so much noise in our culture. For me, it’s very important to pull away from that on a daily basis to hear from God and to soak in His presence – to embrace His glory. One day in His courts in better than a thousand elsewhere (Psalm 84:10).

Because I am a networker of networks, many people seek my time and Internet marketing expertise. To combat this, I remind myself often that God created me to be a catalyst, not the main reaction. I’ve learned the hard way, it’s much more effective to give a man a fishing pole and teach him to fish than to keep giving him fish.

I love sharing what Jesus has done as well as uncommon ideas that are birthed in the Holy of Holies. Finally God has brought me to the place where I will soon be coaching and connecting hundreds of people at a time several times a week through webinars (web seminars) rather than one-on-one. And the beauty of this is that I can do this from home or anywhere in the world I am.

Yesterday morning as I lay in bed resting and reflecting to receive fresh revelations, I was given the word “SIMPLIFY.” I’ve been thinking a lot recently about one of my top life lessons, “Good habits are the key to all success. Successful people do daily what unsuccessful people do occasionally.”

While it seems useful to have a business plan, it’s crystal clear to me that the ways of God are contrary to the ways of the world. God wants His plans to be able to trump our plans. God wants us to seek Him with all hearts and meditate on His Word morning and night. Abraham didn’t have a business plan to become father of many nations. He simply obeyed God. Joseph didn’t have a business plan to go from the prison to the palace overnight. He simply did the right things day after day. King David didn’t have a business plan to lead Israel as its king. He simply had a heart after God’s own heart.

The key to my success (and yours) lies within this profoundly simple statement Jesus made, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given unto you” (Matthew 6:33). That’s my daily theme verse. Psalm 1 reinforces the importance of this, “Blessed is the man … whose delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

On Feb 15, I received an email from Stephen Burke, Theresa Light’s brother and founder of The LORD Will Provide Ministries announcing the first ever “Embracing God’s Glory” conference to be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Temple, Texas March 13-15, 2008. This conference is free to the public and exists solely to encourage the Body of Christ to experience God and His Glory through obtaining a more intimate relationship with Him.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, I do embrace Your glory right now. I am so humbled to be in Your presence and to be called and claimed as a child of Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Bless those who read this message with daily habits to embrace Your glory. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah.

Link of the Day
Embracing God’s Glory

Blessings to embrace God’s glory daily!

“exercise (train) yourself toward godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7)

What disciplines do you have to train properly to love God and love people?

Many people want what others have, but aren’t willing to pay the price for that success. In my October 16 devotional, I mentioned that “as in a marathon, the secret lies not in trying harder, but in training consistently.” It’s interesting that I wrote that devotional on October 13 and the very next day, God connected my wife (Julia) with an American Olympic hopeful (Briana Whaley) for the marathon.

Briana’s husband moved his family to Culpeper in the Spring of 2007 to pastor a local church. Briana quickly received a lot of publicity in our local newspaper because she needed to only shave a minute or so off her best marathon time to qualify for the Olympic trials taking place in early 2008.

Julia first met Briana a few days before the 4th of July 5k run in Culpeper. Julia competed in that race and that is where I met Briana. Briana “cleaned clock” beating the second place female by minutes. She told us her last chance to quality for the Olympic trials would be the Chicago marathon in October. Neither Julia nor I had seen her since.

On October 7, Julia ran the Army Ten Miler in Washington D.C. A 25 year old man died during the race, partly because it was so warm and they ran out of water on the course. When Julia told me a man also died at the Chicago marathon that same day because it was so hot there, I immediately thought of Briana and asked Julia, “How did she do?”

Then on October 14, while Julia was manning her coffee table for the annual major event in downtown Culpeper called “Taste of Culpeper,” Briana came up out-of-the-blue to talk to Julia. She remembered Julia, although Julia barely recognized her. Julia learned that God had changed Brian’s plans for some reason and she decided to run the marathon in Philadelphia in November instead of the Chicago marathon on October 7. Wow! That’s the sovereignty of God.

When Briana shared with Julia that she was nervous about her upcoming marathon, Julia encouraged her by saying that what happens will happen. If God wants her to quality for the Olympics, she will, and if He doesn’t she won’t. Julia continued to minister to Briana by sharing her own personal story about how God had blessed her with such good health to often finish at the top of age group in triathlons. She said, “It’s all about Him, not about me.” Julia shared that she no longer gets nervous before major competitions because all she can do is train properly. God is ultimately responsible for the results. When He get us on the platform, who are we going to give glory to? Wow! I was so proud of Julia.

My favorite Super Bowl of all time was the one on February 4, 2007. Why? Because the coaches of both teams were humble born-again Christians. Dungy became the first black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie Smith in a game that featured the first two black coaches in the Super Bowl. While being interviewed after winning the most watched sporting event in the world, both Tony Dungy and the owner of the Indianapolis Colts publically acknowledged and thanked God.

While most of us never will never qualify for the Olympics or be on a platform to speak to influence millions of people at one time, each of us does have the opportunity to seek God with all our heart and then share His love and joy to change the lives of people that God puts in our path. That’s called a “ministry of paths” – to be Jesus to whoever God puts in our path.

Following Jesus simply means learning from Him how to arrange my life around activities that enable us to live in the fruit of the Spirit. The true indicator of spiritual well-being is growth in the ability to love God and people.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, my heart’s desire is to love You with all my heart, all my mind, all my soul, and all my strength and then manifest Your love to other people. Help me to be diligent about seeking Your Kingdom first Your righteousness first each and every day. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Superbowl XLI – a fine example of godly leadership [http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/recap/sbxli]

Blessings to train well to love God and people!