Who or what you follow...

...determines what (& even who) follows you.

Jesus encouraged some people to follow Him at different points & others just followed Him of their own accord - one thing was common: everyone who followed Him was blessed in one way or the other. The Bible also tells us that signs follow those who preached His word: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."

(Mark 16: 17 & 20 - KJV)

In addition to following the Lord and signs following the Word, the Bible encourages us to:

"Follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." (1 Tim 6:11b-KJV)

"Follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace,

with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Tim 2:22-KJV)

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14 -KJV)

It's even interesting that God has made last one easy for us because: "when a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." (Pr 16:7 - NKJV) So to follow peace with all men, all we need to do is follow God & live in a way that pleases Him.

On the flip side, the Bible tells of things that will definitely follow us - the most familiar one:
"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life..." (Psalms 23:6 - NIV)
Proverbs 21:21 even links what we follow to what will follow us: "He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor." (NKJV)

The Bible doesn't stop there...if we continue to follow and obey the Lord, many more blessings will catch up with and then overtake us according to Deuteronomy 28: 2 - 14.

Unfortunately there are too many people seeking/pursuing/following goodness, mercies, blessings and those great things in life but expect peace, righteousness and other fruits of the Spirit to to follow them. When they don't, they wonder what's wrong.

The answer is simple...they have put the cart before the horse and there is no way they will progress that way.
I encourage us to follow God and also follow all He has asked us to - we'll be amazed at the great and mighty confirmations of His Word that will follow us...

The Obstacle course....of life

Obstacles are an inevitable part of life...no matter how good you are, you can't pray them away - they are a promise fulfilled...the best way to get over them is to get over them.

"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."  ~Michael Jordan

3 prerequisites: To overcome any obstacle, you need:

1. God,
2.  You &
3. the Obstacle(s)

Our reliance on God makes us resilient and relish obstacles...

Obstacles are an opportunity to show the world Who is in charge.

Challenges are an opportunity to showcase your God to the world

Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle. ~ Christian D. Larson

One thing I've found out about challenges and obstacles is you need to know when you need someone else's help - you always need God's help and sometimes He sends additional help your way. At such times, all you need to do stretch out your hand and be helped... 

All the best on your "obstacle course."

Whatever comes your way, remember that victory is sure - with God on your side.

So remain on God's side.

Health or Wealth?

Does it sound like a strange set of options? Actually, I hope it sounds strange especially to Christians who should know that we have a "right" to both. Jesus said: My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10b - NLT). Sadly, that's one promise many people never get into the fullness of due to wrong priorities which is why I'd like to share these:

So many people spend their health gaining wealth,

and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health. 

~A.J. Reb Materi, Our Family

The greatest wealth is health. ~Virgil

When growing up, I remember adults saying: "Health is Wealth." It is so true because all wealth is useless without health and like we've seen, no amount of wealth can regain a person's health without God's intervention. Back to the options...if I had to choose, I'd definitely choose health over wealth any day. I thank God, we don't have to choose. We just need to be wise & take good care of ourselves, so we'd have the health to enjoy our wealth -

 this year and for life.

From the lips to the hips

I didn't realize how true that simple phrase was until I was practically having to take a deep breath to get into some of my clothes. I never believed I'll see the day because I was known for teasing others - when we were at events and they are avoiding stuff, I'd be saying "bring it on - will it help me add weight?" And surely and truly, it added more to me than I desired.

Another story that brings a smile to my face happened several months ago. A child was selling chocolates & they were really nice chocolates - yes, I had more than I should have.

Truck talk...

God is interested in the very details of our lives. If (and when) we take a moment to look around us, we'll hear and see God speaking to us in any and every situation we're in. Sometimes it is obvious & at other times we can miss the message due to the subtle medium.

So I don't miss out on God speaking to me, over time I've learned to "look and listen" - I've added "read and remember" in the mix too.

Some months ago, I read the writing on the side of a truck:

"Our best is the least we can do."

I then started thinking about myself and wondered if I could say the same thing confidently. I was curious about the source of that phrase and found out that there is a real company with that as it's slogan - so it was not an old truck that hadn't been repainted in a long time. Although I cannot say anything about their track record or if they deliver on that promise - I just wondered to myself: "How can I make that my personal way of living or my brand?"

Like me, you may have also noticed other energizing slogans like that one. Each time I read another one, I try to internalize it - try to come up with a plan on living up to the words in deed because words are just worthless if not backed up with works.

Needless to say, this has definitely added one more thing to my "to dos" list for this year -

and for the rest of my life...so help me God!

Welcome to this great year - let the least you do be your best!

Teaming up with God

I read a very interesting book. Beside the fact that one of my colleagues had talked about it  and my husband talked me into reading it, the comment from James H. Amos Jr about the book got me reading it.

He said it is: "A gripping analysis of what makes teams work effectively. This fine work is a must-read for any leader that has to come to grips with the fact that no one makes progress - much less succeeds - alone."  

The last part of his comment resonated with me:

No one makes progress - much less succeeds - alone.

We must need someone else to help us progress and of course succeed. Even if you claim to be a loner, without God you can only go so far. The 5 dysfunctions mentioned in the book even apply to our relationship with God...please come with me as we discuss them in detail:

Think on this...

"I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me.

With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end.

So what is there to worry about."

Henry Ford

What a great combination of:
Isaiah 40: 13-14
- Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?*

Romans 8: 28
- We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.**

1 Peter 5:7
- Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.**

Sources:
*NLT
**Amplified