Word for Today, Mon, 23 Apr 2001: Bouncing Back
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Welcome to another glorious week of Word for Today. It is
glorious because our Creator, the God of the Universe, has made
it, and He has made each of us for a special purpose, and wants
each of us to know that, as individuals, each one of us is deeply
loved.
Do you KNOW that, my friend. I mean, do you REALLY know that?
Every time I stop to think what it took for God to get that
through clearly to me, it continually astounds and amazes me.
Now I am a real believer, make no mistake about that.
The first message for this week is about perseverence - trying
again, over and over. There is only one thing that I would
consider punctuating slightly differently, mainly for emphasis.
For me, I think it is very important, as I consider what I need
to do when I face challenges is to seek God first in all things.
I think the advice and suggestions below are good, but I simply
want to emphasize that it is always best to consider the ways of
God first before trying things over and over.
God may in fact want us to struggle with something, and deal with
an issue 20 or 30 times --- or --- perhaps He is waiting for us
to come to Him FIRST, so that He can provide the answer for us.
But if we do not ask Him first, how can we possibly know whether
He wants us to struggle - for the purpose of our refinement, or
if He simply wants us to communicate with Him, so that He can
provide the solution for us? In order to know the answer to
those questions, we must look to Him first, not as an
afterthought, not after other approaches fail, and not by totally
ignoring Him.
I don't think that Bob is off in what He is suggesting, but I do
want to inject these thoughts, lest we wander off, trying 100
different things before even consulting with the One who loves
us. I know myself well enough to know that if I am not
purposeful and careful about what I do, I am prone to do just
that... wander off... even though He is my first love. Knowing
that about myself, my passion is to resist that urge to wander,
and stay always close to Him. I pray that you feel a similar
passion for the great lover of our souls, the One who gave
everything for us.
Dear Lord,
Renew our minds today as we begin another week of work and busy
activity. There is none like You, Lord. No one else can touch
my heart like You do. Allow me to allow Your Holy Spirit to be
the primary influence, yes, even the sole influence, in my life
today. I remain forever grateful to You, that You came to seek
and save the lost - even me. I give You praise and my unending
love for your precious gift of love to me. Amen.
Brother Brian
From: "ChristianNet" <admin@christiannet.org>
To: Word For Today mailing list <wft@welovegod.org>
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2001 21:47:16 +0100
Subject: [WFT] Mon 23 Apr 01 - Keep bouncing back
WORD FOR TODAY with Bob Gass - Monday 23rd April 2001
Keep bouncing back
"...WE GET KNOCKED DOWN, BUT WE GET UP AGAIN AND KEEPGOING."
2 CORINTHIANS 4:9
Do you feel like a failure? Would you like to break out of your
negative thinking patterns? If so, look at an area of your life
where you keep failing and do these five things:
1. Check your expectations. Write them down. Then ask
yourself, "Are they realistic? Do I expect to do everything
perfectly on the first try? How many mistakes will I allow
myself before I succeed?" Then adjust your expectations to
reality.
2. Try something different! Brainstorm at least 20 or 30 new
methods then try at least half of them. Go ahead - if the first
15 don't work, just tell yourself, "OK, now I know that it's at
least a 16 or 17-step process" - and keep going.
3. Utilise your gifts! You'll be intuitive and effective only
in the area of your strengths; souse your strengths and avoid
your weaknesses. There are people all around you whose dreams
will come true by helping to make yours come true. Bring them in
to your life.
4. Learn to bounce back! No matter how many times you falldown,
get back up and start again. Paul J. Meyer says, "Ninety per
cent of all those who fail are not actually defeated; they simply
quit!" Listen, "...We get knocked down, but we get up again and
keep going" (2Cor 4:9 TLB). Get up!
5. Factor God in! Solomon says, "Listen for God's voice in
everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the One Who will keep
you on track" (Prov 3:5 TM). One of God's ideas, just one, can
turn everything around for you, so talk to Him today.
(c) Bob Gass Ministries 2001 (used by permission)
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