For
the past two weeks we’ve been studying things that put the brakes on God’s hand limiting His favor. From what you have “soaked up” I hope you
have begun to invest in yourself by putting into practice the steps that you
learned.
Have you become a sponge head thirsty for knowledge?
I’d
like to share with you one more thing that essentially prevents us from walking
in Daily Favor from the Lord in order to achieve the calling on our lives. You might be surprised to find out what the
culprit may actually be that has stopped the dream of your life from coming to
pass. Want to take a guess?
Need
to catch-up on the first two segments of this lesson?
Talk Yourself In
The
number one reason why people don’t achieve their goals, dreams and vision is they
believe the naysayers and talk themselves out of it by saying,
“I’ll never be able to … There’s no way … How can I possibly…?”
As
soon as those thoughts pop into our thinking we need to nip it in the bud
and start doing what King David did.
When he got discouraged this believer would encourage (strengthen)
himself in the Lord by praising God and speak faith.
In
other words, when all the people turned against him David remembered what
scriptures said and chose to believe God about his destiny over the lies mankind mockingly spoke.
“Now David was greatly distressed, for the
people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved,
every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened
himself in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6 NKJV)
If
you are willing and obedient, the Lord will help you succeed. Instead of talking yourself out of doing what
God has placed in your heart, talk yourself in to believing “I can do all things through Christ Who
gives me the strength to do whatever I need to achieve this.” (from
Philippines 4:13 emphasis mine)
Not
everyone is going to understand or believe in your dreams. Even your family may not get it, but don’t
quit. If you recall, David's brothers didn't have an ounce of faith in his abilities to slay Goliath. God saw the shepherd boy's faith and he had victory over this giant challenge! What man saw as impossible, with God's help David saw as possible.
God gave this to you, not them. They have their own dreams. Remember your heritage as a child of God and
tell yourself to keep going despite what others may think or say.
“Remember me, Lord, when You show favor to Your people;
come near and rescue me. Let me share in the prosperity
come near and rescue me. Let me share in the prosperity
of Your chosen ones. Let me rejoice in the joy of
Your people;
let me praise You with those who are Your heritage.”
let me praise You with those who are Your heritage.”
(Psalm 106:4-5 NLT)
Believe
that God will rain down favor on you because of obedience to His Word. Remind
yourself – it’s part of your inheritance as His child for believing in Jesus
Christ, God’s Son.
If
you can envision it you can live it.
Surround yourself with people that will stay in the fight with you, and
believe me … it is a fight. The last
thing satan wants is for you to be happy and live the abundant life Jesus died
for on the cross.
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill
and destroy.
I came that they may have and enjoy
life, and have it in abundance
(to the
full, till it overflows). (John 10:10 AMPC)
Keep
in mind though, with Jesus on your side you can do anything! The devil may be
the dream killer, but glory to God, Jesus is the dream fulfiller!
Let’s
put this on the bottom shelf and translate the concept into words we can grasp
or understand. God will bring it into
actuality, effect or make it real. He
will fulfill the promise, fulfill the dream, perform it, carry it out, meet the
required conditions and simply satisfy the desire!
Now
that we realize the vision or dream is something God put in our hearts,
what should we do next? Glad you asked.
Step 5 –
Take steps toward your dream and vision.
Do something!
Step Up and Step Out –
Keep Swinging
Until
we see what God sees in us, we’ll never become what He envisioned for us upon
creation. If we ever want to see more
favor come into our lives we have to step up and step out as we seek God for
guidance in becoming all He wants us to be.
You
have to begin somewhere, so start with something simple. I remember when we
were coaching Little League and this one little guy never got on base. It was frustrating just to watch, let alone
be the person everyone was staring at to see if he would ever hit the ball.
Well
one day during practice my husband saw that he was getting nowhere with the
boy. He walked out to the pitcher’s
mound and told the player, “Step up to the plate and swing; no matter where the
ball is just swing and keep swinging!”
The
rest of the team remained in the outfield waiting to see if Adam would hit the
ball. He began to swing and miss, swing and
miss. Instead of making fun of him, the
team started cheering him on shouting,
“This time you’ll get it ...
keep at it …”
Finally after 70 pitches from Coach Hubby, Adam connected with the ball. My husband's shoulder was sore, but our little ball player was ecstatic! I've never seen such a happy fellow.
It barely got out of the infield, but it didn't matter. Everyone jumped in excitement praising
him because he hit the ball! It changed Adam's attitude and the way he played the game.
That
season Adam turned out to be the best pitcher we had and never stopped hitting
the ball. At a tender age he learned the lesson that if you want a home run, you have to swing the bat!
The point is Adam acted on the
instruction he received. He stepped up to the plate and did something (kept
swinging until he hit the ball) before he was able to step out on the field as
a runner.
Just as no one can hit a ball without taking action,
no one can live their dream without stepping out in faith!
Speaking of stepping out … I have to tell you a little
secret. Remember my friend Champ (I
shared the story in part 2)? Well, he
may have been new to teaching, but he was a whiz at computers.
When we first met, I didn’t even know how to turn on a
computer. In the beginning I was
convinced that I would blow it up by hitting something wrong. Of course, he thought I was nuts, but he
didn’t stop believing in me.
Champ slowly guided me step-by-step and practically commanded me
to “get on the computer” now! For months
I asked questions and bugged the stuffing out of him if I didn’t understand
something. To this day he is still one
of the most patient “believe in you” kind of person I’ve ever met!
Eventually I learned how to program my own tests, quizzes, study
sheets and puzzles for the classroom. Who
would have thought my first website could be designed from a simple classroom
program called Print Shop? Was the
program for websites? No, but no one
told me I couldn’t do it – so I did.
I didn't see the "limits" so for me there weren't any. If we could apply that kind of thinking to everything we did imagine what our lives would look like now!
My colleague gave me the support needed to develop the skills God had already placed in me to pursue my calling. Friends, God has placed specific talents and skills inside you to bring your dreams to pass. He has placed people "out there" to help make it happen. (Remember what scriptures says? "He grew in favor from God AND man.")
I stepped out by passing on the knowledge and understanding from what I learned, which continued to build my skills. Although I wasn't an expert, that confidence led me to teaching others (including my mother) about simple computer basics. Neither Champ or I knew what the future would bring, but God did by putting two people in position for the favor that we'd individually enjoy in walking out our dreams and vision.
This Week’s Challenge:
Believe
in Limitless Favor
If we thought about how often we've put a stop sign in front of God when it comes to limiting His favor on a situation, it would probably bring us to tears. Thankfully, the grace (unlimited favor) of God forgives a repentant heart. He is loving, kind, patient and never gives up because His vision for us is greater than we could ever think or imagine.
Friends you have to learn to invest in yourself and your dreams;
God has! He believes in you, because He
placed the gifts and talents that are within you to achieve the “good end” that
was promised from before your birth.
“I will bless you with a future filled with hope —
a future of success,
not of suffering. (Jeremiah 29:11 CEV)
“I say this because I know what I am planning for
you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt
you.
I will
give you hope and a good future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NCV)
God gave the promise of a blessing for favor to those who keep His
commands by being obedient to Him.
“If you walk in My statutes and keep
My commandments, and perform (do) them, I will look on you with favor
and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm, establish and ratify
My covenant with you.”
(from Leviticus
26:3, 9 emphasis mine)
The
time is NOW to get focused on what you really want to accomplish in life. Dig your heels into the ground and stay
determined to finish well.
Listen
to motivational Bible teaching daily and change how you think about your
life. Ask loads of questions and study,
study, study your field becoming a sponge of knowledge. Then be bold knowing that God has given you
everything you need to succeed and take steps in moving toward your dream or
vision.
Jesus
is telling you to trust Him when He says,
“No boundaries … release Me … take off the limits!
Start
believing that the Daily Favor God wants to pour into your life is limitless. There is no end to the things He desires for
you and all of it is good!
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Until next
time, God’s favor is limitless!
I have unlimited favor – want some?
-
Jesus
Christ
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Maybe you don’t know the Living God
that I know but would like to have this kind of favor in your life
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Note: Emphasis may be given in some scriptures to show clarity or understanding and is not to take away from the inspirited Word of God.
When
used, the words satan or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we
give him no place in our lives.
Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical issues but is geared toward spiritual awareness.
Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical issues but is geared toward spiritual awareness.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Disclaimer Notes: Results may
vary due to lack of belief.
Unless noted, scripture reference
in series was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway.
Image credit: Sponge Head Encourage Yourself Little League Batter Creative Common License if not
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