Take Action
When you wake up each day, be inspired by the beauty of His Creation; the mountaintops, the flowers of spring, or the change of seasons. Look forward to the beauty of fall and the first snow of winter. Everyone has the opportunity to witness the miracle of Creation and believe that God is the ONE who did it all. Nothing can compare to faith in God. His power opened the waters of the sea as a path to safety for Moses and His people. His promise for the future is greater and greater with each new invention that He inspires.
When you see, hear, feel, smell, and speak of your reinvigorated faith; positive results occur. You become a true believer that is clearly revealed in your heart as faith. Bad situations are turned around with a momentum shift. There is given to you the power to apply faith and the results are victory and happiness.
Applied faith and having a purpose can raise human potential to limitless heights and move people with a mighty new self-confidence. Fulfilling your purpose in life is not about knowledge but about how to live life and becoming good at applying the intangibles of faith into the tangibles of good deeds.
When procrastination holds you back, there is a need to set priorities, have a sense of urgency, and take action. One action to try is to add quality to your faith by planting the seeds of God’s principles into the fertile garden of your soul. This produces spiritual food not only for yourself but also for others.
Like a seed planted in fertile soil, prayer mixed with faith gives growth to all good plans or ideas. Faith gives life, power, and action to prayers. It is the start of greatness and when mixed with prayer, gives you direct communication with God.
When Jesus was praying, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove (LK 3:21-38). Make note that His public ministry began at the age of thirty, after great preparation, prayer, and receiving of the Holy Spirit – the same divine resource God has provided for you. A resource of instruction and empowerment to help you live a reinvigorated life of firm witness of Christ.
This Day with God Planning
The Spirit is the intermediary, which links one’s prayers with God. There are positive activities that feed the Spirit like studying the Bible, going to church, and learning from others. There are also negatives like fear, jealousy, hatred, revenge, greed, superstition, and anger which hamper the Spirit. These negatives are like weeds to a garden. But the positives choke out these weeds. When mixed with faith and prayer, they help the Spirit become the intermediary with God to bring back answers to your prayers.
When you pray, listen for God’s plan for your day, take action on the plan, and be persistent in carrying out the plan. Imagine you can see like David. His vision recognized a way to kill the giant by using a developed skill with the slingshot. We also can develop skills with the use of God’s principles to slay our enemies. Think of the steps you can take that will build on what God has done yesterday and help you dream big dreams for tomorrow. Be humble before God, have a daily prayer time, and find victory through Him.
Life can be a battle and the Spirit helps you to develop the weapons needed. The notes taken from sermons, Bible lessons or your daily scripture readings are your arsenal. One way to assemble these weapons is by documenting. Be creative and develop your unique collection. Always look for ways to apply what is in the Bible. Create a log that references a bible reading to the unique principles you live by. Come up with practical things to try in order to apply these principles.
Purposefully look for God in nature, music, sports, movies, at the golf course, work, the shopping center, and in His people. Document what you see. Collect facts, quotes, and personal thoughts from your experiences. Collect pictures from the Internet or movie clips that are inspiring and meaningful to you. With computer applications today, you can create a databases to help organize lessons found in the Bible and tie together what you see and what you collect.
Continue to Take Action by Focusing on the Tasks at Hand
There are always obstacles to overcome when trying to gain control over this precious resource called time but maintain the faith. The world can be a complex place but be thankful that God has provided a way that has a beautiful and refreshing simplicity about it that sets you free and never lets you down. Continue to let Him direct your steps and be propelled forward with the passion to finish victoriously.
Many in our society have what is called ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder. I once heard a joke about a golfer who said that golf was a perfect game for him because all he needs to do is pay close attention to hitting the golf ball for twenty seconds and then he has five minutes to look at birds, frogs, and other interesting things as he searches for his ball.
Dogs sometime have this disorder when they get distracted by all the smells and sounds. What I love about dogs though is their focus on what’s going on at the moment and not getting worried about what’s taking place in the future. They’re main interest or focus is getting something to eat or protecting their territory.
Unfortunately, each day will have some interruptions which fragment time and destroy concentration. Two of the biggest culprits are email and phone. Therefore, reserve blocks of time for working on items that are of vital importance by using an imperative list of tasks.
Imagine yourself finishing what you start, removing all distractions, focusing on the reward, and renewing yourself daily with a quiet time. Imagine yourself resisting discouragement and relying on God more. Putting your attention on Him and doing things according to His timing; trusting Him to work you out of the tough situations.
History tells us as documented in the Old Testament that it’s important to follow God’s plan, attend to detail, and put things in order. When the focus is on God for help with finances and relationships, there is a clear advantage. With God by your side, you receive the greatest yield on your endeavors and the power to solve problems multiplies tremendously. Things are done right and the right things are done.
Ideas for Adjustments
I will now present some ideas to you that I’ve picked up from sermons and personal study. The first idea is to set aside time each morning as a quiet time. Prepare to follow God just like you would stretch muscles before working out. Stretch the mind with daily planned Bible readings, inspirational thoughts, and prayer.
When you go throughout your day, let God go with you. Don’t leave Him out of anything. Think of what He can help you with this day and dream about what He can do for you tomorrow. There is reason to be in a good mood and it’s all about what Christ has already done. If you have the courage to make this your focus and give God the best part of your day, your life will be transformed.
Many times there are so many distractions in the world that keep you from being at your best. Discover that there is tremendous benefit in attending to your faith by reading, observing, and listening with a purpose. One idea is to read, listen to music, and view art with a positive purpose of following God’s ways.
You can also relate the word of God to your interest or read His word with the purpose of learning a lesson to apply to your life; lessons that are greater than silver and gold. Every conversation you have, every book you read, and every song you hear can have a lesson you can learn and be used in building success for yourself and those you know.
To overcome a lack of time and manage your time better, break your ultimate aims into small blocks of tasks. Another idea is to find your most productive time of the day and tackle the most meaningful tasks during this time. Do routine tasks during the time of day when you are not at your best.
The people that always come out on top in the long run are the ones that do things the right way. Not by works but by God’s will for His purposes. When you do come out on top and have a lot to smile about at the end of your day, know who to give credit, thank God by singing to Him, and praying. Why would anyone want to go against the source of all things? Isn’t it much easier living in His light, trusting in His love, and using His resources? Why would anyone defer this advantage?
For maximum efficiency, let God direct each step you take. Ask for help in being sure you treat others right by doing the right thing with integrity and love. Avoid the traps that get you into trouble by listening to those you can trust. Always strive to get along with others by watching what you say. When you are tested, continue to have a good outlook on life.
Take advantage of difficulties by learning from the tough experiences of life and using them as a way to become self-disciplined so you are continuously going all-out for the eternal reward. Seek to tie together the relationship between the word of God and things of nature.
Daily pray for direction to the maker of thunder, lightning, and wind. Receive His strength and be blessed with peace. Praise the Source of all Knowledge and out of intense complexities will emerge powerful simplicities. Create friends rather than enemies. Use God’s power. Make Sunday a time of rest and renewal. Discover your strength and use it to gain resources that can be given to your church. Lead by putting people in the right positions and let their skills work for the team.
At this link is a document entitled Overcoming Lack of Time. Until the next post, study this document and use it to help develop better time practices. Use it to document ideas in how you may better apply your faith and plan out each day with God.
Getting a Good Start to Your Day
