Single-Minded (2)

'...Fix your gaze directly before you.' Proverbs 4:25 NIV

It doesn't take much effort to let your mind drift and dream. But it takes great effort to set your mind to the task of developing a clear goal, of having a clear and compelling dream.

John Maxwell says: 'For me the whole process begins with questions I must ask myself. The dream is always rooted in the dreamer, in his or her experiences, circumstances, talents, and opportunities. 
I ask: 
"
What am I feeling?     - what are my emotions telling me?
What am I sensing?    - what is my intuition telling me?
What am I seeing?      - what is happening around me? 
What am I hearing?    - what are others saying?
What am I thinking?   - what do my intellect and common sense say?
" ...
A clear picture may come to you all at once, in lightning-bolt fashion, but for most people it doesn't work that way. Most people need to keep working at it, clarifying it, redrawing it. If the process is difficult, that's no reason to give up. In fact, if it's too easy, maybe you're not dreaming big enough. Just keep working on it because a clear dream is worth fighting for.'

If you can get a clear sense of where you are, what you know, and what you want, you're well on your way to understanding and embracing the thing God put you on earth to do.

Moses spent the first two-thirds of his life working out what God wanted him to do, trying to do things his own way, only to fail. But he had a heart for God, and a vision from God, and eventually he succeeded.

And you will too!


Soul Food: Ecc 1-4, John 11:28-37, Ps 50, Pr 30:7-10

Written by Bob & Debby Gass
Monday, 18 November 2013

APPS available here

Single-Minded (1)

The Bible says, '...he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways' (James 1:6-8 NKJV).

Peter Marshall, former chaplain to the U.S. Senate, prayed, 'Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand, and what to stand for.' A dream that isn't clear won't help you get anywhere. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to contribute? 

Who do you want to become? In other words, what does success look like for you?

If you don't define it, you won't be able to achieve it. Most people don't get what they want because they don't know what they want. They haven't defined their dream in clear and compelling detail. Ben Stein writes: 'The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this:

Decide what you want!' John Maxwell adds:

• Instead of saying, "I want to lose weight," say, "I will weigh [80 kg] by June 1." 
• Instead of saying, "I want to get out of debt," say, "I will pay off all credit card balances by December 31." 
• Instead of saying, "I need to improve my leadership," say, "I will read one leadership book every month." 

Being specific doesn't necessarily mean having every little detail thought out before you move forward. But your main goal should be clear. The rest will unfold as you move forward, making adjustments as you go.'

The question you need to answer is, 'Am I single-minded?'

SoulFood: Dan 1:3-21, Dan 3:7-30, Dan 5:10-31, Dan 9:1-19 (Faith hero: Daniel)

Written by Bob & Debby Gass
Monday, 17 November 2013

APPS available here