orkut - The cure for procrastination

"There is nothing I cannot master with the help of Christ who gives me strength." Phil 4:13 (JB)
The Bible gives us five actions we can take to stop procrastinating.
1. Stop making excuses -- "The lazy man is full of excuses." (Proverbs 22:13 LB)
What have you been saying you're going to do -- one of these days? What do you make excuses
about? The number one excuse I hear is, "When things settle down, then I'm going to ...." Things will
never settle down. You must make a choice to priorities what is important.
2. Start today -- Not next month, next week, or tomorrow. "Never boast about tomorrow. You don't
know what will happen between now and then." (Proverbs 21:1 GNT) None of us is guaranteed a
tomorrow.
I want you to write down three things you know God wants you to do, one item each these three
areas: your family, your personal life, and your career. Choose one of those three and decide to start
today. Even if you can only work on your goal fifteen minutes a day, do it - you'll feel so much better!
3. Establish a planned schedule -- Proverbs 13:16 says, "A wise man plans ahead. A fool doesn't."
(LB) If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. You need to designate some specific time slots each
week for the things you need to do. Whatever it is, put it on your calendar. And if it's a big task, break
it down into small pieces. Break it into bite sized pieces.
4. Face your fears -- We hate to admit we have fears because we think they're a sign of weakness.
But fear is a sign of humanity. Only fools are not afraid. You've heard it said, "Courage is not the
absence of fear, it's moving ahead in spite of our fears."
The Bible says here is nothing you cannot master with the help of Christ who gives you strength.
5. Focus on what you gain, not the pain -- There are very few things in life that are easy. You must
push through the frustration and look at the gain beyond the pain. Concentrate on how good you're
going to feel once you've finished the task.

orkut - Sometimes God says 'not yet'

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has
promised. For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay." Hebrews
10:36-37 (NIV)

If you're discouraged because of God's delay in answering your prayers, understand the delay is NOT
a denial. Just because the answer or the miracle hasn't come - yet - that doesn't mean God isn't going
to answer or that he's forgotten you or that he doesn't care about you. It simply means "not yet!"

Part of becoming spiritually mature is learning the difference between "no" and "not yet," between a
denial and a delay. The Bible tells us, "He who is coming will come and will not delay" (Hebrews 10:37
NIV).

God's delay may be a test of your patience. Anybody can be patient once. And, most people can be
patient twice. And, a lot of us can be patient three times. So God tests our patience over and over and
over.

Why? So he can see how patient you are? No!

He does it so you can see how patient you are. So you'll know what's inside you, and you'll be able to
know your level of commitment. God tests you so that you can know he is faithful, even if the answers
you seek are delayed.

If you're discouraged, turn it around by remembering God teaches you patience during delay. Ask him
to transform your discouragement into patience.
You may be going through difficult times right now. You're discouraged because the situation you face
seems unmanageable, unreasonable, or unfair.

It may seem unbearable and inside you're basically saying, "God, I can't take it anymore. I just can't
take it anymore!"

But you can.

You can stay with it longer because God is with you. He'll enable you to press on. Remember, you are
never a failure until you quit. Resist discouragement and finish the race God has set before you.

orkut - Renew Your Mind Daily

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and
we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ"

So many people today are not really enjoying their lives because of the condition of their minds. They
constantly dwell on negative, destructive, harmful thoughts. They don't realize it, but the root cause of
many of their problems is simply the fact that their thought life is out of control. They just dwell on
any thought that comes.

More than ever, we have to understand that our lives follow our thoughts. If you think negative
thoughts, then you're going to live a negative life. If you think discouraging, hopeless thoughts, can't-
do-it thoughts, mediocre thoughts, then your life is going to go down that exact same pathway. That's
why we have to take captive every thought and renew our minds with the Word of God on a daily
basis.

I want to challenge you today to think about what you're thinking about. Don't let those self-defeating
thoughts linger in your mind. Instead, speak God's promises over your life. Declare what He says
about you. Take captive every thought and renew your mind daily. As you do, you'll be empowered to
move forward into the abundant life He has for you!

PRAYER

Father God, today I choose to take captive every thought. I choose to renew my mind according to
Your Word. Holy Spirit, thank You for being my teacher and helper. I invite You to direct me in the
way that I should go. Help me fulfill my destiny. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

orkut - Grace for Today

God has grace in store for you every single day. Grace is His supernatural empowerment, His
unmerited favor on your life. All throughout scripture, we see God giving daily grace, empowerment
and provision to His people. For example, when the people of Israel were in the wilderness headed
toward the Promised Land, God gave them manna each morning to eat. It would just appear on the
ground. But, He specifically instructed them to gather up only enough for one day's supply. In fact, if
they got more than that, it wouldn't last. It would spoil. They were learning to trust God's grace every
single day.

In the same way, God doesn't give us grace for a year at a time or even a month at a time. No, every
24 hours God has a fresh, new supply of grace, favor, wisdom and forgiveness. How are you going to
make it through the seasons of your life? One day at a time. Look for His grace today. Look for His
provision today. Look for His hand of favor and blessing today because He promises to supply
everything you need for today.

PRAYER
Father God, thank You for Your grace and favor on my life today. I know that You have a fresh supply
of everything that I need—physically, spiritually and emotionally—today. Help me to trust You more as
I seek Your face. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

orkut - The Path of the Righteous

The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light
of day"
(Proverbs 4:18, NLTT).

Are you facing a situation that seems dark today? As a believer, God promises that your path will
shine brighter and brighter as you seek His truth and righteousness in every situation in your life.

How do you seek righteousness? Righteousness is simply being in right standing with God. When you
submit your life to Him and choose to obey His commands, you are seeking His righteousness, and
you are on the path of the righteous! Just like today's verse says, the light of God's Word will shine
brighter and brighter and will guide you in every decision you have to make.

Today, take time to ask the Lord to shine His light on you. Ask Him to confirm His plan for you. When
you make His Word a priority in your life, you will experience more of His blessings. You'll see those
brighter days as you move forward in the good plan He has in store for you!

A PRAYER

Father God, I know that You have a wonderful plan and purpose for me. I desire to be in right
standing with You. Show me Your ways and teach me to walk righteously before You. Shine Your light
in my heart and give me strength to pursue the path You have in store for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

orkut - God says you're lovable

The mountains and hills may crumble, but my love for you will never end, so says the Lord who loves
you. Isaiah 54:10 (TEV)

God says you're lovable. This is so important because you can't fulfill God's commandment to "love
your neighbor as yourself" until you believe this. If you don't feel lovable, you can't love anybody
else.

Our verse today says a couple things about God's love for us.

* God loves you consistently -- He doesn't love you one day and not the next. He doesn't love you on
your good days and not on your bad days. A lot of you grew up with inconsistent love. One lady told
me, "Growing up, I didn't know whether I was going to be hugged or slugged. My parents were never
consistent." God isn't like that. God is 100% consistent in his love for you.

* God loves you unconditionally -- He says, "I will always love you and it is unconditional. You don't
earn it." He doesn't say, "I love you if you're good, or I love you if you do these things, or I love you
because you look this way or you do these things." What if you were unable to fulfill the condition?
Then all of a sudden you're not loved anymore.

"God is 100% consistent in his love for you."

But God says, "I don't love you like that." He says, "I love you consistently and I love you
unconditionally." You never have to wake up in the morning and say, "God, are You going to love me
today? Did I read my Bible enough? Did I pray enough?" He loves you consistently no matter who you
are or what you do.

What is the result when you really understand this? Daniel 10:19 says "God loves you, so don't let
anything worry you or frighten you." That's a comfort to me. When I don't have to worry or be afraid
of anything, then I am free to give love to everyone around me.

orkut - God says I am valuable

God feeds the birds and you are far more valuable to Him than any birds! Luke 12:24 (NLT)

How much are you worth? I'm not talking about money. We confuse self-worth with net worth, but
they are very different. Your value has nothing to do with your valuables.

How much are you worth?

I once read an article in the Journal of Hospital Practice that calculated how much each of the
enzymes and hormones and all the different things in your body are worth. The author added them up
and if you are an average size person you are worth six million fifteen dollars and forty-four cents
($6,ooo,o15.44) based on your weight. (Some of us are worth more!)

You're a six-million dollar man or a six-million dollar woman! The article's author also estimated that,
if you calculate the cost of creating each cell in your body, it would be about six thousand trillion
dollars.

You are priceless.

Jesus thought this was so important that he took a whole chapter of the Bible to talk about it. In Luke
15 he tells three stories -- the lost son, the lost coin, and the lost sheep. It's the same punch line in
each story. Jesus says, "You matter!"

You matter to God. You are valuable. God says you are valuable because he loves you and he has
accepted you in Christ.

orkut - Know Your Limitations

"If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear,
where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of
them, just as he wanted them to be"
(1 Corinthians 12: 17-18, NIV).

In the New Testament, John was baptizing a crowd of people and drawing a lot of attention.
Somebody came up and said, "John, are you the Christ or should we keep looking?" Without missing a
beat John said, "No, I am not the Messiah."
See, John knew what he was, but he also knew what he was not. It's just as important to know what
you're not because if you don't realize your limitations, you'll get drawn into areas that may look
impressive and may feed your ego, but they are outside of your gifting and calling; outside of what
God anointed you to do. Anytime you go outside of your limitations, it will be a constant struggle.
Don't let that be you! Instead, stay focused on what you're good at. Follow peace in your heart and
know your limitations because God has created you just the way He wants you to be!

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for choosing me. I ask that You help me to know
my limitations. Help me to know my place in the body of Christ so that I can bring glory and honor to
You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

orkut - Keep loving others by recharging emotionally

"Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1
Corinthians 13:7-8 (NIV)

You cannot love people the way God loves you without God's power in your life because human love
runs out.

If you feel that nothing seems to be worth the effort, or life seems to be futile, or you find yourself
blaming God for your problems -- "Why did you let this happen to me?" - these are warning signs of
spiritual burnout.

1 Timothy 4:8 says: "Take the time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit." (Phillips) How do you
stay spiritually fit so you can love people? By building habits into your life that keep you spiritually
renewed.
A daily quiet time -- "This is the reason we never lose heart. Our body does suffer wear and tear but
every day the inward man receives fresh strength." (2 Corinthians 4:16) Outwardly our body suffers
wear and tear, but inwardly we can be spiritually renewed every day by spending time alone with
God.
I don't know what could help your life more than to begin the habit of a daily time with God. Start out
with just ten minutes a day. Find a place where you can be by yourself - the car, your bedroom or
living room, the backyard, even your office. Then pick a book of the Bible and read a chapter a day.
Read it, think about what you've read, write some things down. That's a habit that will make a
difference and keep you spiritually renewed.
Small group -- A Christian without a small group is an orphan. You need a small group. "Let us
encourage one another daily." You need to get together in a small group at least weekly where you
can share needs and problems, where you care and pray for each other.
Worship - Praising God will renew and rejuvenate you. Psalms 59 "I will sing of your strength in the
morning and I will sing of your love for you are my refuge in times of trouble." You need that
emotional release and that recharging that comes from singing. Put on a Christian tape or CD and sing
along and see how God restores your soul

orkut - JESUS, MY FRIEND

I have a Friend so dear,

Constant and true is He,
Filling my heart with cheer,
So good to me.
He’s covered ev’ry sin and stain,
His pow’r now makes me whole again,
And soon with Him fore’er I’ll reign—
Jesus, my Friend.

He’s promised to return

To this dark world below,
Though wicked men may spurn,
To Him I’ll go.
He’ll take me to my home on high,
Where I shall live and never die,
He’ll wipe all tears from ev’ry eye—
Jesus, my Friend.

Then why should sorrow fill

Hearts that on Him rely,
His blessèd “Peace, be still”
Calms ev’ry cry.
Who fills with hope and courage now,
And at the last—I not not how—
Will place a crown upon my brow—
Jesus, my Friend.

orkut - Keep loving others by maintaining physical health

"Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading to its hope. It can really outlast
anything." 1 Corinthians 13:7 (Phillips)

Love is exhausting. It's work to really love. Have you ever felt like, "I don't have any more love to
give"? Most people don't understand that their physical condition has a strong impact on their
relationships and their ability to love.
It takes physical energy to listen to people, to put their needs first. Have you ever tried to appear like
you're interested when you're dead tired? You're not listening because it takes energy to listen.
What happens to your relationships when you're run down? Little issues become big problems when
you're tired. You're more cranky, defensive, and critical when you're physically low.
What are some habits the Bible says will physically refresh you?
Rest - "It's senseless for you to work so hard from early morning till late at night. God wants you to
get your proper rest." (Psalm 127:2 LB) Some of you need to put that on your briefcase. Rest is so
important that God put it in the Ten Commandments - every seventh day you rest. If you're not
taking a day off every week you're breaking one of His commandments.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is just get some rest. It's amazing how much better
things look after a good night's sleep. Many of you are too tired to love your kids, too tired to love
your husband, too tired to love your wife.
Balanced diet - "You made my body, Lord, now give me the sense to head your laws." (Psalm 119:73
LB) It's a no-brainer, but choosing fruits and vegetables over chips and cookies will give us more
sustained energy. We know what to do, we just need to do it.
Regular exercise - "Honor God with your body." (1Corinthians 6:20 NIV) Our bodies were made for
activity. In Bible times they didn't have to exercise; they walked everywhere, they did physical work.
But most of us have sedentary lives and we drive everywhere. Yet, you really only have two choices in
life: fatigue