Don't Lose Focus

I pray that any of you that were contemplating throwing in the towel, or quitting are back on track. As you move forward I must remind you to stay focused. Keep your mind on what God says and not what the enemy tries to plant in your mind. Keep pressing forward.

For as we read in Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

How do you plan your day, week, month, and year. What are your short and long term goals? That’s a lot to think about, so let’s back up and take it one plan at a time.

What were your plans for today? Were you able to accomplish them? If not, why not? What distracted you, or interrupted your plan? Were you able to overcome the distraction or interruption and get back on course or will you have to use time allocated for another task to get back on track.

Things don’t always go the way we plan. Sometimes it’s a good thing, and sometimes it may not be a good thing. What’s important is that you don’t allow distractions to side track you, or prevent you from moving towards your goal.

We’ve talked previously about how fear of success can be just as crippling as fear of failure. When you see the doors you’ve knocked on being opened, when you receive what you have asked for, when you find what you have been seeking, don’t become afraid of the success God is bringing your way. Not only is this what you have been diligently praying for it is also your destiny.

Many times when we are getting close to a victorious moment the enemy will cause us to start doubting. He will send those fiery darts towards your mind. The ones that say, this can’t be real, I’m not good enough, they must have made a mistake. He may even try to convince you that the thing you have tried so hard to achieve, along with your efforts to achieve them are worthless. He wants to convince you that you will not succeed.

Matthew 14: 22-32 and straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.  But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

I want us to take a look at a few things here. First, there were several disciples on the boat. Why was Peter the only one that asked the Lord to bid him, or enable him to come to him on the water? Why did Peter want to walk on the water in the first place? Why didn’t he just allow Jesus to come and join them on the ship?

My thought is that Peter had faith, He believed that it was Jesus walking on the water. He also believed that because it was Jesus he could command him, or enable him to walk on the water. When Jesus said come, Peter didn’t hesitate. He went down out of the ship and began walking toward Jesus. Peter wasn’t walking towards the shore, or walking around the boat just to see if he was in fact able to walk on water. He had a goal in mind. He was walking towards Jesus.

Are you like the rest of the disciples in the boat, or are you like Peter? Are you bold enough in your faith to say, if it is you bid me to come? Lord, if this is your plan for my life enable me to walk in it. Equip me with the faith that I need to walk towards my destiny, to reach my goal.

To listen to the message in its entirety click on the link below and select Don’t Lose Focus

http://www.gretahillman.com/#!audiovideo/cd8l

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We will not have a call Thursday February 25, 2016, join us again Thursday March 3, 2016.

                  

Quitting is Not an Option

Last week we talked about commitment. I pray you sought God and have an idea about your commitments and how to prioritize them. Many times we become so bogged down with our commitments and our day to day routines that we may want to throw in the towel or simply say I quit.

If you are employed inside or outside of your home, if you are a caregiver, or have children that you are caring for.  If you have health concerns, financial concerns or are concerned about any are of your life you can become weary. Well I want to speak words of encouragement to you that I pray will strengthen you and enable you to move forward and continue moving forward.

The Bible is filled with stories of people like you and me who have faced insurmountable odds but remained steadfast in their faith, committed to their cause, persevered against the odds and never gave up. Quitting was not an option.

We find a summary of great testimonies of faith in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith for us. It tells us how faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. This scripture reminds us of several things. It reminds us that faith is now. Faith should be present before what you are expecting or believing God for appears. It reminds us that without seeing it or touching it by faith we can be assured that what we pray for will occur. Faith is the conduit or place of passage between desire, thought or hope and manifestation.

As we continue reading in Hebrews chapter 11 we read of how :

Abel by faith offered the best lamb as a sacrifice to God, God testifying of his gifts

Enoch walked with God and was translated and did not see death

Noah built the ark, obeying God without questioning

Abraham trusted God, leaving his land not knowing where he was going. Along with his wife who were both past child bearing age believed Gods promise that his seed would be too numerous to count

Moses’ parents hid him three months, being not afraid of the king and his order to kill all male children

Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, forsaking Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king, passing through the red sea as by dry land

The walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days

Rahab the harlot received the spies with peace and did not perish with them that believed not

The woman with the issue of blood after spending all she had pressed her way through a crowd of people believing if she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed.

Can you imagine going from doctor to doctor with a disease that cannot not be diagnosed?  Your insurance is cancelled and you spend everything you have. Your only hope, which is the same hope you have had all along is Jesus.

More times than not, we exhaust all of our possibilities, everything we think we can do with our own thoughts or our own abilities before we go to God, why is that? Even when we pray first we may still try to intervene when we don’t see or receive our expected results when we expect, want or think we need to, or should receive them.

To listen to the message in its entirety click on the link below and select Quitting is Not an Option

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Join Sisters Steadfast in Faith Thursdays at 9p.m.EST for E2E, Empowered to Excel

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We will not have a call Thursday February 25, 2016, join us again Thursday March 3, 2016.

Commitment

Who or what are you committed to? Who or what has your attention? What are your priorities? Well the standard answer in most Christian circles would be, personal relationship with God first, family second, personal ministry third if applicable and job fourth.

If that is the way you would answer does it always hold true? Do your commitments and priorities change, should they change?

How are you allocating your time? This time last year I would have said my personal relationship with God was first, but I wasn’t committing the time to Him that I should have. My job unfortunately held a pretty close second tied with my family. My personal ministry, or Gods call on my life was last.

You see I was neglecting the thing I love the most, which is serving God in the purpose and plan He has chosen for my life, because my priorities were wrong. I was too focused on my job, oh yeah, and I forgot. To unwind I’d fill my weekends with watching all the television programs I’d recorded throughout the week. Thank God for His mercy and His grace I’m also grateful as we read in Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

I believe our first commitment should be to God. He says in all our ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our paths. He also says but seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

He is telling us when we do things His way we need not be concerned about the cares of life, what to eat what to drink what to wear. He will take care of not just the small things, but everything that matters to us. Who knows us and the things that we need better than the One that created us?

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the cares of our lives that we are unable to focus on the things, or purpose God has placed us here to serve.

The job of the enemy is distraction. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but because of the hedge of protection God has around you the enemy will distract you with the cares of this world. He wants you to worry about your finances, your health, your family; any and everything that you hold dear, or that that you think is needed to survive. Notice the emphasis here is on the word you.

God says take no thought for these things. He knows we have need of them. If He takes care of the lilies of the field surely He can take care of you.

To listen to the message in its entirety click on the link below and select Commitment

http://www.gretahillman.com/#!audiovideo/cd8l

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