At any time you want, you can be thinking pleasant, empowering thoughts, offering words of praise, solving problems, remembering happy times, or dreaming new dreams. And yet, many prefer to spend their thoughts in reliving old hurts and thinking the worst about everything.

Paul told us to be made new in the attitude of our minds (Ephesians 4:23) and he told us to make it a point to think on things that are good and true and admirable. In doing so, he says, “The God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9)

Today, if you choose, you can have a feast and live in luxury. Best of all, the God of peace will be with you.

What are you thinking about?

Everyone knows that it’s a mistake to not pray when the sun is shining. But it’s foolish to compound this mistake by refusing to pray when the rain starts pouring down. Even if you haven’t prayed enough in the past, this is time to start praying more than ever.

Many times, when trouble strikes, our first reaction is to panic. Our first emotion is fear. We need to get past that, and move in the direction of prayer.

This is what happened to King Jeshophat when he heard the news that three armies were aligned against him, prepared to attack. The Bible says…

Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. (2 Chronicles 20:3)

First came fear, a normal reaction.

Then came prayer.

Then came guidance.

Then provision.

Then victory.

This is where God’s work in your life often begins: from a place of need, or hurt, or fear. Many who walk close to Christ can tell you that it was pain that led them to pursue a deeper walk with God. Despair can be a catalyst to experiencing God’s power.

There’s a reason for this. When confronted with trouble, we’re more likely to shed the religious façade and get real with God. In the journey to experiencing God, this is the first step.

“Well,” the doctor replies, “When you go home tonight, stand about 15 feet from her and say something. If she doesn’t reply, move about five feet closer and say it again. Keep doing this so we can get an idea of the severity of her problem.”

So the husband goes home and does exactly as instructed. He stands about 15 feet from his wife, who is standing in the kitchen, chopping some vegetables.

“Honey, what’s for dinner?”

He gets no response, so he moves about five feet closer and asks again.

“Honey, what’s for dinner?”

No reply.

He moves five feet closer, and still no reply.

He gets fed up and moves right behind her, about an inch away, and asks one final time, “Honey, what’s for dinner?”

She replies, “For the fourth time, vegetable stew!”

IT’S NOT YOU…
A running joke on the Seinfeld show was about breaking off a relationship with the line “It’s not you, it’s me.” Sometimes the line is true. Sometimes it really is me. The other person doesn’t have the hearing problem, I do. The other person doesn’t need to get better, I do.

The same can be said for your situation. There’s always the possibility that it’s you, not those around you, who can’t hear. There’s always the possibility that it’s you, not those around you, who needs to adapt to the circumstances.

This applies to our relationships with one another and it applies to our relationship with God. Solomon said, “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.” (Proverbs 19:3)

This is the ultimate placing-blame strategy, but it gets us nowhere.

MAYBE IT’S ME…
Try this exercise. Make a list, mental or written, of the difficulties you are experiencing due to someone else. Maybe your spouse doesn’t hear you, or worse, doesn’t listen to you; maybe your children don’t obey you; maybe your boss doesn’t appreciate you. Make a quick list — and then give some thought to what you can do, what changes you can make, to improve the situation.

Take it one step further. Think about what’s not working in your spiritual life right now. Unanswered prayer? Do you feel that God has abandoned you? Have you lost sight of the vision? Before you allow your heart to rage at the Lord, think about what you can do to change the situation. Is there sin to repent of? Is there folly to abandon?

Getting back on track starts with the realization that maybe it’s not the other guy who needs to be fixed. Maybe it’s me. Is there a possibility that it might be the same for you?

A giant safety net was developed—at a cost of $100,000. This was the first time something like this was used at a construction site. With the security of the net below them, men were able to move about at a faster pace because they knew that if they fell their lives would be spared. With the security of the net below them, they could work without the dread of uncertainty.

We may not be able to see the net below us, but it’s there. Our security comes from a loving, all-powerful God who protects us every step of the way. David said…

I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8)

1. They’re protective of their time. They don’t waste their time and they don’t let others waste their time. They tend to ask themselves, “Is this the best thing I can be doing at this moment?”

2. They know how to say to no. Productive people spend most of their time doing things that take them in the direction of their goals. They know how to make the distinction between a good use of their time and the best use of their time. Productive people know that their time and strength and resources are limited. You can’t do everything that everyone else wants you to do; you can only do what God has called you to do. It’s important to know how to say, “no.”

3. They limit the number of projects they pursue. I’ve never met a truly successful person who was spread too thin. They tend to dig deep, not wide. Productive people invest more of their time in fewer projects. The result is that they get more done.

Some people I’ve known who were supposedly good with managing time were, in fact, abrupt and impatient, always with the impression that you’re imposing. It doesn’t have to be that way. Effective time management doesn’t mean that you’re always in a hurry. It means that you’re always focused on doing what matters. This includes, sometimes, just hanging out with your kids and doing nothing. It includes, sometimes, swapping stories with co-workers and employees. It includes, sometimes, sitting in a park and just thinking about what’s happening in your life.

William Penn said, “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” Using time well is a lifelong pursuit, a never-ending process of weeding and pruning.

Psalm 90:12 in the New Living Translation says, “Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

May your use of today bring God glory and lead you closer to him.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5)

I love the urgency in Jesus’ words: “Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Jesus was saying, “Zacchaeus, don’t wait. Don’t put this off. Something important is about to happen.”

How, then, did Zacchaeus respond?

So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. (Luke 19:6)

He invited Jesus into his house. He didn’t say, “I’m not ready. My house isn’t prepared. I don’t have enough food. I don’t have any party favors on hand. The place is a mess…Can we do this a week from Friday when I’ve had time to get things in order?”

Instead, he seized the opportunity to have Jesus come to his home. What happened next? This spur-of-the-moment meeting led to a life-change for Zacchaeus. He said, “Jesus, I want to start doing things right. I’ll give half of my money to the poor, and I’ll pay four times the amount to anyone I’ve cheated.” And Jesus said…

“Today salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19:9)

Salvation came today, because Zacchaeus responded to the invitation today. He might not have felt completely prepared to have the King of Kings enter his home, but he didn’t put it off. And his life changed as a result.

What life-changing invitation have you put off? Maybe something important is ready to happen. Is there something you can do about it today?

Paul tells us that we are to forgive one another “just as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32) How has he forgiven us? He’s forgiven us completely, without any merit on our part. None of us deserve to be forgiven, but he has lavished it on us anyway. He forgives our sins — all of them — completely. And then he forgets: “And I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)

In forgiveness, forgetting is a matter of choice. To “not remember” an offense means that you will no longer attempt to hold that offense against them. You won’t bring it up in a disagreement. You won’t use it for leverage. This means you’ll do your best to treat the other person as if it never happened at all, or as if it will never happen again.

Which brings us to another quote from Beecher: “Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note, torn in two and burned up, so that it can never be shown against the man.”

Forgiveness should be this way between you and others, because this is exactly how it is between you and God.

I learned to drive with a no-backing-up mentality. I wouldn’t park on a driveway unless it was built on a slope and I could roll my way back into the street. In parking lots, I looked for two empty spaces (one in front of the other), so I could pull through the first and park in the second, as if I had backed in. I got pretty good at it, making it through most of my senior year not driving backwards.

This is a terrible way to drive your car, but it’s not a bad way to live your life. If you can learn to live without going in reverse, you can overcome many of the limitations that we put on ourselves.

There are many times when we say, “I know what I want to do, I know what I ought to do, but I have this history of failure…I tried this before and it didn’t work. How can I try again?” That’s the driving-in-reverse approach. It’s the opposite of what we’re called to do.

Remember the words of Paul.

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

Are you stuck in reverse? Are there some things today that you need to forget, as you make a conscience effort to drive forward? Forget what’s in the rear-view mirror, forget what lies behind. Look ahead and press on toward the prize.

Keep in mind what William Feather said: “Conditions are never just right. People who delay action until all factors are favorable do nothing.”

There’s something to be said for beginning now and filling in the details as you go. Not that details aren’t important or that preparation isn’t necessary, but at some you’ve got to quit compiling data and start pursuing results.

Do you know what the problem is? There’s no failure to face in the preparation stage. There’s no disappointment to deal with in the dream-casting stage. It’s only after the plan has been put into practice that you confront results that maybe don’t meet expectations. It’s easy to get nervous. It’s easier to plan just a little longer.

When Abraham was older than just about everyone who will be reading these words, God told him, “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) Abraham went, not having a plan in place, not knowing exactly what lay ahead, only that he was following the voice of God.

There are times when it’s time to do just what Abraham did: take the first few steps, even if all the questions haven’t been answered and all the problems aren’t solved in advance. There’s something to be said for beginning now.

Therefore I urge you, be imitators of me. (1 Corinthians 4:16)
Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

It’s a bold thing to say, “Be like me. Do what I do. Say what I say. Follow my example.” I don’t always feel comfortable with these words, because I know my faults all too well. But here’s the truth: any leader worth his or her salt can say it, and should say it.

You follow the example and yield to the influence of qualified leaders in every area of life. When you invest, or make business decisions, or look after your health, you often look to leaders for direction. That’s because if you take good advice and follow good examples, you’re pretty much guaranteed success in these areas.

It’s the same with discipleship and leadership. The crucial question is: Whose example will you choose to follow?

A key to your success is to identify imitation-worthy individuals, and learn to follow their example — especially in these areas:

Attitude
Preparation
Conversation
Spiritual Discipline
Work Ethic
Response to Adversity.

Do you know people who excel in these areas?

In order to be the best, learn to be like the best.