guidance

Ready, Fire, Aim

“Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.” – Proverbs 24:27 “Ready, fire, aim,” seems out of sequence, doesn’t it? Of course we are all familiar with the well-known expression “Ready, aim, fire.” Put in a different context, it’s my opinion that “Ready, fire, aim” is the best way to live your life. It’s a Schuller habit I have adopted in my life. I think that there is something about being ready — you feel a little bit more prepared when you are ready. When it comes to fire, you do what needs to be done. If you miss your aim, you go back and you correct what you have done wrong. As we discussed yesterday, it is essential that you act upon the knowledge that you have gained and apply it to your daily life. As a result of this action,

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A God-Given Dream

“Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had:’ ” – Genesis 37:5-6 Today, as we continue talking about dreams and dreamers in the Bible, we can’t leave out Joseph! Joseph was the first son of the Patriarch Jacob and Rachel. He had eleven other half brothers, yet he was the favored son. This was evidenced by an ornate coat given to him by his father — a symbol of favor and blessing. In addition to the coat of blessing, Joseph has many qualities to be envied. The Bible tells us he was a handsome guy, but he was also really friendly and loving. But what finally pushes this family over the edge is when God gives Joseph a dream. He shared the dream: “We were binding sheaves of grain out

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He is Our Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” – Psalm 23:1-3 We will be looking at Psalm 23 for the next few days as we continue talking about living a life without lack and having everything we need in the sufficiency of God’s Kingdom. I encourage you to memorize individual Psalm verses as we go through them so you may dwell on them and truly let their truth sink into your spirit! The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. We have a good Shepherd and in His love, we have everything that we need. He makes me lie down in green pastures. Sheep lie down in green meadows when they have had enough to eat. A pasture is where flocks

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Deception Brings Destruction

“But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, ‘First seek the counsel of the Lord.’” – 2 Chronicles 18:4 Being a good leader means we may have to hear things that we don’t want to hear. This was certainly the case for Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, and Ahab, King of Israel. As we learned yesterday, their two kingdoms were separate; however, once Judah began to enjoy great prosperity, Jehoshaphat wanted to align himself with Israel for the sake of protecting his blessings. There’s strength in numbers, and he knew that if he had the support of his northern neighbor, he would stand a better chance should another nation move in and try to capture his wealth. Unfortunately, King Ahab was not very wise — he was full of himself, and he wanted to utilize the manpower he found in his alliance with Judah to attack the northern country of

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Turning Back Isn’t God’s Best

“By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah — from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities — and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” – Genesis 19:23-26 Has God ever guided you someplace, but then you looked back and second-guessed your course? If so, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, this is what happened to Lot’s wife in the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and her choice cost her her life. Having listened patiently to the painful cries of injustice rising to Him from these cities that embraced perversion and shamelessly killed women and children, God finally had enough. He went so far as to

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God is Your Guide

“With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.’ When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.” – Genesis 19:15,16 Yesterday, we looked at how God and two angels stopped by Abraham’s tent and warned him that they were going to Sodom and Gomorrah to assess the conditions there, and if need be, swiftly execute judgment. Later, when they arrived at the city gate, Abraham’s nephew Lot was waiting for them. Possibly having heard about the Lord’s intent to destroy his hometown, he wanted to get the men to his house, either to deter them or to keep them safe. Unfortunately,

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Jesus Wants to Bless You!

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” – Psalm 27:13 If there’s any truth I want you to internalize this year, it’s that God wants to bless you! Many of us who were raised in church, especially in legalistic environments, wrongly believe that our Lord is a killjoy and that we should expect nothing more from Him than our salvation. That said, we approach Him with fear and an underlying conviction that He will bring calamity upon us if we don’t “measure up” to His standards. Thankfully, this is not the truth! In fact, David wrote in the Psalms that although we endure difficulties and hardships, we can be confident that we will see His goodness manifest in our lives on this earth. Though our outcomes may not always be what we want them to be, because the

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