I hope you guys had more than a wonderful Thanksgiving. One that created good memories with loved ones, friends, and even those you just welcomed to your home and showed hospitality.
Thirty family memories filled my home this year. What a blessing to me, as I am a big family person.
My wife’s preparation for everyone to come over inspired today’s Monday Motivator. The time she spent preparing is what made for a successful Thanksgiving.
That led me to consider, “What if we prepared for life this diligently?” Leading me to ask you, are you prepared for life?
A saying I love and want to share with you today is, “Your homework will show whether you have prepared for every given situation.”
The Word of God gives us many things to help us be overcomers in this life, and today, I want to share 5 with you.
Starting with:
1. Seek Wisdom –
Proverbs 4:7 advises, “The beginning of wisdom is this.”
Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Embrace a lifelong journey of learning and gaining insight.
2. Practice Compassion –
Matthew 22:39 encourages, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Cultivate empathy and kindness towards others, recognizing the interconnectedness of humanity.
3. Develop Integrity –
Proverbs 10:9 emphasizes, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely.” Build a foundation of honesty, sincerity, and moral uprightness in all areas of your life.
4. Cultivate Perseverance –
James 1:12 reminds us, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial.”
Life is filled with challenges; develop resilience and endurance to overcome obstacles.
5. Prioritize Your Faith –
Proverbs 3:5-6 advises, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Cultivate a strong faith, recognizing a higher purpose and source of guidance in your journey.
How do you cultivate a strong faith? By feeding your faith and starving your fear.
I challenge you to begin developing and growing these five things I shared with you today. Even yet, take a deeper study into them. They were strong characteristics found in people from the bible who successfully overcame and ran their races.
After arriving back from an incredible trip to Uzbekistan, I returned home last Tuesday, now fueled and geared up for Thanksgiving.
Your prayers for angelic protection while traveling have been a source of gratitude for me.
I cannot recount numerous instances of God’s divine protection throughout the years.
I’m genuinely thankful that daily, God stations angels around us, ensuring our safety.
Today, I’d like to share five ways God provides us with angelic assistance:
1. Guardianship: As Psalm 91:11-12 says, God commands angels to guard us in all our ways.
2. Deliverance: In Daniel 6:22, an angel intervenes to protect Daniel in the lions’ den.
3. Guidance and Encouragement: Exodus 23:20 promises an angel to guide the Israelites in times of need.
4. Warrior Angels: Revelation 12:7-9 portrays angels as powerful warriors in a heavenly battle against spiritual forces.
5. Divine Assistance: In 2 Kings 6:16, Elisha’s prayer reveals the angelic army protecting them.
Let’s raise a praise of thanksgiving to God this week for His 24/7 protection over us and our loved ones.
God’s divine protection provides us a reason to face any situation without fear, knowing that the heavenly hosts on our side outnumber dark principalities on this earth.
Thanksgiving is just a week away, and as this year races by, I find myself pausing to appreciate the blessings in life.
Reflecting on the year deepens my gratitude, especially for my wonderful wife, Marsha.
I thank God not just for blessings but for the woman He has given me as a life partner to share those blessings with.
She stands with me through life’s challenges and blessings.
In Genesis, God created Eve from Adam’s rib to be his helper, emphasizing companionship.
I heard someone mention that God, when creating Eve, could have chosen any part of Adam, but He specifically chose his rib—a vital bone from his side. Painting the picture of marriage: doing life together, side by side.
Marsha and I have embraced this concept, doing life together for many years.
Expressing gratitude for your spouse goes beyond words; it involves kind actions and gestures.
Marriage is a blessing, and serving your spouse is a meaningful way to show love and honor.
As Craig Groeschel puts it, serving and honoring our spouses demonstrates the sacrificial love of Christ.
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. – Ephesians 5:21-28
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, November is a truly special month.
It brings us delightful fall weather, vibrant foliage, and the cherished Thanksgiving Day, a time when we, as a nation, reflect on our blessings.
For me, as a Christian, gratitude shouldn’t be confined to just one day a year; it should be a way of life.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate three things we can be thankful for not only as Thanksgiving approaches but every day:
1. Gratitude for Your Health
Recently, I battled COVID, which nearly took my life. Today, I stand fully healed and healthy, grateful for another day with my loved ones. I give thanks for my health, understanding that it’s through the strips of Jesus that we have healing.
Some of you may be standing in faith right now for your healing. Don’t stop, but in the period of receiving give thanks to God that you have been healed according to His Word.
Sometimes our blessings are found in our praise.
2. Appreciation for Supportive People
God has surrounded us with family, friends, spouses, and assistants who stand by us and offer their support. Let’s not take them for granted but shower them with gratitude, recognizing that God has placed them in our lives. God knew we needed these relationships.
We read verses like “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
We also see helpers like Barnabas, Aaron, and Hur, who served others. Take note of those around you whom God has given, and tell them, “Thank you for all you do.”
3. Thankfulness for Opportunities
As you watch and read this Monday Motivator, I will be in Paris, ministering the Word to many people. This is just one of the countless doors God has opened for me to share His good news.
God may have provided opportunities through your work, to use your gifts, to travel, or other avenues. Give thanks for them, recognizing that it’s God’s favor that brings these opportunities into your life.
These are just three things to be thankful for, but I encourage you to discover even more blessing
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name. -Hebrews 13:15
This week, we jump into the final letter of the S-P-E-A-K Principle:
“K” standing for knowledge. Knowledge serves as the gateway to personal growth, a fundamental step toward realizing your future potential.
To grow, you must be a perpetual learner.
I’ve encountered many individuals embarking on new projects who claim they need not do or learn anything, relying solely on faith.
However, what I’ve come to understand is that faith is nurtured and strengthened through knowledge.
Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” In essence, faith is built upon understanding and internalizing the Word, and gaining knowledge.
When you aspire to something or a specific area, you must immerse yourself in knowledge about that subject. This empowers you with the faith to believe in what you aim to achieve.
Therefore, we must not cease to be continuous learners and diligent students, not just in matters of faith but in every aspect of life.
Hosea 4:6 reminds us, “My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge.” This principle applies to all facets of our lives.
The depth of our knowledge in a particular area determines how far we can progress in it. So, don’t limit your potential by putting a cap on your knowledge.
Always seek ways to grow, improve, and enhance your practices. Challenge both yourself and those around you to acquire more knowledge. Often, knowledge can be found through the relationships you nurture. Consider who is in your circle that can aid your growth in a specific field and what resources you can tap into.
This week, make time to learn something new, whether through reading, listening to podcasts, or engaging in meaningful conversations. Be a perpetual learner and encourage others to do the same.
It’s sad to say that we’re nearing the end of our teaching of the S-P-E-A-K Principle, a concept we’ve been exploring this month. This morning marks the beginning of our fourth week, with a focus on the letter “A.”
S – Story. P – Passion. E – Encourage the passion. A – Affirmation. K – You’ll have to wait until next week, sorry, can’t spoil it!
Affirmation can sometimes feel unfamiliar in today’s generation. It’s a two-way awkward street – both giving and receiving. Last week, we discussed the importance of encouraging people in their godly passions, motivating them to pursue what God put on their hearts.
But today, we’re shifting the spotlight away from passion. I want you to concentrate on affirming the person, not their aspirations.
I’ve discovered that affirmation helps individuals see in themselves what they can’t see, or better yet, what God sees in them.
That’s why it’s crucial not to solely focus on people’s shortcomings but to highlight their great qualities.
Constantly pointing out their mistakes can lead them to view themselves as failures, a perspective that doesn’t align with God’s vision for them.
Your words hold the power to transform the atmosphere and unleash God’s prophetic potential for your future.
Most people deal with negative thoughts, confusion, and disbelief. These can be altered by the influence of your words.
When someone believes they’re a failure, you can stand by their side and tell them, “No, you’re not,” and speak truth into their lives. This not only shifts the negative energy in the environment but also transforms their attitude.
This is the beauty of coaches, teachers, and even pastors. They have daily opportunities to infuse positive affirmation into people’s lives, changing the trajectory of their lives and thought patterns.
The truth is, regardless of our job titles, we all possess the power to affirm. As parents, we can affirm our children; as bosses, we can affirm our teams; as co-workers, we can affirm our colleagues – the list is endless.
Seek out those you can uplift, and when someone shares something positive about you, accept it graciously. Don’t downplay their compliment. You are worthy of love and affirmation.
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. – Proverbs 16:24
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