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How to Thrive Through Financial Difficulties

Financial Empowerment, Financial Success

When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow. Genesis 26:12-13 (NLT)

Are you in a financial famine? Or do you say like many do, “I need more money.”? The above scripture often touches our hearts during financial difficulties and rightly so. It reminds us that God is still in control even when the world around us is falling apart. It also reminds us that we are not forgotten by God and that He can and is able to bring us out of any financial trouble we may be facing.

This account of Isaac’s encounter with God occurs during an economic hardship that affected many. There are a few principles we can take from this part of God’s word that would help during challenging financial times as well as when we experience financial increases.

Be open to hear from God. Be open to hear the most unusual and seemingly illogical instructions.

Gen. 26:2 -3, “Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. ³Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.”

God wants to be an integral part of your life. Even in times of financial difficulties God wants to relate to you and to help you through the rough roads. He wants to encourage and direct you so that you would prosper through life.

As God speaks to Isaac He gave a command with the promise of His presence and of His blessing, “I will be with you and bless you” (Gen.26:3).

Just as He did with Isaac, He is willing to do with you. He wants to direct your life and be with you all the way as you carry out His will and in the process of life bring blessings to you.

[Tweet “Stay connected to God through prayer and His word; and wait to hear from Him.”]

Obey. Do what God tells you to do; even when it doesn’t make sense to you.

The blessings God gives goes beyond the person and the material. They extend beyond your generation. Imagine that – because of your relationship with God your family is blessed for generations. As God’s oath to Abraham was transferred to his son Isaac and to Isaac’s descendants, so does His blessings to you reach forward to your family for generations to come.

[Tweet “One reason God blesses us is because of our obedience to Him”] “because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Isaac learned that well and obeyed God and stayed where he instructed him to (Gen. 26:5-6).

Think about this. Does it make sense? Imagine you have the opportunity to go where the economic climate is better. Or you have a job offer or business opportunity opened to you in another country and the prospects indeed look promising. As you ponder and pray about it, God tells you – “Don’t go; stay here with your family.” What would be your first response? Human as we are, we would think much about it and even question God. Although we know God wants what is best for us when a good thing comes along we might think that God is holding us back. In some cases, we may even think that it is the enemy trying to dissuade us from receiving the blessings of God. This is a tough one. But obedience to God is always best. Obedience to God is key to life and financial success.

Speak the truth at all times.

I like the Bible. It shows how much God is willing to relate to us even in our sinful state. The relationship of imperfect man with a perfect and loving God rings throughout. Sometimes when we are in difficulty (like Isaac being in a strange land) we tend to put up defence mechanisms to protect ourselves. From a financial perspective, during difficult we may lie to the creditors or avoid taking their phone calls. But there is no need to do this when God is with you.

When Isaac’s lie was discovered, it actually resulted in his safely being guaranteed by the very people he feared would kill him. Telling your creditor about your loss of income and your inability to repay as required can actually open the door for some relief. I have heard of cases where the debt has been cancelled! The creditor may be able to give you a longer grace period or offer an alternative that would help until you get back on your feet financially.

Don’t be afraid to be honest. God will honour that.

Take action to create wealth.

Gen.26:12-14 really encourages me to move forward with my goals regardless to what the economic forecasters as saying. [Tweet “If God placed you where you are now, He will prosper you there.”] You don’t have to wait for the external conditions to improve or change in order to make an internal shift and take decisive action. If you wait you will likely never achieve your goals.

Isaac’s action to plant during the scarcity was a step of faith which God honoured. Not only did he reap 100% of his crop but his cattle and his household increased so much that his neighbours noticed it. When you move forward in faith – whether to change your career, work towards a promotion that doesn’t seem likely or start a new business or even find an extra income stream – God will prosper you and those around you will see it too!

Avoid relationship conflicts.

When you begin to prosper (while others are still facing financial challenges) not everyone will be happy about your successes. Some will want to learn from you while others will envy you and try to sabotage you in some way. This is what happened to Isaac. Each time he succeeded in digging a well and finding water – a much-needed commodity then – his “friendly” neighbours came to stake their claim on it.

The blessing on your life may cause others to envy (Gen.26:14), to fear you (Gen.26:16), to quarrel with you, to steal from you and to try to frustrate you (Gen.26:19-22). You may experience conflict in one way or another with friends or family members. People may think that your good fortune is undeserving. You may have ‘sudden’ friction between you and others that didn’t exist before. You may find that people just attach themselves to you to get what they can from you and not because they genuinely care about you. It’s unfortunate but this is how some respond.

The important step you must take in times like these is to let go and let God and not to react rashly to what others are doing. Isaac gave up what he and his servants had worked hard for but in the end they prevailed. So don’t despair. Don’t fight your enemies. God will make room for you and make you fruitful where you are (Gen. 26:22).

Finally, be patience, peace (shalom) will come.

The time will come as you continue to prosper and you handle relationship issues well that God will cause even your enemies to be at peace with you. Why? Your godly response to them (even when they do you wrong), will cause them to acknowledge that the Lord is with you (Gen. 26:28-29). They will want to make amends with you. Being at peace with your enemies will make the financial successes you receive even more pleasant.

Isaac’s situation takes us through the stages from financial struggle to success giving us some insight in how we should respond in times like these. The essence of this is that we should have a relationship with Christ, follow His leading, take action and live out the Christ life as He want us to.

[Tweet “What have you done or are you doing to thrive through financially challenging times?”]

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Acknowledge God

Success Keys

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Last year my great-aunt went home to the Lord at the age of 103. I considered her the bedrock of our family and a strong woman. I admired her love and faith in the Lord. She always had a word of encouragement to give and for sure she would always direct you the word of God. Proverbs 3: 5-6 was one scripture embedded in our minds because Aunt Manie would always quote it to you.

Looking back I realized that her words and her life have influenced me in my Christian walk a great deal. I have held to these words and even more so when life is extra challenging.

God wants us to acknowledge Him in all our ways. Yes, God wants us to seek His will in all we do. In every move we make, in every step we take, in every decision, in every thought, in every word, in every act – the Lord wants us to recognize His sovereignty over us and seek Him to direct us. He desires us to involve Him in every aspect of our lives – in all we do, our daily activities, and our plans. No aspect of our lives must be left to us alone.

As much as this scripture is so well-known and for us in this family we have probably heard it more than others, it is often taken lightly. We need to make sure that God is the central point of our focus. I may have said this before but if we expect to see daily success in our lives we need to know how to acknowledge God in all we do.

Daily connection through prayer: We need to rise up early and seek Him. Tell God your plans for the day, the week, the month, the year and beyond. He can handle it. Ask Him to show you the best way to go about living a life that pleases Him. Ask for His anointing to do the insurmountable things that he has called you do. Also seek His anointing to carry out your day-to-day responsibilities in your roles as parent, employer, employee, business owner, sibling, child or any task you do.

Let the Word be your guide: The Bible is your life’s compass. God designed His word to answer the simple as well as difficult questions of life. It is your navigator whether the seas of life are calm or there are storms raging. It will tell you what to do. Follow its instruction and you will succeed in whatever you do (Joshua 1: 7-8).

Seek Godly counsel: Our aunt was a woman of wisdom and at times she would have a word of encouragement or express the unexpected but timely advise you really needed to hear. Scripture tells us that there is safety in counsel of many. Through Godly relationships and the teachings we receive in our various congregations we can receive the wisdom we need to triumph through life’s challenges. When we see believe God’s word spoken through others, God will give us success (2 Chronicles 20:20).

Trust God completely: Consider your wisdom as nothing (Proverbs 3:7). Do whatever God says whether you like it or not (Ananias was not keen about meeting Saul). Do whatever God says whether it makes sense or not (Joshua walked around the Jericho’s wall in silence at God’s direction). My Aunt Manie still trusted God even after her legs were amputated. She still prayed, went to church when she could, didn’t complain, became more of an encourager to the family and others and still worshiped God every day and had the most positive outlook on life.

Seeking God’s will in all you do isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do but do it anyway. We can reap every day success if we rely on our Creator God to show us how.

Do you seek Him in everything you do?

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Staying Power: A Key to Success

2 Comments / Success Traits

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I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

—Philippians 3:14

Lately I have been time and energy challenged with three major projects pending completion within the same time frame. Each of them spans across different areas – my job, church and book publishing. During my lunch time, I am either making phone calls or responding to personal emails to keep up with the pace. By the time I reach home, I am taking care of my family and trying to set aside time for writing, marketing, promotion, learning and improving. At times, I feel a bit stretched but when I go to bed, I am satisfied that I’ve done my best for the day.

I realize that day by day, step by step I am making progress on my goals. Recently I asked the Lord how is it that I can keep moving forward although the responsibilities are great, the goals are high and at times tired. The word of received from the Lord is that He gives staying power.

Hum! What’s that?

I thought to myself that I have tried and failed miserably at other goals before but still I am ‘riding the tide’ (so to speak). Even amidst those foul ups, bleeps, blunders, outright failures; I have not given up (though I have thought of it in the tough moments). Today I am still moving forward and stepping out to try new things too. Staying power reminds me of the Apostle Paul who said he was pressing towards the goal for the prize of his calling in Christ (Philippians 3:14). This is what staying power is.

But what does staying power involve?

Anointing of God

For any Christian I would say the greatest means to having staying power is to have the anointing of God on your life. We are often quick to give up especially when life is tough. We need to keep asking God to anoint us to do His will. We need God’s presence for service not only in church but at home, at work, at school, or in whatever way we serve.

Enjoy Your Work

I know that I can be paid for what I am doing. Yet though there is not immediate recompense to me, I am not discouraged. Money is not my driving force but rather sharing and encouraging others to be living successes in Christ.

Discipline

Success in anything is gained with the ability to lead yourself. Instead of sleeping in, you rise early. Rather than watch television, you cut the hours you spend in front the tube to work on your goals. If you’re keep tabs on your weight, you exercise and eat healthier foods. Discipline is giving up the immediate pleasures to gain the precious prizes at the end.

Determination

Considering all Paul experienced (beatings, persecutions, imprisonment, ship wrecks) in his service to God, we can tell that he was strong-minded man (1 Corinthians 11:24-28). Joseph when betrayed by his brothers, then accused and imprisoned did not lose sight but keep holding to his dreams. Make up you mind to keep going forward.

Diligence

A diligent person is one who sticks to the task. You don’t stop midway but you work to complete what you started. Determination is a mind-set that acted out by being diligent. They go hand in hand and are part of having staying power. Be diligent because the reward will be sweet for you (Proverbs 13:4).

Love God & His people

You can love God but it really shows when you love His people. It is very hard to love without giving. When I put my time and effort into this work of writing I am by extension showing the love of Christ to others and honouring God.

Passion

When you are passionate about something, you have an unrelenting drive for what you are doing. You deeply care about what you are doing. You think about it all time and your family and friends probably think you are overly enthusiastic about it.

Prayer

Our physical as well as spiritual stamina lies in having a constant connection to our heavenly Father. Some mornings after a long night I would prefer to stay in bed but I can’t. I know that I need my Father God – to guide, to comfort, to direct, to strengthen and to provide. He is the Source of everything good. I am always renewed and receive new strength when I spend time in God’s presence.

Today, ask the Lord for give you staying power. Ask God to help you press forward like Paul in whatever way He has asked you to serve. Fix your eyes on the goal and move forward.

Share an experience when you thought you could do no more and you received staying power from the Lord to continue?

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How to Keep Your Dreams Alive

2 Comments / Spiritual Success, Success Keys

Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:15-18, NKJV)

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We all have dreams. We have the desire to either accomplish different goals for ourselves or we carry within us promises that God has given to us. Sometimes we are able to keep carrying those dreams until their fruition. At other times, these dreams or promises we have may seem so long in coming that we give up before they become reality. On the journey we tend to lose sight of our vision, get weary, and stop moving forward.

Our Heavenly Father, knowing our human nature so well, understood the importance of giving us visions. He knew that to keep our faith alive and keep us forging ahead towards His promises and the God-assignments we have, He would need to create pictures for us. God used picturing (visualization) to help His children believe in His word and receive His promises.

God promised Abraham, when he was childless and too old to father a child, that he would be the father of many nations. God used pictures like the dust of the earth, the sand of the seashore and the stars in the heavens show to him how many descendants he would have. God also had Abraham confess His word. How? Every time he said, “My name is Abraham”, he was speaking God’s truth about himself – that he is a father of many nations. Along with his confession, the people in Abraham’s life participated in keeping this vision alive when they called Abraham by his new God-given name. They were not just calling his name but they were agreeing with God: “Abraham you are the father of many nations.”

Picture this. You are walking in the seashore in the early morning and you feel the grains of the sand under your feet. You pick up a handful and attempt to count each of them only to lose many through the cracks of your hands. You quickly realize that it’s impossible to count them. Imagine a promise from God like that to Abraham. You can’t help be in awe of God. To keep this promise alive, I believe Abraham took time out to feel that sand under his feet and in his hands. What promises of God do you need to keep visually before you so that your faith would stay alive?

Consider this too. At night you go out to your patio or you look through you window at the stars. It’s such a clear night so you decide to go for a walk. As you gaze into the sky you pause to see how many stars you can count but it’s just not possible to count them all. You remember God’s promise and in awe you worship and praise Him for the wonderful works of His hands and the blessings He has given. Abraham had a visual of his promise both day and night. Do you have a picture of your vision before you?

Apart from Abraham there are many others who received the promises of God and God used imagining to help them keep the dream alive (Hebrews 11). Joseph had dreams of being great one day; those dreams were so real he had to share them with others. Through the years of hardship, I believe that those dreams kept Joseph from giving up on the promise of God.

We too have been given a visual. We have a word picture of what heaven and hell would be like. As Christians, we made a choice for heaven and we know that’s where we belong and we are going to when we pass from this earth. We just know it. That visual of heaven propels us each day towards God and His will.

Here are some benefits to visualization:

The more you see your vision the more you believe it will happen. You believe the more you see.
You become more focused or driven to reach your goal and to see God work on your behalf.
Your expectation grows and your excitement increases. This makes the journey more pleasant one.
When you imagine what your dream looks like, you make it real. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Having a visual will cause you to have a more defined and clearer path (baby steps) towards your goal.
Helps you to make better choices and act in harmony with your vision.

Keep a visual of your dream ever-present before you. Here are some suggestions for keeping the vision alive:

Post pictures, scriptures or inspirational quotes around your home or wherever you frequent the most (e.g. fridge door, dresser or bathroom mirror, doors, poster board in your home office space).
Add wallpaper to your computer or mobile screen. This year my laptop wallpaper constantly reminds me that this is my Year of New Beginnings.
Create a photo gallery of what your vision looks like and review regularly.
Keep pictures in your journal or Bible, and believe God’s promises to you.
Take time to dream – take a 15-minute to rest and reflect.
Review your goals daily and take at least one step toward a goal.
Write the vision out – in present tense – like it’s actually happening now. Make a short story of what your future life is like.
Use goal setting software that includes a visualization feature to help you keep the vision alive.
Frequently and persistently seek God about your dreams and His promises.
Always give thanks to God for His promises even before you actually receive them.

Every goal starts with a vision – a picture we have in our mind of what we want to accomplish. Often when we go off track or don’t reach our aim it’s because we have lost sight of the dream we originally had. As such like Abraham we need to get a picture and a word and daily see it until it becomes real in our lives.

With God’s help we can make it happen. Keep the faith.

Share with us: What do you do to keep your dreams and God’s promises alive in you until they become reality?

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7 Ways to Live on Purpose

4 Comments / Success Habits, Success Keys

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Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about living on purpose and the importance of pursuing your dreams. But what does it really means to live on purpose? I’ve defined this as intentionally living out your vision – dreams, goals or pursuits. It’s living out God’s will for your life. To live on purpose is to live your life by design.

That sounds great but how do you do this? I’ve noticed that it can be challenging to keep the fire burning and remain purpose-driven. In my life recently I’ve been telling myself that “there too many moving parts” towards my pursuits. I’ve been wondering how to keep up with all of life and still live out my dreams in an effective manner.

The question is: How do I daily keep focus on my purpose? What do I do to continually move forward and achieve my goals?

This post includes some of the habits I use to maintain intentional living.

Know what your purpose is. This may go without saying but still we need to be reminded. What is your dream or the major goals you want to accomplish in your lifetime?

Ask God for direction if you’re not sure of the specifics. God’s will for you is wrapped up in you waiting to come out.
Assess yourself. Learn about you. What are your likes, dislikes, gifts, talents, education, personal experiences (problems you have overcome), passions, and interests? A good question to ask is: What do I love doing and would be willing to do without being paid for it?

Have a vision and write it out. Sit down in a quiet place with no distractions of any kind and dream a little, no, a lot. This can be a scary thing but you need to take time to think about your life and what you want it to look like. The challenge is linking it to God’s will for you but if you approach this time with prayer (and fasting, if possible) the Lord will guide you. Remember He is your Shepherd.

Whatever your dreams are – write them down. Get it out of your head and on paper. It will clear your mind and relieve the mental load you may have been carrying.

Set small goals. I would suggest that you do this the same day as your dreaming day but don’t delay too long. Choose another quiet time and begin to put your big dreams into smaller goals.

Span those big goals into your lifeline from current tasks and projects, to one- to two-year goals, three- to five- year goals all the way up. For your one year plan break it down in quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily tasks.

Create signposts. We are encouraged to know the Word and keep it close wherever we can see it. I believe that you can do the same with your goals. You’ve written them out but to keep focused on them and act on them you’ll need to develop signposts.

Post these goals along with God’s promises to your computer or mobile phone as the wallpaper or in a file that you constantly refer to
Post them where you frequent the most: your dresser mirror, refrigerator door, home office desk
You can even create picture collage that represent all the different aspects of your dream and post it where you can see it often.

For example, maybe you have goal to lose five inches off your waist (my wish) and strengthen your abs – post a photo of a fitness advertisement and write on it, “How am I doing today?” Make sure it is strategically placed where you can see it to motivate you to exercise and eat right.

Depend on God’s direction. Again, I refer to what God says about His word – talk about the Word when you get up, lay down, with your children, at all times really. You need to do the same for your goals.

Talk to God throughout the process. God is the CEO of your life. He is the Master Strategist. He will give you direction to help you live on purpose and fulfill your destiny. Trust God through the process and enjoy the journey which is all part of living on purpose.

Talk about your dream. When you talk about something a lot it becomes more and more real to you. Talking positively about your dreams is a great self-motivator.

Speak the word concerning your dream. Visualize and confess the word as it relates to you dream. Speak those things as though they already exist even though they are yet to become real. Your tongue is a creative force. Use it well to build your life and fulfill destiny.
Talk to trusted friends. Choose carefully those who you share your most important goals with. There are some who will support you and there are others who will question your dreams. Find and hold to those who will rally around you and support you in prayer and in practice.

Work on your purpose daily. Work your dreams. This requires daily effort but you can do it.

Review your goals daily and every night write at least seven things you want to accomplish the next day.
Keep that list where you can clearly see it and make sure to act on what you have written down. Set you mind daily to do at least two or three tasks related to your goals.

No amount of planning is useful with acting on the plans.

I hope my list above will benefit you. It is by no means an exhaustive discussion on the topic but hopefully it’s enough to either help you move in the right direction or encourage you to continue living intentionally.

Tell me and encourage others too: What do you do to keep living on purpose?

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5 Reasons for Creating Your Own Season

5 Comments / Success Habits

I like the ushering in of a new year. The celebration of what has passed and the welcoming of want is to come just brings such excitement. During these seasons, we don’t just celebrate but we think, we pray, we hope, we believe for a year or time ahead full of great and wonderful things happening in our lives. Some of us set goals about what we would like to accomplish. Some of us pray about them consistently. Some strategize on how to make our goals become reality.

I believe God gives allows times and seasons for a purpose – to refresh us. Just as the season of winter, spring, summer and fall have a purpose in renewing and refreshing the earth, so do the seasons or celebrations in our lives. Seasons like New Year’s, Easter, Christmas – whether man-made or God-made – can have a positive impact on our lives.

Apart from the normal seasons most people celebrate; we can create our own seasons that bring refreshing and renewal in our lives. For me, I set apart a specific time of thanksgiving and reflection at least four times a year. I like to sit with my journal and write a note of praise (which is often very long note) to God as I reflect over the days, weeks and months of the previous quarter. I like to celebrate God’s goodness to me and would spend extra time in praise and thanksgiving to honour Him.

But what benefits have I reaped from creating times of celebration and thanksgiving and what can this do for you? Creating your own season of celebration can:

Keep your mind on the Source of your life and on the Help of my life. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3, NKJV)
Re-ignite a heart of gratitude in you. Sometimes the grind of life can take its toil on your attitude and your outlook on life. If you set aside special times of thanksgiving and celebration to God you will be uplifted and you will gain new energy to keep going.
Create a moment of pause. You will gain some perspective on what you’ve accomplished through Christ. It helps you to determine where you are, where you need to go and what you need to do and what God wants you to do.
Lift any feelings of discouragement that have been lingering and propel you forward. As you reflect and celebrate you will recognize that Christ, who brought you through the past three months and the prior seasons of your life, is faithful to take you into the next season victoriously.
Give you inner strength to recommit yourself to God and to achieve your goals. In some cases, you may even recognize the need to eliminate or revise some specific goals as the Lord directs you.

Although this season you create isn’t done with the same fanfare as Christmas or New Years’, it can bring the same result – a refreshing, a renewing of the soul, an exception or anticipation for God’s powerful move in your life.

What about you? Do you create and celebrate season in your life to help bring you through the daily grind of life or do you just struggle through? There are times when you have to encourage yourself in the Lord and renew yourself.

Make a conscious effort to create seasons of celebration, thanksgiving, reflection and re-commitment and you will notice that you’ll make it through the year more triumphantly!

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