An eagle is a rare bird, unique and different, of a higher class than ordinary birds

An eagle is a rare bird, unique and different, of a higher class than ordinary birds.

Love Alone = Sentimentality. Truth Alone = Brutality. Love + Truth = Balanced Reality. (Sandra Scott, Author of "Charmers & Con Artists")

Dr. Jim Strickhausen: What is Victory? Victory means final and complete supremacy in battle/war, or a specific military engagement ending in triumph. Victory can also mean success in any contest or struggle involving the defeat of an opponent or the overcoming of obstacles. Now is the time to move past the obstacles that would prevent you from succeeding at what God requires of you! Choose VICTORY! Romans 8:37 NLT - "No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."

You are never responsible for the pain of someone who has rejected your counsel. (Dr. Mike Murdock)

There is a difference between someone making a foolish mistake and someone making a career of foolish mistakes. The first is about being human. The second is about character failure. (Sandra Scott, Author of "Charmers & Con Artists")

With most people, we trust them until they violate that trust. With an uncovered Charmer or con artist, they will forever be proving their right to be trusted. It is part of their recovery. We are fools and enablers if we allow them off the hook merely because of their proclamation of repentance. Lying has been their successful method of operation. The measure of their repentance is their WILLINGNESS to remain accountable. (Sandra Scott, Author of "Charmers & Con Artists")

A person who has integrity will not be insulted by being held accountable. (Sandra Scott, Author of "Charmers & Con Artists")

Recovery rate for the Charmer or con artist is slim (5%). Even so, the pain and misery rate for them and their victims is too high to give up on addressing the problem. But for this reason, every Charmer or con artist must be assumed to be incapable of change. It's the only protection for others. For that slim percentage who do change, we can grant exceptions to the rules and rejoice while we go on holding them accountable. (Sandra Scott, Author of "Charmers & Con Artists")

The Four Qualities of Repentance are: 1) Responsibility - recognize the wrong done. 2) Regret - true remorse for the pain and problems caused. 3) Resolve - commit never to repeat the act. 4) Repair - repair the damage or at least sincerely apologize. (Sandra Scott, Author of "Charmers & Con Artists")

Repentance is turning away from what we think is right and turning towards what God knows is right. It involves saying "no" to what we may feel and saying "yes" to truth.

Truth is higher than mere facts. A true fact may be that you are presently financially broke. But The Truth says in Philippians 4:19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." And this Truth, if believed and applied to your situation, will always change the mere facts. TRUTH OVERRIDES FACTS! Jesus said, "Thy Word is Truth." God's Word is the Truth about your situation. You have to choose which to believe: A mere truthful fact or The Truth! Your body may truthfully be racked with pain. Your pain may be fact. But The Truth says, "By His stripes ye were healed." Truth believed, applied, and acted upon will change that fact. So true faith doesn't deny the facts; it simply acts upon the higher, more permanent Truth of God's Word. Truth believed will supersede a fact.

I'd rather fail at trying to do something noble and glorious, than to succeed at doing almost nothing.

When it seems my goals are not being accomplished and certain developments are beyond my control, I break those goals down into smaller more realistic increments. Then I make a big deal out of each of them as they are accomplished, celebrating in God's presence.

If you are doing anything for God, you WILL be criticized and misunderstood. If you're just living for yourself, people won't bother you.

Your critics will no doubt call attention to your mistakes and personal shortcomings as you live for Someone and Something bigger than yourself. Their own mistakes and shortcomings, of course, are not as evident as yours, because they are safely hid in their selfish little world.

While being stretched to the limit of your character and faith as you run after God's highest plan for your life, your critics will sit safely in their little comfort zones pointing out your every weakness. But that's alright... who's in the heat of the game and who's benched on the sideline?

A person's true character is immediately revealed by observing how quickly they fall for anything or how long they stand for something!

It has been said, IF YOU DON'T STAND FOR SOMETHING, YOU'LL FALL FOR ANYTHING!

Make up your mind what you are going to stand for!

Decide what is most important and stick to it no matter what.

Choose a way of life!

Decide your daily habits.

Build your weekly regimen!

Selectively choose a lifestyle.

Choose your core values and stay true to them at every crossroad of your life.

Are you led by offense or led by the Spirit? Are your choices determined by your feelings about who recently offended you, or are your choices determined by the voice of God's Spirit and The Word?

To which are you the most loyal: God's Call on your life, or People's Preferences for your life?

Ultimately to whom must you answer? To whom must you give a final account? Your relatives, your family, your friends, your peers, your co-workers, your employees, your employer, your children, your parents, your generation, your doctor, your lawyer, your company, your spouse, or TO YOUR LORD?

I only find out what I am really made out of while in the heat of battle!

Both my redeeming strengths and my glaring weaknesses are revealed to me when I am under pressure.

Someone has said, "It is good to know that He who will judge me most finally is also the One who loves me most fully!"

Aren't you glad Jesus measured up to the Father's standards in YOUR PLACE, instead of you having to struggle a lifetime, trying to measure up by yourself? O how wonderful it is to be delivered from such an exercise in futility! And what a joy it is to have entered into His Rest, and His Victory! What a complete redemption! What a perfect plan! What a miracle! How good can you get it? Folks, it doesn't get any better than this!

If I refuse to be about the Father's business, no doubt I'll end up doing the devil's bidding.

If you don't give yourself wholeheartedly to God's plan for your life, someone else will force you to live for theirs.

THROW YOURSELF into the task God has set before you.

ABANDON YOURSELF to the work of God.

GIVE YOURSELF to the house of God.

LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE AND TIME for God's people.

Be like Hannah who forever lent Samuel back to the Lord by surrendering him to the work of the Lord's house. Once and for all, sell yourself out the Lord, pledging to work in God's house for the rest of your living days. Dedicate yourself forever to serve in some capacity in your local church, be it in the limelight or behind the scenes, be it with or without compensation, be it easy or hard, be it convenient or inconvenient. Real DISCIPLESHIP is more PERSPIRATION than INSPIRATION! Jesus worked for you! Will you work for Him?

Don't just DABBLE in the things of God; DIVE into them.

So passionately pursue God's "Plan A" for your life that you forever burn all bridges to ever going back to "Plan B" or "Plan C."

Jesus categorically REFUSES to be your HOBBY. He demands He be your very LIFE! Anything less is a stench in His nostrils.

Go for Broke, or lo you'll choke!

I have noticed that before swimming in a pool or lake, or before bathing in a hot tub, if I TEST the waters first with my toes, they never feel just the right temperature to me. However, if I just dive or wade right into the waters without first testing them, my body QUICKLY ADJUSTS to the temperature and I enjoy the water. SO DON'T TEST THE WATERS OF GOD; WADE RIGHT IN! DIVE RIGHT IN! FEELS BEST IF YOU DO NOT HESITATE!

TODAY I'M GOING TO HAVE A BLAST, because the blast of fresh air Himself indwells me... the Holy Spirit... and He is excitement in person! [The Hebrew word for Spirit is ruwach, pronounced roo'-akh, which means breath, wind, blast. And the Greek word for Spirit is pneuma, prounounced pnyoo'-mah, which means the same thing.]

To be unveiled after my quiet time of prayer this morning - the action/adventure sequences of this day!

1 John 4:4 - "...greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." When feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges, look to the Greater One within you by confessing ALOUD: "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. Smarter is He that is in me! Wiser is He that is in me! Healthier is He that is in me! Wealthier is He that is in me! Bigger is He that is in me! Stronger is He that is in me! More Experienced is He that is in me! Brighter is He that is in me! Happier is He that is in me! Calmer is He that is in me! Sweeter is He that is in me! Gentler is He that is in me! More Humorous is He that is in me! Richer is He that is in me! Better is He that is in me! Lovlier is He that is in me!" And the list goes on and on. To make it even more personal, talk to the Holy Spirit Himself by changing it to the second person by declaring, "Greater are You in me, Holy Spirit. Healthier are You in me, Holy Spirit." The Father revels over His children who draw their strength from the Promised Holy Spirit, the very One that Jesus bled and died for to indwell us.

Have you ever needed a "Jump-Start" to get you going in prayer? Try the booster cable of reading ALOUD one or two Psalms to the Lord. Or try the launching pad of reading ALOUD one or two of the apostle Paul's prayers over yourself or another, from Ephesians chapter one or three, or from Colossians chapter one.

Are you time-bound? Try doing two compatible activities at once. Make your daily walk a "Walk-n-Talk" with God. Make your driving to and from work a time to listen to scripture tapes or CD's. Include a brief stopover at www.devotional.net when you have to surf the web for some information. Open your online Bible program first for a minute or two before opening your word processor. Place stickies with Bible verses for memorization on your bathroom mirror so that you can meditate while you try to fix that face of yours. Put on a Praise & Worship CD or Cassette while you mow the yard, do your dishes, or do your housework. Put on an anointed instrumental tape or CD while you do your work. Read your Bible during lunchbreak. Memorize scriptures taken from your Bible program on your Palm organizer while waiting at the doctor's office. There are ways to maintain a posture of prayer and devotion all day long. It really is possible to "pray without ceasing" and "meditate in the Word day and night" as the scripture commands.

If any promise in the Bible is true, then every promise is true. If one is not applicable, then none are applicable. If John 3:16 works, then 1 Peter 2:24 will work. If John 3:16 is for today, then Psalm 103:1-5 is for today. Paul said that "All the promises of God are Yes in Christ!"

A good Friend-Ship can prevent a Ship-Wreck.

Sometimes Christian Living is like the comedian "Curly" from the old "Three Stooges" TV show... always taking two steps forward and one backwards. Even though you experience setbacks, just keep on walking, my friend. You're still making overall progress, just not quite as fast as you prefer. Paul the apostle testified to being "knocked down", but he also said that he was "never knocked out." (2 Corinthians 4:9 TLB)

Both unbelievers and believers fall. The difference is that the Believer has "Bouncebackability." Proverbs 24:16 - "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again..." Psalms 37:23,24 - "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand."

Men may, on occasion, be able to take Your Stuff, but they can never take Your Stuff-Provider. So why fuss over the lost Gold, when you know you own the Gold Mine Himself.

People will often impugn your motives when you succeed in life. The average person thinks that for anyone else to succeed, they must have resorted to unethical practices. But you know better. You know your own heart, and you know your own integrity. So ignore the critics and Succeed-On, brodas and sistas, Succeed-On!