Eagles are swift to take advantage of an advantage

Eagles are swift to take advantage of an advantage.

Dr. Jim Strickhausen: Christianity is a lifestyle; not a religion. Being a Christian is having a vital and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. Jesus said in John 10:10b NIV, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." When you possess this Jesus kind of life on the inside of you, you can face life's problems with the right attitude. Living on this earth means facing problems, but being a Christian enables you to overcome them. The life and nature of God on the inside of you is more powerful than the struggles of life on the outside.

Proverbs 21:5 TLB - Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty.

The key to financial prosperity is NOT the lottery, or gambling, or poker! All of these things are mere hasty speculation. Even if a person suddenly becomes rich through one of these means, statistics prove conclusively that the sudden wealth has destroyed every single one of them. The key to financial prosperity is steady plodding. Steady plodding is living by the 10/10/80 principle: Tithing 10% of all your incomes to God at your local church, saving and/or investing 10% of all your incomes from a young age, and living on the other 80%.

Your ENTHUSIASM today will attract others to become part of your dream.

ENTHUSIASM is magnetic.

ENTHUSIASM will cause you to stand out among the crowd.

ENTHUSIASM is even more contagious than INDIFFERENCE.

ENTHUSIASM is necessary to accomplish any project.

You cannot be neutral about something and see it succeed.

Revelation 3:15-16 KJV - I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm (or neutral... my note), and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Someone has to be the catalyst for enthusiasm. Someone has to take responsibility for seeding enthusiasm into the others. Without someone generating the enthusiasm required, the vision will die for lack of energy and momentum.

If you can't discover anything to be ENTHUSIASTIC about, then you will inevitably become BORED doing something else.

SEND someone you love an encouraging email today!

TOUCH somebody today with your hands!

SMILE at someone today.

Though there be DELAYS and setbacks on the way to your dream, press forward even if progress only comes in tiny increments. Refuse to be DENIED! Someone has rightly noted, "Delay is NOT Denial!"

DELAYS can be very discouraging if we let them. Proverbs 13:12 - Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

SATISFACTION comes from a dream fulfilled or a goal accomplished. Proverbs 13:19 - The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.

We are an impatient lot! More dreams are dashed on the rock of impatience than any other place. God help us to learn to obey Hebrews 6:12 - That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through FAITH AND PATIENCE INHERIT THE PROMISES.

2Chronicles 24:13 NLT - So the men in charge of the renovation worked hard, and they made steady progress. They restored the Temple of God according to its original design and strengthened it.

Most things noble, most things excellent, most things quality, most things of eternal value, most things done right, most things important, most things beautiful, most things worthwhile... TAKE LONGER THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED!

Someone has said appropriately: Quitters never win and winners never quit!

Someone else said, The Definition of a Winner is just an Ex-Loser who got mad!

The New Living Translation Bible on the word "STOP": "Do not stop anywhere in the valley. And don't look back!" "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us." "This arguing ...has got to stop." "Instead, stop and offer to help." "Stop all your regular work and gather for a sacred assembly." "Show them where to stop and rest." "Cleanse your sinful hearts and stop being stubborn." "I won't stop until I'm satisfied!" "Stop acting so proud and haughty!" "Stop! Listen to what the LORD told me." "I chased my enemies and destroyed them; I did not stop until they were conquered." "The LORD will stop the plague." "Stop! That is enough!" "They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could break our resolve and stop the work. So I prayed for strength to continue the work." "You did not stop giving them bread from heaven or water for their thirst." "Stop and think!" "Stop assuming my guilt." "Stop your flow of foolish words." "Stop talking." "Stop quarreling with God!" "Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God!" "I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you." "Nothing can stop me now!" "Stop your anger!" "I can never stop praising you." "Stop your boasting!" "I will never stop loving him." "My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your law." "You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest." "Stop putting your trust in mere humans." "Tell him to stop worrying." "He will not stop until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth." "Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, Stop, you are doing it wrong!" "Stop oppressing those who work for you." "Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors!" "I will not stop praying." "Stop your wicked thoughts and deeds." "Stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows." "Stop your murdering." "Stop worshiping idols." "The men of Anathoth wanted me dead. They said they would kill me if I did not stop speaking in the LORD's name." "And I can't stop! If I say I'll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in!" "Stop murdering the innocent!" "Stop using this phrase." "Stop your sinning and begin to obey the LORD your God." "Stop all your violence and oppression." "Stop expelling them from their homes!" "Stop sinning and do what is right." "All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He has the power to do as he pleases among the angels of heaven and with those who live on earth. No one can stop him or challenge him." "Stop playing the prostitute." "No weapon can stop them." "Stop, stop! someone shouts, but the people just keep on running." "Stop all your evil practices." "Stop this habit of swearing." "Stop judging others." "Stop criticizing others." "Stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you." "We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard." "But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them." "I can never stop thanking God." "Stop arguing among yourselves." "Stop fooling yourselves." "Come to your senses and stop sinning." "Stop stealing." "We will never stop thanking God." "Stop those who are teaching wrong doctrine." "Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him." "You have decided to stop sinning." "Let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions." "But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David's throne, has conquered. He is worthy to open the scroll and break its seven seals."

The Power Twins Of Success: Give God the First Hour of your Day and the First Tenth of your Pay.

The Great Commandment is God changing OUR ATTITUDE. The Great Commission is God changing OUR LATTITUDE.

The purpose of every church service should be to GET INTO GOD'S GLORY! GLORY should be the goal of every meeting of believers!

Someone has wisely said that we ought to: PRAISE until the spirit of worship comes! Then... WORSHIP until the glory comes! Then... Stand in the GLORY!

P.U.S.H. P.raise U.ntil the S.pirit H.appens! -or perhaps said another way- P.raise U.ntil S.omething H.appens!

Someone has noted that once we get into the GLORY of God's presence, it makes our ministries and lives EASY! The manifested GLORY brings EASE to what we are called to be and do.

When God's GLORY begins to manifest in our midst, ANYTHING can happen! That's because God's glory can be FELT, SMELT, SEEN, TOUCHED, HEARD, MOVED, TASTED, just to mention a few.

Ultimate Success is Knowing God's Will, Being in the God's Will, and Doing God's Will.

God's Will is rarely Nebulous, usually Obvious.

God's Will for one's life is a progressive discovery process, not a one-time revelation.

A Broken Man is a Strong Man. But a Macho Man is a Man Going Broke. Ps 51:17 "...a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Ps 34:18 "The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

God entrusts much to a broken man. Ac 13:22 "And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the [son] of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will."

To rank high in the world system, one merely has to become clever before men. To rank high in God's Kingdom, one actually has to become broken before God! Ps 49:18 "Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and [men] will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself."

The only CAP in the Bible that God places on your income is an Honesty CAP. God has no salary caps. According to your faith, obedience, and creativity, be it unto you! Do not let men limit your income. Search for creative doors of opportunity. I encourage everyone who works a salaried job to prayerfully consider starting a second business doing something they love. Even if it starts out small, it is still uncapped income, and with God's touch, it could develop into a burgeoning business. Often we sacrifice OPPORTUNITY for perceived SECURITY! But the path of least resistance and minimum risk is rarely the path to profit and prosperity. Isa:48:17: "Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go."

Pursue your dream, reach for your future, but also... Make Peace with your Present Station in life. This will help you enjoy the journey and extract maximum pleasure from every moment and event.

Celebrate even the smallest step of progress toward your goals!

Celebrate the simple pleasures of life.

Don't miss the simple little pleasures that come from watching your children grow up.

Don't let a day go by without complimenting your spouse, adoring them, and expressing your appreciation of them. And tell your children often how proud you are of them and how much you love them.

Life is a celebration! Proverbs 8:30-31 teaches us to celebrate three things on a regular basis: Celebrate God's Creation! Celebrate God's Presence! And celebrate The Significant Others in our lives!