Thursday, December 17, 2009

AS YOU CROSS OVER INTO YEAR 2010 - TRUTH TO LIVE BY AND TO PRACTICE

LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF ZACHARIAS
LUKE 1: 5-25

1. USE SHAMGAR PRINICPLE TO DEAL WITH THE IMPOSSIBLE AND EVER REFUSE TO LET THE IMPOSSIBLE INTIMIDATE YOU.

REMEMBER SHAMGAR PRINCIPLE (LAW) - "DO WHAT YOU CAN WITH WHAT YOU HAVE WHERE YOU ARE." - JUDGES 3:31.

ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND - JER. 32:27 & MAL. 3:6 AND REMEMBER THE BALANCE MATT. 19:26 AND LUKE 19:26.


2. YOUR FAITH DOES NOT MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN - IT IS RATHER YOUR FAITH IN WHAT YOU SPEAK OR SAY THAT CAUSES THE VERY WORD OF GOD TO MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN.

THEREFORE, KEEP SPEAKING WORDS THAT ALIGN WITH HIS WILL - GOD IS PLANNING AND DOING SOMETHING BEYOND YOUR FAITH - JER. 29:11.


3. GOD DOES NOT NEED YOUR FAITH TO MOVE - HE IS ABSOLUTELY AND ALTOGETHER SOVEREIGN. YOU ONLY NEED TO ANCHOR YOUR FAITH IN HIS WORD (BELIEVE HIM AND BELIEVE HIS PROPHET) TO MOVE HIM TO ACTION.

HENCE, EVEN WHEN YOUR FAITH STOPS WORKING, GOD WILL USE THE ELEMENT CALLED 'TIME' AS LONG AS IN FAITH YOU ARE WAITING ON HIM. (HAB. 2:3)


4. STOP LOOKING BACK AND AROUND. LEARN TO FACE YOUR TOMORROW WITHOUT THE FEARS OF YESTERDAY - MATT. 6: 25-34.


5. MAN MUST COOPERATE WITH GOD BY OBEYING A DIVINE INSTRUCTION TO RECIEVE A MIRACLE. MAGIC ACTS WITHOUT MAN'S WILL OR COOPERATION BUT NOT MIRACLE.

REMEMBER GOD DID NOT BLESS THE LIKES OF ABRAHAM AND ZACHARIAS VIA THEIR REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS BUT BY HIS RESSURECTION POWER WHEN THEY OBEYED AND PERFORMED THE INSTRUCTION ON FRUITFULNESS GIVEN TO THEM.

6. NOTHING CAN STOP YOUR MIRACLE WHEN IT IS DUE. DUE MIRACLE IS SO POWERFUL SUCH THAT YOU MUST REAP YOUR HARVEST IN DUE TIME AND NOTHING CAN CHANGE IT.


7. WHEN ALL APPEAR TO BE TOO LATE - REMEMBER:

A) NEVER FORGET THAT THINGS CAN STILL CHANGE IN A DAY IF YOU DON'T GIVE UP.

B) YOUR DELAY HAS TO DO WITH DIVINE APPOINTMENT IF YOU ARE TRUELY HIS CHILD.

C) YOUR DELAY OFTEN IS THE PATH GOD IS USING TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY.

HENCE, THERE IS AN APPOINTED TIME FOR YOU TO BE HEALED, DELIVERED, RECOVERED, GIVEN AN OPEN DOOR, GET A MASSIVE CATCH ON YOUR NET - AS LONG AS YOU SURRENDER IN BY FAITH IN HOPE.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

REJOINDER TO THE LESSONS OF TIGER WOOD'S PAINS

1. Whatever happened to Tiger Wood happened in the past and it is going to happen again in the future. Everyone knows the difference between right and wrong and we know that there are consequences for our actions and inactions. The essence of my last encyclical and this present one is for us to look for possible good that might come out of his tragedy and see a glimmer of light. Perhaps, by reading this encyclicals, others might avoid the same pitfalls and other may gain some hope in forgiveness from God even when folks may never forgive or forget. Like King David of Israel, whose human failure was made open to all, his rebound would be the greatest legacy from this greatest golfer that ever lived.

2. However, we must learn that all sins are equal before God and that we must never judge other people too harshly because we are not without sin. We do not know what we would have done if given the same sets of circumstances as Tiger Wood. The truth is that the spectators are usually the best players. We need to focus on ourselves and on whom we have become. We must move from surviving to thriving as well as move from fault finding to fault bearing. Like King David again, neither Tiger Wood, nor anyone, can fall beyond the reach of God's love and forgiveness. The is the most important lesson of all.

3. It is true that some people take joy in other people's pain and want to feel better than others or better about themselves especially when reading or witnessing such scandals as Tiger's. The truth is that none of us is better than Tiger. Every one of us must do his or her own repenting and equally go through his or her own stages of repentance - the constant replays, the gnawing guilt, the shame and finally the hope a new beginning that springs from true repentance.

4. The fact that God did not exposed our sins or our nakedness to the whole world does not mean that we ought to act as if we are without sin. Sometimes, it is a good thing for God to expose our sins and have us go through the fire as to come forth out of it as tried gold. But all said and done, Tiger Wood by God's mercies will be born again as he accepts the present pains with humility and contrition.

5. We must never forget Bill Clinton and all the attempts to scandalize him. We must never forget that the people who were his loudest critics have all fallen flat on their faces with exactly the same sin and in some cases worse that President Clinton. Some of them have been caught in men's bathroom soliciting men for sex, some on mountain trails with their "soul mate" outside of their marriages, some caught with other peoples' wives, and the list goes on and on.

6. We should focus on getting God to forgive us of our transgressions instead of focusing on someone else's. This is the essence of this encyclical. We must learn to look beyond the pains and failures of others. Rather, we must learn to look for the glory that follows every suffering and the change that follows when any individual have gone through painful processes.

7. We must learn to give room for folks like Tiger Wood to heal and to find restoration with his wife and family. The less attention we give to this incidence, the better the family can deal with their problems and heal from their pain. For Tiger, this too shall pass as he reclaims his place in history and in the heart of humanity.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE PAINS OF MR. TIGER WOOD

1. Marriage, family and career are put at risk by two powerful forces of Nature -Infidelity and Greed. Usually these risks are carried out in particularly dumb fashions. Hence, they are usually baffling both to the perpetrators and to the observers. Yet, as baffling as they are, they are conquerable in the battle fields of the mind and no where else. If you can change the way you think, see things and speak about them (inwardly and outwardly), you will change your life and destiny. (Write me on how you can bring about this change on how you think and speak)

2. E-mails? Text messages? Voice mail? Anything digital these days is the modern equivalent of a billboard on Times Square. These are no go paths in modern communication that can bring down any leader and must be used with words that are clear to meaning and godly.

3. You must never do the dirty and more so with women and men for whom, it appears, discretion is not a key part of their value set. The other's value set examination is a test every leader must pass even if it is just the basic appearance test on value set. As a leader or role-model, you must never allow the basic lower self or instinct to override your value judgement of the other person's values.

4. You must realize that you will never be able to get away without scandal and shame if you do the dirty with women or men that have no proven key value system set that includes self-respect, self-decency and integrity over money. The lust for money just like the lust for power can turn any human being into an ugly beast. Men and women can say or do anything for self-enrichment and survival even in the Church - not to talk about in society and in politics.

5. No man or woman should ever fool himself or herself by thinking that they would never get caught in infidelity or greed. Only foolish men and women think they would never be caught with greed or infidelity. Both greed and infidelity are governed by the power of the same lower self or basic instinct and must be resisted with all the grace that God alone can give.

6. Every man or woman must realize that the brain system evolved millions of years ago to drive us to do some of the most important things we do in our lives especially in the realms love and sex. God, in the beginning of Creation said, "be fruitful and multiply" and the brain do find a way to carry out this command.

7. It is equally important to realize that the drive to sow as many seeds as possible, for some men, overrides the front-brain systems that calculate risk and benefit. It is equally important too to realize that once anyone indulges in greed acts or infidelity once, and does not get caught, that makes the risk look smaller and kills the rational fear of getting caught. This is an important lesson.

8. Another very big important lesson for leadership and for life is that once One has gotten used to acts of greed or infidelity, those brain parts get shut down and often get shut down for good. This shut down of the brain begets the internal bravado feeling or hidden celebration that they have been winning (not getting caught) for years. After a lot of winning, they figure they will keep winning. Don't forget how profound the sex drive is. Once in this frame of mind or mentality, sex drive like greed knows no limits and fears no risks.


9. It is not just biblical but the truth: People in lust after the opposite sex are irrational just like people pursuing greed. Both persons are governed by the same power of lust. They believe:

a) This woman or man is special and that they are special too.
b) They are different and smarter.
c) They have a love-trust relationship with the opposite sex.
d) They feel this sense of false security and invincibility.
e) They assume that they know better than any counsel from spouse or friends.
f) They assume that they are not in love/passion and therefore can think clearly.
g) They falsely assume that can think clearly in the cold light of day if they get exposed or caught in the very acts -- but by then, its too late.

10. Many flawed people have come to believe that the risk of getting nabbed either in infidelity or greed really isn't as large as one might think probably because they know other men and women who manage to keep their affairs out of the public eye. So they think that they are in the company of men and women who do get away with it. If this is your mentality, BE AWARE that you will ultimately become blind to the risks of infidelity and greed - thinking that it is never ever going to touch you and that the guy who got caught was just stupid. This is a great hidden DANGER once you open these DOORS.

CONCLUSION: As your Internet Pastor and Counselor, Hear me - I trust this above piece and the experiences of Mr. Tiger Wood would surely put the fear of discovery, if not God, into YOU not just for the next 10 days or so. It is my prayers that everyone reading this piece would never go back to business as usual. Seek counsel or contact our ministry if you are addicted to sex, greed, any deviant behavior or just want to talk to someone. God richly pour out His grace on You. Amen.