Dream Again!

And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed... Genesis 42:9

Do you remember when you used to dream? Now I'm not talking about those fantasies that took you to faraway places (although from time to time that would be nice!). I'm referring to those vivid images of what you wanted to accomplish that once clouded your mental skies. Although dreams are often a part of our experience when we are young, somewhere in our latter years we tend to stop dreaming. As Picasso famously stated, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once one grows up." What he was alluding to is the tendency many individuals have to constrict their creativity and downsize their dreams. Sometimes this occurs because of letdowns which drain us of the strength to dream. Drama, dissapointments,and delays can discourage us to continue dreaming. In addition, life also happens and causes our dreams to be deferred. On this journey, unintended items often show up on our itenarary causing us to lose focus of our dreams. In either case, today I want to encourage you to dream again! As Langston Hughes poetically proclaimed, "Hold fast to dreams for when dream die life is a broken winged-bird that bird that cannot fly!"

If anybody knew anything about dreams it had to be Joseph. The Bible says as a young person he had multiple dreams. Of course his dreams were Divinely designed to point him to his destiny. Although he had big dreams, the text let's us know he experienced plenty of drama! First of all, after sharing his dream with his brothers, the Bible says they hated him. Make a quick note to self;(Be careful who you share your dreams with!) Joseph also experienced the disappointment of being placed in a pit and sold into slavery by these same brothers who even declared, "Let's see what will happen to his dreams!". For years Joseph also dealt with the delays of living in Egypt as a slave and even as a prisoner. Through all of this, the above text reminds us that as a mature man, Joseph held fast to his dream and was able to live out his destiny. That's my word for you today, regardless of how your life has gone down or what has let you down, today dare to declare that you will dream again!

My prayer for you today is that God will give you the capacity and the confidence to dream again!

PEACE!

Love on Top!

"Thou hast left thy first love". Revelations 2:4

Oh the things one can find while moving!  Just the other day I ran across several items that had been missing for quite some time.  Of particular interest was a key, which I figured had gotten lost somewhere or had accidentally been thrown away.  To my suprise, the missing key had actually gotten misplaced and was beneath many other items.  Have you ever misplaced something of value? Maybe like me you have misplaced a key which has hindered you from opening some door, or getting to some desired destination.  My friend, the key I'm talking about today is called love.  It's possible for our love for God to get misplaced amidst a host of other things.  That's why it's vital that we keep our love on top!

In the above text, the risen Lord addresses this issue with the Church at Ephesus.  This was a church that was on the move and very busy (vs. 2-3).  After commending them for their positive qualities, Jesus points out one major problem that was ruining everything.  The problem in this church is the same problem that many believers experience today, leaving first love.  Do you remember when you were in first love with your Boo?  I'm talking about that time in your relationship when it didn't matter that you didn't have the best job or car, or that she couldn't cook. Why?  Because you were in love!  However as time passes, and kids are born, and we settle into regular routines, our first love somehow moves to twenty-first love!  When this happens our routines become more important than our relationship.   In the same way, we can become so busy going through our religious rituals and routines that we fail to make our relationship with God top priority. The word today is to find the misplaced key and get back to first love!

My prayer for you today is that you will make it a priority to keep your love on top!

Peace!

You've got Back-up!

"Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."  2 Kings 6:16

Have you ever been overwhelmed, outnumbered, or felt like the odds were against you?  I'm reminded of the story about a young boy named Billy who was often bullied on his way to school by a much bigger boy.  After having his lunch taken each day, Billy would come home feeling down and depressed, declaring never to return to school.  After finding out what was going on, Billy's big brother told him not to worry because he had a plan.  The next day as Billy made his way to school, he again encountered the bully.  However this time instead of giving in, to everyone's suprise he stood up to the bully.  As the bully moved in to show him who was in control, his laugh soon turned to a frown.  For from behind the bushes came Billy's bigger brother. Because of Billy's back-up the bully never bothered him again.

On this journey called life we often find ourselves battling things that are bigger than us.  These things cause us to feel overwhelmed, and outnumbered because the odds are seemingly against us.  Worse than this, we can become paralyzed with fear resolving not to move forward toward some desired destination.  In these times we are in desperate need for someone to help bring relief.  Today's text shows us that even when the odds are against us, we can overcome.  Though Elisha found himself seemingly outnumbered by an enemy army,  he did not fret or fear.  Why not?  Because he knew that he had back-up, an angelic army.  My friend, the good news today is that as believers we have back-up who is much bigger than what we are battling!  And if God be for us who can be against us?

My prayer for you today is that you will stand confidently knowing "Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world!"

Peace!

What do you see?

"Lord open his eyes so he can see" 2 Kings 6:17

The other day while riding down a familiar highway, I was surprised to see that a very nice community had developed there.  Why was I taken by surprise?  Well, mainly because the last time I encountered this area it was full of trees and woods.  However, now in this same place were grocery stores, restaurants and very large homes.  What had happened?  Someone looked beyond what they could see to envision brand new possibilities.  In essence they had a vision.

What do you see as it relates to your own life?  Do you feel it is currently covered with the canopies of circumstances, chaos, and conflicts?  Or, do you see what can happen by the power of God?  In the above text, the prophet Elisha and his servant found themselves surrounded by enemy forces.  As far as the eye could see, there were chariots and horses ready to fight against them.  However, as a visionary leader, Elisha saw what others could not see.  Beyond the enemy forces was an angelic host ready to fight for them!  I challenge you today to become a person of vision and see beyond what you can currently see!

My prayer for you today is that instead of focusing on the obstacles, that God would open your eyes so that you can see the opportunities that are available!

Peace!

Stay on the Wall!

"I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down..."  Nehemiah 6:3

Do you have any  unfinished projects around the house?  If you are like me, you probably  have more than a couple!    You may ask, "Why are they unfinished?"  Well despite my noble plans, I somehow got distracted.    Have you ever gotten distracted while trying to do something good?  Please know that in your efforts to build something BIG,   the enemy will show up in a big way to discourage, distract, and detour you from your destiny!  He knows that if you finish what you are building that is Blessed, Impactful, and  Glorifies God, that the consequence will be something big!    How do you continue to construct while dealing with distractions?     In the above scripture,  the courageous contractor, Nehemiah, provides an excellent example of how to stay on the wall especially when you are tempted to come down.
  
In chapter six of the book that bears his name, Nehemiah was almost finished with his wall building campaign.  It was at this time that his enemies intensified their attacks against him.  This is when he employed an approach that allowed him to stay on the wall.  Utilize this approach to help you continue to build BIG plans, dreams, goals, plans. First, Nehemiah was able to discern his distractions. Please understand that distractions come in many forms, shapes, and sizes.  Some even seem to be good things, but they are not necessarily the best things.  The text suggests that even people can serve as distractions.  How true this is in a marriage or a ministry, a career or a church.  However, Nehemiah was able to discern his distractions and stay on the wall.  That's my word to you today.  Refuse to submit to whatever it is that's trying to discourage you and continue building BIG!

Peace!

Do Something BIG!

What are you building that is BIG?  Does it have God's Blessing on it?  Is it making an Impact by blessing others?  Today I want to share the third essential element of doing something BIG,  which is, G- it Glorifies God.  What does it mean to glorify God?  Well it's as simple as 3 R's. We glorify God by- Recognizing His greatness, Reverencing or honoring Him in what we do, and Releasing all the credit to Him.  In essence our experience should be similar to the moon.  Did you know that the moon is basically a dark mass with no light?  However it does a great job of reflecting the light of the sun.  Simarly we are called to reflect the Son's light so that people see Him through what we do (Matthew 5:16).

However, sadly, many individuals make the mistake of thinking they are the star and believe it's all about them.  This same mentality and mindset is found in Genesus 11.  Here we find some people who wanted to build something BIG.  The Bible says that they wanted to build a tower that reached to heaven.  The text even says that because of their great communication (same speech), great collaboration (working together), and great creativity (using available resources) that they would have pulled it off had God himself not intervened.  You may ask, why did God intervene?  Well vs. 4 says that they were only interested in "making a name" for themselves.  They were not allowed to build something BIG because it wasn't for God's glory.   As you continue to construct whatever God has called you to do,  ask yourself, "Is this for my fame or His name?"  Make sure you do it BIG!

Peace!

DO Something BIG!

Are you building what you're building to make a better place in the world for yourself or to make the world a better place?  In my last post I mentioned that God has called you to construct something BIG.  Of course BIG is an acronym that has nothing to do with size but instead significance.  In order to do so, first make sure you have the Blessing of God on what you're building.  Today I'd like to add something else.  Make sure that what you're building is also a blessing to someone.  In other words, doing something BIG means , I- making an Impact.  Will anyone benefit  from what you are building?  Please know that we have been positioned on this planet to be people of impact.  In Matthew 5, Jesus said that we are the salt of the Earth and the light of the World. That's a major impact statement. To help you make this positive impact, I'll use another acronym BUILD.

We make an impact by- B-believing in people.  This is vital because many people do not believe in themselves.  This is due largely to painful past experiences or even present negative circumstances.  When we believe in people we begin to help them tap into their potential and fulfill their purpose. An example of this is seen in one of my favorite movies, The Matrix.  Even when Neo didn't believe in himself, Morpheous believed that Neo was the One.  In essence, Neo would have never become the One had not someone believed in him.  Who needs your help to become the One that changes their community, the One that builds the business, or the One that serves this society to make the world a better place?
Secondly we make an impact by, U- Understanding individuals.  By seeking to understand how people are, where they are, and what they are dealing with prepares us to help them in a more efficient manner. Next, we make an impact by I- Investing in individuals.  Imagine where would you be if someone had not invested in you.  Now it's your turn to pay it forward and invest your trust, time, talents or treasures into the life of somebody else.  Remember we are blessed to be a blessing! We make an impact by L- loving individuals. Love enables us to serve those who are the last, least, and left out.  It is not until people know how much we care that they care how much we know. Finally we make an impact by D-demonstrating what it means to make a difference.  People are more prone to "be" what they can "'see".  In other words, they need a model that they can mimic.  Maybe that's why Ghandi said, "We must be the change that we want to see in the world."  BUILDing something bigger than yourself will always be BIG!

PEACE!

Doing It BIG!

What are you currently building that is BIG?  Is it a ministry, or a marriage?  Is it a family, a business or a career?  Of course when reading this you probably automatically think of size.  However, when I say BIG, I'm not referring to size but instead I'm talking about significance.  We live in a world where it's easy to get it twisted.  By that I mean that it's possible to think our lives should be about making money instead of making a difference. I believe this is what our Lord and Liberator, Jesus Christ was referring to when He said that it's possible to gain the stuff that money can buy, while at the same time, lose the stuff that money can't buy (Luke 9:25).  What money does have a place in this world, we must make sure we keep things in proper perspective.  To help you do this I've created the acronym BIG.  Today I'll focus on the letter "B".

First ask yourself, is what I'm building Blessed?  In other words, are God's hands on it?  The amplified version of Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the Lord—it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it."  We must make sure that whatever we are building has first been ordained by God.  Why? Because God sustains, and maintains whatever He ordains.  I know what you're probably asking, how do I know what He ordains?  Easy, it's found in his Word.  God has specifically spoken His will in His Word.  From scripture there are many things that we know God has placed His blessing upon.  But, you may ask, what about those times when things are not so clear to me?  Well James 1:5 lets us know when we need wisdom at these times, we should ask God.  God wants to let you in on His will.  Unfortunately some things that we build do not pass this blessing test. We even sometimes still have the audacity to ask God to bless what we are building.  Instead of wasting our time in this way, a more appropriate request would be, God, help me to build where you have already placed your blessing.  Let's do it BIG!

PEACE!

Do Over!

Have you ever thought to yourself, if I could go back in time knowing what I know now, things would be different.  I was having that conversation with my kids, aka young ballers, at the gym one day.  I told them that if could go back and be a high school basketball player knowing what I currently know about what it takes to be successful, I'd be unstoppable!  What I was saying is that I would change some things.  Of course life doesn't work that way, and thankfully many of the lessons of the past help prepare us for the present, but how many of us wish we could do some things over?  As I was reflecting upon my weight loss journey, one of the things that I wish I could go back and do over is value my health a lot sooner.  Not just for the obvious reasons such as feeling better, but more importantly, for my mom.  For those of you that don't know, she battled congestive heart failure for many years and passed away in 2011.  Knowing what I now know, I wish I could go back and help her live a healthier lifestyle.  I know that if the Fitness Connection had existed years ago, that she would have been our Number One supporter!  Although I can't go back in the past and reach her, I can live in the present moment and try to impact and influence as many people as I can.  This is why I'm taking this 90 day challenge and my goal is to get as many of my family and friends to join me.  It's time that we obliterate obesity!   Listen, things can change, you can better your health.  If I can do it, so can you!  One of the best things about this challenge is that you will have all the support, encouragement, and motivation that you need.  Check out my website at www.michaeljones75.myvi.net.   Inbox me is you have any questions or would like to join the challenge.  Together we can do it!

PEACE!