Opportunity Is Always Knocking

I'm a huge wrestling fan, and somehow I began thinking on something that happened a few years ago when Lex Luger had a world championship match with The Giant (later to be named The Big Show).  Now, the first match, Luger missed the title match because of "traffic" so he granted another title match in which he missed again because of a "canceled flight."  After not one but two back to back opportunities there was a question of why Luger would miss two big opportunities back to back when world title matches aren't just granted to people on a whim.  Even his best friend, Sting, got in Luger's face about Luger's lack of focus concerning the most important opportunity of a life time.  Of course, since it is wrestling, Luger finally accepted the task and got his world title match opportunity.  And this is where, as the old saying goes, this is where the rubber meets the road because how many times have opportunities stared us in the face and we let trivial things stand in our way.  Sometimes, we look for heaven to open up and expect to see God's Hand point in a certain direction when He's actually already leading us in the little things we do daily. In Ecclesiastes 9:10 it says, "Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you go."   You could find yourself giving art advice to a kid and discover maybe you're an art teacher or cook so many meals that you can be a chef or run a soup kitchen or be good at technology and there could be an IT career right at your door.  Like I said, opportunities are all around us and if instead of waiting for God to give us a goose bump about our destiny when He daily shows us our destiny everyday.  So think about all the opportunities you receive everyday and ask yourself are you taking advantage of it.  Remember, the race is not the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11).  Your time and chance is here and now so what will you do with it.

Bound By Water

While I'm on vacation at Myrtle Beach taking a walk along the shore I look out and see nothing but water-I mean there are no buildings on the other side, no mountains, just water for however far it is till there is something else. But what I also noticed is no one was willing to explore beyond waist level what was on the other side (and for good reason). It brought to mind a Star Wars clip in Robot Chicken where this sea creature, Krayt Dragon, was talking to another dragon on their limitations and there has to be more to their lives than in the water and the first dragon thought he could live out of the water. Eventually, that Krayt Dragon had the courage to see if he could actually go beyond his bounds of habitation (Acts 17: 26). Now the results of this exploration in Robot Chicken clip and the actual Star Wars was that this dragon's bones were found dried in a desert.  Obviously, the Krayt Dragon had zeal without knowledge but at least he tried. So many times, we blast people for getting things started but never finishing but we often lose an important lesson and that is, sometimes you just have to go for it and just maybe that will inspire and motivate others to come help you and close the deal, a la Lebron James and D-Wade or Denver Broncos defense and Tebow Time. Now, let's make it known for those who didn't try to swim out into the deep waters at Myrtle Beach, were doing the right thing because if you're not trained for that distance or if you're not in a boat, you're setting yourself up for failure. God gives us zeal but He also gives us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to go along with the passion inside of us because even though He does have us do things that are weird in man's eyes, He will never have us ignorant because He wants us to go beyond what's in front of us no matter how big it may seem, to get to the other side. So the question is, are you ready to find out what is on the other side of your coast line and are you preparing yourself to make it happen?  Remember with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Right In Front Of You

Sometimes I think we look for "x marks the spot" maps for success when truthfully, we should just look in the mirror.  Think about your wins and losses and what is the most constant thing-you are.  You are the x factor.  Its been quoted since the day it has been said but until its realized in everyone it must be repeated:  the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21)!  I was talking to a coworker and he told me the story of his friend who worked for this lawn company-his friend was on his first day after training looking around all morning for a house he was scheduled but couldn't find it; so he started crying and took a cigarette break and just when he was about to cut his loss on his quota and go on to the next house, he looks up and not only sees his first house but also the next few houses he's supposed to do right around the block.  Its a much funnier story than the way I said it but you have to understand the meaning; this guy went all around the world to find something that was close by the whole time, and not just one house but other houses too.  See God has put something in each of us not just for the moment but for work on the line also.  Think about it, a kingdom is, for lack of a better word, big, so you can just use your imagination when you think of a kingdom-and God put a kingdom inside all of us.  Its not something you have to go on an adventure for to find, or fight a war to take over someone else's kingdom as your own; all you have to do is submit to God's Way and He will bring it out of you in wherever your destiny is supposed to be.  Now you will have to make some sacrifices and do some work to reach that potential inside of you but as we all know, you'll be better in the end for it.   So lets stop asking God to bring things together for us and lets start asking Him to stir up what is in on the inside so that we can give it back to those who need to see that they are not far off from where God wants them to be as well.

Legend & Legacy

In the wake of a loss of a great singer Whitney Houston and what her life has meant to people all over the world, let us not forget what this legendary figure has taught us in her legacy. In all of her accomplishments we should understand that all of us have a great gift inside of us and that we should not be afraid to share it with the rest of the world. Who knows how many people we can inspire and encourage to bring forth what God has put in them. We all can reflect on Whitney Houston's career and all of the great songs from such a beautiful voice that brought so many to have hope and brought many to tears of joy through her words. Imagine, if she never picked up a microphone because she was afraid or thought someone was better than her; think of moments when you heard her sing and how her voice lifted you. Remember, you can do the same thing also with what is inside of you. Greatness is inside all of us and at this very moment, we need to ask God to give us the wisdom to "crack the bottle" sort of speak and unleash what we have kept hidden because the world is waiting for the light in you to shine (Romans 8:19). Do not wait another moment to get in gear the destiny that lies before. God will lead you every step of the way but hasten to His throne first so He can bring the greatness out of you. What legacy will you leave behind for future generations?

Be A Finisher II

"Do not plan for ventures before finishing what's at hand," the playwright Euripides says. I had come face to face with this very thing the other day in two ways. I started to clean my place and make room for new things but getting rid of some the old things that I had packed up over the years (it is very easy to get attached to certain things even at the risk of it cluttering your life but that's another story). As I was cleaning, I got tired and wanted to just do it another time even when the best time to do it is now (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Now during this time of cleaning I was also keeping score of the Falcons-Saints game the whole evening because I felt cleaning my place was more of a priority than the prime time game. Now me being a big Falcons fan, I was delighted to see the score for pretty much of the first two quarters until the last few seconds of the first half. Needless to say, the second of that game made me glad I chose to spring clean than to watch my birds get their feathers plucked in the second half. But that was very motivational and it is something that I have been hearing strongly all year, especially from sports analyst Skip Bayless, and that is you must have or develop the "clutch gene." It does not matter how well you start off, God and all of us look at the finished product. Champions, business, relationships, and other things we think of are modeled after the score after the buzzer and the product sold; they are not modeled off of first half scores and blueprints because those are the times when things should be adjusted for us finishing. Remember to be a great finisher we need patience to see it through to the end because it will not always look great at the beginning (Ecclesiastes 7:8). But we have to keep in mind that God has given us all the tools to finish the work He has put before us.

We Need To Super Size

Last night I was at church (Gospel of Faith Worship Center: http://www.gospeloffaithwc.org) and we all became a part of a transformation. We didn't have a church service but what we did do is come together for a cause to build and make where we dwell even better. All year our motto has been "a temporary discomfort for a long term success," and today I had to step back and look at some things to see that God wants us to maximize our entire land before He expands it. If you think about it, no one ever really moves out of a place if it is still spacious for them because there is still more to do in that particular place. Bringing those beams in last night reminded me of 2 Kings 6: 1-3 in a way when the people needed to upgrade from a 3G to a 4G but before they could do that they had to recognize that they were in a place that reached its full potential. See, its a cardinal rule that God puts in place that you have to take care of the little things first before you go on to the bigger things i.e. learning your ABC's before you write a novel. The other cardinal rule is unity because no matter how much we think we're moving from somewhere, in truth, its all of us moving somewhere if we share the same dream and purpose (and lets be honest, it is always better to have family and friends to help you move because when you move its like they're moving too). If you break it down, to reach that next level we have to push ourselves to make the place where we are now small and we will need to have people along side of us to help us carry those beams for the place we are building next. One more thing, along with maximizing our potential and having the spirit of unity, we also need a visionary, a leader among leaders that will give us counsel and guidance and let us know if the picture we are painting is a masterpiece or if we're painting off the easel because God never wants your good to be taken the wrong way. The next level is here and it is up to us to step up to it.

Be A Finisher

Recently in my personal life, I have been faced with this statement that seems to stare everyone everywhere in the face and that is "finish it!" Now let me give a proper applause to the Ladies of Prayer, Praise, and Purpose at Gospel of Faith Worship Center for repeating their change drive championship drive this year. It was a hard pill to swallow for the men but we were reminded by Pastor Burns (http://twitter.com/gospeloffaithwc) that its okay to start out good but if you do not follow through to the end it will do you no good. Starting is important and I would imagine that some people have a hard time starting anything they sit around talking about and we generally call those people "talkers" because that's what they are good at more than anything. But I would be willing to bet that the people that actually start something they talk about, more than half of them never finish what they start. We can just call those people "starters" because they can start one project but never see it through to the end, mainly because those people probably thought someone else's idea and thought it was good but never planned anything for themselves. But if it is one thing I'm sure God appreciates is a "finisher" because they are able to sit back and realize that what they have started can be self-sustaining. If you read Luke 14: 25-35 you will see that you have to go into whatever your dreams are prepared to start and planned out to finish and always prayerful that God will give you guidance throughout the work. Steve Jobs said you have to have a passion for what you are doing otherwise you will quit what you started working on in the first place. That's what God asks of us when He gives us a work to do: have a purpose, have preparation, have a plan, have passion, and above all be in prayer that God will give you the strength to see it through to the end.