God equips us for ministry way ahead of time

"All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose"
- Romans 8:28, New King James

God equips us for ministry way ahead of time.  Part of the things we learn and go through up to the time we get to know and follow the call of God upon our lives is part of the training that we need in order to be able to fulfill this call. This truth is revealed in the bible time and again:

n        As a religious enthusiast Paul acquired extensive knowledge in the Law, including Jewish customs and traditions, which he used to build a case for Christ throughout his ministry.  

n        As he looked after his father's sheep, David developed a shepherd's heart, which made him a leader with great compassion for his followers.  

n        Being knowledgeable in the royal etiquettes of Egypt, Moses was the best person to send to Pharaoh when it was time for God to deliver the house of Israel out of many years of Egyptian bondage.

n        Joseph used the administrative skills that he had acquired in Potiphar's house to run the largest food distribution scheme in Egypt.

Each of the bible characters that I have mentioned above acquired the knowledge and experience that they needed for ministry way ahead of time. Part of the things you are learning and going through right now is part of the training that you need in order to be able to fulfill the call of God that is upon your life. Are you aware of this?

Victorious Christians move from Suffering to Hope…

… is what Paul says!

In Romans 5:3-4, Paul writes:

"…we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

Victorious Christians progressively move from suffering to hope, Paul says.  When victorious Christians bear pain, loss, distress, injury or grief, they persevere.

According to Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, perseverance is:

"a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, excetera, especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement."

Through perseverance, the victorious Christian's character is formed.  

In everyday language, the term character is used to mean a number of things; in this instance, however, it refers to strength of mind or resolution.  The resultant strength of mind or resolution is a determination or strong will to see the suffering end.  

Being more than an attitude of the mind, character drives the victorious Christian to decisive action towards bringing his sufferings to an end and in due process give him or her hope.

According to Webster's Dictionary, hope is:

(1) a desire of some good, accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable

(2) an expectation of something which is thought to be desirable

(3) confidence

(4) pleasing expectancy.

Suffering weighs most people down, but some individuals have become better persons from the pain, loss, distress, injury or grief of suffering.  Paul says that victorious Christians progressively move from suffering to hope.  Are you a victorious Christian?  Can you move from suffering to hope?

Harness the Power Within You – of Vision and Faith

What is a vision?  What is faith?  How much inner strength can you derive from your vision and faith?

• Vision

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” – Proverbs 29:18

A vision is a clear picture of the future.  A great vision will give you the strength to persevere in and through every situation and reassure you that there are brighter days ahead.

• Faith

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." – Hebrews 11:1

Faith is activated when you look at things as you believe they ought to be, not as they are, and act in line with that.  Faith reassures you that you are in charge, not the situation. 

There is so much strength that each of us can derive from within ourselves.  Two of the ways we can do this is by creating a clear vision and activating our faith.  Spend some time on your vision and faith this week.

Harnessing the Power Within You - of Faith, Purpose and Vision

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does
bathing – that's why we recommend it daily." – Zig Ziglar (American
motivational Speaker and Author)

Like the air that we breathe, inspiration is a necessity in our lives:
it is the power that gets us out of bed every morning; the source of
our lives, work and creativity; and the force that drives us forward
even when things don’t go our way.

Without inspiration, it is easy for us to live wimpy lives and to
throw in the towel the minute things get tough or take an unexpected
turn.  On the other hand, inspiration energises us and gives us the
power to persevere in and through every situation.

We need inspiration in our lives – and we need it daily!

Daily inspiration is not always there.  Sometimes we have to invoke it.

Invoking inspiration is a discipline that successful people use to
stay motivated, even under precarious conditions.  There are many ways
of invoking inspiration, but this article only looks at harnessing the
power within you.

Faith

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen." – Hebrews 11:1

Faith is activated when you look at things as you believe they ought
to be, not as they are, and act in line with that. Inspiration is
invoked by your actions that reassure you that you are in charge, not
the situation.  You have the power to create, maintain or change any
situation.