Leaders must be prepared for challenges

So they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots. And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

Joshua 11:4-5

As a leader the more successes you have the more challenges will come your way. When Joshua and the Children of Israel followed the instructions that God had given them and defeated Jericho, Ai and the five kings that came against them, it did not prevent them from further opposition. Instead, all the surrounding nations decided to come together to fight against them. This teaches us a number of important lessons about leadership:

1. The more successful you become as a leader the more challenges you can expect to face

We can see from the example of Joshua that the more Israel conquered under his leadership the more enemies were gathered against them. In your own life the more successful you are in the assignment that God has given you, the more opposition and challenges you will face. This is however not to discourage you, it is designed to build up your resilience and leadership muscle.

2. A leader must not fear challenges

When the armies came against Joshua the first thing The Lord said to Joshua was “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel”. So the challenges will come, the oppositions will come but The Lord is telling you not to be afraid because He will help you to overcome all the challenges.

As believers in Jesus Christ we must learn to rejoice in opposition because faith triumphs in trials:

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4

3. A leader must be prepared for challenges

To be prepared is to “stand ready” to meet the challenge. Therefore a leader must remember that just because God has told you to do something doesn’t mean it will run smoothly. You must be prepared for any challenges and opposition that comes, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.

Being prepared as a leader means that you have strategies and contingency plans in place in case something does not go the way you planned it to go.

Prayer

Dear Lord, please help me to be prepared to meet any challenge and opposition that I may encounter as I follow the leading of Your Spirit in Jesus name.

Listen to the Message

You can also listen to this message on YouTube here:

How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams

Do you know God’s purpose for your life? If not, please buy a copy of: How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams

Why should we meditate on the Word of God?

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:8)

Just like Joshua, God has a promise land that He has placed before all of us to possess, however before we can go in and possess the land and have good success, there are certain principles that God wants us to follow:

What does God want us to do?

1. Keep the Word of the Lord in your mouth

This means that we must speak the Word of God whether circumstances are favourable or not. For example when we are weak the Lord wants us to declare that we are strong (Joel 3:10). This doesn’t deny the fact that we are feeling weak, but we are declaring the outcome that The Lord will make us strong. Speaking the Word of God is important because that is how our faith will increase:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)

2. Meditate on the Word of God day and night

According to Strong’s Concordance, to meditate is to “moan, growl, utter, speak and muse”. In other words when you meditate you ponder on and then declare the Word of God. You don’t just do it in the morning but also in the night. When you do this the Bible tells us that you are blessed:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night (Psalms 1:1-2)

3. Observe and do according to what is written in the Word

To observe means you pay a close attention to what the Word is saying and then you do it:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (James 1:22)

Why should we meditate on The Word of God?

1. You shall make your way prosperous

To be prosperous in all your ways refers to well-being, having favour with God and man and being wealthy. It means that when you ponder on and declare the Word of God you will flourish in your spirit, soul, body as well as in your finances, and God take pleasure in making His servants prosperous:

Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant” (Psalm 35:27)

2. You shall have good success

Success is achieving all of what God has ordained for you with excellence. Successful people have wisdom and understanding, and are skilful in what they do. Success comes when we obey the commandments of God:

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man (Proverbs 3:1-4 ESV)

So in summary, we meditate on the Word of God so that we can be prosperous and have good success. You can also listen to this message on YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlaxqzd6yq8

Do you know God’s purpose for your life? If not, please download your free book copy of How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams

God bless,

Blessing

What does it mean to be successful in God’s eye?

This week’s scripture, encourages us to obey all the commands of God so that we can be successful:

If you obey all the commands in this agreement, you will continue to succeed in everything you do.

Deuteronomy 29:9 (ERV)

What is success?

There are many definitions of success. The world tends to define success by your education, position in life and the things you possess, i.e. money, houses, cars etc. These things perform an important function in our lives however we cannot measure our success by the things that we possess only.

Jesus warns us that we should “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15)

God does promise that if we obey His commands He will make us successful in everything we do, this means we will flourish spiritually, financially, physiologically, relationally, academically, and in all other areas.

What does it mean then to be successful in God’s eyes?

Biblical success can be defined as the following:

1. Having a relationship with God

We can only have a relationship with God The Father through Jesus Christ His Son:

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6)

2. Love The Lord and love your neighbour as yourself

Once we have this relationship with God we should learn to love the Lord and to love our fellow human beings as we love ourselves:

“Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39)

3. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness

The Kingdom of God is the reign of God in the hearts of people and it is also an everlasting Kingdom (Psalm 145:13) that will replace all the kingdoms of this world (Daniel 2:44, Revelation 11:15).

When we seek for the expansion of God’s Kingdom on earth, the way we spend our time and the things we do will be different. We will be so Kingdom minded that we will want to share the good news about Jesus Christ everywhere we go at any given opportunity, and when we do this all the natural blessings that we want will be given unto us:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33)

4. Walk in God’s purpose for your life

There is a purpose or reason for everything. Purpose is God’s original intention for you, it is the reason why God created you.

I want to assure you that there is a reason why you are alive, and your responsibility is to find out what that is. Each one of us has been called and given a specific purpose, even before time began:

“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9)

Surrender to Jesus

You can only discover your purpose in God your Creator, therefore if you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, please do so by repenting of your sins and asking Jesus to come into your heart and then ask God to show you the purpose for your life.

God has inspired me to write a 30-day workbook which is designed to help you to discover your purpose in 30-days. It will provide scriptures for you to meditate on that pertains to purpose and allow you to record any dreams, thoughts or ideas, prophecies, and impressions that come to you. If you would like a copy once it is published please let me know.

5. Fear God and keep His commandments

The Bible tells us that when all is said and done, we ought to fear God and keep His commandments:

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Please respond

These are my definitions of biblical success. What do you think it means to be successful in God’s eye? Please share your views, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at info@blessingcoaching.com

God bless,

Blessing

You are God’s special people

In today’s Scripture God want you to know that you are His special people.

“Today the Lord your God commands you to obey all these laws and rules. Be careful to follow them with all your heart and soul. Today you have said that the Lord is your God. You have promised to live the way he wants. You promised to follow his teachings and to obey his laws and commands. You said you would do everything he tells you to do.

And today the Lord has accepted you to be his own people. He has promised you this. The Lord also said that you must obey all his commands. The Lord will make you greater than all the nations he made. He will give you praise, fame, and honor. And you will be his own special people, as he promised.”

Deuteronomy 26:16-19 (ERV)

 In this Scripture, Moses the man of God, tells the people of Israel that if they do everything The Lord requires of them then the Lord will make them His special people. As believers in Jesus Christ, the Lord is saying the same thing to us today. If we will believe in God by accepting Jesus Christ His Son as our Lord and Saviour, The Lord will also accept us as His own people and we will be God’s special people. Let’s take a closer look at this scripture.

What does The Lord require from us for us to be His own special people?

1. Obey all His laws and rules – do everything The Lord has told us to do in His Word – The Holy Bible. Just like Jesus, we should surrender our will to the Father and do all that He has commanded us to do “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38)
2. Be careful to follow them with all your heart and soul – we should put our all in serving God and follow His Word with all our heart and soul “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” (Matthew 22:37)
3. Make The Lord your God – there are many god’s out there. Some are made of stones, metal and wood, some even worship the sun and the moon. Some worship their money, car, family etc. But The Lord who made heaven and earth, the God of Israel, wants you to make Him your Lord and God: “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands” (Psalm 115:3-4)
4. Live in the way God wants – there are many philosophies out there of different ways to live the good life, however God wants us to walk in love (Ephesians 5:2), walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8), and walk in in wisdom (Ephesians 5:15)
5. Follow the teachings of God – we should do what The Word says “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22)
6. Obey His laws and commands – even in the face of difficulty and persecution The Lord wants us to do what He says “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29);
7. Do everything God tells you to do – The Lord wants us to do everything He tells us to do so that He will make us prosperous and give us good success “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8)

Once we do what The Lord require, what will The Lord do for us?

1. The Lord will accept us as His own people – to be accepted is to have the assurance that we belong to God and that no one can take us from His hand; “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” (John 10:28-30)
2. The Lord will make you greater than all the nations He made – it has always been the will of The Father to make those who obey Him great and to give them a great name. God told Abraham, Israel’s ancestor, that if he will leave his father’s house and go to a land that He will show him; “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2)
3. The Lord will give you praise – God is a faithful God, and when you listen to Him, He will give you fame and praise “At that time I will bring you back, Even at the time I gather you; For I will give you fame and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I return your captives before your eyes,” Says the Lord” (Zephaniah 3:20)
4. The Lord will give you fame – God makes those who obey Him famous. Listen to what He told David, the man who was after God’s own heart: “And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth” (2 Samuel 7:9)
5. The Lord will give you honour – because Solomon asked wisdom from God, God gave him both riches and honour “And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days” (1 Kings 3:13)
6. You will be God’s special people – when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we become God’s special people “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9)

Prayer of Surrender

If you would like to become God’s special people but have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, please pray this prayer of surrender from your heart:

Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I believe that You are the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but by You. I believe You died on the cross and You were raised from the dead.

I accept that I am a sinner and have come short of the glory of God. I now confess my sins and ask You to please forgive me for the sins of (……..please take your time and name them one by one and make a decision not to do them again).

Please wash me clean with Your precious blood that was shed for me on the Cross. Please remove me from the kingdom of darkness and bring me into Your Kingdom of Light. I want to know you Jesus, and have a loving relationship with God my Father.

Please become the Lord of my life and fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can live a victorious life.

From today, please gain control over my spirit, my soul, my mind, my will and my emotions. Please help me to live for You. Thank You Jesus.

Father, I now come to You in the name of Jesus. Thank You for giving Jesus Christ Your Son to die for me so that I can have a loving relationship with You. Please guide and direct my steps from this day forward in Jesus name.

Father, I know You created me for a purpose. Please show me why You have created me and what You want me to do with the rest of my life in Jesus’ name.

Next Steps

Dear Friend, if you have prayed this prayer from your heart, you have become a child of God, His own special people. Please get a Bible and start reading the Word of God, because the Word of God is Spirit and it is life. You literally become transformed as you read the Word of God. If you do not have a Bible please read it at: https://www.biblegateway.com/

Please find a Church where the pure Word of God is preached and join fellowship with other believers. This will help you to be strong and to grow in the Lord.

Dear Brother or Sister, if you have prayed this prayer, we would love to hear from you. Please send an email and we will send you a Bible and some excellent reading material to help you on this Christian journey: info@blessingcoaching.com

God bless,

Blessing