Funny how the Holy Spirit puts thoughts in your man spirit about certain things. I was thinking about how in order to become a good leader you have to be a good student and today's devotion is about having a "teachable spirit". I remember years ago in a technology class how one instructor had a student in class that would back talk her throughout class and in a way I lost respect for the instructor. The nail in the coffin for me is when the student told the instructor, "You're not teaching us the right way."
It seems long gone are days when many (but not all) young people have no respect for teachers but I have to be honest this starts at home. It seems parents are trying to be friends more so than being what they are suppose to be...parents. This subject has been beat to death but it wouldn't have to be repeated over and over if grown ups would act as, well. grown ups.
Parenting is not easy, there is no perfect parent but in the end if a begins to act like a BFF instead of a child's guardian what we have are two big kids with no guidance.
This morning I woke up and began listening to Dr. Charles Stanley. I heard the messages The Measure of Our Love (part II), God's Master Financial Plan (part I), and Prayer: Our Time-Saver (part II). Two things came to mind: Obey God and leave all the consequences to HIM and 1000 days (those are the days Jesus had on earth when you spread his message and to die on the cross for me. So, starting today I will begin to challenge myself to be obedient to God because at 45 years old I know my Heavenly Father has better plans for my life to serve Him, to be a better husband, a better man, a better ambassador for Him.
This past week I've listened to the on-time message by Dr. Charles Stanley in regards to dealing with procrastination. I'm not going to lie, this has hindered me in so many ways. I love to write but have been to afraid and lazy in that regard. This past year has been really an rollercoaster ride for me in my personal life and I'm realizing I'm not getting any younger so it's time for me to shoot for my dreams because one thing I have realized with this economy, with how The Right has no empathy nor sympathy for the working class it's time for me to get my butt in gear.
I wrote down notes that may help you (I wrote this in the first person so it can jump out at me and I will read this for myself every day) as well as listen to the message every day. One thing I've realized is that in order for change to come you have to listen, read, and put into action every day. I've also come to realize that just because I don't get it the "first time" it doesn't mean I'm stupid, that I'm slow. I remember hearing Zig Ziglar say when listening to messages, great audio books you have to listen to it consistently and this is what I'm going to do and I want my Twitter/Facebook peeps to hold me accountable.
Hope these little notes help you and I will let you know how I'm progressing and how the process is going in my life.
Be Blessed,
DarrenKeith3
My Notes for Dr. Charles Stanley's "Putting off Procrastination"
-Putting Off Procrastination
Acts 24:24-27
"24But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.
25But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, "Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you."
26At the same time too, he was hoping that money would be given him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and converse with him.
Acts 26:20
"but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance."[biblegateway.com...http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Act%2026:20&version=NASB...NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE]
Paul was discussing three things with Felix in order for him to become saved, Righteousness, Self-Control, and the judgment to come(by God)
*Procrastination is a form of bondage.*
-Consequences of Procrastination-
Many important tasks undone
Many relationships left hanging
Many crucial decisions hanging
Frustrations we cause myself and others
I foul up schedules
1) Sometimes God only sends opportunities one time but because of fear of change and challenges
2) When I procrastinate I disobey God
-I deprives God of the vessels through whom he wish to accomplish certain task.
(I hinder God's whole plan)
-I become a stumbling block to people when I procrastinate.
3) There is a sense of guilt{I increase my own stress level}
Why Do I put these decisions off, why I procrastinate...
-Self doubt
-Discomfort dodging
-I don't want to face myself
-Look at ourselves
-Admit that I feel inadequate
When I do this(procrastinate) my spiritual growth winds down and then I wonder why my Father doesn't use me and why I don't have the joy, peace in my life. How come God is not doing something fantastic in my life
No matter what I tell God, procrastination is an act of disobedience, rebellion against Him.
I'm I willing to deal with myself
I don't have to worry about being adequate because when I allow Christ Jesus to live within me he makes me adequate...everyone is inadequate.
How Do I Deal With This {Procrastination}
-I most admit I have a problem with procrastination
-I need to identify my area of procrastination
-Identify the feelings that go along with it when I procrastinate
-I put it in the spiritual realm...
"Lord, I confess to you that I have a problem with procrastination in this area of ___________, I choose by faith to repent of this form of bondage, spiritual bondage in my life that's keeping from being the type of person you want me to be, fulfilling your goals and your purposes and your plans, living by your schedule, living in your will, walking in your spirit"
I'm not going to walk in the spirit of God, fulfill the will of God, the purpose of God, the plan of God as a procrastinator. There needs to be genuine repentance in regards to procrastination in my life.
I make a commitment to deal with that area of procrastination in my life right then and there.
What step do I go from there to get the victory of procrastination in my life?
1) I recall who I am as a child of God.
-Christ Jesus is living on the inside of me
-The Holy Spirit is living is within me
-The power of the spirit of God is within me
2) Reaffirm who God says who He in me.
-He's my Savior
-He's my Lord
This has a lot to do and part of the answer to the part of inadequacy, that I may be able to do this right, it answers who I am and who I have within me, the Holy Spirit, and has chosen to live within and He has made me adequate to handle in challenge, circumstance that comes into my life.
My feelings is no longer going to dominate my life. What's going to dominate my life is the truth of what God says who He is in me.
Think about when I first gave my life to Christ Jesus. I put aside my feelings and began walking in faith in regards to my eternal soul being saved for eternity. ---> read the book of Colossians
If I begin living by faith, my life of procrastination is over with but if I continue to live by my feelings I'm going to continue to be a procrastinator.
It all boils down to this...Do I believe who my Father says who I am or will I continue to believe the Devil in regards to who I am?
I need to put my focus on the living Christ instead of my feelings...period. Think about it,
When I feel inadequate...has to do with my feelings
Discomfort dodging...has to do with my feelings
Fear of failing...has to do with my feelings
Fear of rejection...has to do with my feelings
Self doubt...has to do with my feelings
**My prayer and commitment in regards to procrastination**...
"Lord Jesus, from this moment on, I chose to respond to challenges of my life by FAITH, based on who you are in me, Who I am in YOU, and I am absolutely adequate to face anything that life throws at me because the same Apostle Paul who said, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' I have the same, living, supernatural Holy Spirit abiding within me, free within me, liberated within me that the Apostle Paul had and therefore I know that I can do this, I can get it done on time and I choose to do it, I choose to lay down my feelings, I choose to put off procrastination, I choose to walk by faith"
I have to begin believing the truth about what God can do through me and stop believing the lie of my feelings.
I must identify the feelings in regards to my challenge when I faced with this issue say this,
"Lord Jesus, I choose to live by faith, I choose to operate on the basis on what you say and who say I am and who you are in me and I thank you and I attack this problem."
This past year has been a times of serious ups and downs when it comes to employment. Right now I don't have a permanent job but this has given me a chance to deal with two problems that has hindered me throughout my life: fear and procrastination. This past week I heard a message from Dr. Charles Stanley that hit me like a ton of bricks.
The message, "Putting off Procrastination" is a message not only dealing with procrastination but the cost of it when it continues in your life. This is a message I need to hear over and over. Zig Ziglar says in order for something to really take hold in your life you need to listen to it over and over (21 days consecutive). By me listening to this and taken hold of this message I'm realizing that I in order to move forward and get the best out of life I have to get over this fear of failing.
When reading this devotional the first thing I think about is the character from USA Network "Burn Notice" Michael Westin when he says, "When you're a spy you fight, you don't fight fair, you fight to win". I'm getting in my spirit again that this is how you have to fight Satan every single day. Alone I can never win against the Devil but when reading, praying and OBEYING God's word I have the victory each and every time.
Reading this devotional for this Friday brings tears to my eyes because of how faw I have strayed from my Lord and Savior. This past year and a half I haven't been in His word like I should have, allowed issues from my past job become a worldly man in regards to my language and negativity. I haven't been to church God knows how long and instead of looking upward and being obedient I have been relying on my own wisdom. But as I read the devotional and the passage I began to smile because of His love for me. He has never left me and once you truly know Chirst Jesus you know there is no other way to live.
If you have followed me for a minute you know I follow Dr. Charles Stanley. His messages are so crystal clear when it comes to God's word. Even before I was saved whenever his program came On I would stop in my tracks and listen to him.
From now until this series is over I will post links for you to download his latest series on anger. A great series I need in my life and I think many may want this to download and listen to and put in your spirit in dealing with this one emotion in this day and time.
With so much going on in the world today with the economy, the negativity toward our president, congress, just toward one another you would think there is no hope. Heck, sometimes I feel this way when watching the news but then I have to remember two things: One, I have the choice of what to watch and second: I'm putting my focus and trust in the wrong thing.
It's okay to keep in touch with what's going on in the world but I've come to realize that we 24/7 news which means that sometimes we don't let things develop fully and we as people sometimes jump the gun and have to take things into our own hands. We sometimes hear one situation and think this is the "end all/be all" but that is so not true. What I'm trying to get back to is the fact that nothing and I do mean nothing surprises my God. With everything that is going on today I have to remember to keep my focus on Him and Him alone.
God has given me common sense on what to do, how to handle situations, how to deal with people that mean me no good but again I have to remember to stay the course. I have to remember the more I bring my issues to Him, the more I realize the world and people are going to always have obstacles but when I fill myself with His promises and put them into actions the results are going to same: me being victorious. Sometimes I may not believe that when first pushing ahead but then I think about how many times I've allowed the world to dictate to me my outcome knowing that the world is fickle and will always be fickle.
For me, beginning my day with His words in my heart, spending quality time with God, being obedient to His commandments and surrounding myself with things that bring me joy and wisdom has always been the best way to go in regards to dealing with this world. Yes, God will not only hold my hand but he has my back each and every time, even when it doesn't feel like it.
After my previous job this is a "must have" message I need in my life right now. As always, Dr. Charles Stanley message is a timely message in the day and time.
Great video from the PBS program, "need to know" in regards to the addiction of Facebook, how difficult it is when quitting the online site and 3 guys from Rotterdam the has a sure way of quitting Facebook, so much that Facebook has sent them two letters to shut down their site or face the consequences.
Since Twitter is taken their sweet time given me the new version I stumbled on a cool little extension for Firefox and Chrome called "Power Twitter" by Narendra Rocherolle, Nick Wilder.
I take it it's been around for a minute (November of 2009, where the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks HAVE I BEEN?!?) but whats cool about it is that it gives you two important tools you need right at your fingertips: posting a photo and shorten your links. I don't know if I will use the "Update Mood" (what would have been cool if it added the "smileys" to the tweets...hey, I like eye-candy).
At the lower right bottom of the page is where you choose your setting in regards to which app you wish to use in regards to where you wish your pictures to post. Not bad.
Until I finally get to play around with the new Twitter this will have to do and I don't mean using Power Twitter is a bad thing because you keep your same twitter but with a boost.
I'm learning two things about when I want to blog on a news topic. First: wait until the incident plays itself out and second: look at the whole scenario and not just an "Polaroid" snapshot of what's going down.
Yesterday the pastor in Florida decided not to burn the Koran on September 11 in regards to a meeting that "may" or "may not" have happened in regards to relocating the Mosque that will be built new "Ground Zero" Rachel Maddow every other word about the pastor was "wacko", "crackpot", "crazy". As I heard these words I began looking at how conservatives and liberals mark one another when it comes their causes.
I understand Rachel's view...to a point. Yes, I clearly understand what she was saying that the pastor would not have received as much air time if the so-called "sane" congressman and congresswomen on the Right would not have fanned the flame. She hit the nail on the head when you have people from Newt Gingrich to Sarah Palin constantly saying, "We're at war with Islam" and not pin-pointing "The terrorist and fanatic Muslim groups". But this has always been the way of the Right. Always painting a broad brush when it comes to people of a different culture or different race. In the Republicans mind Blacks are criminals, Hispanics are all illegal immigrants, and people from the Middle East are terrorists and all the while many of them on The Right use them for cheap labor (lets not forget Asians and people of India and how Corporate America exploits them to no end.)
To me, this is why we from different races can't get along because when you constantly hear how Blacks are a bunch of lazy/good for nothing/always looking for a hand out/gun-toting thugs day in and day out, heck if I saw this image and hear this rhetoric over and over again I would be nervous too if I were of a different race. As of right now The Right Party has painted President Obama as a person who is 'trying to get back at the "White Man" and that he hates "White People" (It just hit me that Glenn Beck is the White Kanye West...but without talent).What about the fact that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama did it the right way: getting good grades, working with the under privilege, both set of parents taught them how to get ahead by 'working" and not looking for a hand out, about treating people the way you wish to be treated. And how about the fact that Obama's grandparents and that his mother was White?
The Right is like a magician with making you not focus on what other cultures bring to the table on in a good way but focus on one bad incident and blow it up to the the 10th power. At first I was going to say the Republicans are "cheap magicians" but they are not because if that was the case people in the U.S. would treat people the way they would want to be treated but instead they pass judgment first then ask questions later.
Then I look at the pastor's point of view. Me being a follower of Christ I was watching the local news and how a Muslim leader could not believe how he could burn a "sacred book". For me being a Christian, we see how Muslims burn the American Flags, how they kill people for practicing Christianity (Americans and they fellow Middle-Eastern town-folk) and by me being Black I encounter people people from the Middle-East and how they look at us as if we are scum of the earth day and day out. I encounter how people from India get the disgusting look at me and my wife when we shop at well known stores and when we drive nice cars are live in nice neighborhoods. They get this look like, "what are YOU people doing in these parts!?!"
What the heck!?!
We as Blacks fought in every major war in these country, OUR country, the United States. We helped build this nation even years and years of not being able to vote or constantly being intimidated by the country we are born in, grew up in and would die for because although the Right Wing establishment paints Blacks as "Takers" we have been "Givers" to this United States of America for centuries. Again, people from the Middle-East wish to be judge by their character but at the same time do not practice this when it comes to my people. I will never forget living in Florida where I was at convenient store and as I was about to hand the young lady the money she tapped the counter to put the money there. I politely walked out of that store never to return.
Funny how people from the Middle-East come to America and try and dictate their ways upon this country but do not try and compromise and try to open up a line of understanding. Funny how they open businesses in the poor areas in Black neighborhoods and yet think they can treat or talk to Blacks as if they are dirt and not realizing that The Right Party looks at them the same way they look at Blacks.
As I get older I realize that when you take the time to listen and try and get to know a person many have great things to bring to the table. Some people are extreme and you have to deal with them with a ten-foot pole but many want the same thing: a decent wage, a safe, nice environment to live. Some may think the pastor may be "nuts" but as for me being a Christian and Black I can relate to both sides of to this situation that has unfolded.
Gossip has been around since the beginning of time but that doesn't mean you have to participate in it. Dr. Charles Stanley gives many good reason not to indulge in gossip. Once again Dr. Stanley breaks it down so anyone can see the harm of gossip in your and other people's lives.
This devotion hits home with me because I feel the same way when it comes to driving. My queen teases me for driving the speed limit but in the end she thanks me because she doesn't have to worry about unnecessary drama like getting a ticket or hitting the brakes because I see a highway trooper and like Mr. Lamborn's wife has to remind him from time to time, "It's the law."
It is liberating and not a "hinder" when you do the right thing. It's a simple to remember; not easy to live by but the alternative is much worse in the end. That is how I view the Bible in two ways in regards a sense of freedom because even if people wrong you in the end you are the winner because it is you who took the high road and knowing that once you leave this earth you be in presence of God.
Again, I'm not going to lie it is so hard to not be effected when it comes to living right now because with the climate of corporations wanting to pay workers barely a living wage, people living their lives in a immoral way, racial tensions at a all time high, news organization reporting news before getting the facts in order. You can find yourself wanting to reach out and begin living that way but what I have found out is that in the end that way of living turns to ashes. It may not happen at that moment but it will happen and what I have learned the longer you live that way the longer it takes to rebuild your life and rebuild trust and respect from people.
For me the way of the world is going it's pushing me back to my Maker because the more I watch television (which is less and less) the more I getting back to the basics of reading books, rediscovering how much I love God, the price He paid by sending His son to die for my sins. For many people, the older you become the more you see how wonderful life is and you don't have time to waste it.
I wish more people could see the freedom in doing it God's way but as always it's best to lead by example and not just our speech.
"The confidence we have as Christians is that God has something good planned for us. Suffering was not part of His original act of creation, but it serves as a temporary reminder of what happens in a world where God’s order has been broken."
To be honest I can't add anything to that but I will try. Many times we think God is trying to keep us from having fun. In today's world many people want God out of their lives because they feel it's an intrusion and Satan blinds people time and time again that most pleasures of this world is the best way to live but in the end that happiness is only temporary. This is what happened to Eve in the garden.
The serpent made Eve focus on a tiny part of the Garden of Eden instead of her keeping her eye on the Creator and if she would have done this she would have see all that God had blessed her and her mate with. Eve and her husband Adam would have to work but it wouldn't be as hard as today. She would have had pain in regards to child bearing but not that much pain.
Instead she allowed herself to take her eyes off of her blessings and focus on a moment of happiness which in the end cost her dearly in the end in regards to true happiness and joy. Lately many people around me is reminding me little by little how important life is when less and less unnecessary drama is allowed in my life.
There will be heartache from time to time in my life but many times small things like turning off the news, not watching the latest gossip show and opening an informative book or relaxing to some good music or just sometimes just being still for 15-30 minutes and listening to God and focusing on Him my day will go much better.
This past weekend my best friend said something to me which helped me greatly in dealing with my job,
"Focus on each day and what that work day is paying and allowing you to enjoy."
That's pretty cool advise and reading this devotion ties into that...
"Think about how good it will feel when it stops hurting."
In today's world where people think they are entitled to talk to people harshly not think about the other person's feelings. but we (especially myself) have to keep in mind this is not something we have to endure 24/7 and when we begin focusing on the wonders that God has blessed you and with it makes the day more bearable.
I have gotten away from writing on my main blog, Theology and Technology it's not funny. I've gotten away from reading God's word it's shameful. I haven't been to church in so long and now I'm seeing the result of it in my life. This is not a good thing. I'm finding myself feeling that opening the Bible I would be a hypocrite and I know that's a lie straight from Hell because once you give your life to Christ you never lose your salvation. I find myself letting my job get the best of me, I've lost my way of finding out what God wants for my life. I feel like I've done every type of job and now I'm at the end of not being what I should be. But again, that's a lie from Satan.
I know God wants me to turn back to His word, because He wants the best for me but it's up to me to make that move, make that first step. I need to begin putting things back in priority. I started early this morning making a schedule to listen/reading the word of God. I have the entire Bible on CDs. It's 66 books in the Bible and it's 52 weeks in a year so I will make it a habit listening to one CD a week of the word of God. I say this because it's good to listen to something over and over because that is how it gets in your heart, your soul, your mind. We watch some television programs over and over, movies over and over, music for sure we listen to the same track over and over so why not God's word?
Funny thing happened to me early this morning...very early this morning. I woke up about 3am so I got up, took me a shower, grabbed my ipod and listen to the first 19 chapters of Genesis. Funny how I tried to get sleepy listening to something that will enhance my life and as soon as I finished listening to Disc 1 of the Holy Bible (NIV) I couldn't get back to sleep for an hour. When it comes to reading books, or something that will help you in life we get sleepy our mind tries to wander, we try and get sleepy and something I found out, WE have control that. So again after work I will listen/read the first 19 Chapters of Genesis but it's something I have to do if I want my life to improve. And not only do I need to read it but get back to obeying His word.
It's amazing what God covers in just the first chapters of Genesis in regards marriage, quantity of marriage, what we can eat, capital punishment. The Bible is a wonderful guide for life and I'm sorry I allowed myself to drift away from it.
But again, as a friend used to say to me all the time, "I'm a work in progress, Darren." I'm that way too and I'm glad God loves me "just because". He knows my faults but it doesn't mean I have the right to stay in that condition I will force myself to move away from that day by day.
Today this devotion and passage tells me one thing and one thing alone...begin my day with my Savior each and every day and go to bed with His word in my heart in my head. It's funny how I go to bed each night watching late night television and not really putting the most important thing in my head and spirit because God gives me life each day and gives me wisdom to deal with the problems every hour of the day.
My Prayer:
Lord, help me realize that today is not a hectic day when I put you first.
Proverbs that stuck out to me today in Chapter 29...
Two great messages from Dr. Charles Stanley in regards to not only finding lasting friendships but how to deal with lonliness God's way. You hear me say this time and time again, Dr. Stanley has a way of bringing God's word to you in a practical way that makes you stop and listen.
I truly dig technology and I mean I really ENJOY technology when it comes to gadgets, computers. It's been in my blood since my grandmother passed that down to me and I thank her for that. But I think...no, I know technology has made many of us really lazy when it comes to remembering very important information.
It used to be a time when calling to make reservations we would have information written down like the zip code, the address, the time of arrival and return from our destination. Now with computers, PDAs which has transcended to smartphones we have lost the use of plain common sense. We have given our brains a vacation for life when it comes to making arrangements. Don't get me wrong, we (customer service) are here to help you but you have to help yourself a little in order to make the transition smooth. People now act as if they are new born babies when it comes to making arrangements for trips.
What's more disturbing is some of the calls I get when it comes to looking up reservations. People are too lazy to first copy the information from their phone when it comes to looking up key information and then many get an attitude if we can't find the reservation in an nano second. We have lost the will to be considerate with one another in the post-technology era. We have forgotten the concept of "placing ourselves in the other person's shoes".
I have come to the fact that I'm keeping my gadgets but at the same time I'm going to begin carrying me an "paper" organizer again. To be honest it's a must because in my mind if I'm calling to get arrangements for a trip or confirmation on a reservation and if I don't have the key information at hand, it makes ME look bad and not the other way around but again we now live in the age of people are not considerate of one another.
In the world of planning events now, people now think company rules and policies do not apply to them. They feel that once you explain the process and just because their plans were changed of if they don't have the proper way of paying for an reservation we're the bad guys. Now I'm not going to say all in customer service are the best because again me being on the other side I've had my issues as well when it come to customer service (that's another post).
With technology we can store more but with technology it has made people very impatient and we people want information in real time but word of advise to customers...in order to receive information fast from humans you have to give correct information in real time.
Once again Dr. Charles Stanley breaks God's word down to common sense to where there is NO excuse but to pay attention and to realize the love for God for you life.
