RCCG Victory Temple Chantilly's Podcast

"Teach us to use wisely all the time we have." Ps 90:12 CEV

We all get the same twenty-four hours every day. That's 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. And we "must give an account to God" for how we use them (See Ecc 11:9 NLT).

A good place to start is by asking yourself,

"How would I spend the next twenty-four hours if I knew I would stand before God tomorrow?" Your answer can help you prioritize your life. Think about it: If somebody steals your car, you can get another one. If they steal your wallet, a few phone calls to the credit card company usually resolve the matter. But who can you call when you lose your time? How you spend your time is how you spend your life! Ephesians 5:16 says, "Make every minute count" (CEV), so learn to do these: 

(1) Stop saying yes to everybody. 
When your spiritual gut says no, but your people-pleasing gut says yes, go with your spiritual gut. Jesus did. It's what enabled Him to tell His Father, " have finished the work... You have given Me to do" (Jn 17:4 NKJV).

Don't let the good rob you of the best; back off on some activities so you can excel in others. 

(2) Be led by the Spirit, not the flesh.
Paul says, "If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires" (Gal 5:16 CEV). Furthermore, when you walk in the Spirit, you burn the oil, not the wick; the Holy Spirit supplies you with strength. (3) Put first things first. A mark of real maturity is doing what you don't feel like doing when you don't feel like doing it. So, this year, put first things first-and keep them there!

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"Whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle." Heb 11:34 NIV

The writer of Hebrews said: "I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets..whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies" (vv. 32, 34 NIV).

Some of the biggest success stories in Scripture are about people who struggled with weaknesses and character flaws. They were mired in seeming failure and defeat, yet by God's grace they overcame the obstacles and odds stacked against them. The overriding theme of the Bible is resurrection-getting back up again! Here is the question: If you can't avoid failure, and you're not supposed to give in to it or let it color your thinking, how do you handle it? First, change your attitude. Cartoon character Homer Simpson summarized the attitude of many of us when he said, "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is-never try." Suffice it to say, Homer is a classic underachiever! In another episode, he quips,

"Trying is the first step toward failure!" The bottom line is, Homer never tries, so like many real people, he stays stuck. The people who succeed in life have faith and tenacity. They refuse to quit; they have decided not to let failure defeat them. Note the words "whose weakness was turned to strength.! You may start out weak, but by God's grace, you can become strong. You can rise from the ashes of failure, achieve your goals, and live the life God intends. How do we know? Because God's Word savs so!

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You are snarea ny une woras oT your mouth." Pr 6:2 NKJV

A noted psychiatrist remarked that two of the saddest words in human vocabulary are "if only." He believes people who get trapped by their failures spend their lives saying, "If only I had tried harder...if only I had been kinder to my kids...if only I had been more truthful...if only..." The way to change that mindset is to change your vocabulary by substituting the words "next time." "Next time I will try harder...next time I will be kinder to my kids... next time I will be more truthful." The Bible says, "You are snared by the words of your mouth. And a snare is a trap. Have you ever seen an animal caught in a trap, struggling to be free? Your words can do that. And they don't just affect you, they affect others.

Maybe you think we're making too big a deal out of this. If you do--read on: "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit" (Pr 15:4 NKJV). "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Pr 18:21 NKJV).

Jesus said, "Whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says" (Mk 11:23 NKJV). What do these Scriptures have in common? They confirm that our words breathe life (or death) into everything! So instead of defeatist talk, speak victory over your situation. Instead of speaking failure, start speaking success.

When you do, God will honor the fruit of your lips.

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"Many. say of me, 'There is no help for him.'" Ps 3:2 NKJV

A Christian leader writes: "Oliver Goldsmith was born the son of a poor preacher in Ireland in the 1700s. Growing up, he wasn't a great student. In fact, his schoolmaster labeled him a 'stupid blockhead! He did manage to earn a college degree, but he finished at the bottom of his class. He was unsure of what he wanted to do. At first he tried to become a preacher, but it didn't suit him...Next he tried law but failed at it. He then settled on medicine, but he was an indifferent doctor...not passionate about his profession. He was able to hold several posts only temporarily. Goldsmith lived in poverty, was often ill, and once even had to pawn his clothes to buy food. It looked like he would never find his way. But then he discovered an interest and aptitude for writing and translating. At first, he worked as a Fleet Street reviewer and writer. But then he began to write works that came out of his own interests. He secured his reputation as a novelist with The Vicar of Wakefield, a poet with 'The Deserted Village,' and a playwright with She Stoops to Conquer." Goldsmith's story sounds a lot like the psalmist David's-and maybe yours too: "Many are they who say of me, 'There is no help for him in God. But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head" (vv. 2-3 NKJV).

You may be down today, but God will lift you up if you turn to Him for guidance and cooperate with His plan for your life.

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"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Pr 18:24 NIV

Cicero said, "Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief." The fact is, it's impossible to have more than a few close friends, because true friendship takes time, attention, and commitment. "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (v. 24 NIV). 

The hallmarks of real friendship include these: 
(1) Trust. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "The glory of friendship is not in the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him." 

(2) Giving and receiving. Sometimes one person will be the primary giver, and sometimes the other. But true friendships are always two-sided. 

(3) Sharing your lives. Helen Keller said: "My friends have made the story of my life. In a thousand ways they have turned my limitations into beautiful privileges and enabled me to walk serene and happy in the shadow cast by my deprivation."

(4) Mutual enjoyment. In a true friendship, you spend time together just for the joy of it. What you do isn't necessarily of significance. Unfortunately, the busyness of life makes us forget what a joy this can be. 

(5) Respecting one another. How do you build respect? By not letting obstacles or circumstances become more important than the relationship.

When the pressure is on, you continue to treat one another with patience and kindness. And when the relationship is struggling, you work to preserve it.

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"Whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle." Heb 11:34 NIV

The writer of Hebrews said: "I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets..whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies" (vv. 32, 34 NIV).

Some of the biggest success stories in Scripture are about people who struggled with weaknesses and character flaws. They were mired in seeming failure and defeat, yet by God's grace they overcame the obstacles and odds stacked against them. The overriding theme of the Bible is resurrection-getting back up again! Here is the question: If you can't avoid failure, and you're not supposed to give in to it or let it color your thinking, how do you handle it? First, change your attitude. Cartoon character Homer Simpson summarized the attitude of many of us when he said, "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is-never try." Suffice it to say, Homer is a classic underachiever! In another episode, he quips,

"Trying is the first step toward failure!" The bottom line is, Homer never tries, so like many real people, he stays stuck. The people who succeed in life have faith and tenacity. They refuse to quit; they have decided not to let failure defeat them. Note the words "whose weakness was turned to strength.! You may start out weak, but by God's grace, you can become strong. You can rise from the ashes of failure, achieve your goals, and live the life God intends. How do we know? Because God's Word savs so!

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"Wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it." Pr 8:11 NLT

To keep learning and growing, you must recognize these:

(1) Successful people view learning differently than unsuccessful people.
Joshua learned from Moses. Timothy learned from Paul. Who have you chosen to learn from? Author Sydney J. Harris wrote: "A winner knows how much he still has to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others. A loser wants to be considered an expert by others before he has learned enough to know how little he knows." It's all a matter of attitude. It's truly remarkable how much a person has to learn before he or she realizes how little they know.

(2) Nothing is interesting if you're not interested. 
In Quality Is Free, Philip B. Crosby writes: "There is a theory of human behavior that says people subconsciously retard their own intellectual growth. They come to rely on clichés and habits. Once they reach the age of...personal comfort with the world, they stop learning and their mind runs on idle for the rest of their days. They may progress organizationally, they may be ambitious and eager, and they may even work night and day. But they learn no more." The Bible says, "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature" (Lk 2:52). He didn't just grow physically; He grew spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. It's a tragedy when you let yourself get into a rut and never climb out; you miss out on the best that God has to offer.

By contrast, teachable people are completely engaged in life. They are enthusiastic about things. They're interested in discovering, discussing, applying, and increasing. So, never stop learning and growing!

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"Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord." Ps 127:3 CEV

A Christian psychologist writes: "Several months ago I talked to a man who described one of the most painful experiences of his life.

When he was seventeen, he was one of the stars on his high school football team. But his father, a very successful man in the city, was always too busy to come and see him play.

Quickly the final game of the season came around, which happened to be the state championship. The boy was desperate to have his dad there. The night of the big game he was on the field warming up when he looked into the stadium just in time to see his father arrive with two other men, each wearing a business suit. They stood talking together for a moment or two, and then left.

The man who told me this story is now fifty-eight years of age, and yet he had tears streaming down his cheeks as he relived that moment long ago. It's been forty years since that night, and yet the rejection and pain are as vivid as ever. I was struck again by the awesome influence a father has in the lives of his children. When he is uninvolved, when he doesn't show love or care for them, it creates a vacuum that reverberates for decades. My friend's father died not long ago. As he stood by his dad's body in the mortuary, he said,

'Dad, I never really knew you. We could have shared so much love together-but you never had time for me!" Mom, Dad, your children are a "gift" from God. Treasure and enjoy them.

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"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says." Rev 2:11 NKJV

You can read the same Scripture on different occasions, and it will speak to you in totally different ways. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is attributed with saying, "You never step into the same river twice." And you never read the same Bible verse the same way twice. That is a testament to its heavenly Author. And His illumination is based on His intimate and unlimited knowledge of your circumstances, your desires, your fears, your past, your personality, and your destiny. But you must take time to listen and cultivate your sensitivity to what He is saying. The story is told of a music trainer hired to work with opera singers who could not hit certain notes even though they fell within their vocal range.

It was a musical mystery. The trainer did extensive testing on their vocal cords, but he couldn't find any reason why they couldn't hit those notes. Then, on a whim, he tested their hearing. And what he discovered was that these opera singers could not sing a note they could not hear. The problem wasn't singing.

The problem was hearing. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says." Until you hear the voice of God, you won't be able to sing His song. Why? Because you're out of tune. That's how we get trapped in sinful lifestyles and negative cycles and destructive patterns. But when you open up the Bible and truly hear the voice of God-His loving voice, His affirming voice, His graceful voice, His convicting voice, His authoritative voice, His powerful voice-your life begins to harmonize with the Holy Spirit.

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