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"My son is like tne smell oT a tield tnat tne

Lord has blessed." Ge 27:27 NIV

Every child longs for their father's blessing, and every father is called to bless their children. When Isaac blessed his sons, he was acting on God's behalf, using his divinely delegated power to impart blessing. A father's blessing was a cherished institution, but its effectiveness rested on the fact that Isaac blessed his sons as an act of faith and not out of mere sentiment or favoritism. By Hebrew custom, a father's blessing comprised two elements. (1) A meaningful touch. "Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him...Then his father Isaac said to him, 'Come here, my son, and kiss me'" (Ge

27:22, 26 NIV). A patriarch's blessing included the laying on of hands, a kiss, and embrace of acceptance and love. Jesus knew exactly what children needed, that's why "he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them" (Mk 10:16). And such expressions of love still bless our children who crave them from us. (2) A spoken word of affection. Before blessing Jacob, his father said to him, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed" (Ge 27:27 NIV). To a city dweller these words may not mean much, but not to Isaac's boys. This old outdoors patriarch who loved nature was in essence saying, "That's my boy-a hunter, a man's man, just like his dad!" He couldn't have spoken more affirming words to his son. Dad, let your words not be critical, demeaning, or insensitive, but words that say, "I couldn't be prouder than to call vou my child!"

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"We stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God." 2Co 1:9 NLT

Are you feeling hopeless about the situation you're in and don't know which way to turn?

Maybe you're struggling to find a reason to keep going, but you're so tired and overwhelmed that you just want to give up. If that's the case, you're in a vulnerable place.

Look out-Satan will try to convince you there must be sin in your life, or that you're out of God's will, or that He is unhappy with you because you have disobeyed Him in some area you're unaware of. Don't buy it! You can be in the center of God's will doing everything the right way, and still experience adversity.

The apostle Paul writes: "You ought to know... about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety" (2Co 1:8-11 NLT). Two elements are at work in your life today. First, God is teaching you to lean on Him instead of on yourself. Second, people around you are being strengthened and encouraged as they see the grace of God at work in your life.

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"Let my teachings become part of you."

Jn 15:7 CEV

According to one count, there are 3,573 promises in the Bible. That's almost ten promises for each day of the year. When you know which of those promises apply to you, and you fulfill the conditions that go with them, you can literally begin to pray God's promises into existence in your life (See Jn

15:7 AMPC). Will your prayers be answered overnight? Some will, others won't. "Be... followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Heb 6:12).

The most powerful prayer you can pray is,

"Lord, you promised in your Word that you would…and today I am praying and believing you for it." Here is how to pray: (1) When you need guidance and direction. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Ps 32:8 NKJV).

(2) When you need deliverance from a situation, or to be set free from a habit. "Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me" (Ps 50:15

NKJV). (3) When you need the strength to stand. "Fear not; for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand" (Isa 41:10 NKJV).

(4) When you don't have enough to meet your needs. "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Php 4:19). If you meditate in God's Word every day, each time a need arises, you will know which of His promises to claim in prayer (See 2Pe 1:4 NIV).

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"I try to find common ground with everyone." 1Co 9:22 NLT

To influence someone, you must first connect with them. And to do that, you must look for common ground. Paul writes, "I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some." In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases

Paul's words: "Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized-whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ-but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!" (vv. 19-23 MSG). Note the words " entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view." When it came to preaching the truth, Paul wouldn't yield an inch. But when it came to reaching and influencing people for Christ, he tried to remove every roadblock between them and Christ. And you must be willing to do the same. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

That's why you must approach them heart-first, not headfirst. Before someone can receive the truth you have to share, they must be convinced that you love and care for them.

And that means finding common ground.

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"I have voluntarily become a servant to...

all." 1Co 9:19 MSG

Whether you're applying for a job, trying to win someone to Christ, counseling and advising, or correcting someone's behavior, to be effective you must look for common ground. Let's look at some of the qualities that calls for. Paul writes: "I have voluntarily become a servant to...all...to reach a wide range of people." Establishing areas of common interest takes time. It also takes effort. It's been reported that today a typical business executive has an on-the-job attention span of six minutes. That's pathetic!

In six minutes a person can hardly get his or her feet on the ground, much less find common ground. Identifying areas you can agree on calls for empathy and a willingness to listen to what the other person has to say.

In her book How to Talk So People Listen, Sonya Hamlin reports that most people find this challenging because of the "Me-First Factor." She writes: "Listening requires giving up our favorite human pastime-involvement in ourselves and our own self-interest. It's our primary, entirely human focus. And it's where our motivation to do anything comes from.

With this as a base, can you see what a problem is created when we're asked to listen to someone else?" So, what's the solution?

First of all it's essential to acknowledge and answer two of the listener's instinctive, unspoken questions, which are: "Why should I listen to you? What's in it for me if I let you in?" Anytime you're willing to listen to people and figure out how what you're offering meets their needs, you are halfway toward your goal of finding common ground.

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"The slingers surrounded and attacked it." 2Ki

3:25 NKJV

In Old Testament times, "slingers" were people who enjoyed going around blocking other people's wells by throwing mud and rocks into them-wells of water that were essential to their survival. Today, mudslingers are people who make malicious attacks against others. Now, chances are that you may have encountered some "mudslingers" yourself, and even suffered at their hands. What should you do?

Avoid them because they're dangerous. You can't mud wrestle with a pig without getting dirty. Not only will the pig win-he will enjoy the fight! And if you yourself have become a slinger, here is a portion of Scripture you would do well to read and keep in mind: "If you stop making trouble for others...then your light will shine in the darkness, you will begin to get attention from and have influence with the right people]...The Lord will always lead you [you will begin to make the right moves]. He will satisfy your needs in dry lands [He will give you success in the most unlikely places, and in spite of adverse circumstances] and give strength to your bones [cause you to live a long and healthy life]" (Isa 58:9-11 NCV). Now there is a benefit package worth working for! So, guard your thoughts because they become your words. Guard your words because they become your actions.

Guard your actions because they become your character. And guard your character because it determines the level of God's blessing in your life.

So, here is the word for you today: Don't be a mudslinger.

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"It is finished!" Jn 19:30 NIV

One of Christ's last declarations from the cross was,

"It is finished." That phrase comprises just one word in Greek, tetelestai, meaning "paid in full." It was the word merchants wrote on a bill when it was canceled. It was also the word stamped on a document announcing that a prison sentence had been commuted. Jesus paid the price in full for every sin you have ever committed! "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Ro 8:1 NIV). The question is, if God forgets your sin the second you confess it, don't you think you should forget it too? How long do you think about an invoice you have paid? You forget it the minute you have paid it. Similarly, since Christ has paid your bill in full, you don't need to remember it anymore. Paul, who once described himself as "chief among sinners" (See 1Ti 1:15), wrote, "Forgetting what is behind... press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward" (Pho

3:13-14 NIV). We can short-circuit God's power in our lives by not trusting that He has truly forgiven us or by deciding not to forgive ourselves. Why do we do that? Sometimes because of how we were raised. Our parents told us, "I forgive you," but they constantly brought it up. Good news: Your heavenly Father is different from your earthly parents. When He forgives your sin, He expunges your record, cancels your past, can't remember it, doesn't talk about it, and will never bring it up again. So, today accept His forgiveness. And if you need to, forgive yourself and move on.

I Forgive yourself and move on.

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"Grab..hope with both hands and never let go."

Heb 6:18 MSG

Does your situation look impossible? Are you getting ready to quit? Don't! Emilie Batisse was seventy-nine when she was injured in a hit-and-run accident and wasn't expected to live. When Norman Vincent Peale went to visit her, he noticed a row of brand-new poetry books that hadn't been opened.

When he asked her about them, she said, "I love poetry, but haven't read those... 'm saving them for my old age." Mrs. Batisse lived to read those books many times, and when she eventually died at ninety-one, she was planning a trip to Europe. Hope is wishing for something to come true; faith is believing it will happen. Hope is wanting something so desperately that despite all evidence to the contrary, you keep believing God for it. And the remarkable thing is that the act of hoping produces a strength of its own. When Cornell University conducted a study on the effects of hope, Dr.

Harold G. Wolff reported that people with hope can endure incredible burdens. One group comprised twenty-five thousand soldiers imprisoned during World War II. Subjected to forced labor, bad food, and filth, many died while others showed only slight damage. Interviews with survivors revealed a far-above-average ability to hope! How were they able to keep their hope alive? By drawing pictures of the girls they planned to marry, designing their future homes, and organizing business management seminars. Hope not only kept them well, it kept them alive! It's easy to see why Paul describes hope as "an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past... appearances...to the very presence of God" (v. 19).

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"Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?" Pr 20:6 NIV

Pastor Rowland Croucher writes: "The children had gone to school, my wife was off to work, and I did something I'd never done before. I turned the phone down, put a note on the door, and went back to bed.

Iwas burned out. Within two months I had resigned my ministry...Three out of four pastors report anger, depression, fear, and alienation. The reasons include.a disparity between idealistic expectations and hard reality... lack of boundaries...workaholism... feelings of incompetence... conflict between being a leader and being a servant at the same time...

'playing it safe' to avoid upsetting powerful parishioners..and loneliness (pastors are less likely to have a close friend than almost anybody)."

Ministering in your own strength virtually guarantees you will end up as another statistic. Paul was able to go the distance and finish strong because he depended on God to give him the needed strength. One Bible teacher says avoiding burnout means (a) having a definite call on your life and a strong relationship with Jesus, (b) seeking His vision and being willing to do whatever He asks, (c) never losing sight of the people behind the work, (d) never taking your position for granted, (e) respecting the guy above you, and submitting willingly to authority, (f) knowing that you're fulfilling God's will and your reward is laid up in heaven, (g) having a servant's heart, (h) putting loyalty above personal feelings, and () never being too big to do small things, or too small to do big things. Practice these principles and you won't burn out.

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