Pastor Scott continues with his series on excellent choices. People of excellence understand the importance of using wisdom.

Excellent Choices guarantee excellent outcomes. Consider that your choices are like seeds. They will one day reap a harvest. What kind of harvest do you want? Whatever you sow will grow. You can't plant corn and expect to harvest peas. It is the same principle when you are talking about life choices. Negative choices will result in negative consequences. Wise choices result in favor over your life.Proverbs chapter two teaches us that wise choices will serve as a protection. They not only protect in the moment, but in the future as well. People of excellence continue to make choices that are excellent and they do it consistantly. They avoid difficult people and toxic environments. They are problem solvers not drama seekers. They are lubricators and not agitators. Pay attention to those around you. What is their focus. Mark them. Be judicious with your time. Don't waste your life on those who love problems. Spend your time wisely with those who are stimulated by the desire to be overcomers. Pay attention to those who value their own time and show equal respect for yours.

Wise choices will protect you! God is our Protector. One of the ways He protects us is by freely giving us wisdom when we ask for it. When we make excellent choices, we are being proactive about our lives. We stop the cycle of wandering around the same territory and inevitably falling into the same pit over and over again. We can choose wisdom and understanding. They will both protect and preserve us and keep us from negative consequences. CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES! God's word gives us guidance and the option to choose the better way.

Discernable seasons.

Discernable seasons.

Sometimes life can get messy and we find ourselves in a difficult place. God is still a God of miracles. He can make a way for us, even when we have participated in our own dilemma. His grace and mercy can and will help us to find our way over, under or through the valley. Excellent choices will protect us because we can learn to choose the better way. We have the power to choose. People of excellence know how to avoid some negative situations by using wisdom. In scripture, we read about Daniel who was kept by angels in the lion’s den. That was the miraculous intervention of God. After his deliverance, it was excellence that caused him to have favor with the king. Excellent decisions will save some tread on your life! Excellent people avoid difficult people and are problem solvers. Solutions excite them. They are lubricators not agitators. Look for the best in a situation. Make the atmosphere around you shift toward the positive. Offer solutions. Excellent people value time. They are dependable. If they do not value your time, then chances are they will not value their time either. If you do not learn how to schedule your day, then the day will scatter you. Before you realize it, time has flown by, the day has passed, and you have accomplished very little. This pattern of behavior builds insecurities. It creates anxiety. Make lists. Write it down. Check it off. When you finish a project, the sense of accomplishment is exhilarating. Finish the project. Manage the time. Proverbs tells you to guard your heart. Guard your time. Guard your space. Guard your atmosphere. The reward will be worth it.

God is our ultimate protection, but wise choices will also serve as a protection. He is our Way maker. He can open doors that no man can open and shut doors that no man can open. If in our humanity we find ourselves in a difficult place, God in His mercy, will bring us out or He will bring us through. I can make good decisions and sound choices after having asked God for divine wisdom. If I do this, I will avoid some crises for which I would have to beg God for deliverance. It is hard to be a person of excellence when you continually surround yourself with difficult people who resist your vision or purpose. Invite those you love. Jesus said in the gospels, “Whosoever will, may come.” The invitation is open to everyone. However, it is important that you learn to invest yourself in those who love you. Giving all your resources to everyone, all the time, will result in burn out. Excellent people are problem solvers. Solutions excite them. They are answer oriented. Many notice the crisis. All too few are focused on the solution to the problem. There are some individuals who feed on drama. You can surround yourself with lubricators or agitators. Lubricators make everything around them run more smoothly. They help. They are a benefit to the situation. Agitators are human stop signs. They will be the first in line to tell you why something cannot or should not be done. If you become a problem solver, you will be welcome in almost any business or personal relationships. Choose wisely!

Characteristics of Excellence. Today, Pastor Scott begins a new series on being people of excellence. That is not to be confused with people who are perfect. There was only One who was perfect. We can learn from people of excellence. We live in a time that can be described as the miracle generation.  “God, get me out of my mess!” This is often the cry of the heart. The truth is, that there is no mess so great that it is beyond His ability to move heaven and earth if necessary, to respond to the desperate plea of one of His children. God is well able! While this is true, there are some things that I am able to do for myself.  Instructions from scripture encourage me to take specific actions that will assist me in avoiding situational or relational traps. God should not always have to be bailing me out of trouble!  Are there specific actions I can take to avoid unhealthy situations and maintain my deliverance? Absolutely! Proverbs 2:11, says, “Wise choices shall protect you and understanding shall keep you.” While God is our Protector and Deliverer, making excellent decisions serve as protection devices as well. People of excellence avoid difficult people. Do not confuse different people with difficult people. Learn which relationships encourage you to excel and which relationships leave you feeling diminished. In the garden, when Adam and Eve disobeyed by eating the fruit, they hid in fear from God because they were naked. God asked them the question, “Who told you that you were naked?” Whose voice were they listening to? It was not God’s voice. You may be very loving, but it does not mean that you have to give difficult people equal access. Invite those that you love into your life but invest in those where love is mutually shared.

Discernable seasons.

Have you heard the expression, “Favor ain’t fair”? God’s divine approval is without merit. However, when it comes to favor,  it is fair, and it can be learned. The Bible tells us that Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and favor with God and man. He grew into them. Favor is something that can be discovered, learned, and perfected. There is a path, price, and protocol for favor. So, the questions that we must ask ourselves is, who do we listen to? Who do we admire? Who are your heroes? What would you do for free? What do you like to read? The questions are designed to assist you in the discovery of your passion. When you discover your passion, that is the moment when you have found where you belong. When you know your path and you are willing to pay the price, you will follow protocol. That is your straight line for favor. Meditate on this teaching. Allow yourself the opportunity to digest it and assimilate it into your life experience.