‘The peace of God…will guard your hearts and minds.’ Philippians 4:7 NIV

When you feel anxious and afraid, here are two things you should do: 1) Find a ‘faith friend’. When anxiety grabs your mind, one of the most powerful ways to break the worry spiral is to disclose it to a ‘faith friend’. When Israel went out to occupy the promised land, here is what God said to them: ‘Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too’ (Deuteronomy 20:8 NIV). Pessimism, fright, and discouragement are contagious. And so is courage! 2) Take action and face your fear. Sermons about how God will take care of you aren’t in and of themselves sufficient to remove anxiety from your life. You must do certain things, like stepping out in trust. The way to get God’s peace from your head to the rest of your body is to trust Him to the point where you can confront your fears head-on. So, with that in mind, a) meditate on passages like Psalm 23; imagine yourself being shepherded by the Lord through green pastures and led beside still waters, b) talk to your ‘faith friend’ before worry gets a foothold in your mind, c) use a ‘breath prayer’ such as, ‘God, I’m casting all my cares on You,’ d) exercise; physical exercise is one of the best ways to stop excess adrenaline from building up, e) identify your fear and take even one small step towards confronting it, and f) get sufficient rest. David said, ‘In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety’ (Psalm 4:8 NIV). Today, give your worries to God!

‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.’ Revelation 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 harmonise with the Holy Spirit.

‘Let us hold fast…without wavering…He who promised is faithful.’ Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

You will notice that during the creation process, God counts days based on the previous nights. The Bible doesn’t say, ‘The morning and evening were the first day.’ No, it says, ‘God called…the evening and the morning…the first day’ (Genesis 1:5 KJV). That means God specialises in bringing light out of darkness – you just have to get through one to get to the other! God told Moses that the angel of death would come at night, and wherever he saw the blood of the lamb on the doorposts, the inhabitants of that house would be saved (see Exodus 12:12-13). Exodus states that God ‘sent a…wind that blew all night until there was dry land…and the Israelites walked through’ (Exodus 14:21-22 CEV). The psalmist wrote, ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning’ (Psalm 30:5 NKJV). The dawn is all the more brilliant because of the darkness that preceded it, just as your progress is all the more rewarding when set against a backdrop of pain, gain, and breakthrough. Great mornings come by getting through rough nights. When you see somebody who is having a great day, chances are you’re looking at somebody who has been through a long night. When you hear them shouting the victory, it may be because they have spent the night praying and weeping before God. The Bible says, ‘Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise’ (Hebrews 10:23 NLT). Trusting God is more than just wishful thinking. It’s knowing that if He said it, He will do it. It’s realising He doesn’t just control creation, He controls your circumstances. So, ‘hold fast’.

‘Make sure you understand what the Master wants.’ Ephesians 5:17 MSG

To fulfil God’s plan for your life, you need to do these: 1) Map out your day. Plan your time and stick to your plan. Only one out of three people do that. One leadership expert says, ‘It’s…rare…that I get up in the morning wondering what I’ll be doing that day.’ That’s why he is a leader – and an expert! 2) Keep first things first. Goethe said, ‘Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.’ Most of us don’t get to our most important tasks until mid-afternoon. We complete low-priority tasks first so we will have a sense of accomplishment. That’s unwise. And if you plan your day but don’t follow through, your results will be the same as those who don’t plan at all. As Dwight Eisenhower observed, ‘Taking first things first…often reduces the most complex human problem to a manageable proportion.’ 3) Be focused but flexible. Expect the unexpected and learn to adapt. Conditions constantly change, and so must your methods of getting things done. 4) Learn to delegate. People tend to fall into two categories: clingers and dumpers. Clingers refuse to let go of anything they think is important, whether or not they’re the best person for the job. Their goal is perfection. Dumpers, on the other hand, are quick to off-load tasks without giving much thought to how well the job gets done. Their goal is to get it off their desk ASAP. Proper delegation calls for being wise, secure in who you are, and generous towards others. It also means the job gets done right – and in the end, that is what you want.

‘By the grace of God I am what I am.’ 1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV

There is a tale about a boy who comes home and doesn’t know his mum is visiting with their pastor. He carries a dead rat in his hand. ‘Mum, you’ll never guess what. There was a rat running around in the garage. I saw it, threw a stone, and hit it. It just lay there, so I went over and stamped on it. Then I picked it up and hurled it against the wall.’ Then he sees the pastor, and if his mum’s looks could kill, he knew that he would be one dead kid. So, he holds the rat up and adds in a pious voice, ‘And then the dear Lord called him home.’ That’s the kind of talk people slip into when they want to hide their flaws and appear more ‘spiritual’. The old hymn ‘Just as I Am, Without One Plea’ is about taking off the mask and knowing that God loves you in spite of your problems. If there was a true ‘just as I am’ church where people could bring their baggage and brokenness, if there was a group where everyone was loved and no one faked it, we couldn’t make enough room for them inside the building. Paul acknowledged that sometimes he acted like Dr Jekyll, other times like Mr Hyde. He talked of the times when he wanted to do good but evil took over. But he refused to throw in the towel because he realised he was a work in progress. ‘I…do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect’ (vv. 9-10 NIV).

‘They loved human praise more than the praise of God.’ John 12:43 NLT

The Bible says: ‘Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God’ (vv. 42-43 NLT). How secure are you as a leader? When someone else has a great idea, do you support it or suppress it? Do you celebrate other people’s successes, or feel threatened by them? If your answers are that you suppress and feel threatened, you have a problem with insecurity and you need to deal with it in order to fully succeed in what God has called you to do. Observe: 1) Insecure leaders create insecurity in others. The old saying goes, ‘You cannot give what you do not have.’ Likewise, without security, you cannot make others feel secure. And to be an effective leader, the kind that others want to follow, you need to make those who follow you feel good about themselves. 2) Insecure leaders take more from people than they give. They are on a constant quest for recognition, validation, and love. Because of that, their attention is on finding security and not imparting it to others. They are mostly takers not givers, and takers don’t make good leaders. 3) Insecure leaders continually limit their best people. They hoard power. In fact, the better their followers are, the more threatened the leaders feel – and the harder they work to limit their followers’ success and recognition. If these things describe you, read this: ‘Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other’ (Romans 12:10 NLT).

‘Do not neglect the gift that is in you.’ 1 Timothy 4:14 NKJV

The only way to keep improving is to keep practising. Nancy Dornan says, ‘The longest distance between two points is a shortcut.’ That’s really true. If you desire to grow in a particular area, figure out what it will really take, including the price, then determine to pay it. David didn’t suddenly discover his talent as a harpist when he arrived at King Saul’s palace. He developed it through years of practice on lonely hillsides while tending his father’s sheep. Paul instructed Timothy: ‘Till I come, give attention to reading…Do not neglect the gift that is in you…Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all’ (vv. 13-15 NKJV). When you’re through growing – you’re through. Progress, success, and growth don’t happen by osmosis, they demand discipline. There is no easy way to become a disciplined person. The reason last year’s winner was this year’s runner-up is because one was willing to go the extra mile when it came to practice and discipline, and the other wasn’t. Anyone who does what he or she must do only when they’re in the mood or when it’s convenient will get left behind. Improvement comes through discipline. A disciplined person doesn’t make excuses or accept excuses; they eliminate excuses. As French classical writer François de La Rochefoucauld said, ‘Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them.’ If you have several reasons why you can’t be disciplined, realise they’re just a bunch of excuses – all of which need to be challenged if you want to succeed in what God has called you to do.

‘Hear Me, everyone, and understand.’ Mark 7:14 NKJV

Jesus said, ‘Hear Me, everyone, and understand.’ He spoke life-changing words, but He understood that preoccupied minds don’t always listen too well. Are you a good listener? 1) If you’re a leader, do you listen to your followers? The kind of leaders people want to follow do more than conduct business when they interact with you; they take the time to get a feel for who you are as a person. Philip Stanhope, the Earl of Chesterfield, believed, ‘Many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request.’ If you’re accustomed to listening only to the facts and not the person who expresses them, change your focus – really listen. 2) If you’re in business, do you listen to your customers? A Cherokee saying states, ‘Listen to the whispers and you won’t have to hear the screams.’ Never get so caught up in your own ideas and products that you don’t hear your customers’ concerns, complaints, and suggestions. In his book, Business @ the Speed of Thought, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates said, ‘Unhappy customers are always a concern. They’re also your greatest opportunity.’ That’s why you should make it a priority to keep in contact with the people you’re serving. 3) If you’re committed to growth, are you listening to your mentors? You will never become so advanced or experienced that you can afford to be without mentors. If you don’t have some, go out and find them. If you can’t get some, begin by reading the right books, starting with your Bible. If you’re not following in the footsteps of someone wiser, there is a good chance you’re not on the right path.

‘You formed me…I am marvellously made!’ Psalm 139:13-14 MSG

In order for your child to thrive and have self-worth, they must understand four things: 1) How God feels about them. The psalmist says, ‘His love never quits’ (Psalm 136:1 MSG). Knowing this is foundational to your child’s spiritual development and to their relationship with God. 2) How you feel about them. So, let them know that though you correct them, you will never reject them. 3) How they feel about themselves. The most painful aspect of growing up is related to the assault on self-esteem that’s almost universal in today’s teen society. Young people typically feel like fools and failures before they have even had a chance to get started in life. So, tell them they are a ‘work in progress’ with incredible potential. ‘You formed me in my mother’s womb…Body and soul, I am marvellously made!’ (Psalm 139:13-14 MSG). Help them to discover their God-given gifts and develop them – electronics, art, music, or even raising rabbits for fun and profit. Anything! It’s not so much what you teach your child; the key is that they are learning something with which to compensate when the whole world seems to be saying, ‘Who are you, and what is your significance?’ The teenager who has no answer to these questions is left unprotected at a very vulnerable time in life. So, developing and honing skills with which to compensate may be one of the most valuable contributions you as a parent can make. 4) How their peers feel about them. If they approve, that’s good. But if they don’t, and you have got the first three things right, your child will still thrive.

‘To whom much is given, from him much will be required.’ Luke 12:48 NKJV

One author writes: ‘It took me half my life to discover the great power of choices and chances. Good relationships are God’s gift to you; what you do with them is your response to Him. Too often we drape our passivity, or lack of courage, or disregard for our relationships in the frayed tapestry of fate. We weave excuses and give alibis to our guilty hearts, which failed to alter circumstances. We then dismiss our responsibility like a cheap attempt at religious absolution, living in denial that things could have been better in our relationships had we taken action sooner. The worst part of it is that many foolishly charge God and hold Him liable for relationships they themselves could have changed. God’s grace gives us opportunities, each relationship being a gift to be unwrapped and enjoyed. We must seize each precious moment as an adventure. If we are aware of the potential of each relationship, our hearts will be penetrated by the urgency to make each encounter the very best. You had a chance not to marry her, or to make that call, or to be the first to apologise, or to embrace your heart’s desire. The choices are yours. So, you must say every day, “I’ll take my chances, activate my choices, go through my changes, and make my decisions.” And when the day is done, you will say to yourself, “It was my life and my relationships, and I am responsible for both.”’ Jesus said, ‘For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.’ Do you have a relationship problem? Take action!