Issue # 11 - What’s it going to ‘B’ ?

From A - Z… the series continues… B

You enter a room with yellow & green decorations to attend an important function. The room is filled with people dressed in various colors. Conversations are heard all over the room as you
hear music playing lightly in the background. People are trafficking in and out of the room as you stand at the entrance.

As you look around you notice a few chairs remain at the left side of the room. You are escorted to that area of the room where you pick the chair of your choice. You decide to pick the very first one nearest you.

Immediately after you are seated, you are presented with a colorful program for this event. The cover reads "2008 Believers Convention". My, what a timely topic.

Yes, I agree. Today we are going to look at a word that shapes the mind and heart of many people. The decisions that you make depends on your outlook of this word. This week’s word from the letter ‘B’. It is the root word found on the cover of your program. It’s the word believe.

Believe :
1. To accept as true or real: Did you believe the news today?
2. To have firm faith, especially religious faith.
3. To have faith, confidence, or trust: I believe in your ability to solve the
problem.

Did you know that you just applied this word a few seconds ago. Yes you just made an important decision from it that could have caused an injury. Remember when you sat down? Why did you sit in that chair and did not check it? Can I answer that for you? Because you believed that it was going to hold you right? Now imagine that, believing and putting faith in something that you saw for the first time and didn’t think twice to inspect it.

"Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact" .

William James

I don’t think we have a problem believing, but what we have to believe in is where the challenge is. Isn’t it strange that we can quickly believe in something that was made by man.

For instance, you are in need of directions to get to a certain destination. You ask a stranger to help you. Immediately you do what they said because you believed what they told you. Isn’t that the kind of method that God wants from us? To believe him according to want he said.

Would You Ride In This?

A story is told of a great circus entertainer Charles Blondin who stretch a long cable across Niagara falls. He walked, ran, and even danced across the tightrope. Once he took a wheelbarrow across it and amazed the crowd by pushing it across the cable from one side to the other.

He then turned to the crowd and asked "Now how many of you believe that I could push a man across the cable in the wheelbarrow?" People cheered and held their hands high. They believed he could do it.

"Then," asked Blondin, "would any of you please volunteer to be that man?" As quickly as the hands went up, they went back down. No one would volunteer to ride in the wheelbarrow and trust their life to Blondin.

I know that I am running out of time so I’m going to hurry up. My friend, real faith is activated when you act on what you believe. Could this be the reason why you are in your present position.? Is your belief getting the right results? What you believe in has no power until you demonstrate that you are supporting it.

Let me say, it’s time for the things that you believe God wants to happen for you to be seen. What wheelbarrow is God waiting for you to get in and risk your faith. If you truly trust God you have to get in and let him carry you over to the other side.

Coming next week: The series continues…letter 'C'

Take care until…......and God Bless ya
http://jamesedgecombe2.blogspot.com/

Are you ready to face eternity? If you have not you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of your life and desire to make that commitment now please repeat the following prayer:

Lord Jesus be merciful to me a sinner. I realize that I have sinned against you and come short of your glory. I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and I believe in my heart that God has raised him from the dead. I pray for your forgiveness and ask that you save me now and accept me into your kingdom. Give me eternal life today.
In Jesus Name, Amen.

Read more!

Gimme an … A

Greetings,

Hope you are doing well as you read this.

Today is the start of a series where we will journey through the alphabet. Each week we will be looking at one letter of the alphabet. That letter will tell us which word we will be focusing on. On that note let the journey begin….

From A - Z ... the series

Our first word in this series hails from the first letter of the alphabet A. It’s weight and height unknown. This word comes in with many wins and many losses. He can come as a real gentlemen but I must warn you that other times he’s ready rumble. What is this word? Well it’s the always talked about word attitude.

What is attitude? A state of mind or a feeling; an inward feeling expressed by behavior; A frame of mind affecting one's thoughts or behavior.

This word attitude will cause people to draw near to you or it will run people away from you. As you are reading this right now, what is the state or your attitude at this time in your life?

What’s your win/loss record when it comes to your attitude? Are you winning in this fight or do you often find yourself recovering from technical knockout.

Even if your record is good we both know that there is always room for improvement. You must keep working at it if you are going to reach the place of excellence. How many times have you turned people away or not wanting to be in your presence because of your attitude.

Your attitude is an important factor in everyday. It must spread across your life, both your personal and professional life.

Do you find yourself showing a good attitude when your at work, and it takes a drastic turn when with your family? Do you have them wondering who upset you at work today? Well friends everyone of us have to work on this in our lives. If you want to have more wins in this area of your life you have to continually work on it.

You don’t want to be losing relationships with your family because of your attitude. Remember the image and conduct you betray people liken it to whether you are truly following Christ’s example. It will be a sad thing to know that people are scorning Christ and church because of the attitude you demonstrated. When you look through your life does anyone come to mind?

Most definitely you do want to be losing customers or business because of a poor attitude. How much more can your business gain if you maintain a good and positive attitude. My friend you can have an advantage over others by keeping your attitude attractive. You and I know that we all like to be around attractive things. It doesn’t matter how good your product is, people remember the kind of service you give. The attitude behind it will long be remembered.

Before I go, yes I do agree that it can take quite a bit out of you to keep your attitude in tip top shape. My friend you cannot get good results if you don’t put the time and effort in.

And just how can you improve your attitude ?

1. Associate with positive attitude people.
2. Watch and learn from others who you look up to.
3. Be the first to greet others.
4. Do an act of kindness every day.
5. Be happy and rejoice with others success.
6. Be quick to settle disputes and don’t hold grudges.

And some of the benefits of a good attitude? Increased friendship, more peaceful family gatherings, see your church membership grow, more productive professional life and business.

For some people it seems so easy and you may be having the fight of your life. My words to that, keep fighting and when your through, keep fighting. Let your attitude take you another altitude.

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it” .
Lou Holtz
Notre Dame Football Coach

Coming next week: The series continues... letter "B"

Take care until…......and God Bless ya
http://jamesedgecombe2.blogspot.com/

Are you ready to face eternity? If you have not you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of your life and desire to make that commitment now please repeat the following prayer:

Lord Jesus be merciful to me a sinner. I realize that I have sinned against you and come short of your glory. I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and I believe in my heart that God has raised him from the dead. I pray for your forgiveness and ask that you save me now and accept me into your kingdom. Give me eternal life today.
In Jesus Name, Amen.

Read more!

The Dark Times….

"If you cannot lift the load off another's back, do not walk away. Try to lighten it".

Frank Tyger

The good thing about pleasant and positive words is that they always have power to bring hope. Regardless of how long something has been written it still possess energy at the time it is read. As you are reading this you may know someone who has just come out, is in, or about to go through a dark time in their life. That is why we must always be ready to give a helping hand to those we come across on a daily basis.

Everyday we see is for a reason. Part of that reason is to help someone else along the way. The dark times in other peoples lives is your opportunity to shine light. We all know that darkness can only be dispelled by light. Well, let me say how much you really help someone will be seen if darkness around them is removed.

Now here is a way to increase your importance to anyone.If you really want to make the difference and be remembered in a positive way just help them get out of the dark. Yea just look for the darkness and shine the light. A small speck of light is a big thing when it comes to being in the dark. Many people are in dark situations and cannot see which way to go.

Think about your last dark situation and what the light meant to you. I know “boy what a joy to get out of there”. That’s just why I am encouraging you to share that joy with someone else. Someone help you and now it is your time to help someone else.

Go ahead and shine the light they’re waiting on you.


Take care until…......and God Bless ya
http://jamesedgecombe2.blogspot.com/

Are you ready to face eternity? If you have not you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of your life and desire to make that commitment now please repeat the following prayer:

Lord Jesus be merciful to me a sinner. I realize that I have sinned against you and come short of your glory. I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and I believe in my heart that God has raised him from the dead. I pray for your forgiveness and ask that you save me now and accept me into your kingdom. Give me eternal life today.
In Jesus Name, Amen.

Read more!

Take The Limit Off Yourself - Pt. 2

“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible”

Arthur C. Clarke

Today I begin with a story of a man born in 1925 to Japanese immigrants, graduated at 15 from Thomas Jefferson High School in Los Angeles. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he and his family were sent to the Manzanar Internment Camp in the California desert. He learned sketching techniques from two internees who were art directors at film studios.

After his release, he contacted Disney Studios, knowing little about the animation industry but remembering the name from his Manzanar tutors. Despite a lack of formal training, he landed an interview with Walt Disney Studios when he returned to Los Angeles.

Asked to bring in a portfolio of his work, he was puzzled. “I had no portfolio,” he told Animation Blast magazine in a 1999 interview. He didn’t have much of an idea what a portfolio truly was. He spent the weekend before his interview sketching anything he could think of — from knights to cowboys — and filled up his notebooks. The results landed him a job as an assistant illustrator at Disney, where he worked from 1947 to 1961.

That man was Iwao Takamoto, the artist who created the mystery-solving Great Dane, Scooby-Doo, among many other indelible cartoon characters.

In your efforts to make your dreams come true, what do you see? Well dreamer, before you are victorious you must see yourself victorious. If you don’t, then you will see the opposite picture. If you see yourself as a failure, then you will lean towards that picture and meditate on it. If you meditate on something long enough you will begin to believe it and live it. You need to be careful who you hang out with. If you want to be eagle minded then you need to stop hanging out with pigeons and turkeys. You will never go beyond your limit if you don’t change your mentality. Have you ever heard ? “as a man thinks in his heart so is he..”

Sometimes this calls for isolation and separating yourself from some people. Talking to the wrong people will cause you go in the wrong direction.. Wrong direction leads to wrong destination, Wrong destination -- > Unfulfilled purpose. Unfulfilled purpose -->Displeasing God. Displeasing God --> ………I’m sure you’re getting the picture. Separation doesn’t mean that you are no better than anyone, but you gatta do what you gatta do. When too much people are involved then there’s possibility of more negativity. Majority don’t always mean the right way. So if it comes down to just you and God then do it.

At times you have to be like a band or choir director, notice what happens. They take there position carry out their assignment, then sit down. Obviously there weren’t worrying about what the crowd thinks, whether you like it or not they did their job. God only wants to work with those who believe it can happen. Doubters and unbelievers don’t last long with God. Imagine God who speaks things into being and you telling God that it can’t work. I’m sorry but you won’t last in the kingdom like that. Serious people are willing to work on their own if they have to.

Dealing With Giants & Difficulties

The reason why some of us are not further ahead is because of the giants we see. We lose focus by meditating on how big the giant is. This is the devils way of getting fear to take hold of us. Fear will cause you to run when you are suppose to be still and stand still when you are suppose to move. Then there is the fear of not having enough for the dream, idea, goal to be fulfilled and completed. When we believe that we don’t have enough we stop dreaming. That’s an insult to God, it shows no faith, “..but the just shall live by his faith”. Habakkuk 2:4 (KJV)

Yes that means looking for that car, house , preparing to go in business, preparing to go to college and NOT having all the money. I hope you don’t believe that all the successful persons you have heard of just sat at home until they got all the money. When you begin to move towards the dream God will provide for it. Don’t you know that the God of the dream is also the provider. Will you be the reason why your dreams go unfulfilled? My friend there is nothing wrong with God, if any blame is to be taken the lot will fall on you but I pray you won’t let that happen.

Because you feel the trials are more difficult, it doesn’t make God nervous about him being able to come through for you. Before God gave you that dream, it was already provided for. You was fix up before you started, but you still have to go through your faith test. Here’s what happens, God give you his report (word), then the devil gives you his report. Then comes your part “who’s report will you believe?”.

Will you pass? or will you fail? To pass means to hold on to your faith until manifestation comes, to fail means to give up. God is in the business of producing successful students, because he is a God of excellence and productivity. Keep moving towards your dreams.

Coming Soon:

The series...From A - Z

Take care until…......and God Bless ya
http://jamesedgecombe2.blogspot.com/


Are you ready to face eternity? If you have not you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of your life and desire to make that commitment now please repeat the following prayer:

Lord Jesus be merciful to me a sinner. I realize that I have sinned against you and come short of your glory. I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and I believe in my heart that God has raised him from the dead. I pray for your forgiveness and ask that you save me now and accept me into your kingdom. Give me eternal life today.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Read more!

Take The Limit Off Yourself

“Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday is already dead”

Lily Langtry

I know you have ideas, dreams, desires, goals, vision inside of you that are burning to be fulfilled.Whether it’s starting a business, going to college, becoming a doctor, changing career,
writing a book just to name a few. Then all of a sudden you are faced with opposition and then you begin to hear so many voices speaking opposite to what you have been dreaming about. Do any of these sound familiar? “You’re to young, not enough money, no one ever did it before, to many people failed at it, you will look crazy, it won’t last”.

Now before this, you had high expectations and believed it was all possible until you faced these oppositions. You even saw yourself living it out until YOU started to allow these voices and thoughts to distract you. These comments come from friends, family, parents, young people, Christians, colleagues, etc. Now all of these people together are not as effective as when it comes from you. Even the devil himself cannot be a greater obstacle than you.

It is when you begin to say “I can’t, and it will never work, nothing good will ever happen to me, my family is like this, I will always broke”. My friend you can be your greatest enemy. The greatest fight you will ever come to face is the one with yourself. That’s the one you cannot run away from. When someone commits suicide it is the result of an individual agreeing to turn on oneself.

If the power of life and death is in the tongue, then you need to be careful of what comes out of your own mouth. This is how you begin to put a limit on yourself and box yourself in. What you also do is tie God’s hand from operating in your life.

Before we go any further let’s take a look at what this word limit means. Limit:- (1) The point, edge, or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed (2) To confine or restrict within a boundary or bounds.

I know my time is running out so let me move on quickly. When you begin to put a limit on yourself, you carry yourself to a certain point and don’t believe you can go any further. Or is it that we don’t want to make the effort to go any further because of the obstacles. Let me ask you some questions. How did you get where you are now? Did you had to go through obstacles? Were you faced with opposition? Didn’t it start with an idea or dream? So if you came from that place to this place overcoming obstacles then why can’t you move from this place to the next place? Why are you limiting yourself?

Who did the desire come from? If it came from God then who do you think will give you the ability to fulfill it? Who do you think will supply all that is needed to carry it out? The reason why you are doubting is because you believe that you are going to do it own your own.

Have you ever heard “..Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts”. Zechariah 4:6 (KJV). Have you ever heard “…greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world”. I John 4:4 (KJV) , or “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help”. Psalm 121:1 (KJV) Have you ever heard “For with God nothing shall be impossible”. Luke 1:37 (KJV).

When Mary heard that she was going to give birth to the Son of God she was frightened and could not understand it. Imagine if that was to happen today, boy what would be the reaction of people? But she submitted herself to God for him to have his way. This was a supernatural encounter. If you are willing to trust and work With God he can make it happen.

So if you were thinking about aborting that dream you better get out of that abortion clinic Now. Don’t focus on the natural circumstances or surroundings, just the fact that you have it circulating in your mind and your heart makes it a possibility. You just need to make up you mind and say I will make it happen.

Take care until…......and God Bless ya
http://jamesedgecombe2.blogspot.com/


Are you ready to face eternity? If you have not you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of your life and desire to make that commitment now please repeat the following prayer:

Lord Jesus be merciful to me a sinner. I realize that I have sinned against you and come short of your glory. I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and I believe in my heart that God has raised him from the dead. I pray for your forgiveness and ask that you save me now and accept me into your kingdom. Give me eternal life today.
In Jesus Name, Amen. Read more!

Should You Always Be Praising God ? Here’s 10 Reasons Why

“Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God and value it next to a good conscience, for health is the second blessing that money cannot buy; therefore value it, and be thankful for it.”
Izaak Walton

Have you ever gotten stuck trying to find a cause to give praise to God. Well to make sure that doesn’t happen, let’s look at a number of ways to get your praise juices flowing...
10. It Produces joy - If you allow the cares of this life to get to you, sooner or later you will find yourself becoming unhappy and slipping into depression. The good news is you can fight back with praise and maintain your joy, sanity and your goods. And you thought that giving your all to God should leave you drained “Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!”. Bible-Psalm 98:4 (New Living Translation)

9. It Changes your atmosphere or circumstance - Are there some things in your life that needed to be changed a long time ago ? Let me say that the praises that you have in you has the power to cause supernatural help to come to your rescue. Change your situation by changing what you do from now on. Need a change then send the praises up and watch the ultimate hero come to your rescue.“25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.” Acts 16:25-26 (King James Version)

8. It is ordained to still (confuse) the enemy -Only perfected praises can stop the enemy. The only way you can get your praise perfect is if you practice. So the more you hold back and keep your mouth closed the further you will be from perfecting your praise to God. Make sure get your time in today. “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger”. Psalm 8:2 (New International Version)

7. It is a good thing - In light of what is going on in the earth today I’m sure you would agree that we need some more people doing good things. Well this is a fine moment to begin a new trend. How about something that would not only please God but cause you to feel better. As you go throughout your day don’t forget to let this good thing be a part of your days ahead. “It Is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:” Psalm 92:1 (KJV)

6. Acknowledge God’s goodness - I don’t care how it looks right now God has been good to you. If you are having problem recognizing his goodness maybe you are going to fast. If you would just stop for a moment and allow your heart and mind to speak to you, I’m sure some things will begin to surface. How about when you didn’t know how you were going to get out of that last situation but you find yourself today able to look back and laugh right? “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8 (KJV)

5. Because he hears and answers your prayers - Isn’t that a wonderful feeling when your prayers are answered? Well don’t you think the courteous thing is to show appreciation to the one who has helped you in your time of need. Let me tell you that what you do now could determine how soon your next request is granted. By the way, it wont be long before you need something else. “I will confess, praise, and give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me; and You have become my Salvation and Deliverer”. Psalm 118:21 (Amplified Bible)

4. You still have life - There are some persons that would not hesitate to give God the praise right now, if they were given another chance. Do you know where they are? That’s right, dead. Yes indeed, many people are jealous of you. My friend count it an honor to be in the position that you are in. It is a blessing. “While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.” Psalm 146:2 (KJV)

3. God is great - For every situation his greatness can be displayed. I always believe that your situation is an opportunity for God to work. Whether you praise him or not he is still greattttttt. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness”. Psalms 48:1 (KJV)

2. His name is worthy of it -You mean to tell me that every moment of the day someone is praising the name of the Lord in some way, Oh yes indeed. Anyone who can keep me, you and the billions of other people all over the world at the same time and it isn’t a big deal has to be worthy of praise. “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised” . Psalm 113:3 (KJV)

1. You were created /built to praise God - Yes, you are the created work of God. Ford says it’s vehicles are “built Ford tough” and asks the question have you driven a Ford lately? Well let me say to you that you were built praise tough, able to outlast all your obstacles you meet on the road of life. Have you given a PRAISE lately. “All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee”. Psalms 145:10 (KJV)


Well that’s it for now, it’s time to crank up your praise mobile and get going.
What else can you think about on this matter? What is it that you have to give praise for at this time in your life? What secret tips do you have for getting results through praise?


Take care until…......and God Bless ya
http://jamesedgecombe2.blogspot.com/

Are you ready to face eternity? If you have not you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of your life and desire to make that commitment now please repeat the following prayer:

Lord Jesus be merciful to me a sinner. I realize that I have sinned against you and come short of your glory. I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and I believe in my heart that God has raised him from the dead. I pray for your forgiveness and ask that you save me now and accept me into your kingdom. Give me eternal life today.
In Jesus Name, Amen. Read more!