Goals

 An Excerpt from

Goals

by Gary Ryan Blair

Success is the intentional, pre-meditated use of choice and decision. Unless you choose - with certainty - what it is you want, you accept table scraps by default!

The world is plump with opportunity. With boldness and conviction, stick a fork into the goals you want by being decisive.

You are born with great capabilities, but you will not achieve your potential until you call upon yourself to fulfill it. You will rise to the occasion when it presents itself; yet, to assure self-fulfillment, you must provide occasions to rise to. Clearly defined goals allow you to travel toward another horizon that represents the end of one experience and the transition to a new and better existence. The objective is to choose the right goals, and then to create the necessary causes - the effects will follow!

The difference between what one person and another achieves depends more on goal choices than on abilities. The profound differences between successful people and others are the goals they choose to pursue. Individuals with smaller talents, intelligence, and abilities will achieve different results because they select and pursue different goals.

Each decision affects what you become. We form our decisions and our decisions form us. There is no escaping this; the smallest choices are important because - over time - their cumulative effect is enormous.

Never overlook the obvious: The nature and direction of your life change the instant you decide what goals you want to pursue.

Once you make a decision, you start down a path to a new destination. At the moment the decision is made, your decision to pursue a goal alters what you are becoming. Just one spin of the lock's dial - a single choice - can alter your life, your destiny, your legacy.

Think about it - your goal decisions represent and express your individuality. You seal your fate with the choices you make. You define yourself by your decisions.

Your dialogue with success is ultimately a solo one. Decisions and goals made must be your own if you are to call your life a success.

Always establish the best goals you can. Goals are the seeds of success - you become only what you plant. The quality of your harvest is a direct reflection of the quality of your seeds-your decisions!

Indecision is the big eraser of opportunity and potential. Risks and costs accompany every decision; however, the price of decision is far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. When it comes to decisiveness, squatters have no rights.

Everyone has an official wish list of things they think are "reasonable". What about the unofficial wish list? The one that common sense tells you to ignore? The list that exists deep in your mind, the list that keeps you up at night, that makes your toes wiggle when you think of it? Why not choose that list for a change?

How long have you dreamed of being, having, and doing what you really want? Think big, as when it comes to your goals, the size of your ambition does matter.

He Will Multiply You

He Will Multiply You

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

And I will make My covenant (solemn pledge) between Me and you and will multiply you exceedingly.

Genesis 17:2, AMP.

TODAY’S WORD

God is in the multiplication business. It doesn’t matter what your need is today, God wants to increase you!

One time in the Old Testament, God simply multiplied the sound of four men’s footsteps and caused them to sound like a mighty army. When their enemies heard them coming, they took off running. Thousands of people, thousands of troops running for their lives, scared to death, thinking they were being attacked by a massive army, when in fact, it was just four people.

Friend, God can make you seem bigger than you really are. He can make you look more powerful. He knows how to multiply your influence, your strength, your talent. He can multiply your income or whatever else you need! You don’t have to figure it all out. All you have to do is believe. If you will release your faith and get up every day expecting God’s far and beyond favor, then you’re going to see God show up and do amazing things. He’ll bless you beyond your wildest dreams and multiply you in every area of your life!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You for Your faithfulness in my life. Thank You for Your promise to bless and multiply me. Direct my steps, keep me close to You as I increase in You in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

***

True Community Requires Confession

byJon Walker

“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done in the sight of God.” (John 3:20-21 NIV)

Our sin hides in the darkness and whispers to us that it should remain unknown. And when we keep it in the darkness, it spreads within us like a toxin, eventually seeping into our fellowship with each other.

The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation.”

This is why Jesus calls us to confess our sins to one another. It allows the light of the Gospel to enter the darkness and seclusion of the heart. By confessing our sin in the presence of another, our self-justification crumbles away and our sin loses its power over us — and the community.

We are no longer alone in our sin, and those in our fellowship can now bear the sin with us, strengthening us when we face temptation and helping us to see that our sin reveals a place where we still do not trust God.

Each one of us must remember that we belong to a fellowship of sinners who live within the grace of God, so we need not fear confession because it brings us back into alignment with God. In a community submitted to Jesus, our confession should bring us into greater intimacy with each other. How does it do that?

• Confession deepens our relationships, allowing us to be transparent with one another (Proverbs 24:26).

• Confession keeps our fellowship open and authentic, freeing us to speak the truth in love as we practice remarkable integrity (Ephesians 4:15; Titus 2:7).

• Confession keeps us sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and helps us battle deceptions that corrupt our lives in Christ (John 16:13; 2 Corinthians 10:5).

Talk About It

• Our sin wants to stay in the darkness. How does that connect to Jesus being the Light of the world and telling us to let our light shine before others?

• What must you sacrifice in order to have truly transparent community?

A choice and not a chance

by: Meg

It’s been quite a long time yet I still love to remember the days in my college years. My eldest brother and I spent our tertiary level here. He was with me during my enrollment days. Of course the queuing section that leads us to get the application form taught me one thing (until my 5^th year) --- PATIENCE, a virtue that carries a lot of wait.

Yes it was our time finally and my brother gave me some sort of papers to fill-up. Questions again… hmmm… ‘what is your 1^st choice, 2^nd choice, and 3^rd choice? Guess what… I came to write the following:

1^st choice --- Medical Technology (leading to Medicine)

2^nd choice --- Political Science (leading to Law)

3^rd choice --- Architecture (just passed the Board and that’s it!)

With a thorough study about my strengths and limitations, I decided to choose the 3^rd one. Although I love Chemistry and being a doctor is really a great achievement I realized, I had a hemophobia (irrational fear of blood) and therefore there’s no reason for me to think of my 1^st choice. Political Science --- again a lawyer is a great profession but another 4-year course again to take prior to Bar Examination (how can I help my parents after graduation if I’m still into school?)… Was there any choice? Yes of course, Architecture.

My decision to take the 3^rd choice on my own leads me to think what’s in me? I came to realize that during my primary school days, I discovered that my grades in Art were also higher in comparison with the 3 primary subjects that we had. I never knew that in some other way I can think artistically and draw something; until I was able to study how a simple house can be drawn on plan, elevations and perspective… leading to Architecture.

And to make the story short, it’s very important to follow what I think was the best for me way back then. What I have chosen was the right choice and with God’s goodness and generosity too I passed my board exam 2005. I was blessed and grateful to God for allowing me to take the 3^rd choice and nothing else. With prayers, determination, patience and steadfast mind, I love and enjoy many of the ‘finest moments’ in my life right now specifically and specially all the people I came to know and appreciate every single day… another reasons to thank God and be grateful for because God Himself is faithful One! =) 

Our Administration Building

My favorite place to read and wait our 'Freedom Park'

  Our Quadrangle

 Our new Architecture Building 

Green...green grass of Home

 Loving Trees

Artistic Sculpture

The Chapel

Aerial Perspective

He Makes All Things New

He Makes All Things New

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE 

 “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’...” (Revelation 21:5, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD

Can you remember the time when you first discovered a big dream in your heart? Maybe you were determined to excel in your career, or as a parent, or maybe you were focused on deepening your walk with the Lord. You probably started out with enthusiasm, but maybe things got a little difficult or didn’t happen as quickly as you would have liked. Oftentimes, when things don’t go as planned, people decide, “I’m just going to settle here. It’s not exactly what I wanted, but at least it’s good enough.”

Friend, in this new season, recognize that you were made for more than “good enough.” You were made to increase, to excel, to grow and stretch. Why don’t you take a step of faith this year and embrace the new life He came to give you. Not only does Christ offer new life in eternity, but He offers new life here on earth. Why don’t you pick up those dreams and be determined to see them through. It’s a new day, and He is making everything new in your life!

PRAYER FOR TODAY 

Father in heaven, thank You for this new day. Thank You for the opportunity to begin again. I choose to press forward and keep believing for the dreams and desires You've placed in my heart. I trust You today with everything that I am in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

***

God Covers Your Faults with His Perfect Love byJon Walker The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son. John 1:14 (TEV) The love of God is intimate and personal. He came up-close in Christ, and that means we cannot hide our imperfections and faults from him. He knows about them anyway. This model from God means we need to love each other intimately and personally, looking past the faults and weaknesses of one another, seeing the handiwork of God in each one of us, knowing that we also have weaknesses and faults but that God is active in our lives, too. When we know and believe that God is determined to love us no matter what, we can stop being concerned about our faults and conform to Christ instead of our fears (Romans 12:2). When we don’t believe that God loves us no matter what, we try to put on masks that make us look perfect in order to hide our faults. When we try to hide behind masks, we undermine God’s plan that we live together in transparent, loving communities, such as small groups. The reality is, God’s love is perfect, and he wants to cover our faults with Jesus Christ. God goes beyond merely diagnosing our problems or judging our faults (Psalm 103:10); instead, he steps forward to address the areas of our lives that are broken: Into our emptiness, he brings fullness and completion (Colossians 2:9-10). Into our deficit, he brings supply (Philippians 4:19). Into our death, he brings life (Ephesians 2:1, 5). Into our separation, he brings reconciliation (Romans 5:10-11). Into our imperfect love, he brings perfect love (1 John 4:10). The more we’re conscious of God’s love, the less self-conscious we become about ourselves. We spend less time and energy looking to appear perfect and have a life where everything is exactly the way we want it to be; instead, we invest more time and energy pouring ourselves into other people, who, along with us, make an imperfect community, but one infused with God’s love.

Peony & Butterfly

Possessing Your Promised Land

Possessing Your Promised Land

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

The Lord your God will thrust them out from before you and drive them out of your sight, and you shall possess their land, as the Lord your God promised you.

Joshua 23:5, AMP.

TODAY’S WORD

We all have giants or obstacles that try to keep us from possessing what God has promised, especially in our dreams. We have two choices: we can quit and live in mediocrity, or we can fight and take hold of the victory.

In the Bible, the children of Israel were camped right next door to their Promised Land. God had already told them He would give them the victory; all they had to do was go in and fight for the land. But, when they heard how big their opponents were, they had such a weak, defeated mentality that they just gave up. Their attitude was, “What’s the use of even trying? We’ll never defeat those people. We might as well just stay out here in the wilderness.” They settled for mediocrity because they weren’t willing to fight.

Friend, don’t let that be you! The battle you have to fight today is in your mind. You have to change your thinking in order to possess God’s promises. Start choosing thoughts of faith and victory. Declare that you are an overcomer. As you stand and fight and win the battle in your mind, you’ll move forward and embrace the promises and dreams that God has for you!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I come to You believing that You have given me the victory. I will not focus on the obstacles before me; instead, I will focus on You. Help me to stand strong and keep my heart and mind focused on the victory You have in store for me in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

***

God Is Not Surprised by Your Faults byRick Warren “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG) Have you been acting as if God is totally unaware of your faults? The truth is, God know your faults and failures, but he still loves you unconditionally. In fact, God knows your feelings and frustrations, and he sees your hurt more than anyone else can. God knows your future, so he can tell what you need to know. God knows your fears, and he wants you to hand your worries over to him. God knows your faithfulness, because he sees every good thing you do. The fact that God knows everything means nothing I face will hinder his ability to help me; nothing that is to come will catch him by surprise; nothing I fear will be too big for God’s strength; and nothing I do in his name is ever done in vain. God says, “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:11, MSG) Talk About It How should the fact that God sees your faults and still loves you change the way you relate to him? Give your fears to God, and trust that he can handle your future.

A Voluntary Heart

Last time, our Life-Group discussion evolved on the following verses:

Acts 9:36-42

New International Version (NIV)

³⁶ In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. ³⁷ About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. ³⁸ Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

³⁹ Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

⁴⁰ Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. ⁴² This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

***

One of the questions was… when was the last time you had your community service?

I came to share my experience way back when I was in 4^th year high school. Our ‘Model Platoon’ troop served one of the barangays in our community. Being a traffic enforcer for almost 3 hours was really for me a great experience. We’re the king and queen of the road as all the commuters were definitely following our traffic signs ‘to go or to stop’.

We’re respected at the same time appreciated for a job well done. Perhaps a new faces on the road that smiled at them as they approached us. Some asked questions for directions and some were curious. Nevertheless, it was fun and nice to serve people in any walks of life. Despite of the summer heat of the sun, we never complained. It’s all because we enjoyed what we’re doing. Likewise, it was the people we met that made us to keep going on. With their gratitude, it’s enough for us to feel valued and appreciated.

With that experience, I realized how significant each individual in our society. Being a traffic enforcer --- just like a teacher, is a noble profession too. Their contribution in the community is significant. In as much as I also salute all the volunteers with their relentless help and service to make the society a better place to live and to embrace. Aside from helping the needy, it was the joy in serving God’s people that makes a volunteer’s heart happier. It can’t be measured in any amount of money but can create an immeasurable overflowing happiness, self-fulfillment and a feeling of being blessed. 

Lastly, our Life Group ended with an agreement to extend our time for 'Community at heart' on December which is fast approaching... an exciting event to experience again! =)