encouragement

Inspirational – Expect the Favor of God and Let Him Turn Your Trials to Blessings!

Inspirational – Expect the Favor of God and Let Him Turn Your Trials to Blessings!

Expect the Favor of God to Flow in Your Life

Expect the Favor of God Let Him Turn Trials Into BlessingsInspirational encouragement and

favor abounds and flows from God.

So if you feel like there is no hope,

for the trials you are struggling to overcome

at this time in your life, be encouraged.

God is there for you and He wants to turn your trials into blessings!

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivers them out of them all.”
— Psalm 34:19

Trials Turned Into Blessings

Alright, well we can’t expect that the storms of life won’t blow our way. The fact is: storms are a part of life. What we can expect is to have God by our side; helping us through the storms.

God can be trusted to always be there for us. It comes as no surprise, but it’s not the same case with people – people let us down. And that is exactly why we turn to God first and foremost in our trials, because He is the one that can ultimately turn our trials into blessings.

Regardless of the trouble you may be facing, God has an answer. He wants you to turn to Him so He can help you with a solution. Remember, God cares about you. Not only that, He loves you and has a great plan and purpose for your life.

“‘For I know the plan I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
— Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Expect the Favor of God

Learn to put your expectation on the favor of God flowing in your life. Sure you can expect some storms in life to blow through, but you should have a greater focus that expects the favor of God to abound.

“For His anger endures but a moment; in His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
— Psalm 30:5

Choose to see with the eyes of your heart and have an attitude of gratitude:

  • Expect to find favor with God and man. EXPECT PROMOTION.
  • Expect God to open doors that no man can shut. EXPECT DIVINE CONNECTIONS.
  • Expect God’s strength in times of weakness. EXPECT HEALTH.
  • Expect with God all things are possible. HAVE FAITH.
  • Expect God, the Father of lights, to flow good things your way. EXPECT EXCELLENCE.
  • Expect to be blessed to be a blessing. GIVE THANKS.
  • Expect to be found when God is searching the whole earth for those whose hearts are towards Him. LOVE GOD.

Solomon tells us in Proverbs 8:35 that those who find wisdom, find life, and shall obtain the favor of the Lord. And we see in Luke 2:52 that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Seek wisdom.

Seize the day; it is a gift. God can turn your trials into blessings, your storms into sweet breezes. Great things happen with faith that starts as tiny as a mustard seed. Seek first the kingdom of God and be about your Father’s business. Expect the favor of God and let Him turn your trials into blessings.

May life overflow with the favor of God and abound with growing prosperity!

Be Blessed to Be a Blessing –

Cheers,
Brenda

 

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Powerful Leadership – 5 Crucial Skills Required to Become a Great Leader!

Powerful Leadership – 5 Crucial Skills Required to Become a Great Leader!

Great Leaders Commit to Developing Key Skills

Great Leaders Develop Crucial SkillsPowerful leadership requires a commitment

to developing key personal skills and abilities.

Great leaders must have a driving desire

to make things happen.

If you want to be the head and not the tail,

then you must fine tune key leadership skills in order to become effective so that others will want to follow.

Some people are born with natural talents that lend themselves to becoming a great leader. But despite the fact that you might have been born with some of these talents, it still takes continual enthusiasm, drive, and experience for true development as a leader to occur.

5 Crucial Skills Needed to Become a Great Leader

1. Vision

Leaders need to know the vision of their group or organization. They must have a clear sense of purpose. Knowing the organization’s goals and objectives, how the organization works, and being able to communicate the vision to others, helps put everyone on the same page.

Leaders need to help others catch a personal vision of the big picture, so that everyone is moving in the same direction on the road to success.

2. Encouragement

Leadership is not about using harassment or fear as a driving force to get others to take action. Great leaders encourage others to accomplish the goals of the group. Encouragement is contagious and it benefits everyone when it is flowing freely.

3. Trust

Trustworthiness is vital to great leadership. Your followers must have trust and confidence in you. And if they do, they will go to great lengths for you and the group.

Strong relationships, trustworthiness, and high ethics build trust and confidence. Leaders that deal with people in a positive way, lay a foundation of strength for the group. Stronger relationships equal a stronger measure of trust and confidence in the capabilities of the leader.

4. Communication

Communication is crucial skill of a leader. You must be able to clearly communicate the goals and objectives that you are all about to undertake as an organization. A leader’s vision and plan must be clearly communicated to others in order to keep everyone on the same page.

5. Judgment

Great leaders have great judgment. If you want to grow as a leader, you must continue to improve and develop your judgment and decision making skills.

Leaders need to make wise decisions in a variety of situations. Your followers will come to rely on your judgment. Good, wise decision making is crucial to the success of a leader and the organization.

Keep in mind: In life we all eventually find ourselves in a leadership role, in some shape or form, big or small. And the Lord wants to see His children become strong leaders and He gives them instructions and tells them how they can be.

“And the LORD shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if that you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God…to observe and to do them.”
— Deuteronomy 28:13

Conclusion: Leaders lead. Leaders have followers and you’re not much of a leader if no one is following. Being a great leader is about constantly growing, developing, and setting an example, because you are a reflection of what your followers must be. Develop these five crucial skills and demonstrate powerful leadership.

May you develop your skills to grow into a powerful, effective leader and experience much growing prosperity!

Soar higher in Him,
Brenda

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Spiritual Prosperity – Walking Out God’s Good Plan For Your Life!

Spiritual Prosperity – Walking Out God’s Good Plan For Your Life!

Are You Following God One Step at a Time?

Walking Out God's Plan One Step at a TimeSpiritual prosperity is the result of

walking out God’s plan for your life.

In order to do this you need to allow the Lord

to direct your path one step at a time.

If I had known many years ago

what I was going to be doing today,

I would have said, “No way, God. That is impossible.”

But keep in mind, the Lord does not show us the whole picture of our life all at once, because we would quit before we got started. Instead, God leads us one step at a time.

“In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” 
— Proverbs 3:6

Following God One Step at a Time

Have you wondered why you are not further along in the plan for your life?

Let me ask you a question: Are you following God one step at a time?

Consider how excited parents are when their children take their first steps. They start out by taking one step and falling down. The parents then pick them up and put them back on their feet; encouraging them to take another step.

Inspired by the words of encouragement, the children try again and take two or three steps this time, before falling down. The parents continue to repeatedly pick them up, encourage, and help them try again until they finally conquer the task of walking.

The fact is: An infant would never learn to walk if he did not start by taking that first step. And just as infants learn to walk by taking one step at a time, so it is with the plan of our life. God leads us one step at a time.

Maybe you have taken the first step in your plan and fallen down. You may still be lying on the ground, having decided to never take another step. However, keep in mind that just as a parent encourages their children to get up and try again, so the Heavenly Father is encouraging you to get up and take another step!

The Steps of a Good Man Are Ordered by the Lord

If you will delight in the Lord, He will order your steps; and they will be steps of success and not failure.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delights in his way.” 
— Psalm 37:23

Keep in mind, when opportunity knocks, you must answer! And you must walk through that door with confidence, knowing you can do it with the help of the Lord.

Of course there will be various disappointments and difficult circumstances along the way. We all face them and that is to be expected. Just remember there is help and you are not facing anything alone.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” 
— Philippians 4:13

Allow this verse to help you have confidence in your ability, knowing you are not doing anything alone, but that it is Christ who strengthens you.

I think you get the point: You can make it through every circumstance of your life – regardless of what it is – if you will simply place your hand in God’s hand. He will direct your path and lead you to victory and spiritual prosperity; one step at a time.

May you walk out God’s good plan one step at a time and experience His growing prosperity!

Be blessed to be a blessing –

Cheers,
Brenda

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Encouragement of Hope! Why All the Sad Faces if this is the Happiest Time of the Year?

Encouragement of Hope! Why All the Sad Faces if this is the Happiest Time of the Year?

Discover Encouragement Affirmations to Live with Hope for Tomorrow!

Holiday Blues Discouragement and DepressionEncouragement to face the light and…

live with hope for tomorrow is –

much needed during the holiday season.

The music, movies, commercials, etc…

all shout that the holidays are the happiest time of the year.

If this is the case, why are there so many sad,

discouraged, and depressed people walking around?

In the USA alone, the suicide rate back in 2007 was stated at Suicidology.org to be 34,598, or about 95 suicides per day. That is about one fatal outcome every 15 minutes. What a terrible tragedy to have so much self-destruction when life is so precious.

The Discouragement Factor

Why do so many people take their own lives? The primary reason is overwhelming discouragement. Discouragement is a destructive force that changes a person’s mindset and outlook to become dark, negative, and hopeless. They lose their courage and find it replaced with fear.

Holiday seasons come with the expectation that happiness is required. However, the fact is, holidays tend to have added stressors on top of the rest of life’s challenges, including financial trouble, illness, loss of loved ones, and more. And unfortunately, many people find themselves discouraged and depressed during this season.

Victims of discouragement can quickly end up with hindered decision making skills and in no condition to do things effectively. Their whole mentality is placed at a disadvantage as their mind becomes depressed. Discouragement darkens the mind and can cause a person to make fatally wrong decisions.

The Encouragement Treatment

Discouragement stems from a feeling of separateness from God and this causes a consciousness of weakness and a feeling of standing alone. Treat this disease by conquering those mental enemies with positive affirmations. Drive out fear, anxiety, worry, and the “blues” by affirming your connection with God.

“We are all ‘under fire’ all our lives, and the real hero is the one who keeps straight on in spite of discouragements and disappointments, never losing one jot of heart or courage, never giving way to despair, trusting always in the Divine Power that will lead him to his goal.” 
— Orison Swett Marden

Begin to eliminate those negative things that stand between you and your Maker and allow free access to the flow of God’s Divine Power by regularly affirming His truths.

Encouragement Affirmations:

Holiday Encouragement Affirmations of HopeSay to yourself:

‘I am a child of the King of kings and there is something inside of me that is bigger than my circumstances. I am a co-heir with Christ and all that He has.’

‘I am strong, courageous, confident, and hopeful for the future. My mind is serene and I sleep peacefully knowing my destiny is in the hands of Him who controls everything and who does all things well.’

‘I declare my power to conquer difficulty and overcome. I trust in God and forge ahead. I dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty. His truth is my shield and protector.’

The truth is: We can allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by discouragement, OR we can rise above it. Overcome by speaking positive, encouraging, success affirmations. Strengthen your mind by using positive thoughts to drive out negative thoughts.

Choose to encourage yourself and others regularly, so that you keep a heart of courage, thoughts of hope, and trust always in the Divine Power of God in your life.

May you be encouraged, keep your face toward God’s light, and live a life of growing prosperity!

 God bless you always,
Brenda

P.S. This article is inspired by Marden’s book “How to Get What You Want” and specifically the chapter “Discouragement – How to Cure It”

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Never Ever Give Up In Life! Inspiring Video

Never Ever Give Up In Life!

An inspiring video of the love of a father and the pain of a son. Derek Redmond was favored to win the 400 Meter in the ’92 Barcelona Summer Olympics, but great pain and disappointment happened midway through the race.

When life gets tough and the pain feels unbearable, our heavenly Father is at our side helping carry us through!

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” — Psalm 46:1

Never quit, give up, or give in. It’s not about how many times we fall but how many times we get back up and stay in the race.

“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” — Hebrews 12:1-2

Great is the love of our heavenly Father and we don’t have to do the race called ‘life’ alone. He is at our side and helping us through to the finish.

God bless you,
Brenda

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Self-Growth – Uncovering the Great Power of Possibilities Within! Part 1 of 2

Self-Growth – Uncovering the Great Power of Possibilities Within! Part 1 of 2

The Great Secret the Creator Put in Our Hands at Birth!

Secret, Sealed message from The CreatorFall is in the air and children are heading back to school.

This is a great time of year to remind all of us,

young and old, in school or out of school,

that men and women who are trying to

make the most of their lives,

never stop growing on their journey through life.

The following are words of wisdom and encouragement from Orison Swett Marden. They are excerpts from chapter 7 “How to Find Oneself” from the book “How to Get What You Want.”  Although written back in 1917, these words still hold great insight and the ability to stir us up and check our current progress in life.

Excerpts from “How to Find Oneself” by Orison Swett Marden:

One of the most difficult things in the world is to get people to realize the extent of their latent powers, to believe in their own bigness, in their own possibilities.

The reason is that they see only a part of themselves, because they have only partially discovered themselves.

“Each of us has resources of which he does not dream.”
— Professor William James

If we could only turn a spiritual X-ray on ourselves most of us would find powers and potencies in the great within of us which may not have gotten even to their germinating stage.

There is probably not a living being who would not be amazed if he could see unfolded in panorama all of the potentialities within him, if he could only glimpse the man he might be.

He would say, “These remarkable success qualities belong to someone who has achieved distinction, not to an unknown person like me.”

What you are actually doing may be a dwarfed thing compared with the giant achievement you are capable of. It is not what you have done, but what you long to do, what you feel capable of doing that will, if you struggle to express your ideal, count most.

Up to this time you may have been seriously hampered or dwarfed in your development. All sorts of things may have happened to the possible man, or the possible woman in you, to limit its growth, to restrict it, to impoverish it.

But it is that superb thing that is possible to you, the thing which the Creator sent you here to do that you must strive to express.

In the great within of yourself there may be vast powers which you have never called out. What masterfulness, what vast reserves of helpfulness, inspiration, and encouragement may still lie uncovered within you!

You doubt that there is anything of the kind? But you do not know.

Many a man has carried locked up within himself for more than half a century the germs of a mighty genius without even guessing at it. There are multitudes of men and women all over the world who are as ignorant of their possibilities, of their hidden success assets.

“Few men find themselves before they die.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Many carry with them to their graves undiscovered continents of ability. The great majority die without developing their possible efficiency of hand, or tongue, or of brain; without developing any of the special gifts locked up in the great within of themselves.

Most of us die with the great secret, with the sealed message which the Creator put in our hands at birth, still unread, because we have never learned how to open or how to read it.

How can you be sure that you have not a lot of this ability you long for locked up in yourself?

If you have not tried your strength, how do you know what you may be able to do? You may have more ability slumbering within you than you dream of.

Why waste your precious time thinking about other people’s genius? Why not unlock your own, see what you have, bring it out into the light and develop it?

When we know that even the great majority of men whom we call successful use only a comparatively small part of their ability because they never find all of themselves, why should any of us put a narrow limit to our possibilities, remain paupers in achievement when we might be princes?

We set our own limitations.

There are enough powers, enough resources in the minds of the people in the great failure army today to revolutionize the world if their sleeping potencies could be aroused; if they could only be made to believe in themselves.

If they could only learn how to enter into the secret depths of their nature, to get hold of themselves, to arouse latent qualities and powers, they could do marvelous things. The great problem is to know how to get at the force in the great within of ourselves and to put it to work to the best advantage.

For whether life shall be a success or a failure depends upon the call we make on our resources, the extent to which we develop all our possibilities.

We don’t know what we can do until we try, and unused faculties never grow or strengthen.

Everywhere we see starved, stunted lives, people who have discovered but little bits of themselves, little patches cleared up here and there in the great wilderness of their possibilities. They couldn’t believe in their inherent greatness.

They couldn’t realize that they were born into this world to do a certain work; and that to do that work they would need every bit of power they could develop.

The average youth starting out in life has no means of knowing what his total assets are.

He sees only the assets that lie on the surface, and if he is not instructed how to find those that are deep down below the surface, if he does not get into the right environment, if he does not make a call on the divinity within him, he may never develop the man it is possible for him to be.

The end of part 1 of 2…

=======

“‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”
— Jeremiah 29:11

Be blessed to be a blessing!

God bless you –
Cheers,
Brenda

P.S. Image credit thanks go to Billy Alexander

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Personal Growth – How to Take a Look Outward and Ramp Up Your Growth Inward!

Personal Growth – How to Take a Look Outward and Ramp Up Your Growth Inward!

A Personal Investment Guaranteed to Bring Returns

Personal GrowthPersonal development is a lifelong investment.

It provides returns in the future…

and it also provides benefits for today.

Would you like to invest in something that can ramp up returns to your personal growth…

and at the same time bring value to the lives of those around you?

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” – James Matthew Barrie

A Successful Investment

Look outward and invest in the success of others. Why? Because when we help others overcome their hurdles and make it through their troubles, we see the same help manifest in our lives. And soon we will discover we are close to our own success.

The good things we make come to pass for others, God will make come to pass for us.

“Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord.” — Ephesians 6:8

Giving Ramps Up Personal Growth

Practice helping others regularly. Help them see the bright side of their troubles. Stir up and draw out their gifts and callings.

Give to others with your words. Speak words of praise and encouragement to them. A few kind words can go a long way in lifting a person’s spirits; especially in these days of being bombarded constantly with negative messages.

The person that refreshes others will be refreshed themselves. (Proverbs 11:25)

When we look outward to help others, we create more room to grow on the inside. We grow spiritually to the extent we give out.

Bottom line: Take time to help others grow and help them see the potential person they can be. A great exercise for the heart is reaching out and lifting someone else up. So what are you still doing here? Go now and find someone to help and at the same time ramp up your own personal growth.

May you have a heart to help others and a life of growing prosperity!

Soar higher –

Cheers,
Brenda

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Inspiration – Words of Hope and Encouragement in Times of Trouble!

Inspiration – Words of Hope and Encouragement in Times of Trouble!

Hope and Encouragement is on the Way

Inspirational Hope in Times of TroubleHope and encouragement is available in times of trouble.

If you are in an emotionally, physically, or financially difficult spot…

…do not become discouraged.

Throughout history, during very troubling times, God provided words of hope and encouragement.

 God is For Us

“’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

We must understand a very important truth, if we are going to overcome trials and reach our full potential: God is for us. He is not against us.

Even if our current situation is due to discipline or judgment for our own disobedience, God still provides us with a promise of victory and deliverance. God never leaves His people hopeless, even when they drift in their love for Him.

Do Not Fear

Right now, your faith may be confronted with a terrifying unknown. You may be facing a fearful situation and feel hopeless; as if you will barely survive.

But hear this: God does not want us to be afraid of the future. Jesus often said “Do not be afraid” and “Peace be with you” in order to give comfort and show understanding.

Faith Check-up

In times of trouble it is good to evaluate and adjust our faith, and rediscover a deep need for the Lord. We see God often use trials to position us for greater blessing.

You may not understand how God will deliver you, but you can be sure that He will. Take courage and believe that He will calm the raging storm surrounding you, and you will witness the clouds breaking apart.

Eternal Hope

The Lord always has our best in mind; even while we experience great disappointment. God’s desire is for us to see Him as our only source of salvation and blessing. In the book of Revelation, God gives to each believer a message of eternal hope. It reminds us to not be afraid and describes God’s eternal triumph.

“The Lord will come again, and in the coming of the Lord lies the great hope of the believer, his great stimulus to overcome evil.” – Charles Spurgeon

Wisdom and Hope for Today

Through the Word of God we get the wisdom and direction we need to face any and every situation; today and in the future.

So, go ahead now and do your part. Ask the Lord for help and to reveal His will and plan for your life. Commit yourself fully to Him. Walk in obedience to His Word no matter what the cost. If you take this approach, God will provide for you in ways that go far beyond human understanding. Have hope and be encouraged: God is with us.

May your hope be in God and your life full of growing prosperity!

God bless you,
Brenda

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