Just Praise!

"I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises."
(Psalm 34:1, NLT)

When you wake up in the morning, do you expect the goodness of God in your life? Do you set the tone of the day for success, favor and blessing with your words? Scripture tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. That's why it's so important to declare praises to God all throughout the day. Things may be bad all around you, people may be negative, complaining and discouraged, but don't let that spirit rub off on you. The worse it gets, the brighter you're going to shine. The good news is that no matter how you feel, no matter what's going on around you, you can choose your words. There's nothing that can stop you from constantly speaking His Word!

Today, I encourage you to be determined to set the tone for your day, week, month and year by praising God and speaking words of faith over your future. Remember, when you put God first, He promises to honor you. He will pour out His favor on you and lead you into life, health, strength and blessing all the days of your life!

Prayer

Father in heaven, I choose to bless You at all times. I choose to set the tone to receive Your favor, grace and mercy. Thank You for Your faithfulness at all times in Jesus' name. Amen and amen!

Walk Through

We’ve all been in seasons of life when we feel like things aren’t going our way, or we’re not where we want to be. In these times, it’s tempting to let discouragement and doubt come in and take away the peace and excitement you once had.

You may be in one of those seasons right now, struggling to truly be happy where you are. But this is not the way God wants you to live. He tells us in scripture that even in the difficult times, He is with us. Even when you can’t see a way out, He will make a way through. Even when things don’t turn out the way we planned, He has a plan to turn things around for our good.

The key is to not get upset about your circumstances. Instead, be determined to walk through to victory. Declare by faith that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Declare by faith that you are rising higher. Keep standing, keep believing and keep hoping because God has a bright future in store for you!

A Prayer for Today

"Father, I humbly come to You today giving You all that I am. I ask for Your peace in the midst of the storm. I ask for Your strength to stand strong, knowing that with You, I will walk through every adversity in Jesus’ name. Amen!"

Know When to Turn Away

In life, many of the challenges we face are simply distractions from the enemy to keep us from pursuing our destiny. Maybe someone in the office isn’t as friendly to you as you’d like. Maybe you have a neighbor who always parks in front of your house and blocks your mailbox. Those things may be frustrating, but they have little significance when you look at the big picture of eternity. You can’t allow the little things to cause strife in your life.

In scripture, just before David fought the giant Goliath, his brother Iliab tried to confront him. But David knew that arguing with Iliab wasn’t even worth his time and strength. He knew his real battle was with Goliath, and he didn’t want to be distracted. He simply “turned away” from Iliab and kept his focus on what he was called to do.

Let’s follow the example of David and keep our eyes on what’s most important in life. Instead of being led away by frustrations, let’s focus on the big picture. Know when to turn away from strife and receive the mark of honor the Lord has for you!

A Prayer for Today

"Father God, thank You for Your hand of victory in my life. Give me the wisdom and courage I need to walk away from strife so I can focus on the destiny You have prepared for me. I love You and bless You today and always in Jesus’ name. Amen."

Today’s Scripture

"It is an honour for a man to cease from strife…"
(Proverbs 20:3, KJV)

*Hiding in the Right Place*

Have you ever watched children play hide and seek? They look for the best place to hide in the house or yard and wait quietly for their friend to try to find them. It’s a fun game for kids, but even as adults, we need a good place to hide from time to time. Sometimes we need a place of refuge, we need a place of safety, and we need a place to rest when we feel overwhelmed by the circumstances of life—a place where the enemy of our soul can never find us.

The good news is that God has the perfect hiding place for you! You don’t have to hide in your job. You don’t have to hide in relationships. You don’t have to hide in food or addictions because God Himself promises to hide you! He freely offers you shelter from the storms of life any time you call upon His name.

Remember, there’s only one place the enemy cannot find you. There’s only one place where opposition cannot steal from you. There’s only one true place of safety and rest for your soul, and that is in the arms of Jesus. Know that He loves you, and He is ready to receive you when you call upon His name!

A Prayer for Today

"Father, today I come humbly before You giving You all that I am. Thank You for hiding me in Your shelter and keeping me safe from the storms of life. My soul finds rest in You as I seek You and praise Your holy name in Jesus’ name. Amen."

Today’s Scripture

"In the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock."
(Psalm 27:5, NIV)

Today is blessed. Enjoy.

To Whom It May Concern!

Hello my dear friend,

It's just funny how people compare their lives with others.

The truth is, we all are journeying through life on different paths. It doesn't matter if we are all born on the same day. Even if we are, that doesn't make our journeys the same.

For some, the first part of their journey is so stony that they are unable to move as fast as they wish. So, they worry and envy others who are having presently having a jolly ride; not knowing that, just at the bend for others, is a rock waiting, that they may have to pull down before they continue on their journey, while at their own bend, which they know not, is an express, that makes for a good cruise, after their stony path.

That you're having it first rough, doesn't mean an express isn't ahead of you to cruise on.

That you are having it smooth now, doesn't mean you should look down on others who are not.

You have absolutely no idea of what awaits everyone on their journey of life.

Everybody has at least one rock or another to weather on their journey through life. It may be at the beginning or at the ending.

So, why the envy? Why the mockery?

When others are happy, be happy with them. When they are sad, sympathise with them.

When you see someone who's down,  lift him/her up, if you can. So, someone may lift you up, too, in your own downtime of life. Nobody knows TOMOROW. Tables turn. 

Nonetheless, put your trust in God. And be grateful for each moment. Life is a personal race, focus on your track and keep moving. It can only get better.

I don't know who this is for...

SWMT™

Know Where You Belong

THERE’S A STORY I ALWAYS LOVE TO SHARE with my audience each time I’m honored to speak at an engagement on choosing a career path. It’s a story of a competition between a dolphin and a monkey. They were both asked to come and showcase what they know how best to do. So, the moderator gave the game rules for both competitors.

Dolphin was the first to display what he’s got. In no time, the game began. So, dolphin started out, showing everyone his wonderful diving skills as he dives through the waters at one side and emerging at the other side.

Everyone was thrilled at his skills, with a resounding applause. In a short while, it was monkey’s turn. “Mr. Monkey, it’s your turn to show us what you’ve got!” the moderator asked. Without much ado, monkey was already on the tree. Spinning with style from one tree to another, with one hand holding the tree branches and his tail dangling and wiggling.

Everyone watched with amazement and got so dumbfounded at the skills with which monkey was swapping from one tree to another. In less than five minutes, monkey had gone round the forest of about hundreds of trees across the river bank. No doubt, everyone was thrilled and astonished at the skills both the dolphin and monkey displayed while they were doing what they enjoy doing the most.

Again, the moderator stepped in to announce the second stage. This time, he asked that monkey would exchange role with dolphin. That is, monkey would come down from the trees, and jump into the waters like dolphin did in the first stage. For a moment, monkey thought to himself; “What competition type is this? But I sure will apply the same skill with which I jumped the trees.”

With a resounding shout from the spectators, monkey jumped into the waters, and for the first five minutes, monkey was nowhere to be found. As the spectators watched, the resounding shout went drastically down like an electric current that had just lost stability. “What could have happened?” The spectators began to murmur.

And now, their anxiety was raised. There was a sudden calm as they all watched with dismay. A few minutes later, monkey raised up his head in a struggle to prevent his mouth from being filled with water. To cut the long story short, monkey was rescued from drowning completely.

Now, dolphin was afraid to step out of the waterbody, knowing fully well that he was going to mess up. Nevertheless, he mustered courage. The moment dolphin jumped out of the waterbody, he began to struggle, as he gasped for oxygen. The once excited spectators became so disappointed. Because they had expected dolphin to perform excellently as he had performed in the first stage of the competition. But to their dismay, dolphin too could not make it.

You see friend, just as the story illustrated above, in the animal kingdom, not all animals can fly, not all animals can jump, and not all animals can crawl. Not all animals can sing like birds do. Not all animals can swim. As a matter of fact, every animal has been wired or designed specifically for a purpose or a function. Everyone has got a role to play in life according to life-design.

In the same vein, in the human race(career wise), every man belongs to a particular ‘kingdom’ where he abides and reigns.

As a social being, when man remains and abides in his domain-his area of strength by design, he cannot but be celebrated. People are always amazed at the way he does his things. People would want to identify with him. But the moment he shifts away from his natural abilities, he naturally begins to struggle like a fish taken out of waters!

There's more to this...

If this story made any sense to you, do well to share with all your contacts...

#TheCareerCompass
#BookExcerpt
SWMI™ © 2017

Download The Career Compass on okadabooks using the link below or send a request by email to sharingwithmartins@gmail.com for the PDF version.

http://okadabooks.com/book/about/the_career_compass_foretaste/14657#.WVVkq3r10QY.link