I believe that God has planted seeds of greatness on the inside of every one of us. We all have dreams and desires, things we want to accomplish; things we want to see changed. But so many times, life has a way of stealing our dreams. We go through disappointments, face adversity, things don’t turn out as we would like. Too often, people just end up settling for second best. But God doesn’t want us to settle for second best. He wants us to be determined, press on, and pursue the greatness that’s on the inside. We should never let “good enough” be good enough!
I want to encourage you today to stir yourself up and get your fire back. Start speaking victory over your future. If one dream has died, dream another dream. Put yourself in a positive, faith-filled environment. Get around people of excellence who live passionately. Fan the flame that is in you so you can move forward into all God has in store for you!
If you’re going to do anything great in life, if you’re going to be a great businessperson, a great teacher, a great parent or a great leader, not everyone is going to cheer you on. I’d love to tell you that your family, friends and co-workers will celebrate you, but that’s not the case. Some people simply can’t handle your success. As you grow and increase, as God pours out His favor, somebody will get jealous. Somebody will start finding fault. Don’t be surprised if a relative tries to belittle or discredit you. If you focus on making everyone around you happy, you’ll start changing and lose sight of what God has placed in your heart.
Friend, your destiny is too great to be distracted by people who are never going to affirm you. Don’t take it personally. It’s not about you. It’s their problem. Shake it off, run your race, be great anyway.
Greatness in the midst of criticism begins with forgiveness. Don’t hold a grudge. Bless those who curse you; pray for those who spitefully use you. As you keep doing what is right, God will honor you. He’ll promote you, and you’ll see the dreams and desires that He placed in your heart come to pass!
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, NKJV)
Today and every day, know that God loves you with an everlasting love. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is for you and has a good plan for you. Receive His perfect love today and let Him transform you from the inside out. His love is the greatest love and will last throughout all eternity!
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18, NKJV)
We all have dreams that we’re hoping will come to pass and promises that we’re believing for. We should always be praying, believing and hoping — that’s all part of faith. But there’s another part of faith that, oftentimes, people leave out, and that is putting action behind your faith.
Scripture tells us that our works or actions prove our faith. In other words, when we really believe God, we obey Him. We can pray all day long, “God, get me out of this problem.” Or, “God, give me that promotion.” But if you really want to get God’s attention and see Him move in amazing ways, take it one step further and do something to demonstrate your faith. Let your actions prove your faith in Him. For example, maybe you need a turnaround in a relationship. Are you being the one to show love, honor and forgiveness? Maybe you need a financial breakthrough. Are you obeying Him and being faithful in your finances? Maybe you lost your job. Are you putting your resume out and knocking on new doors? That’s one way to take a step of faith.
Today, make sure you put action behind your faith. Make it visible in the eyes of God and man and watch Him come through on your behalf!
Be willing to give your best to the Lord, and He will use your gifts in ways beyond your imagination. The lady with the alabaster jar of perfume that was worth a year’s wages wanted to do something for Jesus because she loved Him. So she poured out the expensive perfume on Him, not realizing at the time that she was anointing Him for His burial (see Mark 14:1- 9).
God led her to give what she had, no matter how costly. As you pour out the gifts God has given you, He will use them to prepare the world for the second coming of His son. Your obedience today will reap rewards in heaven that you are not aware of now.