A Change Of Mind...Changes Your Outcome

A change of mind is the stimulus for actively implementing all change.  It is funny how much we change our mind, but when we look over our life what has really changed?  Real effective change takes time and effort.   Implementing effective change requires the ability to make decisive decisions.  The ability to make effective decisive decisions in a timely manner goes hand-in-hand with possessing and/or having access to the right information.  There is no doubt that information which is specific to the change you want to make, empowers you to move forward as it becomes the navigation required to strategically plan new ventures, switch from current pathways,  and change directions with a focus on a precise destination point.  Furthermore, it is vitally important that we also have a resolve to make timely decisions no matter how big or small our situation that demands attention calling for some degree of life transformation.

Many people vacillate when it comes down to making changes.  However, there is no need to tarry in decision making when attempting to improve our quality of life.  Herein, are three points to empowering yourself to implement change, which won’t cost you a penny.    All that is required is an investment of your time.  I consider this a small price to pay for an improved quality of life.

Point One:  Make A Decision. 

The obvious first step is to decide what you want to change.  Sometimes implementing change is easier said than done.  Start with what you know and make a list of what you don’t know to then research concerning what you want to change.  Knowledge is power in making timely decisions from the very simple to the very complex and it doesn’t matter if the decision making concerns a household issue, a little league team problem, a company scandal, or a corporation merger.  Knowledge allows for us to have an understanding of what we are getting into before we actually begin moving in a new direction. 

Point Two:  Plan, Execute And Manage Efforts.

Be accountable and responsible for your life outcomes.  Once you have identified what you want to change, plan to change it.  We each have the power to make decisions that impact our life producing positive results.   Devising a plan to implement the change you envision helps tremendously in staying focused after execution ensuring continued progress according to the plan.  Planning is not a once and done event.  Planning takes time, and plans need to be managed which will impact your tasks and timelines.  Plans require adjustments from time to time because no one plans with 100% accuracy.  This is no big deal – make adjustments and keep moving forward.  I have seen many endeavors succeed and fail.  One common denominator for success is simply good and proper planning.  As well, a common denominator for those that failed more times than not continues to be no planning or poor planning. 

Point Three:  Take The Lead.

Be consistent and lead your effort toward change.  No one can pioneer the effort in making adjustments for your life like you can.  Since you have a vested interest, you will want to see all tasks through successfully, and will also know exactly what the end result will look like. You are the one who can sense better than anyone else when things are headed off track.  Don’t give this up to another individual.  Others may help in instituting change, but you should be leading the effort as you have envisioned it.

I just want to encourage you today to delay no further in evaluating what needs to be changed in your life, and then move forward using this 3 point guide to implement the necessary changes.  When we are not afraid or lackadaisical about change, we are then able to empower ourselves to turn problems into opportunities, trials into triumphant testimonies, and past failures into future victories.  We become not just the champion of our own endeavors, but also the change agent seeing them successfully through to completion.  This understanding is so simple yet powerful, but only to those who are willing to take the first step toward change that will ultimately empower you even more to do all that you have been created to do and Live Your Destiny!

I hope you enjoyed this self empowerment 3-point moment.

Blog Author:  DMC

Feature of the Month: Your Season of Destiny by Jill Austin

This month's spotlight moment features an excerpt from the article "Your Season of Destiny" originating from The SpiritLed Woman magazine by Jill Austin.  She shares her thoughts on Living Your Destiny...Some very interesting food for thought that will eventually transcends into action if you feel the urgency of her message.  


I enjoyed this reading and hope you will as well.  


"Our awesome, holy God has plans for you that are more creative than you could even dare to imagine. If you give yourself to Him, it will be exhilarating. Being alive takes on a totally new meaning when you let go of controlling your life and destiny and let God move you.

This is your season to allow Him to awaken His dreams for your life. God's dreams for you are much bigger than your dreams could ever be. Our whole way of thinking has to change because we think too small.

Today, you are a carrier of His glory—a walking flame of fire. Every place your hands and feet touch should be invaded with the resurrection power of God. The Lord wants you to minister outside the walls of the church in everyday life to a hurting and dying world.

God wants to get us out of our religious boxes. He wants us to know that where we walk, He walks in us and around us, and His resurrection power operates through us.

In this season, God is calling us to a deeper place of prayer and intimacy, in order to suddenly release us into our destinies. Today, moving in the Spirit is essential to our survival. Hearing God's voice in everyday life is no longer an option but a necessity."

To read the entire article, please visit:  http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/newsletters/spiritled-woman-emagazine/31321-your-season-of-destiny

Author:  Jill Austin

Source:  The SpiritLed Woman Magazine

The Key To Becoming A Success Story -- God's Way

S

uccess leaves clues…Look at those who are successful and you will find clues

related to what they have been successful at, and how they have become successful.  We can find an abundance of resources to better understand someone else’s success story, which just means we don’t need to necessarily recreate the wheel in understanding mainstream success tactics for ourselves.  Most people consider setting their own goals, as well executing strategies to achieve those goals.  For many, success defined is accomplishing a single or set of goals – period.  This type of success serves mankind, however it is temporal with very limited benefits.

                However, God measures our success a bit differently.  God measures our success by looking at our obedience to His will and His ways.  I like how Charles Stanley defines Godly success in the following manner “Genuine success – from God’s point of view – is rooted in what God calls us to be.  It is rooted in what God sets as the goals for our lives.  It is rooted in our relationship with God, who enables us to become the people He created us to be and to do the works He has authorized us to do.”  Clearly by his definition we must have an understanding of the purpose for which we exist and the work God has set before us and called us to do.  We can only understand this truth through the study of God’s word and having a consistent prayer life.  

                Our own success will transcend this life.  Indeed, the work we do here and now has immediate and eternal benefits when we are lead by God.  Not only do others benefit from the work we do, but we also benefit from the work we do.  Studying the word of God enables us to understand the importance of our obedience.  It tests and stretches our faith both at the same time, and ensures we have what we need to make the tough, but right decisions.  Understanding God’s word as well as having the ability to live by it, will undoubtedly impact our daily decision making process and outcomes.  Furthermore God is pleased, and promises us that the blessings are here for us to enjoy right now.  Obedience to our Lord is a success story and becomes our blessing.

                I know many people who pray generally to God.   However, I admonish anyone who may not have thought to include God in your goal planning and strategizing to plan to ask for His help in all you plan to do.  We can’t be successful in God’s eyes (with immediate and eternal benefits), if we don’t include him as the source of all we set out to do.  We can’t think as big as God can.  As far as the heaven is from the earth are his thoughts above ours.  He can enable us to think the unthinkable, and then see to it that we are equipped to do the impossible!  We need to ensure our goals are aligned correctly having proper vision seeing it the way God see's it.  Now that’s success in a way none of us could have ever imagined.  This is how we live our destiny planning and eventually yielding Godly success!

Blog Author:  DMC

Reference Scripture:  See Josuha 1:7-8

Transforming Your Dreams Into Your Reality

W

 hat are you dreaming of? I have said it before...dreams are important and once we have made the connection to the purpose for which we exist, they are powerful motivators that help to propel us forward to accomplish great things in the earth. 

I see my dreams through what I call a "dream lens" somewhat like a camera lens. Sometimes I can see my dream very clearly, however there are more times than not, that my dream is out of focus at first. When my dream is out of focus, time is all that is needed to bring the dream into clarity that I see it brightly through my dream lens.  Most of my dreams take some time to mature into a clear focused image. Additionally once the dream is in focus; it may take some time for me to see my dream develop into my reality. This is what I call the development stage of my dream...much like developing a picture as the process takes time and should not be rushed.

I remember back when I had a lot of passion about a dream that was yet still maturing and not at all developed. In my elation to get started and forge ahead, I thought to myself I'll start the development now and I'll just get the details along the way.   You know what occurs when you began to develop a picture that is out of focus? Well, the work you put into producing the picture is under-appreciated, because proper time was not taken to ensure a quality product and now not even the photographer can make out the fine details with assurance.  What good is a picture without details?  Details provide clarity and distinction.  So it should be no surprise to find out that my outcome produced a failed attempt to see my dream transform into reality as things never actually fell in place like I thought it would.  I attributed my failure to not having a clear picture of my dream initially to plan appropriately. I should have waited to plan based on a fully mature dream. This is a lesson now learned and currently implemented on every dream to reality journey I launch, with a much better success rate.

Mature dreams come with details. I think we must have a good understanding of the fine details, which will have a huge impact on the success of any project, goal, or endeavor.  I would even venture to say that most times it is the fine details that will ruin a project or goal if underestimated or missed entirely. Here's my point...please don't try to rush your dreams into focus moving ahead before you have the complete picture.  Seek to gain and treasure patience permitting things happening at its appointed time.  As always, I encourage prayer along the way to help guide your steps and also to keep your focus on what matters most...which is the assignment the Lord has specifically given each one of us.  Seek...Explore...Find...LIVE YOUR DESTINY to the fullest and see your dreams transform into your reality!

Daphne’s Top 10 List To ‘Live Your Destiny’

Each one of us is called to greatness and destiny is about choice and does not just happen by chance.  I encourage each person to begin exploring life that is greatly connected to purpose.  Purpose that is fueled by passion and passion that is contagious impacting the lives of others on a major level…even in the small things having a massive impact on the world around you.  The result yields that GREATNESS IN YOU that I just mentioned.

I have created my own top ten list to Live Your Destiny.  These are points that I personally consider valid and vital that have changed my life tremendously.  After reading these, please feel free to adopt any of my points listed or you may want to come up with your own list to live by that propels you to Live Your Destiny in truth:

1. Ensure that your life is guided by making the right decisions…Understanding that good and right are two different things.  They don’t always yield the same or similar positive long term results.  Always choose right over good.
2. Endeavor to have a consistent prayer life.  My life I owe to my Lord and Savior, in Him I will trust to lead and guide me daily.   
3. Forgetting those things behind me:  Never look back unless you plan on going that way.  My past negative life experiences only serve me in a positive way when I have been given the insight to learn from them, and the foresight to know how I can now use what I have learned as a tool moving forward.
4. Have a strong resolve to move forward no matter what.  Life is about choice, and I choose to live life in the greatest way possible to the best of my ability.
5. Seek out your own purpose in life.
6. Don’t be lead astray: Understand your purpose in Christ and then own your destiny.  Purpose is important, but without purpose and God to provide direction what would life be about?
7. Learn to be yourself and love who you are.  Let others you admire inspire you to greatness, but please be yourself. NOTE: Don’t insult God by trying to be someone he did not create you to be.  Love who you are.  You are perfect in every way.
8. Live your dreams connected to your purpose and have a passion in achieving them. Dreams are the motivators behind vision.  Vision eventually produces goals.  Capture that dream…that vision, and turn it into reality through prayer and having a plan to achieve the goals connected to your purpose.
9. We can achieve our dreams in part, by mastering our skills.  Improving what we already know or don’t know is always a plus.
10. Giving back – Sharing, caring and encouraging:  Now that I understand things better, I share my truth with others and encourage them as I have been encouraged by others along the way.

I hope you have enjoyed my list.  Please speak life by encouraging others to share knowledge and truth with one another to Live Your Destiny…one day at a time…one step at a time producing GREATNESS many times over…Peace unto you!


Blog Author:  DMC

Destiny---Getting To The Heart of The Matter.

   
Out of your heart flows the issues of life holding what matters most to you that ultimately determines your destiny.

Your feelings--turned to thoughts.

Your thoughts--turned to words.

Your words--framed your actions.

Your actions--formed your habits.

Your habits--shaped your character.

Your character--becomes your destiny.

Is your heart right or do you need a change of heart?

My heart is ready to receive a make over.

Blog Author:  DMC

Forget The Things Behind You

T

here is no end to learning new things and new methodologies to get our tasks done.  We read and engage one another in conversation yielding some of the most interesting opportunities to gain different perspectives.  In this we have allowed our scope of learning, understanding, and knowledge to be varied outside of the traditional learning environment.  At times we have also considered our past lessons learned allowing ourselves to be lead down familiar paths of yesterday.  Our yesterdays are mere reflections of life replaying itself mirroring events that we deem as a success or a failure on some level.  Here is the caution--when we allow our experiences and what we think we know to be our ONLY GUIDE or SOURCE for making decisions we have just fallen prey to leaning on our own understanding, (which is self-satisfying) and failing to seek the one who has the roadmap to our next destination point.  God ensures all things working together for our good and will direct us in how our past will be utilized for His glory moving forward; however we must stay close to the Commander-In-Chief so that He can direct our path.

The Apostle Paul spoke about forgetting the things in our past.  Paul addressed how he handled his past, both his successes and his failures.  Have you heard the old cliché that “a little knowledge is dangerous”?  Well precisely what I believe Paul revealed when he urged the church to forget the things behind them.  He wasn’t just talking about the negative life occurrences.  He was talking about even our past success and all things learned through experience.  If we are comfortable with what we know based on a little knowledge, a little notoriety, a little recognition we won’t be able to receive God’s direction because we have already determined ourselves which way to go.

We must understand that in this life there is so much more for us to learn and experience that we can’t depend on our past as the barometer in how to handle our present or future endeavors.  We learn in many ways that provide us knowledge and this is good, however we must never forget that we are doing the work of the Lord and rely on His direction.  Likewise, we are successful when we seek and follow his direction, resulting in his children being more than conquerors and victorious in Christ Jesus!

GOD GUIDES AND HE ALSO PROVIDES WHAT YOU NEED EACH AND EVERY STEP OF THE WAY AS YOU LIVE YOUR DESTINY!

Blog Author:  DMC

Resource:  Philippians 3:14

My Secret is Now My Confession

We take credit without any hesitation… Proudly admitting to the things that put us in a positive light as we eagerly step up to receive all the accolades.  People are talking.  I can hear it now…all the applause for all the good you’ve done, and all the hard work you’ve put in, and all your sacrifice.  You perceive it was all worth the cause. 

But flip the situation, and now we have taken a back seat to our acknowledgments.  What about stepping up to confess those things that are not worthy of an accolade?  What about getting to the heart of the matter in dealing with the thing that we know has gone wrong in our life?  We willingly participate in the cover up citing that no one has to know, and even if they do no one is owed an explanation.  So with our lips tight our confession has now become our obsession, to keep the “wrong stuff” a secret.  No one including God will intervene on our behalf, until we acknowledge our own wrong doing.  As long as we are willing to ignore “the stuff gone wrong” in our life, we willingly allow ourselves to be held captive as a hostage.   

That’s just what sin does when we choose to delay our confession.  We are held captive in sin’s prison cell and the only way to be free is for us to open our mouth and begin to confess the mess that has been keeping us bound and heavily burdened.  On the contrary, confessing “our wrong stuff” humbles us that we see our own weakness and dependence on the Lord, but as equally important it cleanses us from the stain of sin, and then relieves us of the guilt that steals our witness for Christ.  You can trust God with your secret.  God can navigate you to freedom. 

It doesn’t matter how long we’ve had or kept the confession a secret.  What matters most is regaining freedom.   We can’t be all that God has called us to be, or do all God have called us to do, if we are imprisoned spiritually of our own accord.   

GOD WANTS HIS CHILDREN FREE SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE YOUR DESTINY VICTORIOUSLY!

Blog Author:  DMC

Reference Scripture:  See Psalms 51 & Psalm 32

Feature of the Month: Focus Being My Ace by Lamont Dynce

My son wrote this poem and I was so encouraged by his resolve to reach higher.  Although he has had a rough beginning in starting his photography business he still has pushed on.   I thought others may also be encouraged by his contributing thoughts.   In life everything may not always be perfect, none-the-less we must still focus and press on - Enjoy!

Neck above the sky, but chin at comfort level.  Not to high, not to lie...just right.

Blinking my eyes with no hesitation.

Making dreams into visions. 

Putting 1 foot in front of another, no leaning. Ending all doubt.

Trashing these 4 letters CAN'T... with these I am only hindering me.

Plans bigger than Microsoft.  I'm knocking off all the doubt in my mind.

The "Lil Engine That Could" and that is a fairy tale, but who said fairy tales don't come true.

Fingers move with confidence. Mind is on a level of achievement trying to reach the next level.

Beveled in my mind is Success. No more walking in mess got to keep on that vest of confidence for all this bullish. 

No more missing the point the purpose of why HE gave me these limbs that function.  No more options of letting these go to waste. 

But Focus will be my Ace.

Author: LamontDnyce

Just Continue...

I  believe that life is what you make of it.  We all have a choice to select a path and walk in it.  Our decisions impact the quality of life we live.  Our decisions also have the power to empower those that come from behind.  In fact, our choices contribute to the "Legacy" we leave behind to our family, but also to everyone our life path crosses.  We each have the ability to empower others with the knowledge we have gained and share our experiences to influence and encourage one another to stay the right course in the life race and continue on in purpose with each step we take.

As usual, my point is to motivate others to think beyond the "here and now" understanding that what we partake in now is an investment eternally.  Our decisions do matter contributing to new challenges, new levels and/or in a new direction yielding positive results in living out our purpose.

Be encouraged to –

• continue to dream:  For dreams are important.  They are the beginning of new visions of what may be.
•  continue to act:  For dreams alone won’t yield any lasting results. 
• continue in God’s strength to push pass what you see:  For the setbacks, and hold-ups, and rejections, and let-downs were only tools to fine tune or refine the strength of your conviction, which was once weak and guess what, “YOUR STILL HERE” with a resolve to keep it moving!
• continue on your journey:  For only God knows what road each of us should take and seeking his direction keeps us humble and on track.

The thing that you have been called to is so desperately in need of you, so please –

• continue to think higher:  For your body can't take you where you mind hasn't been first. 
• continue to focus on your course:  Having the ability to focus is one thing, but having the ability to stay on course is another.  Prayer keeps us continually aligned with what really matters most at each stage of our life.
• continue to resolve yourself to discipline:  Resolving yourself to be disciplined to plan and then follow through is no small feat.  Seeking God's guidance is key in developing a plan which contributes to steady progress.
• continue on in your purpose:  Only you can carry out the thing you were purposed to do, and this can only be accomplished by having a relationship with our Lord.  This type of relationship is one of an investment of time to listen and communicate which is bi-directional. The return on this investment...Priceless!

Most of all continue to have faith and believe that God is making a difference in you through your walk with him in the world.  The world needs you to do exactly what you have been called to do.  Be encouraged today and know that the body of Christ is praying for you to continue in the race!

Blog Author:  DMC

LEGACY

I think about the legacy I will eventually leave behind. This six letter word “Legacy” propels me to keep reaching forward pressing pass my fears and apprehensions resolving to take charge of those negative thoughts that God have given me power over to not be bound, still, and, stagnant lending to ineffectiveness. I realize that I still have work yet to do and my attendance is greatly required. Excuses are unacceptable...what excuse is good enough for someone who died for me? I share my thought today only in hope that someone will consider this rhetorical question, “What legacy for God are you gearing up to leave behind”?

Keeping me in check...I understand that the real response calls for action.  In 2011, let's hit our mark as we continue in our life journey!  

We must, "Just Continue..."

Blog Author:  DMC