Proceed, Go Forth, Charge On

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Do you need motivation for something? Maybe a task like cleaning out your attic. Perhaps to lose weight. To start writing your aging mom or dad a weekly letter. Cleaning a closet. Finishing a craft project. Meeting a deadline at work. It is good to set goals in life. My particular goal I am attempting to reach is the eventual publication of 'God's Lemonade Stand' into book format. Sometimes no matter what lies ahead of you it is necessary to get going and make stuff happen. As the athletic wear company Nike says "Just Do It"! 

Some of you may even need help even putting God on your daily schedule. Deep down you know you want to but it is forgotten. Somehow I find when I give God first place in my day things seem to go better. It is so easy to just be born,go through life, do your daily job and other activities and just float through life without much thought of spiritual things and heaven. But just wait for a tragedy of some sort to occur and instantly our thinking turns to praying. Sure Sunday may be on your daily calendar as you know it is something you should do, go to church that is. But there is way more to following Christ and getting to know Him than walking into the door or a church each Saturday or Sunday. 

Why not set your goal for getting to know Christ better in 2015? Go find your Bible and lay it out somewhere where it can be read daily. Try putting Him on your calendar daily and see if things don't seem to go better. 

PRAYER: Forgive me Lord for the times I have ignored you or turned my back on you. Forgive me for making everything else way more important than a daily quiet time with you. I choose to not let priorities squeeze you out. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Pressing On

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

I still can not get over the fact it is 2015! Where did the year go? Did you accomplish the goals you had hoped to in the past year of 2014? For me some were met, but I still have a ways to go on others. My writing is my biggest goal right now so I am pressing on to complete a goal I have, that of getting a devotion book.

What are you hoping to achieve in 2015? Are you giving up or charging ahead with a positive attitude? Goals to press towards could be finding a job, losing unwanted body weight, getting started exercising and sticking with it. Perhaps taking up a new hobby. Finishing a project you have been putting off. Just like a runner in a race, you can not give up and stop half way through just because a few runners pass you. In order to have any chance of winning or finishing you keep on going straight ahead towards the goal.

Whatever you need to do my friend God can help you as you 'press on' to complete the task. Just keep at it!

PRAYER: I do not want to be a quitter Lord. I do not want the enemy to lie to me and make me feel my task is too big. I know with your helpI can do all things like it says in Philippians 4:13. In Jesus' name. Amen.

SOLDIER ON! PRESS ON!! RUN THE RACE TO WIN!

As a former member of our nations Armed Forces I can certainly identify with the first part of my title that says ' soldier on'! In the military this means to not quit, don't make excuses, and fulfill your mission. To charge on and take that hill!! But as a Christian we are called 'soldiers' of the Lord. 2 Timothy 2:3 says " Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Military personnel endure much hardship that the civilian world has no way of understanding.

When I first entered the Army and was in my barracks one day reading my Bible it fell open to Psalm 18:29 which simply says " with your help I can crush a troop or leap over a wall!" Now how crazy is that? Here I was just starting out in the US Army and am going to have to do things I had never experienced before to include learning to jump a wall and this verse ' just happened' to pop up. I called it a 'God thing' and it truly was. But you too can 'charge on' as you look to Jesus.

In life in addition to 'soldiering on' we have to 'press on' too. Do not quit. When the fight or battle seems too big and overwhelming you may be tempted to give up the fight. God does not want you to. Only the enemy, Satan, brings doubt, discouragement, and fear. You can do it. Quote the scripture from Philippians 4:13 which says " I can do ALL things through Christ which gives me strength." You indeed can with the help of the Lord!!

Finally if you are a runner and have ever been in a race you learn to keep on going and not look back. Just run and run some more. Do your best. The reward is at the finish line. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 9:21 that "Did you not know that in a race not all runners win the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." Keep looking at Jesus as the finishing line and the crown of life.

So today do your very best to look to Jesus and when you feel like all hope is lost know in fact that it is not.

1 Corinthians 15:57 says " But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"

PRAYER: Thank You so much Lord for guiding me each day and giving me the ability to keep looking to you when things around me seem hopeless. I am hopeful because of you. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on links below for two mighty songs to draw home the point we are 'soldiers' for Christ.

http://youtu.be/DTJMQ38bnoY

http://youtu.be/vDIy5TUXovo