possibilities

God of Hope

Dr. Mike 2024 , , ,

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.   Romans 15:13

Without hope plans fail.

Without hope, your current situation is bleak.

Without hope, you are denying yourself a future.

Hope is the springboard for tomorrow.

Hope brings peace and joy on the ride.

Hope is God’s specialty.

Without God, hope is Shangri-la in the sky. With God, hope is real.

Life is designed for you and I to be effectively trained to serve in God’s Kingdom for eternity. The pain. The suffering. The challenges. The hiccups and slaps are all there to teach us how to lean on HIM. To come to know HIM. To partner with HIM on our journey through life. To learn to trust HIM as HE weaves and works to build HIS character in you and me. If we so choose.

Otherwise, you are on your own. Lost and confused. Jumping upon the next fad. Allowing culture to dictate your next move. A pawn in the hands of those who are manipulating you for their personal gain.

But God wants what is best for you. He doesn’t force himself upon you. HE allows you to freely choose your destiny.

You can try to do it all yourself. Like others before you. How did their life workout?

Or you can reach out to the God-Man who has already proven himself before the Almighty and others. And HE has many witnesses who have demonstrated a similar life worth pursuing.

What does hope have to do with all this?

When you come to know the Triune God, you develop a trust in HIM. You learn to walk with HIM through the good and uglies of life. You witness how HE carries you through the tough times. You are amazed at how HE directs your steps toward the answers you seek. Even before you recognize your need. You develop a relationship with HIM. You learn to communicate with HIM. You learn to trust HIM.

Your trust in HIM gives you hope. As HIS Spirit lives in you, you experience the joy and peace from HIM. As you move into a new day, the world around you may act in craziness, but you are hopeful. You know God is working out all things for your good. May not be what you expect. But it will be good. Good for you. Good for those around you. Good for HIS Kingdom. May not be what you initially identify as good. But in the long-term, you will learn the goodness of God. Even through the pain, suffering, and anxiety you are currently experiencing. You will trust and hope in HIM. For you know HE loves you. He wants what is best for you. And He reminds you each day HE is with you and cares for you.

So lean on HIM. Hope in HIM. Let HIM have HIS ways with you. HE will deliver you from the mess around you. Through it all, you will become stronger, surer, and more hopeful for the next adventure.

Remember: hope is God’s specialty. And HE is very good at it.    

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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“If Only” Trap

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms, Traps , , , ,

John 11:21 

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here…

One of the biggest traps that prevents a person from seizing the opportunity before them, is living the “if only” excuse. We play the recording so often that many of us are not aware what we are even doing.

If only I married the other person. If only I majored in accounting rather than biology. If only I said yes. Or if only I said no. We not only glance at life in the rear-view mirror, but we drive the car looking behind us rather than what is right in front of us. Try it some day and see how difficult and dangerous it is.

John writes in his gospel the story of Lazarus’ death. Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary and all three loved by Jesus. When Jesus delayed his coming by two days, Lazarus died. When Jesus finally showed up, Martha threw the “if only” card at Jesus. Jesus didn’t catch it but simply focused on the current situation and again rose someone from the dead. Jesus didn’t accept the ‘if only” card.

When we play the “if only” card, we try to justify it. The fact is, if we could have, we would have. But, maybe because of responsibility at the time, or health, or incomplete facts, we made a decision. Most likely, if you had the same information today that you had back then, you would make the same choice.

The next time you catch yourself stating the “if only” excuse, slap your face. Then was then; today is today. Learn from yesterday, plan for tomorrow, but live for today. All you have today is in front of you. Ask God for the wisdom to seize the opportunities that lie in front of you today. Learn to distinguish God’s activity at the moment, and look for ways to join Him.

As you mature in your relationship with our Lord, you will find yourself using the ‘if only” card less and playing the “what’s next Lord” track more. As a child matures into an adult, you will likewise mature in your walk with Father-Son-Spirit. You will receive constant reassurances during the day that you are important to Him and learn to trust Him more and more each day.

Again, forget the “if only” trap. Instead, learn to pray and walk with the “what’s next Lord” attitude. You will be pleasantly surprised by the transformation.    

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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The Possibilities Are Endless When Nothing is Impossible

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , ,

impossible 3Remember when you were young, overly optimistic with big dreams?  Nothing was impossible. We operated from a level of supreme self-confidence that whatever we chose to pursue in life, we truly believed we would achieve.  But then one day, we moved out of our sheltered world into the real world.  And the real world doesn’t always provide you with positive reinforcement in your struggles.  Didn’t you find yourself becoming more of a realist as you aged?  Some of your friends may even say leaning towards pessimism.  We met the world head on and the world won.  Eventually we found ourselves settling for smaller and smaller uneventful goals rather than our dream goals. Even then our frustrations slowly grew.  We became one unhappy camper as our supreme confidence in self soon disappeared.

If like me, it was probably around this time that you found yourself also in search for answers of life.  All the struggles, disappointments, and frustrations of life took their toll on our inner being that we finally admitted to God on our hands and knees in tears that we are not the man or woman we thought to be.  In repentance we confessed our sins, our vanity, and our uselessness.  We admitted defeat.  We surrendered. We cried out to God for help.

Since then though, life has changed.  No longer is our life built on self-confidence, but in faith of a loving God.  No longer do we set only small goals to pursue because of the lack of resources, but now all the resources of the Creator are at our disposal.  And no longer do we pursue self-centered goals, but goals that also make other people a winner.

The Holy Spirit has become the agent of change in our life. We quote scripture that Paul was inspired to write, “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.”  As Jesus stated, “Nothing is impossible for God.”  No longer do we cut our goals down in size. But again, we don’t make them super large either.  The size of the goal becomes irrelevant.  When you realize Who ”God  is” and that He is very Generous, and He wants you to be His Partner in life, than you do not become overly concern about your goals and achievements.  Instead you focus on serving the living Creator and your goals almost seem to take care of themselves.

As a disciple of His, we have found that He is in charge, He is in control, and He makes the difference.  Achieving the goal becomes the easy part.  The more difficult part is maintaining a balance in life while choosing your life’s goals with the Kingdom always first on your mind.  That we have found is the more difficult challenge that confronts us.

A DISCIPLE’S PRAYER

PRAY 9

Our Awesome Dad, thank you for revealing yourself to us. Thank you for revealing yourself and your way of life to us each and every day.  Thank you for being involved in our life.  Thank you for caring and loving us as you do.  Let everything we do, think, speak, and act be done in your glory.  Let everything from this life be lifted up in your glory and honor.  Whatever we attempt, whatever we pursue, and whatever we seek, let it bring glory and honor to you.

Help us to dream, to create, to let you live in us to the max.  Let our life exemplify you in every way.  Let not the goal enslave us, but let our heart, mind, and soul serve you.  Help make our goals worthy of your servant.  Whether we accomplish them or not, let our life always be a living sacrifice to you.  Let the goal stretch us in living a proactive faith in you.  Let the road and journey be covered in love, joy, and peace.  Help us keep these eyes focused on you in all our pursuits.  Never let the goal become larger than you.  Never let the goal become a priority over you.  Never let the goal become our master.  Let it always be said that this servant is a God-Made man, not a self-made man.  Let it always be said that this servant is a confident man in the Lord, not in himself.  Let it always be said that this servant is a child of God, and not a child of this world.  All glory and honor is yours in and through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Your Consultant & Coach for Christ-Centered
Business Owners & Executives

Dr. Mike

Author of Great Business Emulates a Good God