PLAY BALL!

It's time to step up to the plate and fight for righteousness! Christians are the light of the world in every nook, cranny and corner that produces security, respect, harmony and love within our community, city, state, and world! 

Vote, pray, educate, pray, sing a song, pray, travel, pray, accept someone different than you, pray, eliminate borrowing money, pray, daily exercise, pray, eat healthy, pray. It's not a game unless you choose to do otherwise! With Christ you  win "every time" when we stay prayerful all the time! Let's "Play Ball"!

And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound]. Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [attentively] at Him. Luke 4:17-20 NIV

Divide or Conquer!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 NIV

Many Faces of Satan

Here we go again, destroying each other and stirring up hate among our brothers and sisters! Continue to serve Satan and you will continue to see destruction, hate, devastation, dislike of others (because of race, religion, or nationality) and segregation. Satan knows those who are weak in heart and mind and uses them to stir up chaos and separation. He also knows that if you are “deeply” rooted in God, he cannot stir you up, so he uses manipulation through others to prick our hearts. 

Many Faces of God 

We better put on our armor “right now” to stop the fiery arrows of Satan. Ephesians 6:10-18 says, “Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world. So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God. Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere. The Living Bible (TLB)

Dinner is Served!

It is with all of the appetizers (To peak your interest to think positive), the sandwiches (Content, but not satisfied), and the main course (Full of knowledge and Truth to withstand life's storms and give you victory and success); you have established a life that is dependent daily on the word and Christ! Daily spiritual nourishment produces positive results~ What's next is the dessert and the drink to wash it all down to digest additional nourishment and joy!

First six appetizers

Final Seven Appetizers

Sandwiches

Main Course: Served with Self-Esteem, Knowledge, and Self-Discipline

Meanwhile, the disciples urged Him saying, Rabbi, eat something. But He assured them, I have food (nourishment) to eat of which you know nothing and have no idea. So the disciples said one to another, Has someone brought Him something to eat? Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work. John 4:31-34 AMP

Preview and Review...........

Menu for success has been designed to give you a successful life, with God’s help, to come up higher, be a better person, and to give you a hope and a future that you know would not exist without God!

Coming next week is The Main Course: served with self-esteem, knowledge and self discipline.

REMEMBER YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE FOUNDATION TO REACH THIS LEVEL – Look at the previous Appetizers (13 of them), and Sandwiches (5 of them)! If you have been following my Menu for Success blogs and truly meditating on God’s word and the seeds He has given us to plant, you are ready for the “Main Course”! 

Only If You Believe!

As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed. Romans 4:17 AMP 

As Abraham believed God’s promise, I believe by “Faith”:

Souls are receiving Christ as their Savior and Lord today in vast numbers!

I believe a young man and young woman seek Christ first before they seek a spouse to live happily ever after here on earth!

I believe parents understand the importance of unity and commitment to Christ; therefore, they will commit to being a parent!

I believe our houses will be homes again that open the door to step out and reach out to those in need!

I believe Christ died on the cross for my sins ~ where His blood has made me whole again!

Final Sandwich is . . . . . . . . .

Final Sandwich being served is - Preparation and guidance for building a sound profession.

So you want to open a business. Let's say you would like to open a restaurant. Well the first and most important plan of action before you do anything else is prayer! If your plan is not in line with God's plan, then your business will fail ~ no matter what you do!

Once you know in your heart God is giving you His blessings, you want to prepare a business plan. I will briefly outline a basic business plan; whereas, there will be more or less information that will need to be included, depending on the restaurant.

1. Executive Summary - This will actually be like a conclusion that will be a summary of what your plan is and how you will carry it out.

2. Company Summary - You will describe (in detail) who you are and what you do. For example: The state your company will be established in, the owner and operator, the date you opened, and statistics of sales and how you have grown from the beginning and how you intend to increase the business.

3. Products and Services - This will be where you list your service/product you are offering.

4.  Market Analysis Summary - Explain the type of business you are opening and how you will target the customers you want to serve. You will need to know your competition and what you will offer different from them that will make you stand out.

5. Strategy and Implementation Summary - This is a two section summary. The first section will be your strategy. What do you do better than the competition and describe how you will attract your customers (flyers, advertisement, word of mouth, networking, social media, etc.)
The second part will detail your strategy to maintain a business that will keep customers coming back. In addition, detail the responsibilities of management along with dates and budgets you can monitor to compare and contrast your busiest days and your slowest days.

6. Management Summary - You will detail the important members who will run the business and include a resume of their history in that area, so it will give the financial advisers a peace of mind to know you have qualified and quality employees for the business to succeed. 

7. Financial Plan - This is the most lengthy part of your business plan because it will include profit and loss statements, projected financial statements of the next 3 to 5 years of business, and cash flow tables

Again this is a basic business plan that only briefly describes the information needed so once it's on paper, you will know (in theory) if you will be successful.

The start up cost of your business will be included in your financial summary that includes lawyer fees and accountant fees; however, some additional fees will arise that are unexpected ~ so allow for a contingency account for that purpose.

Remember ~  to hire people you know are professional themselves and will guide you every step of the way!

Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; except the Lord keeps the city, the watchman wakes but in vain. Psalm 127:1 AMP

Keepsake Hearts!

Victory in Christ!

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
But a good word makes it glad. Proverbs 12:25 NKJV

I heard this today while casually listening to a minister on television and immediately I looked up when the minister spoke this scripture in his benediction! I said to myself “WOW’! Because just before he said that, I felt myself becoming anxious! God knows just the right time to give us the words we need to hear!

Worry, worry, worry, is all we do. We worry about our children’s safety, we worry about bills being paid, we worry about what others think about us, we worry about not having a job, we worry if we will offend anyone, we worry if the food we just cooked taste okay, and on and on and on! With all that worry, no wonder we have anxiety ~ and I only named a few!

Well I am a “first hand witness” that worrying does not give you victory! It does the opposite ~ some of us are stress eaters, so we gain weight and become more depressed, some of us call everybody we can think of to “load our burdens on”, and some of us disengage ourselves from others. Personally, I would have a pity party! Whatever your handicap is with worrying, it's just that~ a handicap that is not life threatening!

This picture shows how a person's face swells with the sun allergy. My eyes would swell shut and my cheeks were twice as swollen as hers ~ just to give you an image of my allergy!

I suffered a sun allergy for 18 years. I had to wear long sleeves year round, a hat and carry an umbrella. I had to travel and walk when the sun was going down or before it came up; and when I went to work, I could not sit by a window or go outside on sun shiny days! No it was not easy and there were times, I felt depressed ~ WAIT~ many times! But by studying God’s word and daily reading it, with my hands and face swollen beyond recognition on occasion, I did not give up on God, because He did not give up on me! 

I am happy to say August 30, 2013; God healed me of the sun allergy! *I still have to be careful around excessive sun exposure (like being on a boat or in a pool), excessive dust, paper particles, and chemicals like bleach*

The only thing that has sustained me through my long suffering has been the Word! You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. Psalm 71:20-21 KJV

When I feel anxious, I usually get out and take a long walk until it subsides! Do something you enjoy to get your mind off of you and off your worries. It also helps to go and do something good for a stranger ~ it is truly liberating and after it's all said and done, you truly forget what it was you were worrying about! I have had to lean on family and friends for a place to live and money. However, if it wasn't for them, I would be on the streets. So I tell myself ~ Thank God I have family members that are able to provide food and shelter for me. I know God sees their good deeds and will bless them accordingly! 

I pray many of you are being encouraged by this blog; because I write them just as much for myself as I do for all of God’s children. I too, go through trials and tribulations like anyone else. And God’s word says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. II Corinthians 12:9 NIV

Ever battle I have faced has made me stronger in character, knowledgeable of the word, and establish my own relationship with God!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7 NIV

HOLY FRIDAY!

In the Old Testament, it was prophesied “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole”. Isaiah 53:5 AMP

No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends. John 13:15 AMP

Today is a day to reflect and fully understand why Jesus died on the cross for all of us. However, within those three days, things were going on in the spiritual world that we read about in the word, but have no knowledge of how powerful His love was and still is for us (who believe) to conquer Heaven and Hell so you have protection from Satan to live a life filled with good health, a loving family, a home that is protected from the storms nature brings, and favor and blessings everywhere you go!

Pastor Creflo Dollar was speaking on how we are saved by Grace and there is nothing we can do to earn it or give it back ~ it’s free. He gave a member of his congregation a gift she was not expecting. She looked at him in surprise and he walked away. She sat there in amazement and Pastor Dollar asked her to open it up. She did and still had a puzzled look on her face! He said,”I know you are wondering why I gave you that gift and I also know you don’t have anything to give back to me”. She shook her head no and Pastor Dollar went on to the podium and said, “I just demonstrated “Grace”. It’s a free gift that you are not able to repay!

On Easter Sunday I pray many of you are filled with Thanksgiving and Love for our Savior! Why? Because He loved you first!