Refusing To Settle For Less

How many times have you seen someone give their all to a pursuit, only to come up short? We see it all the time…

• A thriving business that ends up failing due to bad decisions, mismanagement, and financial chaos;

• An actor who receives accolades for a performance, wins an Academy Award, then falls into obscurity;

• An athlete or team that wins contest after contest, only to fail when it really matters. (Remember the New England Patriots 2007 season – they were undefeated going intoSuper Bowl XLII, only to lose to the New York Giants.)

But worse than coming up short in a contest or personal pursuit is someone who makes a conscious decision for defeat… someone who makes a decision not to take advantage of every opportunity, resource, or gift available to them.

When the Diagnosis Is Defeat

 

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Written by Ron Phillips

“When adversity comes, you praise God.”

That was what my friend Terry had always been taught. When those tough times come, you just stand there, stare down the storm, and praise God.

However, on January 8, 2012, praising God was not very high on Terry’s priority list. After experiencing some problems, and noticing a lump that had developed only over a couple of days, and that ran from his chest up toward his shoulder, Terry decided to visit his doctor. His doctor was pretty blunt with the assessment:

“You have extensive small cell carcinoma (a very fast growing and aggressive form of cancer). You probably only have 6 to 12 months to live.”

Dented and Damaged

Carol Davis

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

I walked down the aisle of the discount grocery looking for a bargain. It's always hit and miss in this store ... and I had missed ... again.

Before giving up and accepting defeat, I passed by a bin that caught my eye. The sign read: "Damaged Goods." It was filled with dented cans and missing labels ... no real rhyme or reason, just random items that were not shelf worthy. I knew just how that felt.

Life sometimes delivers the unexpected. Lessons learned in the school of hard knocks bruise us, dent us and remove the label that we believe defines who we are. A miscarriage strips away the title of mother. A divorce takes away the role of wife. A pink slip eliminates our role of employee.

The Deciding Witness

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." (Matthew 18:16)

You've been there many times, standing in the valley of decision. Perched precariously between victory and defeat. On one side of you is the word of the world authored by Satan that says, for example, "You're not going to get healed." On the other side of you, the Word of God is saying, "My Word is Yea and Amen" and "By His stripes, ye were healed." Who will determine how it all turns out? You will. You're the establishing witness.

I remember a fellow once who wanted me to pray for him. I said, "Now the Word says you're healed." He interrupted me and said, "Yeah, I know it says that, but I've got this terrible pain here...."

I looked him in the eye and said again, "The Word says, 'By His stripes, you were healed.'"

Achan : The Man Who Brought Trouble to a Nation

Achan, Achar, Achor [Ā'chăn,Ā'chär, Ā'chôr]—trouble. The son of Carmi of the tribe of Judah (Josh. 7; 1 Chron. 2:7).

The Man Who Brought Trouble to a Nation

It did not take Joshua long to discover that his defeat at Ai, after a succession of victories, was due to some transgression of the divine covenant (Josh. 7:8-12). Thus, as the result of an inquiry, Achan was exposed as the transgressor, and confessing his sin in stealing and hiding part of the spoil taken at the destruction of Jericho, was put to death in consequence. In keeping with the custom of those days, Achan was probably stoned with his immediate relatives, and their dead bodies burned—the latter making punishment more terrible in the eyes of the Israelites. Achan was put to death in “the valley of Achor” meaning “the valley of trouble”—the valley being called atter Achan who had been the troubler of Israel (Josh. 7:25,26). Thus in 1 Chronicles 2:7 Achan is spelled as Achar. But “the valley of trouble” became a “door of hope” all of which is spiritually suggestive (Isa. 65:10; Hos. 2:15).

I Choose to Give ThanksThank

by Helen Lescheid

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” Psalm 50:23

I felt unappreciated, unloved, and unworthy to call myself a Christian.

Jesus exuded a joyful confidence no matter what happened in his life. He lived each day in joyful obedience to the Father. The kind of life, he promised to his followers: “I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:10). But where was the joy in my life? Defeat and depression clung to me. It probably would never change. After all, I was by nature a melancholic. The experts said so.

Picking up the Pieces

Written by Linda McCutcheon

Are you hurting and facing unbearable pain? We can pray for you.

“Our Lord, You Always do Right” (Psalm 119:137-160 (CEV).

As a woman who actively seeks to obey God, there have been confusing times when I read these words and wonder with a breaking heart feeling like the wind has been knocked out of me. It goes on to say that “your decisions are fair”.

How can I believe these truths when humans disappoint or hurt us deeply? How do I pick myself up and put one foot in front of the other? How is it that we are left grabbing our hearts trying to breathe? How can I understand that the Lord ‘who always does right’ watches me as I am left crumpled and defeated? It doesn’t feel it was a right decision.

How to Win ANY Battle in Life

Steve Arterburn 

You've tried it your way and failed. Don't give up! Choose to stay in the game and see how God even takes our mistakes and builds them into our greatest victories. 

How many times have we heard this one: “It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game that counts.” Some of us realized winning meant a lot when we noticed that the guys who got the girls were the ones who won the starting positions on the team. Even if how they played the game was anything but nice, they still won and got the girls.

Trouble Ahead - God’s presence is a life preserver that keeps the soul from sinking in a sea of trouble.

by Joe Stowell

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Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les Lamborn

Read: Numbers 13:25–14:9

Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land; . . . the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. —Numbers 14:9

Bible in a Year:
Job 41-42; Acts 16:22-40

Inevitably, trouble will invade our lives: A bad report from a medical test, the betrayal of a trusted friend, a child who rejects us, or a spouse who leaves us. The list of possibilities is long, but there are only two options: forge ahead on our own, or turn to God.

Flying solo into the face of trouble is not a good idea. It can lead to bad behavior patterns, blaming God, and retreating into defeat. Like the Israelites, we may spin out of control and into despair (Num. 14:1-4).

When the majority of the spies brought a report of intimidating giants and dangers ahead, they used the pronoun “we” seven times with no reference to the Lord (13:31-33). The Israelites were on the cusp of the ultimate blessing that God promised to them. They were eyewitnesses to the miracles in Egypt and their feet had walked the dry bottom of the Red Sea in jaw-dropping victory. God’s faithfulness had been amazingly evident. What short memories! What disappointing faithlessness! Sadly, they turned their backs on God and left the blessing behind.

Caleb and Joshua, on the other hand, opted to turn to the Lord with this confidence: “The Lord is with us” (14:9). When your giants show up, what will you do?

In this world of sin and trouble 

Where so many ills are known, 

If I shun the ways of evil, 

I am kept by Him alone. — Smith 

  God’s presence is a life preserver that keeps the soul from sinking in a sea of trouble.

http://odb.org/2011/07/10/trouble-ahead/

3 Critical Tools for Paying Off Debt

Written by Gary Foreman stretcher.com

This is the time of year when many people look at their debt situation and shudder. They dream of what it would be like to be out of debt. And, if they’re brave, they begin to plan a strategy to reduce the amount of debt they carry.

They’ll begin with high hopes. But many of them will quit before reaching their goal, disappointed, discouraged and defeated. Is there something that they could have done differently that would have given them a better chance at success? I think so.

You can find all kinds of advice about how to get out of debt. The web is full of the stuff. But, when you boil it all down, there are three things that form a foundation for a get out of debt effort.

1. Don’t expect immediate results. You won’t be getting out of debt in a matter of days or weeks. The only way to eliminate your debts quickly is to inherit a large sum of money, win the lottery or declare bankruptcy. The first two are unlikely. The third may remove debts quickly, but you’ll suffer with a lower credit score for years to come.

Going through financial struggles? Ask for prayer
How much does success mean to you?: Getting over a business failure

Recognize that it will probably take about as long to get out of debt as it took you to get into it. You can speed up the process but you won’t eliminate debt that took 10 years to accumulate in 10 months. You can shorten the time by being aggressive in your payback plan, but it still will be a long process.

What’s the take-away? You need to be prepared for a marathon race. This is not a sprint. If you’re prepared for the long haul you won’t be disappointed and discouraged when a year passes and you haven’t eliminated all your debts. You’ll expect a long battle and be ready to fight it.

2. You need a good plan. A good plan will stand the test of time. The longer you work with a good plan, the more you appreciate its usefulness. There are a number of good plans readily available. You may find that one is particularly well suited to your situation.

Any good plan will have a number of characteristics:

1. It will include all your debts. That’s important to help you see the whole picture.
2. It will help you evaluate exactly how bad your debt situation is. Not only will you know how much you owe, but you’ll know how much it’s costing you in interest each month/year.
3. It will include a priority of which debts to pay off first – smallest to biggest? Highest to lowest interest rate?
4. It will allow you to know how much money you’ll have each month to repay debts.
5. It will free you from having decisions to make each month. You know how much money you’ll have and which debt is being reduced first. The decision is already made. It’s just a matter of executing your plan.
6. It will allow you to calculate an approximate date that you’ll be debt free.
7. It will help you monitor your progress. You should be able to predict where you’ll be 6 months from now. And, then compare your actual results to that prediction.
8. It will take your personality into account. Some people need the motivation of seeing many small accounts being repaid quickly.
9. Others are happier watching the average interest rate their paying decrease each month. A good plan will be tailored to your personality.

A good plan will do all those things. Some offer other bells and whistles. But any good plan should do all of the above things. If your plan doesn’t do them, keep looking for one that does. This job is hard enough with a good plan. Don’t weigh yourself down with a bad one.

3. Find a way to keep yourself motivated throughout the process. Once again, you’ll need to know what would encourage you when you’re thinking of quitting. For some people, rewards along the way work well. Perhaps a nice dinner or that coffee maker you’ve wanted would be a good reward when your car loan is repaid. Knowing that a reward is within reach could be enough to keep you going.

For others one big reward at the end is the best motivation. I know of people who’ve wanted to go on a cruise for years. They’ve added the cost of the cruise to their debts. And when it’s all paid off they’ll be packing their bags. To remind them now, they’ve posted pictures of cruise ships around the house as a continual reminder.

Getting out of debt is a tough challenge, but it’s a worthwhile one. And it’s one that you can accomplish with the right tools and sufficient determination!

Take the next step:
Managing debt starts with a plan
Digging out of debt 
Take a lesson: How to beat stress

http://powertochange.com/world/tools-for-paying-off-debt/