“Don’t Let Distractions Shift Your Focus”

Philippians 3:15-16, “So let’s keep FOCUSED on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, GOD WILL CLEAR YOUR BLURRED VISION—YOU’LL SEE IT YET! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.” (MSG)

My dad was indeed crazy about sports, particularly baseball, football and basketball. He had his favorite teams, and you could hear him from miles away as he rooted for his best! And truth is, much like my dad, just about all American’s are pretty passionate about their sports too. Now, if my dad had to pick just one sport as a favorite, he would hands down choose baseball. However, my nephew would, without a doubt, vote for basketball as the most exciting sport of all time. And basketball action is pretty physical. It’s constantly changing, it’s intense, it’s unpredictable. And even though I know little of nothing about the sport, I’ve watched enough to know about this one thing. You see, there’s this one point where it does slow down a little, much to the relief of the players I’m sure. But if a player is fouled by someone from the other team, he gets to shoot one or two FREE THROWS.

And that down time is a time when nobody on the court is bothering you or trying to defend against you, no one is touching you, bumping you, or blocking you. Actually I really shouldn’t say no one’s bothering you, especially if you’re the visiting team. Because when you’re facing that basket trying to make your free throw, you’re also facing all the local fans who, of course, want you to miss! They’re jumping up and down, they’re making noise, they’re waving their arms, and they’re waving signs in your face. Which means, if you’re going to try to score some points with this free throw, you’ve got to seriously CONCENTRATE. The word “Concentrate” is defined as “to focus all one’s attention or mental effort on an object or activity.” Its Latin Origin comes from “Con” (meaning ‘together’) and “Centrum” (meaning ‘center’). To concentrate is therefore to bring all of your mental effort together to focus on the one thing that is necessary, that which is the center of your attention. Sounds a lot like David and Paul doesn’t it? Psalm 27:4, “I’m asking God for ONE THING, ONLY ONE THING: To live with Him in His house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate His beauty; I’ll study at this feet” (MSG); Philippians 3:13, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but ONE THING I DO: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (AMP). Can you imagine being that single-minded? Better yet, can you imagine trying to be that single-minded when attempting to make a free throw shot while everyone is attempting to do whatever it takes to throw you off your game?!

In fact, I didn’t know there’s even an actual name for it in basketball, they call it “FREE THROW DISTRACTIONS.” And it’s pretty big and sometimes very hilarious and other times quite disturbing. You see, it’s when you have fans that will wear weird and outrageous outfits, make faces, scream, taunt, provoke, make crazy sounds, even take off their clothes, and all of it just to make you lose your CONCENTRATION! Their only goal is to make sure you don’t make yours!

Now, let’s be honest. Many of us have distractions we face daily, but can you imagine having a whole stadium of people attempting everything in their power to distract you? And all of this effort just because they want to see you lose!

This thought brought to mind Hebrews 10:32-38, here’s what it says: “But remember the earlier days, when, after being [spiritually] enlightened, you [patiently] endured a great conflict of sufferings,  sometimes by being made a spectacle, publicly exposed to insults and distress, and sometimes by becoming companions with those who were so treated.  For you showed sympathy and deep concern for those who were imprisoned, and you joyfully accepted the [unjust] seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property, conscious of the fact that you have a better possession and a lasting one [prepared for you in heaven].  Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward.  For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man’s relationship to God and trusting Him]; And if he draws back [SHRINKING IN FEAR], My soul has no delight in him. BUT OUR WAY IS NOT THAT OF THOSE WHO SHRINK BACK TO DESTRUCTION, but [we are] of those who believe [relying on God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and by this confident faith preserve the soul.” (AMP)

This passage from the Bible suggests an idea that’s pretty common in modern athletics. You hear this word a lot – FOCUS. And it’s not focusing in good times, but focusing in hard times! Times when you’re attacked, taunted, provoked, and even insulted! The word “focus” has many definitions, but the one I like is “to pay particular attention to.” Just like that basketball player. He’s got to focus on making that basket; what it takes to sink it when you’ve got a thousand nuts out there trying to get you to look somewhere else. That player has all kinds of sights and sounds trying to get his attention. But he’s got to tune it all out. His eye is fixed on the basket. To attain his goal, he has to Pay Particular Attention!

The Bible says, “We have a race marked out for us.” The Lord has set the course for your life. You’ve got gifts to use for Him, you’ve got people to influence for Him, you have work to get done for Him, you have days that are yours with which to glorify Him and keep striving toward His prize. All that matters is getting to that finish line. Truth is we should all want to have Paul’s testimony: 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight. I have Completed the race. I have kept the faith.” (GWT). That word “complete” is defined as “having run its full course; finished; to the greatest extent or degree; total.” It’s Latin Origin “Complere” literally means “to fill up, finish, and fulfill.” And isn’t that what every believer wants? To fulfill the Will of God for their life? Well, it’s possible, it’s doable, you just have to concentrate and focus and you’ll finish your fulfillment! Will it be easy? Absolutely not! But it will most certainly be worth it to hear: Matthew 25:21, “…Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.” (AMP). Listen, the Lord has indeed promised to do His part, Philippians 1:6, “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and COMPLETE IT until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].” (AMP). But in the words of the Apostle Paul, we have our part to do as well: “…I have FINISHED the work I was to do…” (NLV). To finish well, you need to focus well!

Now, the player who has to make this free throw shot has a lot coming at him and all at the same time! There’s a lot that could blur his vision, cloud his judgment, shift his focus, and cause him to lose his concentration. After all, that player could look at the crowd. He could look at the competitors all around him. He could look at all the signs that say ‘MISS IT!’ But a champion, of course, always focuses on the upward goal. What he has to do is more important than what others around him are trying to do to him.

Now, if we are to all be honest, truth is, we all fight with distractions every day! It’s easy to have your attention drawn away to a problem person, or your finances, or making more money, or a thousand little annoyances. You can be distracted by temptation, or as I often am, by an overwhelming “to do” list. And dare we mention television, phones, and social media? Even in church we can get so caught up in positions, protocols and programs that we never focus on fulfilling our purpose. But that’s the goal of distraction, to cause you to retract from forward progression. In fact, the word “Retract” means “to draw or be drawn back; to withdraw; to go back on.” Its Latin Origin “Retrahere” literally means “to draw back.” And is there danger in being distracted to the point of going backwards? Absolutely! Just take a look at Luke 9:62 in a few translations:

“But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things left behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.” (AMP);

“Jesus answered, “Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn’t worth a thing to God’s kingdom!” (CEV);

“Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but looks back is not prepared for God’s kingdom.” (ERV)

“Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.” (MSG)

“Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but keeps looking back is of no use in the kingdom of God.” (NCV)

 “But Jesus told him, “Anyone who lets himself be DISTRACTED from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (TLB)

Listen: You cannot afford to be drawn back, go back, procrastinate or allow yourself to be distracted from your assignment, ministry, race, work, calling or purpose! It makes you unfit, unfocused and ultimately unfulfilled! You can’t make the mark while aiming at everything but the mark! If you ever take the time to look at the faces of the athletes when they’re on the line and focused on making their free throw shot, you will be amazed at the intensity of their stare, focus and concentration. And even though their free throw shot is important to them in that moment, surely you know we have a mark to make that’s a tad bit more important! We have to finish what our Father assigned to our hands to do!

1 Corinthians 3:9-15, “For we are God’s fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God’s cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God’s building. According to the [remarkable] grace of God which was given to me [to prepare me for my task], like a skillful master builder I laid a foundation, and now another is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work. If any person’s work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward. But if any person’s work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss [of his reward]; yet he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has barely escaped] through fire.” (AMP) The Message Bible says it like this: “Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working. Or, to put it another way, you are God’s house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.” (MSG)

2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].” (AMP)

That’s Why You Need to Maintain Your Free-Throw Focus! Not Only Do You Have a Work to Complete For God, But It Will Be Inspected By God! Concentrate!

But, maybe your attention is drawn to this or that conflict or to something you’re afraid of, or something you’re worried about. Whatever it is, it’s yelling, “Look at me instead!“, and sadly, many of us do to our distraction and demise. Truth is, we have thrown away enough days by letting ourselves become frustrated, allowing ourselves to worry and panic and feel sorry for ourselves. What’s the answer then? Here we go again, FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS! It begins when your day begins. You fill up with Jesus in the waking moments. That’s a conscious choice you make. You listen to worship music, Christian radio, go to Christian websites. You take time to listen to the Lord in His Word and prayer, and then you refocus on Him several times during the day DELIBERATELY. Stop allowing the crowd to shift your focus! Whether it’s on the job, in the home, in business or in the church, keep your focus!

Refocus on Jesus and His assignment and purpose for your life because He’s holding you accountable for the work!

All the distracters will always be there waving, shouting, and screaming for your attention. But a champion knows they’ve got to make the difference. They’ve got to make the basket. They’ve got to make the goal. And the only way to do that is to focus and refuse to be distracted.

Make sure your eyes are stubbornly focused on the Christ who is Lord over every distraction!

You know, I’ve come to realize just this year, in the last few days that sometimes it’s okay to be stubborn. You see, “Stubborn” is defined as “determined not to change one’s attitude or position; difficult to move.” And that’s exactly what we need to be, so stubborn in focus that we’re determined not to change our attitude or position. So stubborn, that no matter what they do or attempt to do to distract us, we will not be moved! Let this year be the year that you plant your feet and refuse to be moved by distractions (whether they come from people, places, or things). Remember, you can’t make the shot if you keep shifting your sight to look at distraction!

1 Chronicles 29:14-19 says, “…And give my son Solomon an uncluttered and FOCUSED heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel, and carry through with building The Temple for which I have provided.” (MSG). Today, ask God to give you an UNCLUTTERED AND FOCUSED HEART! One that keeps Him at the center and core! Not one that’s consumed with Michelle on Monday or Frank on Friday! Because they are mere distractions! I don’t care what they have to offer, what they can do, what they will do, I don’t even care what they look like! You are responsible for keeping your heart uncluttered and focused on God and what He’s assigned you to do!

Psalm 119:65-72, “…Before I learned to answer you, I wandered all over the place, but now I’m in step with your Word. You are good, and the source of good; train me in your goodness. The godless spread lies about me, but I FOCUS my attention on what you are saying…” (MSG) Listen, I don’t care what they call you, focus on what God says about you only! They can say you’re ugly, fat, lazy, no good, less than, useless, worthless, and the like, and they are entitled to their opinion. But their opinion is not God’s! He calls you His chosen people, His priceless, cherished treasure, He calls you His own, He calls you gifted, anointed, powerful, awesome, healed, delivered, saved! He calls you ‘MINE’! And that supersedes anything anyone else has to say about you! Be like the psalmist, BUT I FOCUS MY ATTENTION ON WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!

DON’T LET THE VOICES BLUR YOUR VISION!

Matthew 6:6, “…Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The FOCUS will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (MSG) The player getting ready to do his free throw shot focuses only on the basket. And you need to make sure that daily you are spending time with God, and God alone. Focused solely on Him! Shift your focus to place Him in clear view! Yes, there will be times when you’re surrounded by the crowds, but there must also be those scheduled moments that you don’t compromise. The moments that you PURPOSELY set aside for you and God to have some one-on-one time. The best way to maintain your focus is to always keep God in your view!

Matthew 17:17-18, “Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! No FOCUS to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things?…” (MSG) Listen, you cannot serve God while serving a million other things in life. I’ve seen it far too often in churches, people wearing so many hats you can no longer see their entire body anymore. You can’t be all over the place and focused at the same time. Imagine if you’re driving down the highway and you’re trying to adjust all the mirrors, turn off the wipers, turn on the radio, change the heat, pull down the visor to get a piece of paper, yell at the kids and fix your seat belt buckle all at the same time, guess what’s about to happen?! You guessed it, CRASH! Why? Because you shifted your focus from what was most important to everything else! Learn how to get some focus to your life, your entire life, which means work, home, church, school, activities and the like. Get them all in order and place them in proper priority categories so you can get more focus to your life. You can’t see clearly when your entire life is nothing but a cluttered mess of distractions!

Mark 8:24-26, “He looked up. “I see men. They look like walking trees.” So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty FOCUS…” (MSG) There’s nothing like taking what’s ailing you to Jesus for Him to lay His hands on it and fix and heal it. You can’t focus when you’re hurting and in pain. Meaning, yes, you have a purpose to fulfill, but when something isn’t working right in your life, don’t try to perform, just seek God. What happened to this man who had no sight, after he spend some time with Jesus? HE HAD RECOVERED PERFECT SIGHT, SAW EVERYTHING IN BRIGHT, TWENTY-TWENTY FOCUS! And the same will happen for you! Whether it’s physical, mental, emotional, financial, social, or spiritual, if it needs healing, take it to Jesus first, refocus, then get back to fulfilling your assignment!

Romans 4:19-25, “Abraham didn’t FOCUS on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.” (MSG) I can’t imagine all that goes through the mind of a player who has to make a free throw shot, while everyone around him wants him to lose his focus and lose his aim! That’s a lot of pressure. And Abraham knew pressure. He was promised to father a child in his old age, when it was past time for them both, and yet he believed God! Whatever God has assigned you to do, you can do it, no matter your flaws and imperfections, no matter how hard or seemingly impossible. Simply focus on what God said and believe it until you see it!

Romans 15:14-16, “…I need your help in carrying out this highly FOCUSED assignment God gave me, this priestly and gospel work of serving…” (MSG) Now, the free throw shot is all on you, alone. But thank God, that’s only one small portion in the game. You need to make sure that you surround yourself with a good team so you can win the entire game, which you cannot do alone, no matter how focused and gifted you are! Make sure you have a team that’s focused just as you are, or even better! Avoid the lazy, the pessimistic, the undisciplined, the show-boats, the easily distracted! Get you a team that’s focused on God’s assignment, plan, purpose and kingdom, and get the work of serving completed!

2 Corinthians 1:12-14, “…It was God who kept us FOCUSED on him, uncompromised…” (MSG) You can’t win and compromise! You need God to keep you focused especially during those times of temptation! Because as soon as you shift your focus to the things of God, the devil will immediately show up with every distraction to take your focus from God, don’t let it happen! Stay with God so He can keep you focused and uncompromised as you complete your assignment for Him!

Ephesians 1:15-19, “I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes FOCUSED and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!” (MSG) So many say they have no idea what God has called them to do, but the Bible clearly says, “I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, YOUR EYES FOCUSED AND CLEAR, SO THAT YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY EXACTLY WHAT IT IS HE IS CALLING YOU TO DO…” You need to focus on God so you can see clearly what it is He has called you to do! Unfortunately however, far too many focus on what people say instead, ‘you sound like a preacher’; ‘you look like a dancer’…But You Can’t See Your Calling Clearly Looking to People, You Have to Focus On God!

Brothers and Sisters, let today be the day you get your focus back and not lose it again to distractions! God has called you to a great work, that can’t be accomplished while you’re unfocused! Be it people, places or things, let nothing and no one take your free throw focus off the basket! You never know, your focus just may win it for the entire team! We’re All Counting On You!

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“You Need Free-Throw Focus”

Philippians 3:15-16, “So let’s keep FOCUSED on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, GOD WILL CLEAR YOUR BLURRED VISION—YOU’LL SEE IT YET! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.” (MSG)

My dad was indeed crazy about sports, particularly baseball, football and basketball. He had his favorite teams, and you could hear him from miles away as he rooted for his best! And truth is, much like my dad, just about all American’s are pretty passionate about their sports too. Now, if my dad had to pick just one sport as a favorite, he would hands down choose baseball. However, my nephew would, without a doubt, vote for basketball as the most exciting sport of all time. And basketball action is pretty physical. It’s constantly changing, it’s intense, it’s unpredictable. And even though I know little of nothing about the sport, I’ve watched enough to know about this one thing. You see, there’s this one point where it does slow down a little, much to the relief of the players I’m sure. But if a player is fouled by someone from the other team, he gets to shoot one or two FREE THROWS.

And that down time is a time when nobody on the court is bothering you or trying to defend against you, no one is touching you, bumping you, or blocking you. Actually I really shouldn’t say no one’s bothering you, especially if you’re the visiting team. Because when you’re facing that basket trying to make your free throw, you’re also facing all the local fans who, of course, want you to miss! They’re jumping up and down, they’re making noise, they’re waving their arms, and they’re waving signs in your face. Which means, if you’re going to try to score some points with this free throw, you’ve got to seriously CONCENTRATE. The word “Concentrate” is defined as “to focus all one’s attention or mental effort on an object or activity.” Its Latin Origin comes from “Con” (meaning ‘together’) and “Centrum” (meaning ‘center’). To concentrate is therefore to bring all of your mental effort together to focus on the one thing that is necessary, that which is the center of your attention. Sounds a lot like David and Paul doesn’t it? Psalm 27:4, “I’m asking God for ONE THING, ONLY ONE THING: To live with Him in His house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate His beauty; I’ll study at this feet” (MSG); Philippians 3:13, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but ONE THING I DO: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (AMP). Can you imagine being that single-minded? Better yet, can you imagine trying to be that single-minded when attempting to make a free throw shot while everyone is attempting to do whatever it takes to throw you off your game?!

In fact, I didn’t know there’s even an actual name for it in basketball, they call it “FREE THROW DISTRACTIONS.” And it’s pretty big and sometimes very hilarious and other times quite disturbing. You see, it’s when you have fans that will wear weird and outrageous outfits, make faces, scream, taunt, provoke, make crazy sounds, even take off their clothes, and all of it just to make you lose your CONCENTRATION! Their only goal is to make sure you don’t make yours!

Now, let’s be honest. Many of us have distractions we face daily, but can you imagine having a whole stadium of people attempting everything in their power to distract you? And all of this effort just because they want to see you lose!

This thought brought to mind Hebrews 10:32-38, here’s what it says: “But remember the earlier days, when, after being [spiritually] enlightened, you [patiently] endured a great conflict of sufferings,  sometimes by being made a spectacle, publicly exposed to insults and distress, and sometimes by becoming companions with those who were so treated.  For you showed sympathy and deep concern for those who were imprisoned, and you joyfully accepted the [unjust] seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property, conscious of the fact that you have a better possession and a lasting one [prepared for you in heaven].  Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward.  For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man’s relationship to God and trusting Him]; And if he draws back [SHRINKING IN FEAR], My soul has no delight in him. BUT OUR WAY IS NOT THAT OF THOSE WHO SHRINK BACK TO DESTRUCTION, but [we are] of those who believe [relying on God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and by this confident faith preserve the soul.” (AMP)

This passage from the Bible suggests an idea that’s pretty common in modern athletics. You hear this word a lot – FOCUS. And it’s not focusing in good times, but focusing in hard times! Times when you’re attacked, taunted, provoked, and even insulted! The word “focus” has many definitions, but the one I like is “to pay particular attention to.” Just like that basketball player. He’s got to focus on making that basket; what it takes to sink it when you’ve got a thousand nuts out there trying to get you to look somewhere else. That player has all kinds of sights and sounds trying to get his attention. But he’s got to tune it all out. His eye is fixed on the basket. To attain his goal, he has to Pay Particular Attention!

The Bible says, “We have a race marked out for us.” The Lord has set the course for your life. You’ve got gifts to use for Him, you’ve got people to influence for Him, you have work to get done for Him, you have days that are yours with which to glorify Him and keep striving toward His prize. All that matters is getting to that finish line. Truth is we should all want to have Paul’s testimony: 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight. I have Completed the race. I have kept the faith.” (GWT). That word “complete” is defined as “having run its full course; finished; to the greatest extent or degree; total.” It’s Latin Origin “Complere” literally means “to fill up, finish, and fulfill.” And isn’t that what every believer wants? To fulfill the Will of God for their life? Well, it’s possible, it’s doable, you just have to concentrate and focus and you’ll finish your fulfillment! Will it be easy? Absolutely not! But it will most certainly be worth it to hear: Matthew 25:21, “…Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.” (AMP). Listen, the Lord has indeed promised to do His part, Philippians 1:6, “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and COMPLETE IT until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].” (AMP). But in the words of the Apostle Paul, we have our part to do as well: “…I have FINISHED the work I was to do…” (NLV). To finish well, you need to focus well!

Now, the player who has to make this free throw shot has a lot coming at him and all at the same time! There’s a lot that could blur his vision, cloud his judgment, shift his focus, and cause him to lose his concentration. After all, that player could look at the crowd. He could look at the competitors all around him. He could look at all the signs that say ‘MISS IT!’ But a champion, of course, always focuses on the upward goal. What he has to do is more important than what others around him are trying to do to him.

Now, if we are to all be honest, truth is, we all fight with distractions every day! It’s easy to have your attention drawn away to a problem person, or your finances, or making more money, or a thousand little annoyances. You can be distracted by temptation, or as I often am, by an overwhelming “to do” list. And dare we mention television, phones, and social media? Even in church we can get so caught up in positions, protocols and programs that we never focus on fulfilling our purpose. But that’s the goal of distraction, to cause you to retract from forward progression. In fact, the word “Retract” means “to draw or be drawn back; to withdraw; to go back on.” Its Latin Origin “Retrahere” literally means “to draw back.” And is there danger in being distracted to the point of going backwards? Absolutely! Just take a look at Luke 9:62 in a few translations:

“But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things left behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.” (AMP);

“Jesus answered, “Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn’t worth a thing to God’s kingdom!” (CEV);

“Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but looks back is not prepared for God’s kingdom.” (ERV)

“Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.” (MSG)

“Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but keeps looking back is of no use in the kingdom of God.” (NCV)

 “But Jesus told him, “Anyone who lets himself be DISTRACTED from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (TLB)

Listen: You cannot afford to be drawn back, go back, procrastinate or allow yourself to be distracted from your assignment, ministry, race, work, calling or purpose! It makes you unfit, unfocused and ultimately unfulfilled! You can’t make the mark while aiming at everything but the mark! If you ever take the time to look at the faces of the athletes when they’re on the line and focused on making their free throw shot, you will be amazed at the intensity of their stare, focus and concentration. And even though their free throw shot is important to them in that moment, surely you know we have a mark to make that’s a tad bit more important! We have to finish what our Father assigned to our hands to do!

1 Corinthians 3:9-15, “For we are God’s fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God’s cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God’s building. According to the [remarkable] grace of God which was given to me [to prepare me for my task], like a skillful master builder I laid a foundation, and now another is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work. If any person’s work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward. But if any person’s work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss [of his reward]; yet he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has barely escaped] through fire.” (AMP) The Message Bible says it like this: “Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working. Or, to put it another way, you are God’s house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.” (MSG)

2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].” (AMP)

That’s Why You Need to Maintain Your Free-Throw Focus! Not Only Do You Have a Work to Complete For God, But It Will Be Inspected By God! Concentrate!

But, maybe your attention is drawn to this or that conflict or to something you’re afraid of, or something you’re worried about. Whatever it is, it’s yelling, “Look at me instead!“, and sadly, many of us do to our distraction and demise. Truth is, we have thrown away enough days by letting ourselves become frustrated, allowing ourselves to worry and panic and feel sorry for ourselves. What’s the answer then? Here we go again, FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS! It begins when your day begins. You fill up with Jesus in the waking moments. That’s a conscious choice you make. You listen to worship music, Christian radio, go to Christian websites. You take time to listen to the Lord in His Word and prayer, and then you refocus on Him several times during the day DELIBERATELY. Stop allowing the crowd to shift your focus! Whether it’s on the job, in the home, in business or in the church, keep your focus!

Refocus on Jesus and His assignment and purpose for your life because He’s holding you accountable for the work!

All the distracters will always be there waving, shouting, and screaming for your attention. But a champion knows they’ve got to make the difference. They’ve got to make the basket. They’ve got to make the goal. And the only way to do that is to focus and refuse to be distracted.

Make sure your eyes are stubbornly focused on the Christ who is Lord over every distraction!

You know, I’ve come to realize just this year, in the last few days that sometimes it’s okay to be stubborn. You see, “Stubborn” is defined as “determined not to change one’s attitude or position; difficult to move.” And that’s exactly what we need to be, so stubborn in focus that we’re determined not to change our attitude or position. So stubborn, that no matter what they do or attempt to do to distract us, we will not be moved! Let this year be the year that you plant your feet and refuse to be moved by distractions (whether they come from people, places, or things). Remember, you can’t make the shot if you keep shifting your sight to look at distraction!

1 Chronicles 29:14-19 says, “…And give my son Solomon an uncluttered and FOCUSED heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel, and carry through with building The Temple for which I have provided.” (MSG). Today, ask God to give you an UNCLUTTERED AND FOCUSED HEART! One that keeps Him at the center and core! Not one that’s consumed with Michelle on Monday or Frank on Friday! Because they are mere distractions! I don’t care what they have to offer, what they can do, what they will do, I don’t even care what they look like! You are responsible for keeping your heart uncluttered and focused on God and what He’s assigned you to do!

Psalm 119:65-72, “…Before I learned to answer you, I wandered all over the place, but now I’m in step with your Word. You are good, and the source of good; train me in your goodness. The godless spread lies about me, but I FOCUS my attention on what you are saying…” (MSG) Listen, I don’t care what they call you, focus on what God says about you only! They can say you’re ugly, fat, lazy, no good, less than, useless, worthless, and the like, and they are entitled to their opinion. But their opinion is not God’s! He calls you His chosen people, His priceless, cherished treasure, He calls you His own, He calls you gifted, anointed, powerful, awesome, healed, delivered, saved! He calls you ‘MINE’! And that supersedes anything anyone else has to say about you! Be like the psalmist, BUT I FOCUS MY ATTENTION ON WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!

DON’T LET THE VOICES BLUR YOUR VISION!

Matthew 6:6, “…Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The FOCUS will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (MSG) The player getting ready to do his free throw shot focuses only on the basket. And you need to make sure that daily you are spending time with God, and God alone. Focused solely on Him! Shift your focus to place Him in clear view! Yes, there will be times when you’re surrounded by the crowds, but there must also be those scheduled moments that you don’t compromise. The moments that you PURPOSELY set aside for you and God to have some one-on-one time. The best way to maintain your focus is to always keep God in your view!

Matthew 17:17-18, “Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! No FOCUS to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things?…” (MSG) Listen, you cannot serve God while serving a million other things in life. I’ve seen it far too often in churches, people wearing so many hats you can no longer see their entire body anymore. You can’t be all over the place and focused at the same time. Imagine if you’re driving down the highway and you’re trying to adjust all the mirrors, turn off the wipers, turn on the radio, change the heat, pull down the visor to get a piece of paper, yell at the kids and fix your seat belt buckle all at the same time, guess what’s about to happen?! You guessed it, CRASH! Why? Because you shifted your focus from what was most important to everything else! Learn how to get some focus to your life, your entire life, which means work, home, church, school, activities and the like. Get them all in order and place them in proper priority categories so you can get more focus to your life. You can’t see clearly when your entire life is nothing but a cluttered mess of distractions!

Mark 8:24-26, “He looked up. “I see men. They look like walking trees.” So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty FOCUS…” (MSG) There’s nothing like taking what’s ailing you to Jesus for Him to lay His hands on it and fix and heal it. You can’t focus when you’re hurting and in pain. Meaning, yes, you have a purpose to fulfill, but when something isn’t working right in your life, don’t try to perform, just seek God. What happened to this man who had no sight, after he spend some time with Jesus? HE HAD RECOVERED PERFECT SIGHT, SAW EVERYTHING IN BRIGHT, TWENTY-TWENTY FOCUS! And the same will happen for you! Whether it’s physical, mental, emotional, financial, social, or spiritual, if it needs healing, take it to Jesus first, refocus, then get back to fulfilling your assignment!

Romans 4:19-25, “Abraham didn’t FOCUS on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.” (MSG) I can’t imagine all that goes through the mind of a player who has to make a free throw shot, while everyone around him wants him to lose his focus and lose his aim! That’s a lot of pressure. And Abraham knew pressure. He was promised to father a child in his old age, when it was past time for them both, and yet he believed God! Whatever God has assigned you to do, you can do it, no matter your flaws and imperfections, no matter how hard or seemingly impossible. Simply focus on what God said and believe it until you see it!

Romans 15:14-16, “…I need your help in carrying out this highly FOCUSED assignment God gave me, this priestly and gospel work of serving…” (MSG) Now, the free throw shot is all on you, alone. But thank God, that’s only one small portion in the game. You need to make sure that you surround yourself with a good team so you can win the entire game, which you cannot do alone, no matter how focused and gifted you are! Make sure you have a team that’s focused just as you are, or even better! Avoid the lazy, the pessimistic, the undisciplined, the show-boats, the easily distracted! Get you a team that’s focused on God’s assignment, plan, purpose and kingdom, and get the work of serving completed!

2 Corinthians 1:12-14, “…It was God who kept us FOCUSED on him, uncompromised…” (MSG) You can’t win and compromise! You need God to keep you focused especially during those times of temptation! Because as soon as you shift your focus to the things of God, the devil will immediately show up with every distraction to take your focus from God, don’t let it happen! Stay with God so He can keep you focused and uncompromised as you complete your assignment for Him!

Ephesians 1:15-19, “I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes FOCUSED and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!” (MSG) So many say they have no idea what God has called them to do, but the Bible clearly says, “I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, YOUR EYES FOCUSED AND CLEAR, SO THAT YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY EXACTLY WHAT IT IS HE IS CALLING YOU TO DO…” You need to focus on God so you can see clearly what it is He has called you to do! Unfortunately however, far too many focus on what people say instead, ‘you sound like a preacher’; ‘you look like a dancer’…But You Can’t See Your Calling Clearly Looking to People, You Have to Focus On God!

Brothers and Sisters, let today be the day you get your focus back and not lose it again to distractions! God has called you to a great work, that can’t be accomplished while you’re unfocused! Be it people, places or things, let nothing and no one take your free throw focus off the basket! You never know, your focus just may win it for the entire team! We’re All Counting On You!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“Watch God’s Winter Performance!”

Jeremiah 1:11-12, “Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, WHAT DO YOU SEE? And I said, I SEE a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, BLOSSOMING IN LATE WINTER]. Then said the Lord to me, YOU HAVE SEEN WELL, FOR I AM ALERT AND ACTIVE, WATCHING OVER MY WORD TO PERFORM IT!” (AMP).

I love the months surrounding holiday seasons, but in all truth, I honestly won’t mind if the North Pole weather cuts its visit short! I was discussing my deep freeze feelings with a friend who lived in Alaska most of her life, and she actually helped me to possess a different perspective, in fact, an even positive outlook on our cold weather season. She simply said, “Just keep in mind that cold seasons kill a lot of bugs!” Now it didn’t make me happy that I still had to endure the rest of the cold season, but it sure made me happy to know that while I’m dealing with the cold, the cold is dealing with the bugs!

SIMPLY PUT, DON’T LET THE COLD BOTHER YOU, IT’S ACTUALLY KILLING WHAT’S BUGGING YOU!

Far too often we quickly get upset over the Bad, not realizing that it usually leads to something Good! Most of us have lived long enough to see it happen – something Good coming out of something that’s Bad, or even difficult and unpleasant. Therefore, if you’re in a season in your life that’s pretty cold right now, and you’re feeling the chill of crisis; the breeze of bitterness; the winds of worry; the damp of depression; the ice of irritation; the blizzard of backbiters; the storms of struggle; and the rains of restlessness, know THAT EVEN WHEN THE CONDITIONS OF THE SEASON RESTRICT YOU, THEY CAN NEVER CONSTRICT YOUR GOD!

You see, the word “RESTRICT” means: “TO PUT A LIMIT ON, KEEP UNDER CONTROL, DEPRIVE OF FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT OR ACTION” It’s Latin Origin ‘RESTRINGERE’ literally means ‘TO TIE BACK’. We’ve seen that in many winter seasons, as the blizzards hit we’re RESTRICTED in bus, cab, and train service. We’re LIMITED in various methods of transportation, and KEPT UNDER THE CONTROL of snow plows as to when we could move, and how far we could go. FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AND ACTION was DEPRIVED for so many who couldn’t get to where they needed to, because they’d been “RESTRICTED”. Which is where we coined the phrase: “MY HANDS ARE TIED!”

But bear in mind, that even when we’re ‘RESTRICTED’, God is NEVER ‘CONSTRICTED’! The word ‘CONSTRICTED’ means: “TO MAKE OR BECOME NARROWER, ESPECIALLY BY ENCIRCLING PRESSURE OR ATTEMPTING TO TIGHTEN AROUND”. It’s Latin Origin ‘CONSTRINGERE’ literally means to ‘BIND TIGHTLY TOGETHER’. You see, YOUR GOD IS TOO BIG TO BE MADE NARROW, AND HE’S TOO POWERFUL FOR PRESSURE TO PLACE HIM IN A TIGHT GRIP! EVEN IN SEASONS WHERE YOU’RE ‘RESTRICTED’, TAKE COMFORT IN KNOWING THAT YOUR GOD IS NEVER ‘CONSTRICTED’! EVEN WHEN YOUR HANDS ARE TIED, HIS WILL NEVER BE! REGARDLESS TO THE CONDITION, HE CAN STILL BLESS YOU IN THE MIDST OF YOUR MOST BRITTLE, BITTER AND BRUTAL BLIZZARD! YOUR GOD IS TOO POWERFUL TO BE PRESSURED! EVEN WHEN YOU GROW WEAK, NEVER FORGET THE STRENGTH OF YOUR GOD!

DAVID DIDN’T! 1 Chronicles 29:10-13, “David blessed GOD in full view of the entire congregation: Blessed are you, GOD of Israel, our father from of old and forever. To You, O GOD, belong the Greatness and the Might, the Glory, the Victory, the Majesty, the Splendor; Yes! Everything in Heaven, everything on Earth; the Kingdom all Yours! You’ve raised Yourself High Over All. Riches and Glory come from You, You’re Ruler Over All; You hold Strength and Power in the Palm of Your Hand to Build Up and Strengthen All. And here we are, O God, our God, giving thanks to You, praising Your Splendid Name.” (MSG)

EVEN WHEN IT DON’T FEEL LIKE IT’S IN YOUR FAVOR, BECAUSE HE’S YOUR GOD…IT IS!

DON’T LET THE WINTER SEASON WORRY YOU, EVERY SEASON HAS TO CHANGE! BUT DON’T MISS OUT ON THE BLESSING AND BENEFITS OF THE COLD SEASON WHILE IT’S HERE!

James 1:2-4, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. SO DON’T TRY TO GET OUT OF ANYTHING PREMATURELY. LET IT DO ITS WORK SO YOU BECOME MATURE AND WELL-DEVELOPED, NOT DEFICIENT IN ANY WAY” (MSG)

One phrase you will hear repetitively during the Winter Season is “I’ll be glad when Winter is over”. But the problem of getting “Out of Season”, Prematurely, is not good. Here’s why: “To every thing there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  So no matter how hard you pray, You Can’t Pray Your Life’s Seasons Away! There are some situations you aren’t meant to Change—You’re Just Meant to Endure! 2 Timothy 2:3, “Take [with me] YOUR SHARE of the hardships and suffering [Which You Are CALLED TO ENDURE] as a good (first-class) solider of Christ Jesus.” (AMP) Paul puts it like this, “For Our Light, Momentary Affliction (This Slight Distress of the Passing Hour) is ever more and more Abundantly Preparing and Producing and Achieving For Us an Everlasting Weight of Glory [Beyond All Measure, Excessively Surpassing All Comparisons and All Calculations, a Vast and Transcendent Glory and Blessedness Never to Cease.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 AMP). In other words, what you’re Currently dealing with that’s Heavily Weighing You Down in the Natural, is considered by the Spirit “…Our Light, Momentary Affliction…” Therefore, you’re not going to deal with it always, But You Have to Deal With It Right Now! So keep in mind, When You Can’t Alter Your Circumstances, That Means They Are a Perfect Fit For Where You Are and Where You’re Going. So Stop Trying to Change Your Circumstantial Clothing! They are only for a Season, and when it’s time to Change, the One who birthed all the Seasons will change it! “Don’t try to get out of anything Prematurely.”

In Winter, trees take advantage of the season to rebuild their strength and prepare to be fruitful next season. Their sap and substance goes underground. Then in the Spring it pushes its way back up again in the form of New Growth. Looking back over your life you’ll find that your achievements are Seasonal. Growth comes, then struggle, and vice versa. Each Season Has Its Purpose. God has a reason for not allowing you to be productive all the time. When He permits Winter winds to blow through your life, He’s preparing you for the coming Spring. That’s why James wrote, “Consider it a …gift…when tests and challenges come at you from all sides…under pressure, your faith…is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So Don’t Try to Get Out of Anything Prematurely. Let It Do Its Work So You Become Mature and Well-Developed, Not Deficient In  Any Way” (MSG). One of the issues you’ll struggle with in a waiting period is the urge to Hurry, Because Your Flesh Always Wants to Make Permanent Decisions Based On Temporary Circumstances. Don’t Do It! Every Situation Doesn’t Call For Immediate Action! The Only Biblical Way For You to Become Mature, Well-Developed and Lacking Nothing Is To Endure Hardship! So if you try to find a short-cut to getting out of your trials, You’ll Have to Take a Longer Journey to Get to Your Destiny!

REMEMBER: THE COLD SEASON GETS RID OF BUGS (AND WHAT’S ‘BUGGING’ YOU), SO DON’T RUSH IT, LET IT COMPLETE ITS WORK!

Somebody has said that, patience is the quality you admire in the driver behind, but not the guy in front! But God Is a God of Order; He Ordains Specific Times For Bringing Specific Purposes to Pass! Habakkuk 2:3, “This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It Will Come Right On Time.” (MSG) It doesn’t pay to try and get ahead of God, so, “Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14 AMP) That word “stout” is defined as, “to be rather fat or heavily built; sturdy and thick; to be brave; courageous; strong and determined.” This needs to define your heart condition (as well as your faith) as you wait on God! It needs to be unshaken; heavily built; sturdy; brave; courageous; strong and determined, despite what you have to endure while waiting! Remember, this isn’t about Your timing but God’s! So let nothing move you, but God! Because in the end, there are simply certain things that can’t be accomplished “by might, nor by power.” So how are they accomplished? “By MY Spirit, saith the LORD.”

David understood this, that’s why he said, “My times are in YOUR hands…” (Psalm 31:15). Once you understand that, you’ll stop fretting and worrying knowing with certainty that people and problems can’t short-circuit God’s plan for your life. “This is God’s Word on the subject…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING. I HAVE IT ALL PLANNED OUT – PLANS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, NOT ABANDON YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU THE FUTURE YOU HOPE FOR.” (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG) If you can acknowledge that, you’ll find peace—and stop trying to “make things happen, out of season!” Do Your Part: WAIT! God Already Has His Part PLANNED!

When God drops a seed into your life it needs time to take root and grow. And you don’t have to be concerned with the outcome, because when it’s planted in a fertile, faith-filled heart, the results are guaranteed. The hard part is knowing that you’re on the verge of a breakthrough, then having God tell you to Wait. But it’s times like these, when you think He’s forgotten about you and the promises He made to you, that your patience really gets a workout. It’s in moments like these when your heart begins to faint and your faith begins to waver. But take some advice from David, he said: “I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:1-3 AMPC). When you honor God’s timing, you always land on solid ground, and end up with a fresh reason to praise Him! In other words, it’s not enough to wait, but you have to wait the right way…Patiently and In Praise! Just ask JOSEPH!

The Book of Genesis tells us about a very long winter season in the life of this Old Testament hero. In a nutshell, his brothers hated him because he was his father’s favorite. They threw him in a pit and nearly let him die there. At the last minute, they changed their minds and lightened up a little – they settled for selling him into Egyptian slavery instead. Joseph got a great job in the house of a powerful man, and then lost it when he refused the advances of the boss’s wife and she falsely accused him of assaulting her. Then, two long years in the king’s prison as a result. Ultimately, Joseph came to the attention of Pharaoh who eventually promoted him to second in command in the mighty Egyptian empire. That’s when a famine drove Joseph’s brothers to Egypt in search of food – FOOD ONLY THE BROTHER THEY HAD BETRAYED COULD GIVE THEM BY THE WAY! (SIDEBAR: NEVER HATE YOUR HATERS!)  And when they finally realize who he is and experience the forgiveness and mercy that they DON’T DESERVE, Joseph speaks these words:  “YOU PLANNED EVIL AGAINST ME; GOD PLANNED IT FOR GOOD TO BRING ABOUT THE PRESENT RESULT—THE SURVIVAL OF MANY PEOPLE.” (Genesis 50:20 HCSB). The Message Bible says it like this: “…Don’t you see, you planned evil against me BUT GOD USED THOSE SAME PLANS FOR MY GOOD…” (MSG). Even though your winter is “PLANNED”, scheduled annually to come back around, NEVER FORGET THAT YOUR GOD ALWAYS HAS PLANS OF HIS OWN FOR YOU! “…I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING. I HAVE IT ALL PLANNED OUT—PLANS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, NOT ABANDON YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU THE FUTURE YOU HOPE FOR” (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG).

WHAT THE WEATHER (AND YOUR HATERS) HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU CAN’T COMPARE TO WHAT THE WILL OF GOD HAS PLANNED FOR YOU! FROM THE PIT TO THE PRISON, JOSEPH WAS SUSTAINED BY ONE THING HE KNEW HAD NOT CHANGED—GOD WAS WORKING ON A BIGGER PLAN! If you belong to Jesus, then Joseph’s God is your God, too. And He’s a God who uses even the wickedness of man to do great things. For Joseph, vengeful brothers, false accusations, and terrible injustices BECAME TOOLS THAT GOD USED TO TAKE HIM TO PLACES AND POSITIONS HE COULD NEVER HAVE GONE OTHERWISE! WHICH IS WHY I REITERATE: DON’T LET THE WINTER BOTHER YOU, BECAUSE IT’S KILLING WHAT’S BUGGING YOU!

If it’s cold right now, if it’s dark right now, don’t let discouragement win. Don’t let bitterness or resentment or resignation ruin the greater plan God is working on. Romans 8:28, “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a PLAN] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” (AMP). During this winter in your life, He wants to build in you qualities that will lead to future greatness. He wants to give you a closeness to Him that you’ve never had before and would never get any other way. And then, He wants to use this season to position you to make a greater difference with the rest of your life than you ever imagined! As Cold as it may seem right now, God is working out some pretty Cool plans for your life! Regardless to what the Meteorologist tells you, There Is A Sunny Side to a Cold Season!

In closing, listen to this: King George and his army must have been having a good laugh. You see, George Washington and his Continental Army had been whipped in battle after battle in their campaign to become independent from Britain. British troops had driven the Americans out of New York City, across the Hudson River, across New Jersey, and finally into Pennsylvania. THEN CAME THE WINTER OF 1777, at a place outside of Philadelphia called Valley Forge. Washington’s troops faced not only a Physical Winter there, but an Emotional Winter. Discouragement and defeat may have been their worst enemies. But General Washington wasn’t about to let those enemies win. He fought back by immediately deploying his soldiers to fortifying their camp. Then the drills began. A veteran European military officer began to drill those soldiers every day, teaching them a single set of maneuvers rather than the multiple approaches that had created confusion in those past battles. THAT WINTER, they were learning one way of doing things while Washington worked on getting more recruits and building his army into a real fighting force. Many historians believe that the outcome of America’s battle for independence was decided at Valley Forge more than any other battle – they were an army that came out of Valley Forge to stun the British with major victories! You see, one army WENT INTO THE WINTER at Valley Forge – divided, discouraged, demoralized. However, another army EMERGED FROM THAT WINTER – unified, fortified, and confident because of what they had done with their WINTER!

Reminds me of the quote: “If we had no Winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” (Anne Bradstreet).               

In many ways, the outcome of your battles may be decided, not on the battlefield alone, BUT IN HOW YOU WORK YOUR WINTER. And truth is, you may be in one of those cold, bleak Winter times right now. You could succumb to your fears and your feelings and just surrender. OR you could pull a “Spiritual Valley Forge.” You could use your Winter to get stronger and more focused on what you need to do to win!

There’s another quote that says, “Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in Winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). In other words, don’t allow the cold, brittle, brutal winds of Winter to blow you in the direction of defeat! Simply learn how to Work Your Winter and Wait for the Change in Seasons!               

In some ways, Jesus’ disciples expected their Winter to begin with His announced departure to heaven. The One who had called them to be with Him was now leaving them and entrusting to them the work He had started. In Luke 24, Jesus tells them to tell the world about Him and then, “…while He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven.” In a way, their Winter had begun, as it often does when you lose someone you love. But they knew what to do with their Winter! In the book of Acts chapters 1 and 2 teach us what they did to Work Their Winter Season, “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” Then they got their team of 12 back to full strength by replacing Judas with another disciple. And, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place…and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” At that point, they exploded on the city of Jerusalem with the Gospel that would, that day, start spreading around the world! But they had to use their Winter to get together, to regroup, to get stronger, and to get closer to God. You need to handle your Winter the same way. Don’t just sit there worrying or feeling sorry for yourself or wallowing in your emotions. Take action to get strong. Spend extra time with God right now. Strengthen your relationship with your family, friends, coworkers and church family. Think through what you need to stop doing and what you need to start doing to focus on what really matters. And prayerfully plan for a future, right there in the middle of your valley, even when the future looks very uncertain.               

Listen: While the bombs were falling on London during World War II, Winston Churchill was in his underground bunker – not worrying about the bombs, but actually planning the invasion of Germany! In other words, don’t get caught up in your Winter woes, instead use your Winter as a time to sharpen your weaponry for the spiritual warfare ahead! And how do you do that?

1…Get Into the WORD of God: (even as everything in heaven and earth shall pass away, His Word Never Will)! (Mark 13:31, “Heaven and earth will perish and pass away, BUT MY WORDS WILL NOT PERISH OR PASS AWAY.” AMPC); (Isaiah 55:11, “SO SHALL MY WORD BE THAT GOES FORTH OUT OF MY MOUTH: IT SHALL NOT RETURN TO ME VOID [WITHOUT PRODUCING ANY EFFECT, USELESS], BUT IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE AND PURPOSE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING FOR WHICH I SENT IT.” AMPC).

2…Get Into WORSHIP: (the posture where you don’t go seeking God, but He comes seeking you)! (John 4:23, “A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); FOR THE FATHER IS SEEKING JUST SUCH PEOPLE AS THESE AS HIS WORSHIPERS.” (AMPC).

3…Get the WISDOM of God: (it is essential to making wise decisions)! (James 1:5, “If any of you is deficient in wisdom, LET HIM ASK THE GIVING GOD [WHO GIVES] TO EVERYONE LIBERALLY AND UNGRUDGINGLY, WITHOUT REPROACHING OR FAULTFINDING, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN HIM.” AMPC).

4…Get Into the WILL of God: (this is the place that is attached to your promise)! (Hebrews 10:36, “For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish THE WILL OF GOD, AND THUS RECEIVE AND CARRY AWAY [AND ENJOY TO THE FULL] WHAT IS PROMISED.” AMPC).

5…Get Into the Right WARDROBE: (no soldier fights without his fatigues)! And what are fatigues? (The phrase “military fatigues” was coined by the United States Armed Forces in the mid 1800’s, and was used in reference to the clothes worn by soldiers detailed to menial or hard labor. Over time, the definition of military fatigues has changed to essentially mean any uniform worn by a solider on work detail, on duty, or while on the field of battle!) And what are your “fatigues”? (READ: Ephesians 6:11-18).

Discouragement and fear and drifting from God – those are your greatest enemies, not what faces you on your battlefields! This Winter is not dead time or despair time. It’s get ready time! What you do with your Winter will decide whether you win or lose the war! Therefore, Get into the Word of God; Get into Worship; Get the Wisdom of God; Get into the Will of God; and Get into the right Wardrobe! Then Work Your Winter!               

Think about it: If Jeremiah could see the branch or shoot of an almond tree (evidence of alertness and activity that God is still performing His Word, Even In the Lateness of Winter), surely you can see Something Worthwhile in Your Winter season! Remember This: No matter how long or brutal your Winter season is, hold on to God’s Promise: “…I am alert and active, watching over My Word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:11-12 AMP). Be Encouraged: He’s Still Watching Over His Word to Perform it in Your Life…Even in Late Winter! You wouldn’t think to see almond trees blossoming in late Winter. Shouldn’t that happen in Spring? Well, the wonderful thing about God is that, unlike us, He’s not bound by the Seasons! He can bless you at any given time He deems fit! Your job is to be like Jeremiah, AND SEE IT BLOSSOMING! Before the Winter season ends, you will see the evidence of blessings Springing forth! Keep your eyes open, and see more than just the winds, snow, blizzard, and hazardous conditions. But walk by faith and see the flowers preparing to bloom ALREADY! Wait for it; Watch for it; It Will Come! “Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late WINTER]. Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, FOR I AM ALERT AND ACTIVE, WATCHING OVER MY WORD TO PERFORM IT” (Jeremiah 1:11-12 AMP). DON’T BOW OUT JUST YET, GOD’S PERFORMANCE IN YOUR LIFE IS NOT OVER!

Note: An almond branch was evidently chosen because it is the first tree to bud in Spring! So, Celebrate! Because After Enduring Your Harsh Winter, You Will Be Among the First to Blossom in Spring!

Luke 1:45, “The Lord has blessed you because you believed that He will keep His promise.” (CEV); “Great blessings are yours because you believed what the Lord said to you! You believed this would happen.” (ERV);

Psalm 138:8, “The Lord will finish the work He started for me…” (NLV); “The Lord will work out His plans for my life…” (TLB);

Philippians 1:6, “And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.” (AMPC);

Job 5:9, “His miracles are marvelous, more than we can count.” (CEV);

Joel 2:26, “And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be put to shame.” (AMPC);

Romans 4:19-25, “Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.” (MSG)

“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.” (Albert Camus).

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” (William Blake).

“No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn.” (Hal Borland).

“If you think my Winter is too cold, you don’t deserve my Spring.” (Erin Hanson)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “Winter Skin Hazards and Help”

“You Need Free-Throw Focus!”

Philippians 3:15-16, “So let’s keep FOCUSED on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, GOD WILL CLEAR YOUR BLURRED VISION—YOU’LL SEE IT YET! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.” (MSG)

My dad was indeed crazy about sports, particularly baseball, football and basketball. He had his favorite teams, and you could hear him from miles away as he rooted for his best! And truth is, much like my dad, just about all American’s are pretty passionate about their sports too. Now, if my dad had to pick just one sport as a favorite, he would hands down choose baseball. However, my nephew would, without a doubt, vote for basketball as the most exciting sport of all time. And basketball action is pretty physical. It’s constantly changing, it’s intense, it’s unpredictable. And even though I know little of nothing about the sport, I’ve watched enough to know about this one thing. You see, there’s this one point where it does slow down a little, much to the relief of the players I’m sure. But if a player is fouled by someone from the other team, he gets to shoot one or two FREE THROWS.

And that down time is a time when nobody on the court is bothering you or trying to defend against you, no one is touching you, bumping you, or blocking you. Actually I really shouldn’t say no one’s bothering you, especially if you’re the visiting team. Because when you’re facing that basket trying to make your free throw, you’re also facing all the local fans who, of course, want you to miss! They’re jumping up and down, they’re making noise, they’re waving their arms, and they’re waving signs in your face. Which means, if you’re going to try to score some points with this free throw, you’ve got to seriously CONCENTRATE. The word “Concentrate” is defined as “to focus all one’s attention or mental effort on an object or activity.” Its Latin Origin comes from “Con” (meaning ‘together’) and “Centrum” (meaning ‘center’). To concentrate is therefore to bring all of your mental effort together to focus on the one thing that is necessary, that which is the center of your attention. Sounds a lot like David and Paul doesn’t it? Psalm 27:4, “I’m asking God for ONE THING, ONLY ONE THING: To live with Him in His house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate His beauty; I’ll study at this feet” (MSG); Philippians 3:13, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but ONE THING I DO: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (AMP). Can you imagine being that single-minded? Better yet, can you imagine trying to be that single-minded when attempting to make a free throw shot while everyone is attempting to do whatever it takes to throw you off your game?!

In fact, I didn’t know there’s even an actual name for it in basketball, they call it “FREE THROW DISTRACTIONS.” And it’s pretty big and sometimes very hilarious and other times quite disturbing. You see, it’s when you have fans that will wear weird and outrageous outfits, make faces, scream, taunt, provoke, make crazy sounds, even take off their clothes, and all of it just to make you lose your CONCENTRATION! Their only goal is to make sure you don’t make yours!

Now, let’s be honest. Many of us have distractions we face daily, but can you imagine having a whole stadium of people attempting everything in their power to distract you? And all of this effort just because they want to see you lose!

This thought brought to mind Hebrews 10:32-38, here’s what it says: “But remember the earlier days, when, after being [spiritually] enlightened, you [patiently] endured a great conflict of sufferings,  sometimes by being made a spectacle, publicly exposed to insults and distress, and sometimes by becoming companions with those who were so treated.  For you showed sympathy and deep concern for those who were imprisoned, and you joyfully accepted the [unjust] seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property, conscious of the fact that you have a better possession and a lasting one [prepared for you in heaven].  Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward.  For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man’s relationship to God and trusting Him]; And if he draws back [SHRINKING IN FEAR], My soul has no delight in him. BUT OUR WAY IS NOT THAT OF THOSE WHO SHRINK BACK TO DESTRUCTION, but [we are] of those who believe [relying on God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and by this confident faith preserve the soul.” (AMP)

This passage from the Bible suggests an idea that’s pretty common in modern athletics. You hear this word a lot – FOCUS. And it’s not focusing in good times, but focusing in hard times! Times when you’re attacked, taunted, provoked, and even insulted! The word “focus” has many definitions, but the one I like is “to pay particular attention to.” Just like that basketball player. He’s got to focus on making that basket; what it takes to sink it when you’ve got a thousand nuts out there trying to get you to look somewhere else. That player has all kinds of sights and sounds trying to get his attention. But he’s got to tune it all out. His eye is fixed on the basket. To attain his goal, he has to Pay Particular Attention!

The Bible says, “We have a race marked out for us.” The Lord has set the course for your life. You’ve got gifts to use for Him, you’ve got people to influence for Him, you have work to get done for Him, you have days that are yours with which to glorify Him and read His letter, and keep striving toward His prize. All that matters is getting to that finish line. Truth is we should all want to have Paul’s testimony: 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight. I have Completed the race. I have kept the faith.” (GWT). That word “complete” is defined as “having run its full course; finished; to the greatest extent or degree; total.” It’s Latin Origin “Complere” literally means “to fill up, finish, and fulfill.” And isn’t that what every believer wants? To fulfill the Will of God for their life? Well, it’s possible, it’s doable, you just have to concentrate and focus and you’ll finish your fulfillment! Will it be easy? Absolutely not! But it will most certainly be worth it to hear: Matthew 25:21, “…Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.” (AMP). Listen, the Lord has indeed promised to do His part, Philippians 1:6, “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and COMPLETE IT until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].” (AMP). But in the words of the Apostle Paul, we have our part to do as well: “…I have finished the work I was to do…” (NLV). To finish well, you need to focus well!

Now, the player who has to make this free throw shot has a lot coming at him and all at the same time! There’s a lot that could blur his vision, cloud his judgment, shift his focus, and cause him to lose his concentration. After all, that player could look at the crowd. He could look at the competitors all around him. He could look at all the signs that say ‘MISS IT!’ But a champion, of course, always focuses on the upward goal. What he has to do is more important than what others around him are trying to do to him.

Now, if we are to all be honest, truth is, we all fight with distractions every day! It’s easy to have your attention drawn away to a problem person, or your finances, or making more money, or a thousand little annoyances. You can be distracted by temptation, or as I often am, by an overwhelming “to do” list. And dare we mention television, phones, and social media? Even in church we can get so caught up in positions, protocols and programs that we never focus on fulfilling our purpose. But that’s the goal of distraction, to cause you to retract from forward progression. In fact, the word “Retract” means “to draw or be drawn back; to withdraw; to go back on.” Its Latin Origin “Retrahere” literally means “to draw back.” And is there danger in being distracted to the point of going backwards? Absolutely! Just take a look at Luke 9:62 in a few translations:

“But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things left behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.” (AMP);

“Jesus answered, “Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn’t worth a thing to God’s kingdom!” (CEV);

“Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but looks back is not prepared for God’s kingdom.” (ERV)

“Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.” (MSG)

“Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but keeps looking back is of no use in the kingdom of God.” (NCV)

 “But Jesus told him, “Anyone who lets himself be DISTRACTED from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (TLB)

Listen: You cannot afford to be drawn back, go back, procrastinate or allow yourself to be distracted from your assignment, ministry, race, work, calling or purpose! It makes you unfit, unfocused and ultimately unfulfilled! You can’t make the mark while aiming at everything but the mark! If you ever take the time to look at the faces of the athletes when they’re on the line and focused on making their free throw shot, you will be amazed at the intensity of their stare, focus and concentration. And even though their free throw shot is important to them in that moment, surely you know we have a mark to make that’s a tad bit more important! We have to finished what our Father assigned to our hands to do!

But, maybe your attention is drawn to this or that conflict or to something you’re afraid of, or something you’re worried about. Whatever it is, it’s yelling, “Look at me instead!“, and sadly, many of us do to our distraction and demise. Truth is, we have thrown away enough days by letting ourselves become frustrated, allowing ourselves to worry and panic and feel sorry for ourselves. What’s the answer then? Here we go again, FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS! It begins when your day begins. You fill up with Jesus in the waking moments. That’s a conscious choice you make. You listen to worship music, Christian radio, go to Christian websites. You take time to listen to the Lord in His Word and prayer, and then you refocus on Him several times during the day deliberately. Stop allowing the crowd to shift your focus! Whether it’s on the job, in the home, in business or in the church, keep your focus!

Refocus on Jesus and His assignment and purpose for your life because He’s holding you accountable for the work.

All the distracters will always be there waving, shouting, and screaming for your attention. But a champion knows they’ve got to make the difference. They’ve got to make the basket. They’ve got to make the goal. And the only way to do that is to focus and refuse to be distracted.

Make sure your eyes are stubbornly focused on the Christ who is Lord over every distraction.

You know, I’ve come to realize just this year, in the last few days that sometimes it’s okay to be stubborn. You see, “Stubborn” is defined as “determined not to change one’s attitude or position; difficult to move.” And that’s exactly what we need to be, so stubborn in focus that we’re determined not to change our attitude or position. So stubborn, that no matter what they do or attempt to do to distract us, we will not be moved! Let this year be the year that you plant your feet and refuse to be moved by distractions (whether they come from people, places, or things). Remember, you can’t make the shot if you keep shifting your sight to look at distraction!

1 Chronicles 29:14-19, “…And give my son Solomon an uncluttered and FOCUSED heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel, and carry through with building The Temple for which I have provided.” (MSG). Today, ask God to give you an UNCLUTTERED AND FOCUSED HEART! One that keeps Him at the center and core! Not one that’s consumed with Michelle on Monday or Frank on Friday! Because they are mere distractions! I don’t care what they have to offer, what they can do, what they will do, I don’t even care what they look like! You are responsible for keeping your heart uncluttered and focused on God and what He’s assigned you to do!

Psalm 119:65-72, “…Before I learned to answer you, I wandered all over the place, but now I’m in step with your Word. You are good, and the source of good; train me in your goodness. The godless spread lies about me, but I FOCUS my attention on what you are saying…” (MSG) Listen, I don’t care what they call you, focus on what God says about you only! They can say you’re ugly, fat, lazy, no good, less than, useless, worthless, and the like, and they are entitled to their opinion. But their opinion is not God’s! He calls you His chosen people, His priceless, cherished treasure, He calls you His own, He calls you gifted, anointed, powerful, awesome, healed, delivered, saved! He calls you ‘MINE’! And that supersedes anything anyone else has to say about you! Be like the psalmist, BUT I FOCUS MY ATTENTION ON WHAT YOU ARE SAYING! DON’T LET THE VOICES BLUR YOUR VISION!

Matthew 6:6, “…Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The FOCUS will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (MSG) The player getting ready to do his free throw shot focuses only on the basket. And you need to make sure that daily you are spending time with God, and God alone. Focused solely on Him! Shift your focus to place Him in clear view! Yes, there will be times when you’re surrounded by the crowds, but there must also be those scheduled moments that you don’t compromise. The moments that you purposely set aside for you and God to have some one-on-one time. The best way to maintain your focus is to keep God in your view!

Matthew 17:17-18, “Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! No FOCUS to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things?…” (MSG) You cannot serve God while serving a million other things in life. I’ve seen it far too often in churches, people wearing so many hats you can no longer see their entire body anymore. You can’t be all over the place and focused at the same time. Imagine if you’re driving down the highway and you’re trying to adjust all the mirrors, turn off the wipers, turn on the radio, change the heat, pull down the visor to get a piece of paper, yell at the kids and fix your seat belt buckle all at the same time, guess what’s about to happen?! You guessed it, CRASH! Why? Because you shifted your focus from what was most important to everything else! Learn how to get some focus to your life, your entire life, which means work, home, church, school, activities and the like. Get them all in order and place them in proper priority categories so you can get more focus to your life. You can’t see clearly when your entire life is nothing but a cluttered mess of distractions!

Mark 8:24-26, “He looked up. “I see men. They look like walking trees.” So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty FOCUS…” (MSG) There’s nothing like taking what’s ailing you to Jesus for Him to lay His hands on it and fix and heal it. You can’t focus when you’re hurting and in pain. Meaning, yes, you have a purpose to fulfill, but when something isn’t working right in your life, don’t try to perform, just seek God. What happened to this man who had no sight, after he spend some time with Jesus? HE HAD RECOVERED PERFECT SIGHT, SAW EVERYTHING IN BRIGHT, TWENTY-TWENTY FOCUS! And the same will happen for you! Whether it’s physical, mental, emotional, financial, social, or spiritual, if it needs healing, take it to Jesus first, refocus, then get back to fulfilling your assignment!

Romans 4:19-25, “Abraham didn’t FOCUS on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.” (MSG) I can’t imagine all that goes through the mind of a player who has to make a free throw shot, while everyone around him wants him to lose his focus and lose his aim! That’s a lot of pressure. And Abraham knew pressure. He was promised to father a child in his old age, when it was past time for them both, and yet he believed God! Whatever God has assigned you to do, you can do it, no matter your flaws and imperfections, no matter how hard or seemingly impossible. Simply focus on what God said and believe it until you see it!

Romans 15:14-16, “…I need your help in carrying out this highly FOCUSED assignment God gave me, this priestly and gospel work of serving…” (MSG) Now, the free throw shot is all on you, alone. But thank God, that’s only one small portion in the game. You need to make sure that you surround yourself with a good team so you can win the entire game, which you cannot do alone, no matter how focused and gifted you are! Make sure you have a team that’s focused just as you are, or even better! Avoid the lazy, the pessimistic, the undisciplined, the show-boats, the easily distracted! Get you a team that’s focused on God’s assignment, plan, purpose and kingdom, and get the work of serving completed!

2 Corinthians 1:12-14, “…It was God who kept us FOCUSED on him, uncompromised…” (MSG) You can’t win and compromise! You need God to keep you focused especially during those times of temptation! Because as soon as you shift your focus to the things of God, the devil will immediately show up with every distraction to take your focus from God, don’t let it happen! Stay with God so He can keep you focused and uncompromised as you complete your assignment for Him!

Ephesians 1:15-19, “I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes FOCUSED and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!” (MSG) So many say they have no idea what God has called them to do, but the Bible clearly says, “I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, YOUR EYES FOCUSED AND CLEAR, SO THAT YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY EXACTLY WHAT IT IS HE IS CALLING YOU TO DO…” You need to focus on God so you can see clearly what it is He has called you to do! Unfortunately however, far too many focus on what people say instead, ‘you sound like a preacher’; ‘you look like a dancer’…But You Can’t See Your Calling Clearly Looking to People, You Have to Focus On God!

Brothers and Sisters, let today be the day you get your focus back and not lose it again to distractions! God has called you to a great work, that can’t be accomplished while you’re unfocused! Be it people, places or things, let nothing and no one take your free throw focus off the basket! You never know, your focus just may win it for the entire team! We’re All Counting On You!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #BeFocused
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “What You Need You to Know About Women and Depression?”

“Watch God’s Winter Performance!”

Jeremiah 1:11-12, “Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, WHAT DO YOU SEE? And I said, I SEE a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, BLOSSOMING IN LATE WINTER]. Then said the Lord to me, YOUT HAVE SEEN WELL, FOR I AM ALERT AND ACTIVE, WATCHING OVER MY WORD TO PERFORM IT!” (AMP).

I love the months surrounding holiday seasons, but in all truth, I honestly won’t mind if the North Pole weather cuts its visit short! I was discussing my deep freeze feelings with a friend who lived in Alaska most of her life, and she actually helped me to possess a different perspective, in fact, an even positive outlook on our cold weather season. She simply said, “Just keep in mind that cold seasons kill a lot of bugs!” Now it didn’t make me happy that I still had to endure the rest of the cold season, but it sure made me happy to know that while I’m dealing with the cold, the cold is dealing with the bugs!

SIMPLY PUT, DON’T LET THE COLD BOTHER YOU, IT’S ACTUALLY KILLING WHAT’S BUGGING YOU!

Far too often we quickly get upset over the Bad, not realizing that it usually leads to something Good! Most of us have lived long enough to see it happen – something Good coming out of something that’s Bad, or even difficult and unpleasant. Therefore, if you’re in a season in your life that’s pretty cold right now, and you’re feeling the chill of crisis; the breeze of bitterness; the winds of worry; the damp of depression; the ice of irritation; the blizzard of backbiters; the storms of struggle; and the rains of restlessness, know THAT EVEN WHEN THE CONDITIONS OF THE SEASON RESTRICT YOU, THEY CAN NEVER CONSTRICT YOUR GOD!

You see, the word “RESTRICT” means: “TO PUT A LIMIT ON, KEEP UNDER CONTROL, DEPRIVE OF FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT OR ACTION” It’s Latin Origin ‘RESTRINGERE’ literally means ‘TO TIE BACK’ We’ve seen that in many winter seasons, as the blizzards hit we’re RESTRICTED in bus, cab, and train service. We’re LIMITED in various methods of transportation, and KEPT UNDER THE CONTROL of snow plows as to when we could move, and how far we could go. FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AND ACTION was DEPRIVED for so many who couldn’t get to where they needed to, because they’d been “RESTRICTED”. Which is where we coined the phrase: “MY HANDS ARE TIED”

But bear in mind, that even when we’re ‘RESTRICTED’, God is NEVER ‘CONSTRICTED’! The word ‘CONSTRICTED’ means: “TO MAKE OR BECOME NARROWER, ESPECIALLY BY ENCIRCLING PRESSURE OR ATTEMPTING TO TIGHTEN AROUND” It’s Latin Origin ‘CONSTRINGERE’ literally means ‘BIND TIGHTLY TOGETHER’ You see, YOUR GOD IS TOO BIG TO BE MADE NARROW, AND HE’S TOO POWERFUL FOR PRESSURE TO PLACE HIM IN A TIGHT GRIP! EVEN IN SEASONS WHERE YOU’RE ‘RESTRICTED’, TAKE COMFORT IN KNOWING THAT YOUR GOD IS NEVER ‘CONSTRICTED’! EVEN WHEN YOUR HANDS ARE TIED, HIS WILL NEVER BE! REGARDLESS TO THE CONDITION, HE CAN STILL BLESS YOU IN THE MIDST OF YOUR MOST BRITTLE, BITTER AND BRUTAL BLIZZARD! YOUR GOD IS TOO POWERFUL TO BE PRESSURED! EVEN WHEN YOU GROW WEAK, NEVER FORGET THE STRENGTH OF YOUR GOD!

DAVID DIDN’T! 1 Chronicles 29:10-13, “David blessed GOD in full view of the entire congregation: Blessed are you, GOD of Israel, our father from of old and forever. To You, O GOD, belong the Greatness and the Might, the Glory, the Victory, the Majesty, the Splendor; Yes! Everything in Heaven, everything on Earth; the Kingdom all Yours! You’ve raised Yourself High Over All. Riches and Glory come from You, You’re Ruler Over All; You hold Strength and Power in the Palm of Your Hand to Build Up and Strengthen All. And here we are, O God, our God, giving thanks to You, praising Your Splendid Name.” (MSG)

EVEN WHEN IT DON’T FEEL LIKE IT’S IN YOUR FAVOR, BECAUSE HE’S YOUR GOD…IT IS!

DON’T LET THE WINTER SEASON WORRY YOU, EVERY SEASON HAS TO CHANGE! BUT DON’T MISS OUT ON THE BLESSING AND BENEFITS OF THE COLD SEASON WHILE IT’S HERE!

James 1:2-4, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. SO DON’T TRY TO GET OUT OF ANYTHING PREMATURELY. LET IT DO ITS WORK SO YOU BECOME MATURE AND WELL-DEVELOPED, NOT DEFICIENT IN ANY WAY” (MSG)

One phrase you will hear repetitively during the Winter Season is “I’ll be glad when Winter is over”. But the problem of getting “Out of Season”, Prematurely, is not good. Here’s why: “To every thing there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  So no matter how hard you pray, You Can’t Pray Your Life’s Seasons Away! There are some situations you aren’t meant to Change—You’re Just Meant to Endure! 2 Timothy 2:3, “Take [with me] YOUR SHARE of the hardships and suffering [Which You Are CALLED TO ENDURE] as a good (first-class) solider of Christ Jesus.” (AMP) Paul puts it like this, “For Our Light, Momentary Affliction (This Slight Distress of the Passing Hour) is ever more and more Abundantly Preparing and Producing and Achieving For Us an Everlasting Weight of Glory [Beyond All Measure, Excessively Surpassing All Comparisons and All Calculations, a Vast and Transcendent Glory and Blessedness Never to Cease.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 AMP). In other words, what you’re Currently dealing with that’s Heavily Weighing You Down in the Natural, is considered by the Spirit “…Our Light, Momentary Affliction…” Therefore, you’re not going to deal with it always, But You Have to Deal With It Right Now! So keep in mind, When You Can’t Alter Your Circumstances, That Means They Are a Perfect Fit For Where You Are and Where You’re Going. So Stop Trying to Change Your Circumstantial Clothing! They are only for a Season, and when it’s time to Change, the One who birthed all the Seasons will change it! “Don’t try to get out of anything Prematurely.”

In Winter, trees take advantage of the season to rebuild their strength and prepare to be fruitful next season. Their sap and substance goes underground. Then in the Spring it pushes its way back up again in the form of New Growth. Looking back over your life you’ll find that your achievements are Seasonal. Growth comes, then struggle, and vice versa. Each Season Has Its Purpose. God has a reason for not allowing you to be productive all the time. When He permits Winter winds to blow through your life, He’s preparing you for the coming Spring. That’s why James wrote, “Consider it a …gift…when tests and challenges come at you from all sides…under pressure, your faith…is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So Don’t Try to Get Out of Anything Prematurely. Let It Do Its Work So You Become Mature and Well-Developed, Not Deficient In  Any Way” (MSG). One of the issues you’ll struggle with in a waiting period is the urge to Hurry, Because Your Flesh Always Wants to Make Permanent Decisions Based On Temporary Circumstances. Don’t Do It! Every Situation Doesn’t Call For Immediate Action! The Only Biblical Way For You to Become Mature, Well-Developed and Lacking Nothing Is To Endure Hardship! So if you try to find a short-cut to getting out of your trials, You’ll Have to Take a Longer Journey to Get to Your Destiny!

REMEMBER: THE COLD SEASON GETS RID OF BUG (AND WHAT’S ‘BUGGING’ YOU), SO DON’T RUSH IT, LET IT COMPLETE ITS WORK!

Somebody has said that, patience is the quality you admire in the driver behind, but not the guy in front! But God Is a God of Order; He Ordains Specific Times For Bringing Specific Purposes to Pass! Habakkuk 2:3, “This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It Will Come Right On Time.” (MSG) It doesn’t pay to try and get ahead of God, so, “Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hop for and expect the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14 AMP) That word “stout” is defined as, “to be rather fat or heavily built; sturdy and thick; to be brave; courageous; strong and determined.” This needs to define your heart condition (as well as your faith) as you wait on God! It needs to be unshaken; heavily built; sturdy brave; courageous; strong and determined, despite what you have to endure while waiting! Remember, this isn’t about Your timing but God’s! So let nothing move you but God! Because in the end, there are simply certain things can’t be accomplished “by might, nor by power.” So how are they accomplished? “By MY Spirit, saith the LORD.”

David understood this, that’s why he said, “My times are in YOUR hands…” (Psalm 31:15). Once you understand that, you’ll stop fretting and worrying knowing with certainty that people and problems can’t short-circuit God’s plan for your life. “This is God’s Word on the subject…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING. I HAVE IT ALL PLANNED OUT – PLANS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, NOT ABANDON YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU THE FUTURE YOU HOPE FOR.” (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG) If you can acknowledge that, you’ll find peace—and stop trying to “make things happen, out of season!” Do Your Part: WAIT! God Already Has His Part PLANNED!

When God drops a seed into your life it needs time to take root and grow. And you don’t have to be concerned with the outcome, because when it’s planted in a fertile, faith-filled heart, the results are guaranteed. The hard part is knowing that you’re on the verge of a breakthrough, then having God tell you to Wait. But it’s times like these, when you think He’s forgotten about you and the promises He made to you, that your patience really gets a workout. It’s in moments like these when your heart begins to faint and your faith begins to waver. But take some advice from David, he said: “I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:1-3 AMPC). When you honor God’s timing, you always land on solid ground, and end up with a fresh reason to praise Him! In other words, it’s not enough to wait, but you have to wait the right way…Patiently and In Praise! Just ask JOSEPH!

The Book of Genesis tells us about a very long winter season in the life of this Old Testament hero. In a nutshell, his brothers hated him because he was his father’s favorite. They threw him in a pit and nearly let him die there. At the last minute, they changed their minds and lightened up a little – they settled for selling him into Egyptian slavery instead. Joseph got a great job in the house of a powerful man, and then lost it when he refused the advances of the boss’s wife and she falsely accused him of assaulting her. Then, two long years in the king’s prison as a result. Ultimately, Joseph came to the attention of Pharaoh who eventually promoted him to second in command in the mighty Egyptian empire. That’s when a famine drove Joseph’s brothers to Egypt in search of food – FOOD ONLY THE BROTHER THEY HAD BETRAYED COULD GIVE THEM BY THE WAY! (SIDEBAR: NEVER HATE YOUR HATERS!)  And when they finally realize who he is and experience the forgiveness and mercy that they DON’T DESERVE, Joseph speaks these words:  “YOU PLANNED EVIL AGAINST ME; GOD PLANNED IT FOR GOOD TO BRING ABOUT THE PRESENT RESULT—THE SURVIVAL OF MANY PEOPLE.” (Genesis 50:20 HCSB). The Message Bible says it like this: “…Don’t you see, you planned evil against me BUT GOD USED THOSE SAME PLANS FOR MY GOOD…” (MSG). Even though your winter is “PLANNED”, scheduled annually to come back around, NEVER FORGET THAT YOUR GOD ALWAYS HAS PLANS OF HIS OWN FOR YOU! “…I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING. I HAVE IT ALL PLANNED OUT—PLANS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, NOT ABANDON YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU THE FUTURE YOU HOPE FOR” (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG).

WHAT THE WEATHER (AND YOUR HATERS) HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU CAN’T COMPARE TO WHAT THE WILL OF GOD HAS PLANNED FOR YOU! FROM THE PIT TO THE PRISON, JOSEPH WAS SUSTAINED BY ONE THING HE KNEW HAD NOT CHANGED—GOD WAS WORKING ON A BIGGER PLAN! If you belong to Jesus, then Joseph’s God is your God, too. And He’s a God who uses even the wickedness of man to do great things. For Joseph, vengeful brothers, false accusations, and terrible injustices BECAME TOOLS THAT GOD USED TO TAKE HIM TO PLACES AND POSITIONS HE COULD NEVER HAVE GONE OTHERWISE! WHICH IS WHY I REITERATE: DON’T LET THE WINTER BOTHER YOU, BECAUSE IT’S KILLING WHAT’S BUGGING YOU!

If it’s cold right now, if it’s dark right now, don’t let discouragement win. Don’t let bitterness or resentment or resignation ruin the greater plan God is working on. Romans 8:28, “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a PLAN] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” (AMP). During this winter in your life, He wants to build in you qualities that will lead to future greatness. He wants to give you a closeness to Him that you’ve never had before and would never get any other way. And then, He wants to use this season to position you to make a greater difference with the rest of your life than you ever imagined! As Cold as it may seem right now, God is working out some pretty Cool plans for your life! Regardless to what the Meteorologist tells you, There Is A Sunny Side to a Cold Season!

In closing, listen to this: King George and his army must have been having a good laugh. You see, George Washington and his Continental Army had been whipped in battle after battle in their campaign to become independent from Britain. British troops had driven the Americans out of New York City, across the Hudson River, across New Jersey, and finally into Pennsylvania. THEN CAME THE WINTER OF 1777, at a place outside of Philadelphia called Valley Forge. Washington’s troops faced not only a Physical Winter there, but an Emotional Winter. Discouragement and defeat may have been their worst enemies. But General Washington wasn’t about to let those enemies win. He fought back by immediately deploying his soldiers to fortifying their camp. Then the drills began. A veteran European military officer began to drill those soldiers every day, teaching them a single set of maneuvers rather than the multiple approaches that had created confusion in those past battles. THAT WINTER, they were learning one way of doing things while Washington worked on getting more recruits and building his army into a real fighting force. Many historians believe that the outcome of America’s battle for independence was decided at Valley Forge more than any other battle – they were an army that came out of Valley Forge to stun the British with major victories! You see, one army WENT INTO THE WINTER at Valley Forge – divided, discouraged, demoralized. However, another army EMERGED FROM THAT WINTER – unified, fortified, and confident because of what they had done with their WINTER!

Reminds me of the quote: “If we had no Winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” (Anne Bradstreet).               

In many ways, the outcome of your battles may be decided, not on the battlefield alone, BUT IN HOW YOU WORK YOUR WINTER. And truth is, you may be in one of those cold, bleak Winter times right now. You could succumb to your fears and your feelings and just surrender. OR you could pull a “Spiritual Valley Forge.” You could use your Winter to get stronger and more focused on what you need to do to win!

There’s another quote that says, “Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in Winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). In other words, don’t allow the cold, brittle, brutal winds of Winter to blow you in the direction of defeat! Simply learn how to Work Your Winter and Wait for the Change in Seasons!               

In some ways, Jesus’ disciples expected their Winter to begin with His announced departure to heaven. The One who had called them to be with Him was now leaving them and entrusting to them the work He had started. In Luke 24, Jesus tells them to tell the world about Him and then, “…while He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven.” In a way, their Winter had begun, as it often does when you lose someone you love. But they knew what to do with their Winter! In the book of Acts chapters 1 and 2 teach us what they did to Work Their Winter Season, “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” Then they got their team of 12 back to full strength by replacing Judas with another disciple. And, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place…and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” At that point, they exploded on the city of Jerusalem with the Gospel that would, that day, start spreading around the world! But they had to use their Winter to get together, to regroup, to get stronger, and to get closer to God. You need to handle your Winter the same way. Don’t just sit there worrying or feeling sorry for yourself or wallowing in your emotions. Take action to get strong. Spend extra time with God right now. Strengthen your relationship with your family, friends, coworkers and church family. Think through what you need to stop doing and what you need to start doing to focus on what really matters. And prayerfully plan for a future, right there in the middle of your valley, even when the future looks very uncertain.               

Listen: While the bombs were falling on London during World War II, Winston Churchill was in his underground bunker – not worrying about the bombs, but actually planning the invasion of Germany! In other words, don’t get caught up in your Winter woes, instead use your Winter as a time to sharpen your weaponry for the spiritual warfare ahead! And how do you do that?

1. Get Into the WORD of God: (even as everything in heaven and earth shall pass away, His Word Never Will)! (Mark 13:31, “Heaven and earth will perish and pass away, BUT MY WORDS WILL NOT PERISH OR PASS AWAY.” AMPC); (Isaiah 55:11, “SO SHALL MY WORD BE THAT GOES FORTH OUT OF MY MOUTH: IT SHALL NOT RETURN TO ME VOID [WITHOUT PRODUCING ANY EFFECT, USELESS], BUT IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE AND PURPOSE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING FOR WHICH I SENT IT.” AMPC).
2. Get Into WORSHIP: (the posture where you don’t go seeking God, but He comes seeking you)! (John 4:23, “A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); FOR THE FATHER IS SEEKING JUST SUCH PEOPLE AS THESE AS HIS WORSHIPERS.” (AMPC).
3. Get the WISDOM of God: (it is essential to making wise decisions)! (James 1:5, “If any of you is deficient in wisdom, LET HIM ASK THE GIVING GOD [WHO GIVES] TO EVERYONE LIBERALLY AND UNGRUDGINGLY, WITHOUT REPROACHING OR FAULTFINDING, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN HIM.” AMPC).
4. Get Into the WILL of God: (this is the place that is attached to your promise)! (Hebrews 10:36, “For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish THE WILL OF GOD, AND THUS RECEIVE AND CARRY AWAY [AND ENJOY TO THE FULL] WHAT IS PROMISED.” AMPC).
5. Get Into the Right WARDROBE: (no soldier fights without his fatigues)! And what are fatigues? (The phrase “military fatigues” was coined by the United States Armed Forces in the mid 1800’s, and was used in reference to the clothes worn by soldiers detailed to menial or hard labor. Over time, the definition of military fatigues has changed to essentially mean any uniform worn by a solider on work detail, on duty, or while on the field of battle!) And what are your “fatigues”? (READ: Ephesians 6:11-18).

Discouragement and fear and drifting from God – those are your greatest enemies, not what faces you on your battlefields! This Winter is not dead time or despair time. It’s get ready time! What you do with your Winter will decide whether you win or lose the war! Therefore, Get into the Word of God; Get into Worship; Get the Wisdom of God; Get into the Will of God; and Get into the right Wardrobe! Then Work Your Winter!               

Think about it: If Jeremiah could see the branch or shoot of an almond tree (evidence of alertness and activity that God is still performing His Word, Even In the Lateness of Winter), surely you can see Something Worthwhile in Your Winter season! Remember This: No matter how long or brutal your Winter season is, hold on to God’s Promise: “…I am alert and active, watching over My Word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:11-12 AMP). Be Encouraged: He’s Still Watching Over His Word to Perform it in Your Life…Even in Late Winter! You wouldn’t think to see almond trees blossoming in late Winter. Shouldn’t that happen in Spring? Well, the wonderful thing about God is that, unlike us, He’s not bound by the Seasons! He can bless you at any given time He deems fit! Your job is to be like Jeremiah, AND SEE IT BLOSSOMING! Before the Winter season ends, you will see the evidence of blessings Springing forth! Keep your eyes open, and see more than just the winds, snow, blizzard, and hazardous conditions. But walk by faith and see the flowers preparing to bloom ALREADY! Wait for it; Watch for it; It Will Come! “Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late WINTER]. Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, FOR I AM ALERT AND ACTIVE, WATCHING OVER MY WORD TO PERFORM IT” (Jeremiah 1:11-12 AMP). DON’T BOW OUT JUST YET, GOD’S PERFORMANCE IN YOUR LIFE IS NOT OVER!

Note: An almond branch was evidently chosen because it is the first tree to bud in Spring! So, Celebrate, Because After Enduring Your Harsh Winter, You Will Be Among the First to Blossom in Spring!

Luke 1:45, “The Lord has blessed you because you believed that He will keep His promise.” (CEV); “Great blessings are yours because you believed what the Lord said to you! You believed this would happen.” (ERV);

Psalm 138:8, “The Lord will finish the work He started for me…” (NLV); “The Lord will work out His plans for my life…” (TLB);

Philippians 1:6, “And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.” (AMPC);

Job 5:9, “His miracles are marvelous, more than we can count.” (CEV);

Joel 2:26, “And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be put to shame.” (AMPC);

Romans 4:19-25, “Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.” (MSG)

“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.” (Albert Camus).

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” (Edith Sitwell)

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” (William Blake).

“No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn.” (Hal Borland).

“If you think my Winter is too cold, you don’t deserve my Spring.” (Erin Hanson)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged 
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “Winter Habits to Avoid!”