8 Choices Winners Make: Part 1

I always struggled with not feeling smart enough, good enough…enough to achieve the things that burned within my heart.  But over time, I realized that I don’t have to be extraordinary to change the world.  I just have to make extraordinary choices in the moment of decision.

I recently spoke at a youth program at a local church on the topic of “Going to the Next Level!”  In life, we must understand that some “nexts” are guaranteed and some are conditional.  The guaranteed ones are a product of time and beyond our control... like next week and next year.  These things will occur with or without our approval. 

However, there is a “next” in life that is completely dependent on how we respond to the “NOW” in life.  The Word is clear that promotion doesn’t come because we want it…it comes when we are ready! 

So how do we best prepare and position ourselves to align our actions with God’s purposed promotion for our lives?

There are eight choices that we must make in order to experience promotion.  These are choices that present themselves to everyone.   From Abraham to Jesus to you… your choices in these areas will make the difference between growth and freedom or staying “stuck!”

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Move from Existing to Living!

QUESTION:

Dear Coach Scott,

This is my scream for help!  I want to live. I've existed my entire life but desire to live.  I encounter obstacles after obstacles and go into survival mode through situations believing that my time will come—that after this is over, it will be my time but it never happens.  I desire to live with all my heart.  I am a 45 year old single mother of one and I desire to live.  I just don't know how to reach past the oppression to the opportunities as each time I run into overwhelming obstacles!

ANSWER:

Dear Sister,

I hear you and most importantly, so does He! I know all too well the anguish of feeling like you’re living in quicksand.  It feels as if your efforts are in vain and no matter how hard you try…you always end up worse off than when you started.  But don’t make the mistake of going by what your five senses tell you. If you want life to change, you must live by what faith in the Word tells you!

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Wait for God’s Rain!

Two weeks ago, after running non-stop, my body finally demanded rest.  To unwind, I watched Academy Award-nominated Bollywood movie, Lagaan.  The story is about an Indian village suffering under the rule of the tyrannical British Empire and heavy taxes.  The majority of the villagers derive their income from the land but due to a severe drought…there is no harvest.

In the film, they pray to God for rain.  At one point, it seems as if God hears them.  The rain is coming—the sky darkens, the clouds roll in—and the villagers rush out into the streets looking up into the sky.  They are thrilled…ready to rejoice.  Then suddenly the clouds roll back and they once again stand under the unbearable heat of an unforgiving sun.  Dejected and depressed, they head back into their homes.  Yet another day, their prayers go unanswered.

The drought is just a subplot in the film however.  The larger context is the oppression of the people under the British.  The film climaxes as the British leave the village and the sky opens up pouring out a monsoon of rain.  Due to other events in the film, the Indians will not owe the British tax for three years.  The rain means they will have an abundant harvest and will get to keep all of it!

As I watched the end of the movie I could feel hope rising in my heart. Because I saw so clearly that when we wait for God’s rain, His blessings are abundant. 

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