Set goals. Worked. Dreamed. Schemed. Pushed myself beyond what was normal or expected. I looked at my hero, Isiah Thomas, and thought to myself, “OK, I’m nowhere near the player he is but if I get better every day for 5 or 10 years, why can’t I be as good as him?”
I just need to remember that success depends on how God chooses to bless my efforts
Saturday, 21 March 2015
Thursday, 19 March 2015
Wait patiently on God's timing to be used
These ideas are from chapter 5 of Charles Swindoll's biography on Paul (2002).
It us important to wait patiently on the Lord and His timing to be used. Look at Joseph, Paul and David. All had periods of waiting. It is during these times that God molds us, shapes us and prepares us so that we will be prepared to be used to the fullest extent that He wants us to be. Sometimes we may feel like it is a waste of time that we are not being used as greatly sooner in life, but it is important to remember that God has a plan. He has a plan and purposes for our life. He is sovereign. He will use us when He decides we are ready so that our effectiveness is as potent as it can be, rather than watered down like it would be if we were not provided time to be prepared by the Lord.
It us important to wait patiently on the Lord and His timing to be used. Look at Joseph, Paul and David. All had periods of waiting. It is during these times that God molds us, shapes us and prepares us so that we will be prepared to be used to the fullest extent that He wants us to be. Sometimes we may feel like it is a waste of time that we are not being used as greatly sooner in life, but it is important to remember that God has a plan. He has a plan and purposes for our life. He is sovereign. He will use us when He decides we are ready so that our effectiveness is as potent as it can be, rather than watered down like it would be if we were not provided time to be prepared by the Lord.
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Be confident
If we as Christians are not confident, then we are weak. If we do not display confidence, then we are displaying weakness. When I see a Christian who is afraid to fail, or is fearful of anything for that matter, I do not see that as a positive witness for Christ. It is the exact opposite.
With this said, we are to be humble. There is a difference however between confidence and cockiness. Our confidence must always honour the Lord and represent Him well. Therefore, we should be confident, but not cocky.
There are a few reasons for this.
1. When we are confident we are acting as Jesus did. He was always supremely confident, but never cocky. He is the model we should follow. He is the image we should follow in everything, including confidence. When you are not confident, you are weak and representing weakness. God is not weak and we are His representatives. Be confident, because Jesus is confident, and we are called to be His representatives in everything we do (Colossians 3:17)
2. God says, "I have given you a Spirit of courage, not fear" (2 Timothy 1:7)...(paraphrased).
3. God calls us to do our best in everything (Colossians 3:23). In order to do your best, you need to be confident. If you are not confident, you can't perform your best.
4. "Every good and perfect gift comes from above....". The talents and abilities you have come from God. Whether they are natural abilities, or those you have worked to develop, it is important to always recognise that God has given you those abilities. Even those you have worked to develop are from Him. When we work at developing talents and abilities, the see degree to which those talents are recognized directly relate to the degree to which God chooses to bless your efforts.
It is important to be confident, but it is also imperative to ensure that being confident never leads to an attitude of thinking my success depends on me. Any success I ever have accomplished, or ever will accomplish, is directly related to how God chooses to bless my efforts.
In so many ways there is incredible freedom in Christ. One of those ways is with confidence. We can be confident and strive to do our best and know that if what we are trying to accomplish doesn't happen that it wasn't God's will. It would be foolish to sit back and not try your Brest though. The freedom is in knowing that you can be confident and do your best and know that God eil no allow anything to happen that He doesn't want to. So go out and be confident and try to win or accomplish whatever task it is knowing that God is honoured through the act of worship and that He will make sure to use your effort to accomplish His will. Don't not try in fear of going out of His will for that is actually going out of His will because you are not doing your best and are not trusting that He is faithful and sovereign to accomplish His will. To stay in His will you need to try your best in every circumstance God brings you to and trust Him to use the effort to accomplish what He wants. Remember, He calls us to confident dobour best. He has "given us a Spirit of courage, not of fear".
With this said, we are to be humble. There is a difference however between confidence and cockiness. Our confidence must always honour the Lord and represent Him well. Therefore, we should be confident, but not cocky.
There are a few reasons for this.
1. When we are confident we are acting as Jesus did. He was always supremely confident, but never cocky. He is the model we should follow. He is the image we should follow in everything, including confidence. When you are not confident, you are weak and representing weakness. God is not weak and we are His representatives. Be confident, because Jesus is confident, and we are called to be His representatives in everything we do (Colossians 3:17)
2. God says, "I have given you a Spirit of courage, not fear" (2 Timothy 1:7)...(paraphrased).
3. God calls us to do our best in everything (Colossians 3:23). In order to do your best, you need to be confident. If you are not confident, you can't perform your best.
4. "Every good and perfect gift comes from above....". The talents and abilities you have come from God. Whether they are natural abilities, or those you have worked to develop, it is important to always recognise that God has given you those abilities. Even those you have worked to develop are from Him. When we work at developing talents and abilities, the see degree to which those talents are recognized directly relate to the degree to which God chooses to bless your efforts.
It is important to be confident, but it is also imperative to ensure that being confident never leads to an attitude of thinking my success depends on me. Any success I ever have accomplished, or ever will accomplish, is directly related to how God chooses to bless my efforts.
In so many ways there is incredible freedom in Christ. One of those ways is with confidence. We can be confident and strive to do our best and know that if what we are trying to accomplish doesn't happen that it wasn't God's will. It would be foolish to sit back and not try your Brest though. The freedom is in knowing that you can be confident and do your best and know that God eil no allow anything to happen that He doesn't want to. So go out and be confident and try to win or accomplish whatever task it is knowing that God is honoured through the act of worship and that He will make sure to use your effort to accomplish His will. Don't not try in fear of going out of His will for that is actually going out of His will because you are not doing your best and are not trusting that He is faithful and sovereign to accomplish His will. To stay in His will you need to try your best in every circumstance God brings you to and trust Him to use the effort to accomplish what He wants. Remember, He calls us to confident dobour best. He has "given us a Spirit of courage, not of fear".
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Don't pursue what God does not present
I have often struggled with the idea of going after your dreams. I feel what God has taught me is to seek Him for the things that I pursue. At the same time, allow Him to bring my way anything that He wants for me. Once He presents to me the opportunities, that is when in start to pursue excellence in them. If I go and try and pursue excellence in something that is outside of God's purposes for my life, then I am foolish to pursue them. Allow God to bring the things He wants for me to me. At that point, then go and set goals and pursue excellence knowing that I am doing so within His will. This brings tremendous freedom to still be goal oriented, but at the same time know that I am in the Lord's will. What great peace and excitement this brings.
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
Bubba Watson mentality on not having a swing instructor.
I heard these comments from a video interview at Doral Cadillac Championship on March 3, 2015.
Bubba said the following about not having a swing instructor. I really liked his thoughts because I think it speaks well to why I should simply focus on hitting the ball at the target and not about mechanics.
-said that when his mind is in the right place there is no shot that he can't hit and no course he can't beat. It makes sense. If you are thinking right then you will hitnrhe shots that you are capable of and score extremely well and golf becomes easy. You don't need mechanical thoughts and feelings to distract you from that. Simply focus on hitting the shots. And at the level they are at, and also the level I am at, there are no shots that can't be hit.
Focus on practising well. Practising on hitting those shots and thinking well in the process.
Bubba said that a lot of pros go to swing coaches for tune ups and to simply be told for confidence sake that what they are doing is good. Bubs said he doesn't need that. He knows how to hit shots so he just focuses on improving the way he thinks and getting his mind in the right frame of mind.
Focus on practising well. Practising on hitting those shots and thinking well in the process.
Bubba said that a lot of pros go to swing coaches for tune ups and to simply be told for confidence sake that what they are doing is good. Bubs said he doesn't need that. He knows how to hit shots so he just focuses on improving the way he thinks and getting his mind in the right frame of mind.
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