JUST START!

Ignition is the secret of motion. It takes only one action fuelled by the fire of desire to get you to your destination.

What is it that you want to do in 2012? The New Year is here. Begin to do it. I’m not the author of the piece below, but I share it with you in the hope that it will bless you.

“If you want to be successful, you can start anytime. But you must start.

Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.

You won’t accomplish anything if you wait for all the possible objections to be overcome.

Don’t be afraid to live. Don’t wait for things to change. Until you have more time, until you are less tired, until you have more money, until you settle down, until, until, until…

Don’t wait for a major event in your life to occur before you begin to live.

Begin where you are. Work where you are. The hour you are wasting now, dreaming of some far off success, is crowded with tremendous possibilities.

When you take the first step, your mind will mobilize all its forces to assist you.

Once you have started, all that is within and without you will come to your assistance.

The only way to start is to start!” – Unknown

YOU WILL SUCCEED! In Jesus name

WORDS TO LIVE BY in 2012

Isaiah 35:4-7, 10
4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”
5 ¶ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.
7 The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (NKJV)

WORDS TO LIVE BY in 2012

Isaiah 40:29-31
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (NKJV)

WORDS TO LIVE BY in 2012

Psalm 18:28-29
For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

Though it’s the 6th day of the New Year but you will permit me to wish you Happy New Year 2012 because this is our first interaction here in 2012.

Welcome to LEAP 2012! “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.” (Psalms 18:28-29)

This year you will succeed. You will take giant leaps into God’s purpose for your life but you must be lighted in your spirit by God’s Word. If nothing else, we must take the Word of God seriously in 2012. Go after the Word! There are things God wants to show us in His Word that will help us run through troops and leapo over walls in 2012. I see you leap over every wall of containment this year in Jesus name! GO FOR THE WORD!

The entrance of His Word gives light (Psalm 119:130). His Word will, if you let Him, be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105). In 2012, we must prioritize God’s Word. The treasures we mine from the Word will give us the needed impetus to pursue our goals with courage and confidence (Isaiah 35:4). I believe God with you that in 2012, your God-given dreams are coming to pass! YOU WILL SUCCEED!

THE TOP 10 BLOG POSTS OF 2011

I want to appreciate you for hanging out with me on this platform. It’s been a wonderful time. It’s a joy knowing that you’re reading what I’m writing. For that privilege I’m most grateful.

2011 is almost at a close, and it’s that time of year when most of us reflect on the year gone by. At this blog that means taking stock of blog posts from the year to find out what topics and issues ministered most to you.

My end of the year assessment takes me to revisit the favorite posts of the year. Web analytics have helped me to arrive at this, but I also take into account your feedback and my own sense of what was really relevant.

So, here we go… The Top Ten Blog Posts of the year 2011:

7 Keys for Maximizing 2012
5 Tips for Getting Much More Out of Your Reading
I Married the Pastor’s Wife!
What Really Is Christmas (How to Celebrate Christmas)
15 Sure Things to Do To Fail!
Step Inside That Jordan!
Why I Do What I Do
Cranky Husband Learns an Attitude of Gratitude
20 Questions You Must Answer About 2012
Leaders are Learners

Now, if this blog has blessed you, why not ask your friends to visit and subscribe. I love you and believe in you. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

20 QUESTIONS YOU MUST ANSWER ABOUT 2012

This is the concluding post of a three part series. You can get the first and second posts here, in case you missed it. It is my prayer for you that 2012 will be better than 2011.

Let me confess to you I’ve never been into New Year resolutions. I would rather review the previous year and set concrete, do-able goals for the coming year.

So let me ask you:

1. What will your relationship with God be like in 2012?
2. How much time will you spend daily in prayer?
3. How many chapters of the Bible will you read daily?
4. Where will you serve or volunteer in church in 2012?
5. How much money will you contribute in 2012 to the kingdom of God?
6. How many souls will you win to Christ in 2012? And it all starts by inviting people to your church every week. How many will you do each week?
7. For your mental development, how many books will you read, and buy, in 2012? Which professional journals will you be subscribing to?
8. Which personal or professional improvement seminars (or conferences/courses/workshops) will you attend in 2012?
9. What new skills would you be acquiring in 2012?
10. Now, how much money will you make in 2012?
11. How much of it will you save, and invest?
12. Will you be promoted on your job this coming year? It’s not; “Will your boss do it?” Do you want a promotion? That is the question!
13. Now, what will you do to affect that? Your destiny is within your reach, you know.
14. Will you earn more in 2012? What will you learn that will change what you earn?
15. What product or service will you offer for sale in 2012?
16. How many times will you take your spouse out in 2012? What will you do to kindle the fires of your marital love?
17. How much time (and how will you create it) will you spend with your children (if you have kids) in 2012?
18. Will someone have a reason to smile because of you in 2012?
19. Will you be an answer to someone’s cry for help in time of need in 2012?
20. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Do you have other questions we should be answering about our lives in 2012? Let’s hear it. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

YOUR COMBINATION FOR SUCCESS IN 2012!

How do I sound with this header? Before you conclude, listen to what I have to say.

As the New Year is rolling in, we need to prepare. If you know me, I’ve never been for all those fire-brigade, New Year’s Eve approaches. Life has no rehearsal, everyday is opening night. So, we’ve got to be deliberate in our approach. That’s why I’m doing this now that we still have some 16 days to the year’s end.

Earlier, I have shared about reviewing the outgoing year. You can read it here. Here I want to encourage you on some specifics:

1. Set specific GOALS for every area of your life for 2012. Where there is no vision, people run around in circles (see Proverbs 29:18). If you won’t be spinning your wheels, come 2012, sit down now and write down concrete goals for the coming year. For your spiritual life, your career, your family, your health, your mental development, your finances. Leave no part untouched.

2. Now develop a PLAN for achieving those goals with deadlines (see Luke 14:28). Remember, plans are nothing, planning is everything! If wishes were horses, even beggars would ride.

3. Develop a burning DESIRE for those goals. Desire is a fire. A burning desire is the greatest motivator for every action. Blind Bartimaeus had it (see Mark 10:46-52). The woman with an issue of blood too (see Mark 5:25-34). How bad do you want those goals in 2012? What price are you willing to pay? As for me, I’m going the whole length.

4. You will need POSSIBILITY THINKING in 2012. Your mindset must be on winning (see 1 Corinthians 9:24). Develop confidence in yourself and your ability to achieve those goals you have set for yourself. You are well able. You can do whatever it is you have set out to do (see Numbers 13:30; Philippians 4:13).

5. Finally, I will suggest you develop dogged DETERMINATION to follow through on your dreams. Success in any endeavor will not come cheap. So make up your mind now!

I believe in you. YOU WILL SUCCEED in 2012!

7 KEYS TO MAXIMIZING 2012

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” (Psalms 90:12)

“If any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him.” (James 1:5, KJV)

As 2011 is gradually fading away and 2012 stealthily rolls in we need to take action. Champions seize their day. They do not wait for life to happen to them. They make life happen. These are my suggestions for maximizing the New Year.

Key #1: REVIEW your YEAR
Review the outgoing year 2011. Identify your high and low points. Ask yourself questions: “Where did I do well?” “Where did I perform below par?” Understand that the Law of Cause & Effect rules the earth. In 2012 you will have to repeat the cause of every desirable effect you had in 2011. And remove the cause of any undesirable effect.

Key #2: RETRACE your STEPS
To move forward at times you have to go back. And correct what is wrong. To live is to learn. To learn today is to regret the actions of yesterday. Move beyond regret. The essence of this is to not repeat the mistakes of 2011. An adage says, “If a dog bites me once, it’s the dog’s fault. If it bites me the second time, it’s my fault!” This quote by Bishop WC Magee is instructive here: “Oh, Lord, deliver me from the man who does not make mistakes. And please deliver me from the man who makes the same mistake twice!”

Key #3: REBUILD your ALTAR
The foundation of your success in the coming year as always will be in the spiritual. Repair your spiritual life – in prayer, Bible study etc. Stay connected to God.

Key #4: RENEW your STRENGTH
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Spend some time with God as 2011 is rolling out. Take direct instructions from Him.

Key #5: REFINE your PLANS
“For which of you intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it? Lest perhaps after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30 KJV) “Plans are nothing. Planning is everything.” [Dwight D. Eisenhower] Make concrete, definite plans for 2012.

Key #6: RETHINK your STRATEGY
To get a different result, you need a different approach. I believe that, a Happy New Year should mean a happy new ‘YOU’! There will be nothing new about the New Year if you are not going to change. Insanity in its simplest terms is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting to get a different result. Change your strategy in 2012.

Key #7: REKINDLE your ZEAL
Passion is the energy of achievers. To maximize 2012, you will have to cultivate passion for your dreams. Remove things that de-motivate you and fire yourself up for accomplishments. YOU WILL SUCCEED!