Deter

Do not be deterred. Do not be distracted. Do not lose focus. Distraction is a tactic of the enemy. The distractions may seem small at first. You might cancel an appointment or reschedule a meeting. You might oversleep. You might get stuck in traffic. Don’t be fooled. Keep moving forward one step at a time. There will always be a lot more reasons to give up than to press forward. Focus on the one thing. Streamline. Have tunnel vision. Recognize the trick to deter you.

Behold

There are over 1200 instances of the word, "behold" in the bible. There are over 1200 instances of God trying to get our attention in the bible. In Genesis, God used the word, "behold" to show Adam and Eve the garden of Eden. God used the word, "behold" to establish a covenant with Abraham and Noah. John used the word, "behold" to identify Jesus as the lamb of God.  What is God using to get your attention? What are you ignoring? What do you need to behold? 

When

When I get older...when I get married...when I have kids...when I get more money...when I have more time...when I get a better job...when I get a new car...when things lighten up...when the kids are gone...when I lose this weight. Our lives are filled with when's that double as excuses. We create obstacles before we ever get started. We are our own biggest enemies. We hinder our own progress. When does this endless cycle change? Now! Change your perspective. Change your mind. Change your attitude. When? Today. Do better. Be better. 

Virtue

Merit. Morals. Morality. Strength. Courage. Standards. All of these words come to mind when I think of virtue. My imagination takes me to the time of Ladies and Lords, a time when chivalry was the norm. The four classic cardinal virtues are temperance, prudence, courage, and justice. Christianity derives the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love from 1 Corinthians. Love being the greatest of these. What virtues do we esteem? Do we still have morals and standards or is chaos the norm? Do we not respect each other? Have we lost our virtue? Has it slipped away from us under the guise of being politically correct? How do we get it back? 

"Love means to love that which is unlovable; or it is no virtue at all." -Gilbert K. Chesterton

Favor

I'm not a gambler simply because I don't like to lose. I never spend more than twenty dollars. I don't play the lottery despite the fact my husband believes, "you have to be in it to win it." I find no thrills in losing money. I prefer rollercoasters and movies. A couple years back my church had a women's conference that made you confront your fears. It was called "Fearless." We held snakes, shot arrows, wore bright red lipstick, and a host of other things that might incite fear. I got my Katniss Everdeen on.( She was the protagonist of the Hunger Games series.) I shot arrows at big bright targets, and I must admit I wasn't that bad. I held a boa constrictor. I stared at myself in the mirror and did some mirror work. What I learned that night was that when you face your fears you allow the favor of God to enter your life. You see things differently. You begin to understand that fear happens when you lose focus. Just like Peter when he walked on water. You must face your fears, have faith, focus on God and walk in his favor. 

"May the odds be ever in your favor."- Hunger Games

Zeal

It's almost the end of the year and with the holidays just around the corner, most of us are on cruise control. We tend to be extremely lax concerning any goals we set earlier in the year because it seems like they won't be accomplished. We may feel defeated or discouraged because this year did not go as planned or maybe that's just me. I had big plans and high hopes. I set goals, and though I have not accomplished all of them, I did accomplish some. I learned a lot, grew a lot, and I am refocusing. I've got my second wind. The year is not over. I still have time and so do you. Find your zeal. Get back in the game and let's finish strong. 

Listen

Life is full of distractions that often cause us to lose focus on what really matters. We have jobs that blur the work-home line. We have parasitic relationships that drain our energy. We have white noise that drowns out our inner voice. We ignore physical signs and refuse to listen to our bodies. We rarely listen to our first mind, and we totally disregard our heart. Listen. Before it's too late. Listen to that small still voice. Listen to your body. Listen to your heart.