Have you ever did something that you had never done before and you did not know how it would end?  It takes faith to do that.  It takes faith to step out of your comfort zone or to think outside of the box.  You might be successful right now but imagine how successful you would be if you stuck your neck out and went an extra mile and took a risk.  If God has given you a word, move on it!  Don’t let the door of opportunity pass you bye because it may not come your way again.

If you want to enjoy a greater measure of success than you have never known, you must do the following:

1) Give over and above what is expected

2) Don’t make excuses

3) Expect to experience things beyond your understanding

4) Plan on some dark days

5) Focus on the big picture

Some people just can’t go the extra mile.  They are content on doing just enough to get by but God has great plans for you.  His plans include giving you hope and a future.  Are you willing to do what it takes to get there?  Are you willing to do more than you have ever done before?  Are you willing to deal with people that might be a little different but are able to teach you what you need to know?  Most important, are you willing to persevere through the tough times until you reach your goal?  Keep your eyes on the Lord and allow Him to take you where you have never been.

The life journey of any boy, girl, man or woman who has received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior must be rooted and grounded on the principle of faith.  Without faith it is impossible to please God and pleasing God opens the door to live under His blessings.

The world cannot understand God and the things of God so they are blinded to a fundamental truth that the body of Christ stands on.  Faith allows a believer to look not at the things he/she can see, but to look at those things they cannot see.  Faith separates and divides the world as it did in the days that Jesus Christ walked on this earth.  Your belief system dictates how you live your life and how you respond to the challenges that you face on a day to day basis.  Believers know that nothing is impossible with God and believe that no matter what happens, all things will work together for their good. Faith brings hope and hope brings trust and trusting someone who created this universe leaves no room for fear – fear of anything.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, you can call on  the name of the Lord and He will answer you.  You will find that your life has meaning and purpose and you will begin a journey that will lead you to the ultimate gift of eternal life.  It only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to begin this process.  Grab this opportunity and join the millions of other believers who possess the key to life.

There is a story about a little boy who went into a country store and on the counter was a glass jar containing jelly beans.  He walks up to the counter and stares at the jar with a hungry look on his face.  The store owner tells the boy to put his hand in the jar and take a handful but the boy politely says ‘no thanks.’  The store owner insists that the boy take a handful but again he declines.  Finally, the story owner puts his own hand into the jar and pulls out a handful and gives it to the boy.  The boy runs back to his mother who was shopping and shows her all the jelly beans he was given.  The mother asks the boy why didn’t he just take a handful when the owner told him to and the boy replied ‘his hands are bigger than mine.’

You might have some degree of success in life doing things by yourself but how much more could you receive from the hands of God?  God’s hands are bigger than yours and imagine what it would be like if you lived with His favor on your life?  If you look for ways to sow a seed, not only financially, but by helping someone in need you will have God’s favor.  If you are obedient and if you live with an understanding heart, you will also have God’s favor.  If you live with an attitude of humility and briddle your tongue, you will please God and if you associate yourself with people of integrity, your life will be one that positions you for God’s blessings.

Many Christians have the misconception that they are supposed to be poor but nothing could be further from the truth.  God wants to bless you with more than enough.  Remember when Jesus fed the 5,000 and they had 12 basketfuls of left-overs?  If God wanted you to live with just enough, He would not have provided so much when Jesus prayed and asked His Father to bless the little He had.  Jabez prayed for God to bless him and to enlarge his territory and God did just that.  God wants to increase you – not decrease you or withhold from you those things you desire in your heart.  Pray as Jabez did, sincerely and honestly and watch God open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing to you that you cannot contain.

Let your life and the condition of your heart attract God’s attention and He will do more than you could ask or think.  You will walk in the favor of God and enjoy the presence of God all the days of your life.

Society judges us on what we look like, or in other words, on our appearance and that goes for popularity, money and what we do for a living.  God, on the other hand, judges us by what is in our heart.  Your integrity is much more important to God than what you look like or how much money you have or what position you hold.  Looks don’t define who you are; how much money you have doesn’t begin to tell the story, and your job only tells us what you do.  None of these tell the real story of who you really are.  You could be an attractive person with lots of money but have a heart made of stone.  The things you do and the words you speak all come from what is in your heart.  If you love people and care about them, you will help them whenever you can.  You will speak kind words to them and you will make yourself available when called upon.  You don’t have to look good or have a lot of money to have a heart filled with love like your heavenly Father.

The heart is God’s measuring stick.  The Bible tells us that God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts, and if you want to please God, you should always be mindful of what is in your heart.  Your heart controls what you do and what you say.  If your heart is evil, you will think evil thoughts and do evil things.  If your heart is filled with love, you will be a vessel and allow the love of God to flow through you to the world around you.

People can’t see your heart but God can.  Take some time to get alone with God and ask him if there is anything in your heart that he disapproves of.  Ask God to create in you a clean heart and to renew a right spirit within you.  If you do, he will answer you and help you to become like David and be known as a person after God’s own heart!