cheering on ourselves We should be able to be happy for people when they succeed. Even if they are about to surpass us, we should cheer them on. Forty thousand fans were on hand in the Oakland stadium when Rickey Henderson tied Lou Brock’s career stolen-base record. According to USA Today, Lou Brock, who had left baseball in 1979, had …

Topic: The Habit of Adding Value to Others Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, Make Me Feel Important. Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life. Mary Kay Ash Every one of us needs encouragement on a regular basis. I believe one of the greatest …

Topic: God speaks to you personally through His Word. One clear way God speaks to you personally is through His written Word, for it contains His truth and inspiration. As Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). When you allow the …

The Power of “I Am” Lacy was a beautiful young lady who seemed to have everything going for her. She was smart, attractive, and came from a loving family. As we visited in the lobby after a service, she was friendly and had a pleasant personality. I thought if anybody would be happy, it would be her. But I soon …

Topic:Prayer and Confidence Prayer is a major part of our life as children of God, and we must pray with confidence that God hears and wants to meet our needs and right desires. God doesn’t want us to approach Him timidly, fearfully, and without confidence. He instructs us to come boldly to His throne to ask for what we need …

Topic: God uses many means to communicate His will. Samuel was one of the mightiest prophets in the Old Testament, but even he had to learn how to hear God’s voice. In Samuel’s case, he heard God speak to him through his physical ears. God used this same form of direct revelation to communicate His will to Abraham (see Genesis …

Topic: Be Aggressive in Your Approach to Life True godly aggression begins in the inner man. Be bold and aggressive, approaching each day with confidence, expecting to be successful in whatever you do that day. If we have a quiet, confident inner attitude, we will never have any problem doing what we need to do. Confidence is not a feeling …

Topic:The extent to which you identifywith Christ will determine what you hear God say to you. The extent to which you identify with Christ will determine, in part, what you hear God say to you. If you are truly seeking to become more like Him, and striving to make Him the Lord of your life, you are going to hear …

Topic: Make a Decision I urge you to make a decision that you will not be a timid, insecure, doubtful person, but that you will be confident. When I am ministering to crowds of people, I have to just decide to be confident no matter how I might feel. I cannot always discern from watching people if they approve of …

Topic: Nothing is more urgent,necessary, or rewarding than listening to God. One of the most important lessons you can learn is how to listen to God. In your complex and hectic life, nothing is more urgent, more necessary, or more rewarding than hearing what God has to say to you in the moment and responding to it with an obedient …