Step Away From the Blender

Milan Ford

I'm pretty confident that what I am about to share with you is going to make you laugh. But, I pray it will also make you think as well. So please be prepared to do both.

I'll never forget an email I received one day from a friend of mine who was struggling with the terms of a New Year's fast and consecration her church had recently begun.

Although she was a devoted believer, and understood fully the importance of fasting, she honestly did not know if she was going to make it through the entire journey.

This is what she sent me:

"Milan, this may sound crazy, but I came real close to putting a piece of chicken in my blender the other night. Not to sure if I can keep up this liquid-only thing. Pray for me..."

{Insert Big Laugh Here}
Although I'm sure you'll agree with me that her email was a bit extreme, I can't help but wonder how many of us as believers, now only a few days into the New Year, have already given up on some goals we set out to accomplish this year?

Are we really (as believers) this undisciplined?

This year, what bad habit have you already returned to that you know you need to get rid of?

Or have you returned to a relationship you know God has already told you to leave alone?

And after all the pep talk many of us received on New Year's Eve, are you still going to sit back and believe that your boss, your spouse, or some wrinkled up bank receipt is going to control your destiny in God?

Again I ask: Are we really (as believers) this undisciplined?

I realize this phrase may be getting a little old now, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway.

Happy New Year Everyone!
It is now 2010. It is time to move beyond where you were last year.

I refuse to allow myself, my family, or anyone within my reach, settle for less than what God has already empowered them to accomplish this year. And neither should you.

So, just in case you're feeling a bit discouraged today, and have already begun to cast doubt on some of the goals you had set for this year, feel free to read this over and over again today.

And please. If you don't do anything else...

STEP AWAY FROM THE BLENDER.

Saddle Up

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Milan Ford

Well, here we are. Today is Thursday, December 31st.
The very last day of the year 2009. And what a year it was.

It seems like only yesterday that many of us joined up with millions of people across the nation this time last year to gather inside of our respective local churches for some form of New Year’s Eve or Watch Night Service. And although there are times when the variations of our church annual themes and proclamations can make God sound a bit schizoid to the ears of the unbeliever, for the most part, many of us heard a message that evening about the significance of the year 2009.

2009. The year of (yep, that’s right)…
…New Beginnings.

From areas of relationships to finance, issues of health and areas of leadership, the hope for a New Beginning was indeed high on the hearts and minds of believers both young and old this year.

Now I am not in any way what you call the greatest practitioner of biblical numerology, but last year around this time, I remember doing a little research about the significance of the number nine (9).

What I found was actually very interesting. The number nine (9) literally means: to bring to an end. In fact, in one instance, I found that the number (9) means: to bring a judgment (or conclusion) to. I think I’ll repeat that one more time…

To bring to an end.
To bring to a conclusion.
To bring a judgement to.

Those aren’t exactly the kind of words people pack out a sanctuary or tear up a few pews in order to hear at the beginning of a new year. New Year phrases like ‘the year of divine favor,’ or ‘the year of a new beginning’ tend to have a better ring to them.

About a month or so ago, I heard probably one of the most powerful faith statements I had ever heard in my life. It is one that I pray becomes a staple for every believer reading this devotional today as we prepare for the beginning of a new year.

“God’s sovereignty does not excuse our apathy.”

While I realize we all are looking forward to a great harvest in 2010, please know that this harvest in many respects will be a result of the seeds we have sown throughout 2009.

2009 (for many of us) should have been a year to put an end to our excuses. A year that you and I should have ceased from blaming any oppressor (spiritual or natural) from hindering us from accomplishing the goals and dreams we set out for earlier this year.

2009 was not a year to be lazy. Or vulnerable. This year (for many of us) should have been a year that many of us for the first time in our lives became (sorry for the dirty word here)...responsible.

On tonight, be careful not to become too consumed with asking God (yet again) to begin some new things in your life, without examining the things He has also told you to bring to an end this year.

You still have a few hours left to cancel some of those credit cards you know you need to stop using. A few hours left to ‘unfriend’ that person you know God has told you to stop chatting with online. A few hours left to email that proposal you’ve been sitting on now for weeks to your boss.

In fact, there’s even a few hours to call that relative of yours you know God has told you to apologize to and mend the relationship. It may be tough to do, but it is time to get it done.

I realize there are a plethora of scriptures many of us will probably be given on tonight concerning what God may have in store for us next year, but I want to give you one that my wife and I have already taken on as a personal challenge for our family throughout 2010.

It’s a dangerous one, so please don’t write it down if you’re not prepared for it just yet.

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with the horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5-6

Ladies and gentlemen, whether you and I are ready or not, 2010 is here. For many of us, this will be a year that many of the things we have prayed for throughout this year will come to pass. However, for those of us who are still holding on to things (and people) God has told us to get rid of, and for those of us who have allowed 2009 to be a year where our apathy and discontentment for where our lives are right now get the best of us, then what in the world are we going to do when the ‘horses’ arrive?

If God decides to bless you in 2010 with that ‘new job’ you’ve been asking for, are you prepared for it? If God decides to bless your business or church with incredible growth in 2010, did you position yourself properly this year to receive it? Or perhaps for some of you reading this today who are still waiting for God to send you a spouse, will you be able to identify him or her when they come, or is your focus still on holding on to those ‘safe alternatives’ from your past?

Family, enough is enough. No more excuses.
To be quite honest…I am tired of making them. And if you're like me, tired of hearing them too.

The horses…are here!! SADDLE UP.

Dare To Pray Boldly

Deshawn Snow

Dare to prophesy every blessing and promise He has for you. Studying what God's word says is crucial to your vision. The Bible says in Psalm 1, "But His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prosper."

You must meditate and constantly think on who God says you are. Make it a mantra that you repeat over and over and over in your mind. Tell yourself:

• "I can do all things through Christ."
• "I am more than a conqueror."
• "I am the head and not the tail."
• "I will receive power and the anointing."
• "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

When you start speaking these things, meditating on them and listening to who God says you are, you will begin to see your life change and your vision become a reality. When you do, get ready!

One New Year's Day, God woke me up in the middle of the night with the incredible vision of a multi-product project. Now, just a few months later, I have a character developed, my first book done, and am in the process of getting my storyboards and voice over track so that I can pitch the concept to networks. You see, faith without works is dead.

If you want to do something, start getting the training that you need. Surround yourself with pictures and other visual images so that you are reminded of your dream every day. Get in the right environment. Declare, "Father, thank you for giving me the creativity to do this thing. Thank you for bringing the right people in my life and let this touch people for your glory." Thank God in advance for what you believe He will do.

It's been said that success is when preparation meets opportunity. When opportunity comes, you want to be prepared. Take Oprah Winfrey, for example. She had a vision that she pursued. She did not let the abuse she went through - or the environment she was raised in - keep her from her goal. I imagine she had a dream, deep within her heart, to make a better life for herself.

Through her determination, she went from working part time at a local radio station to having her own nationally syndicated talk show, to becoming the head of a multi-media conglomerate. At the same time, she has donated and raised millions of dollars for charity.

But what would have happened if Ms. Winfrey had gotten comfortable midway on her journey? What if she hadn't had a large vision and didn't see each opportunity as preparation for something greater?
When asked what gave her the ability to accomplish it all, she answered that because of her tough childhood, and the pain she endured, she was made a very strong woman. Nothing today can shake her foundation.

What is your foundation?

No matter what has happened to you in life, God is your foundation. You are not your experiences in and of themselves. You are the product of them. God took you from one place and brought you to another. Remember where you come from, so that you are sure of where you're going.

Oprah Winfrey says, "I don't think of myself as a poor deprived, ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as someone who, from an early age, knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good." You can make good too. Just remember to:

• Meditate on his promises.
• Put some action behind your faith.
• Be prepared for your opportunity.
• Remember where you came from.