The Power of an Excuse is Deadening

 John 8:31-32 (KJV)
³¹  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
³²  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

An excuse is an attempt to justify one's actions or lack of when responsibility called for a different response. It's the verbal re-engineering in redefining the moral expectations on one's life. We may know the standard expected of us but we make the exception for ourselves, due to a lack of resolve to correct the issues that are keeping us from fulfilling them.

Be careful of excuses. They turn off the faucet for future growth. Why? Because excuses cause inward atrophy. Look at the following found in the US National Library of Medicine

Disuse atrophy occurs from a lack of physical activity. In most people, muscle atrophy is caused by not using the muscles enough. People with seated jobs, medical conditions that limit their movement, or decreased activity levels can lose muscle tone and develop atrophy. This type of atrophy can be reversed with exercise and better nutrition. Bedridden people can have significant muscle wasting. Astronauts who are away from the Earth's gravity can develop decreased muscle tone after just a few days of weightlessness.

Excuses are verbal shields that protect areas of unwanted change. After awhile of practicing a lifestyle of excuses we actually lose the ability to change due to the atrophy of inward fortitude to make a move to change. The pain incurred in trying to go back to the gym of truth and begin the reconstruction of a healthy spiritual life is too much of a price to pay for most unfortunately. However the temporal pain required for the lasting change is worth it. We all know the famous adage "No pain No gain!"

Excuses temporarily numb the senses to the impending problem my deficiency is creating or causing. Confronting the problem head-on shortens the journey time to success.Simply be honest with yourself. If we were as finicky about our own lives as we are of others... we would be further ahead.

James 1:22 (KJV)
²²  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Pray today that God will open our eyes and give us the courage to face our insecurities and turn us into people of great integrity letting the Word set us free in every area. God bless you!!!! 

Stop Doing This so you can Start Doing That

We often hear of things we need to do in order for us to create a better opportunity and future but there are things to stop doing that will create a prosperous future. In other words, no one can go back and start a new beginning but we can start today and make a new ending.

Stop running from problems!
It's not easy to face things but through Christ you can overcome challenges and experience the development of spiritual muscle. Building a habit of facing adversity creates a momentum towards maturity that brightens the light of witness beyond the average. The pain in the change from one level of maturity to another must be deemed worth it if I am going to grow.

Stop looking to others for happiness!
You have to possess the true source of happiness in your own life first - Jesus Christ. When he is your source of satisfaction, then stability and spiritual equilibrium becomes a place of solid footing for your life. Healthy communication with the Lord and daily practice of his principles results in an inward satisfaction being filled by God himself.

Stop letting others bring you down to their level!
Don't lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs. Many times we can spend wasted moments in being drawn into conversations, arguments, and debates that accomplish nothing in a positive way. Actually, the opposite happens and we drop to their level and lose the distinctiveness of Christ that sets us apart from those without him.

Stop being unthankful!
Regardless how good or bad you have it, learn to wake up each day thankful for your life.  Somewhere in the world a person is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you do have.

Philippians 4:4-6
⁴  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
⁵  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
⁶  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Once you stop the bad - now fill the vacuum with good! You will be glad you did. Your way will become prosperous.

Joshua 1:8
⁸  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Pride answers by deception - Humility answers by truth

Dr. Reuben Egolf

 James 1:22 (KJV)
²²  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

We often think of deception being perpetrated from one person to another but usually not in the form of deceiving ourselves. I have often wondered how does a person do that. I mean, certainly one would know that they are lying to themselves. At least it seems to be a logical conclusion but yet it happens more this way than one deceiving another.

Pride is the most powerful force in the kingdom of darkness. It can filter everything and reshape it to justify my actions, thoughts, and motives, as long as self is benefited and not inconvenienced. Ultimately it creates a world in my mind that God is not needed and if things go wrong, then it's justifiable to blame him and it keeps me from dealing with my irresponsibility. Pride requires no change or adjustment in my life to come up to God's standard of living. It is the greatest excuse manufacturer there is.

Howard Butt, a well-known Christian layman, puts it this way:

It's my pride that makes me independent of God. It's appealing to feel that I am the master of my fate. I run my own life. I call my own shots. I go it alone. But that feeling is my basic dishonesty. I can't go it alone, I have to get help from other people. And I can't ultimately rely on myself. I'm dependent on God for my very next breath. It's dishonest of me to pretend that I'm anything but a man, small, weak, and limited. 

Humility looks in the mirror of self and sees with accuracy the depleted and strengthless  abilities of a human-being torn by sin's number one quality of pride. It produces a cry from deep within the human soul for relief from this bondage and imprisonment. In its desperation it accepts God's way of deliverance through the blood of Jesus, and when the will responds in obedience, the Lord's power is immediately dispatched to change the person.

Now when it looks in the mirror it sees a frail person but able to do ALL things through Christ who provides the strength!!! Remember, it's not a regimen, rituals, or religious steps to success, but it is through Christ and Him alone.

Romans 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.