Author: reggie.hinton

In the verse cited above, Joshua compels the Israelites to make a choice.  The options are clear – choose the Lord, or choose something different.  Looking at the conclusion of his statement, the choice for Joshua was clear – he and his family would serve the Lord.

This verse features a classic decision – choosing between right and wrong.  I’ve discovered, however, that the choices we face are often more complex.  It’s not simply right versus wrong; sometimes, it’s good versus good.  What do you do when faced with this kind of choice?  How do you decide between two competitive job offers?  How do you choose between several great educational opportunities?

I’ve been asked this question a lot recently, and my answer is simple: choose the option that yields the greatest long-term benefit.  That’s what Joshua did in the verse cited above.  He realized that choosing something other than God would lead to short-lived, if any, success.  None of the other options offered greater long-term benefit than serving the Lord!

If you’re facing two good choices, I challenge to you choose the option that yields the greatest long-term benefit.  Think about who you are and where you’re headed, long-term.  Then, choose the option that gets you closest to where you’re headed.

Thought to Consider:
Here are some questions to consider as you determine which decision is the best between two good options:

1. Who are you?  Which opportunity aligns best with who you are?
2. Where are you ultimately trying to go?  Which opportunity will get you closer to your destiny?
3. Which option is God leading you to take?
4. Which option will you regret most if you don’t take it?

Have you ever been excited about something, only to experience something that lets the “air out of your balloon”?  Maybe you set a financial savings goal, and just as you built momentum toward it, an unexpected expense occurred.  Maybe you were positioning yourself to advance professionally, when all of sudden, a rumor circulated that sabotaged your integrity.  Or, maybe you were in a situation like Hezekiah.  He had resolved to be all God desired, and the enemy (King Sennacherib) showed up to suspend his progress.

These moments, especially when we’re moving toward the destiny God has decreed, are intentional.  Our adversary, Satan, meddles in our affairs to make us stop pursuing God.  He wants us to be so discouraged that we stop believing that we can achieve what God has revealed.

So, how should you respond to the attacks designed to stop you?  The answer is simple: yield, don’t stop.  Yield to the Spirit long enough to get instructions, and keep moving forward.  Don’t let obstacles stop you.  Yield to God, and like Hezekiah, you’ll be victorious!

Thought to Consider:
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.  yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever (2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT)

One of my favorite sayings is as follows: opportunities of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.  While we desire to seize every golden opportunity, often, the opposite is true.  When presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, we tend to convince ourselves that we’re unworthy, unqualified, or unready.  When these opportunities have been decreed by God, our hesitation can have destiny-altering consequences.

Contrary to our self-defeating thoughts, God embraces our potential when providing great opportunities.  Just think about all of the people He used in the Bible, including His twelve disciples mentioned in this excerpt from Mark.  None of them were “ready,” per se, for the task He revealed.  Most, in fact, had no formal training in the task He called them to.  Still, He called them, because they had the potential to be all that He desired.

If you’re at the crossroads of an awesome opportunity with God, let me encourage you: you’re ready!  God doesn’t look for perfect people; He looks for people with the potential to be transformed while He uses them.  If you’re not all that you think you should be, then you have left just enough room for God to be all that He is through you.  You’re ready!

Thought to Consider:
God is too wise to make a mistake.  If He’s calling you, then He already knows you will succeed!

If you’ve seen the latest Superman movie, Man of Steel, then you may recall this scene.  Superman and his earthly family were stuck in a traffic jam because of an incoming tornado.  As people were rushing to safety, someone left his or her dog behind.  Superman’s dad rescued the dog, but he got trapped in the vehicle.  As Superman prepared to save the day, his dad discouraged him, as if to say the time to reveal his power had not arrived.  Needless to say, Superman was frustrated, because he knew he had the power to make a difference.

Sometimes we feel like Superman.  We know we’re gifted, but something seems to hinder us from releasing our full potential.  In the verse cited above, however, Jesus assures us that our time will come.  The Scripture to which Jesus was referring (see Luke 4:18-19) had been declared many years earlier.  But, in the moment the passage featured with this email occurred, Jesus’ words are certain: now is the time!

I want to encourage you – now, it’s your time.  Now is the time for you to manifest all of the gifts, dreams, and ideas that God has given to you.  Use what God has given you to make a difference in the world.  It’s your time!

Thought to Consider:
Are you ready to be all that God wants you to be?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or under pressure because of things you needed to complete?  You can be so consumed by your task list that life literally passes you by.  Worst, you can have so much on your mind that you lose sleep.

By nature, we’re all a little ambitious; if we’re presented with a challenge, we try to conquer it.  But, who said you have to conquer all of your challenges in a day?  Reading the creation story again made me reconsider how quickly I need to get things done.  Think about it.  God could have created the entire world in a day, yet, He took six days to do it.  If God, the pinnacle of wisdom, spread His tasks out over several days, then why shouldn’t we?

Sometimes, it’s OK to take things one day at a time.  When you slow down a little, you can complete things more thoroughly.  And, at the end of each day, you can look back on what you did and appreciate your progress.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you may need to follow God’s lead.  Enjoy life one day at a time.  Break large tasks down into small projects.  And, as you complete the small projects, take a little time and appreciate your progress.
Thought to Consider:
Do you need to slow down?