Pastor Mark's Blog

If you feel that your life is hectic and stressful DON’T PANIC. Andrew Lock helps business owners get more done and enjoy it at the same time. Here are the six specific points that he uses that I do believe will be a big help to us all as we journey through 2013.

1) Do one thing at a time.
Many people view multi tasking as a positive skill, but the truth is that it can be counterproductive as we try to become a jack of all trades but end up being the master of none. Instead, why not look at focussing fully on one task at a time?

2) Evaluate your commitments.
Learn to give a positive NO to non essential demands on your time. It will actually help you to focus on the things that you should be doing.

3)Staff your weaknesses.
Stop spending your life on trying to improve what you are useless at; instead, spend your time doing what you were cut out to do. Over and above that, find someone else, then they will flourish doing what they also do best

4) Don’t worry about tomorrow.
Worry is worthless and changes nothing apart from turning you into a nervous wreck. Most of what we worry about never happens anyway. Worry saps today’s energy when we should be using it to help others. The Bible says that tomorrow will have enough worries of its own. Deal with tomorrow, tomorrow.

5) Don’t let work pile up.
If you keep putting things off then you will continually carry a heavy back pack of things to do. The more you put things off, the less likely you will ever be able to do them. Don’t be afraid to ask for help to get you motivated and get started.

6) Avoid people who talk to much.
Be particularly aware of people who are chatterboxes, and limit your time with them. Let them know how much time you have available before the start of the conversation. You’ll get a lot more done!

When our middle child Joshua was admitted to hospital as a toddler I wanted to stay close by his side at all times.

When the nurse came to take him to theatre, I was allowed to walk so far, but when we got outside the operating room, I was told that I couldn’t go any further. The big sign said AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY.

Not everyone can go where you are going

Not everyone can go where you need to go.

You cannot take everyone with you.

There’s not room for everyone in your life.

Primary school taught us to be friends with all.

Starting Secondary school taught us to say goodbye to some that we thought would be friends for life and at the same time taught us
to say hello to some new friends.
Starting work taught us the whole experience all over again.

What does life teach us?  That there is a natural cycle of leaving people behind in order to go and grow.

Leaving people behind doesn’t mean that you don’t like them, it just means that you are now moving in a different direction to them.   You may even meet them again along the way.

In Luke 8 v 40. – 56   Jesus was asked to go and pray for a girl that is sick.  When He arrived at the house she had died.  There are all kinds of people with all kind of emotions present as you can imagine.

Jesus only selected a few to be present in the room why?
Because the miracle couldn’t happen with them all present. Let’s ask Jesus 3 simple questions in this miraculous account.

Who can’t come with you?

Those who speak doubt…….they will talk you out of it.

Those who allow emotion to get in the way……….they will hold you back from it.

Those that laugh at you……they will cause you to talk yourself out of it.

If you expect to accomplish everything that God has for your life then learn to leave some people behind. Nasty? No – necessary.

If you don’t, you will flounder and not flourish. You will survive but you won’t thrive.

Remember – not everyone is authorised to go with you to your next destination.

On a recent trip, I stayed in the home of a Pastor and his family. During the very first night I was awoken at midnight by the loud chiming of the village Church clock. Laying awake for the next hour, I heard it chime every fifteen minutes.
Eventually I drifted back off to sleep, only to wake again at 3, 4, 5 and 6 as it chimed away it’s hourly tune.
The next morning I enquired around the breakfast table as to how far away the Church clock was, to which the Pastor replied, “Oh, does it still work? I haven’t heard it for years”…… enough said.

Over- familiarity causes us to become deaf and blind to the things that matter most. We listen but we don’t hear, we look but we don’t see.
In Mark Chapter 6,  it tells us that Jesus could do no mighty miracles in His home town, because of the people’s unbelief – why?
Was it not because that they had become so familiar with the young guy that was Mary & Joseph’s son, that they were unable to see that the Son of God was standing in their midst.

Have you become so innoculated with a ‘non powerful’ Jesus, that you are immune to His power to save, heal & deliver?  Look and listen again………He’s right here.

Never underestimate the power of a step.

Steps of faith belong to us – miracles belong to God

The powerful story of Joseph from the Bible illustrates this clearly.

The dream that Joseph had, DIDN’T just happen because he held onto his dream BUT because he also took steps towards his dream.

The sky was the limit because of his faithfulness in the steps that he took.

4 steps that Joseph took to seeing his dream fulfilled.

1) He did well for Potiphar – Pharoahs official. Genesis 39 v 1-6

2) He did well for the jailor v 21-23

3) He did very well for the butler and the baker Genesis 40 v 1 ff

4) He did superbly well for Pharaoh. Genesis 41 v 15-16

STEPS belong to us – but success belongs to God – Psalm 37 v 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

Here are 4 common mistakes that dreamers make;

1) They never stay around long enough for anything to take root. In other words they never start making small steps so that their dream becomes a reality. They get disheartened and move onto something else. Stick around.

2) They become paralyzed by their dream.

The gulf between the dream and reality overwhelms them. Start to step out and narrow the gap.

3) They fail to seed their dream. What are you doing right now with what you’ve got ? Joseph interpreted other peoples dreams long before before he came to fulfil his own. Look for opportunities to serve right now.

4) They grow impatient with their dream.

Remember……….every overnight success is at least 20 years in the making. For Joseph it was 17 years and for countless others it will be the same or longer.
Success came because at each step he successfully navigated his life and pointed it towards his future.

Each step that joseph took looked like a backward step but was actually a step closer to his breakthrough.

Is it time to take some steps towards your future?

Start to put yourself where you see yourself.  Faith without works is dead.