Are you a good planner?  Do you thrive on arranging and mapping out the trip ahead?  What about long-term planning?  Are you planning for your future?  Do you have a retirement plan in mind?

Although it is good to plan and save for the future, keep in mind that God's word advises us to be planners for reasons beyond building a savings account, etc.

Being a good planner also means being a good steward of your money, or should I say, God's money that He's entrusted you with.

As you go about your day today planning for tomorrow, don't forget about something more important than planning our life here on earth, and that is, planning for eternity.

Put God first.  Tell God your desires.  Trust and have faith that God will be with you now and into your future.  Don't leave God out of your plans.

Proverbs 14:22 – "Do not those who plot evil go astray?  But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness."

Did you know that the number one fear in life for most people is the fear of public speaking?  I can relate to this fear.  For most of my life I've felt inadequate to speak in a public setting.  I blamed it on my shyness or uneducated vocabulary.  If I'm honest, that fear still creeps into my world every now and then.

But, I don't need to stay this way.   I admit it can be a little scary.  After all, Moses felt these same feelings, but God used him anyway.

Prayer is crucial in overcoming the fear of public speaking.  Prayer helps you overcome fear.

God will equip us for whatever we need, even words to speak.  So, pray about God's purpose when you speak.  Speak boldly and with confidence, knowing that God created you and will give you the tools needed to speak to an audience of one, or an audience of 1000.

Luke 12:11-12 – "And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Often when a man and woman get married, they assume that the other will some day meet all their needs.  It soon becomes clear that this analogy will probably not happen.

So, why do we fall into the trap of depending on other people to meet our needs when we have the Creator of the Universe ready and available to meet all our needs?

We're fallen humans is the answer to the above question. 

God knows what we need and He is always faithful in His promises.  But, it is also based on whether the need we're asking for is according to His Will.  This is where some Christians get discouraged.  They think that since God is God, He will meet all my needs and give me whatever I ask.

Be careful my friends.  God is God and He will supply our every need, ONLY according to His Will for our lives.

Don't look for your spouse to meet your needs.  Rely on God!

Philippians 4:19 – "And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

I love receiving gifts of any kind.

But, have you considered the gifts from God? 

Gifts from God are special abilities provided by the Holy Spirit to Christians for the purpose of building up the body of Christ.  God calls us to obediently serve Him and He will equip us with whatever gifts of the Spirit we need to accomplish the task or tasks He has called us to.

The greatest gift that God has ever given us is His Son.  He gave up His only Son so that we may have life and have it abundantly.

Use your spiritual gifts today to strengthen others and thank God for His only Son who gave us life.  Enjoy this free gift today!

Ephesians 2:8 – "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."

There is more than one kind of pride. There is a pride that God hates and the kind of pride we can feel about a job well done or the kind of pride we feel over an accomplishment from another person. The pride that brings out a self-righteous attitude is sin and God hates it.

Pride can keep a person from many things, even accepting Jesus as their Savior.

We shouldn’t go around boasting on our own self, or saying to others, “Look at me.” If we are to boast, it should be about God’s power and the fact that He saved us from a wrath of darkness and torment.

Give God credit today. Anything and everything you accomplish in this life is because of God’s grace, His power and His mercy.

Giving into pride will only misconstrue your outlook on life. God gave us this life, to live for Him, not ourselves.

Think about the image you’re portraying to others. Take pride in Christ, not your own achievements.

Proverbs 21:29 - “The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways.”

Grace is given by God, to each of us, every day. This is God's unmerited favor. This grace is not deserved or can't be earned by any one of us.

We can grow strong in God's grace when we understand His unconditional forgiveness. Then, we can extend this act towards others.

To grow strong in grace, we must develop a deeper, more personal appreciation for what Christ did for us on the cross. Christ died for each one of us. No one deserves this much love and grace, but Jesus did it because He loves us, unconditionally.

So, when other people irritate you or treat you wrong, think of Jesus and His sacrifice for each one of us, even though we rejected Him.

Let others see the love of Christ in you. Extend grace today!

Ephesians 4:29 – "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Evangelism is often interpreted as an attempt to manipulate someone into believing in God. Because of this, it can be a challenge to talk to others about our faith.

Evangelism Explosion is a group that I belong to at church and tonight we're starting back for the next season. For those of you who know me personally, know that I'm not typically an extravert, but quite the opposite. Because of this group (E.E.), and because of God's Holy Spirit, I have fun sharing my faith and watching others come to Christ.

E.E. begins with prayer, asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit on both the messenger and the person being ministered to.

Evangelism is telling your story of faith and the goodness of God.

Try it out today. Share your faith and watch your own life with Christ grow and be blessed.

1 Peter 3:15 – "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,"

Most of us have our calendars, daily reminders, thought-out schedules that we live our lives by.  That's all good, but what happens when someone or something throws a kink in the plans?  Do we scramble to rearrange our next meeting or cancel everything to take care of a catastrophe? 

Proverbs 16:9 says "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

Plans are good, don't get me wrong, but just because we've done our planning doesn't guarantee our goals will be met.  If we're smart, we'll leave room for God to guide us through the plans.

I've learned through my walk with God that the best of my plans may not be His will, the plans that He's designed for me.  So, when my plans don't go as I want, my only option is to ask, "God, what is your will in this situation?"

Don't fret if things don't work out.  Focus on Christ and honor Him and He will give us the best results for ourselves, eternal results.