"Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men." -Colossians 3:23

It is human nature to want to impress other people.  It is not necessarily human nature to want to impress God.  

Lord, help me to value You more than I value the opinion of others.

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life."  John 5:24 

Knowing isn't enough.  We need to believe.  Belief exists when our actions line up with what we know.

Lord, help me put my knowledge of You into action.

"[My goal] is to know Him and the power of His resurrection..."   Philippians 3:10a

You can't achieve what you don't know you want.

Lord, help me to want this and to set worthy goals like this.

"For His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3 

We may think we need more or even deserve more.  God has given us everything.  It is up to us to recognize His great gifts and to use them for His purposes and we will be blessed.

Lord, thank you for providing and help me to recognize.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:11-13

My plans don't sound this good, nor are they executed this well.

Lord, help me rely on your plans more than mine.

"Without revelation people run wild."  Proverbs 29:18

​That moment when the "light bulb" goes on and you realize a truth that has escaped you until that exact moment.  We have all had that "AH HA" moment or time of revelation.  Why do they happen?  When do they happen?  They most often happen when we least expect them.  They happen when we are relaxed and are not trying too hard.  They happen when we are "ready".  We are able to have a lot more "AH HA" moments and time of revelation when we relax more (ie - trust God more) and when we don't try too hard (ie - allow God to work through us). 

Lord, allow me to trust You more and realize that it is You who accomplish things through me and not me on my own.    

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.  Psalm 143:10

It's okay if I don't know because I am not expected to know everything.  I am, however, expected to ask God who actually does know everything.  

Lord, thank you for always being there to teach me and to guide me and to help me find the right answers toward Your will for my life.

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time." 1 Peter 5:6

"Fake News" gets a lot of press (pun intended).  "Fake Fame" isn't as popular a phrase (as I may have just invented it).  "Fake Fame" refers to everyone who has a Snapchat or Instagram or Twitter account and then incorrectly believe that by merely posting something, that they are now famous.  The fact is that they are not famous, but merely that other people are simply bored or easily influenced.  One of the unfortunate byproducts of "Fake Fame" is that people falsely believe that they have a skill or gift or something of value and fail to see that they have nothing of value other than an account name or that anything we have that has true value comes from God, and acknowledging that is more important than the number of followers we have.

Lord, anything I have comes from You and anything worth having also comes from You.

and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills  Exodus 31:3

Our worth is not in what we do.  We are not simply defined as being great athletes or genius students or rich or famous.  Our worth is in our value that we hold to this world.  And our value is great as God has given us an abundance.  It is up to us to realize that we have value and then to use those valuable skills for His purposes which makes us priceless in God's eyes.

Lord, thank you for all that you have given to me, which make me worth a lot and please help me to remember that fact when things don't go my way.

"Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good."  Romans 12:21

​Two primary strategies in sport.  Be assertive and offense minded and try to score.  Or be defensive and keep others from scoring.  They say "Defense wins Championships".  The also say that "Prevent defense only prevents one thing ... it prevents you from winning".  To win you must score.  To win you must be offense minded and intentional and assertive and "go at" the opponent with confidence.  Defense also needs to be intentional.  Sitting back on your heals and waiting for the other team to come at you is much different than forcing the opponent out of their game.

Lord, help me to realize that I am not a victim but I am called to be intentional about overcoming my circumstances with the tools you have given me.