598: The Month Ahead

I trust you had a blessed Resurrection Day celebration and that you are ready to continue to make room for resurrection power in your life on a daily basis. I just completed a month-long study of time management principles in my daily devotional, and today I begin a month-long series on organization, the fourth of my five Gold Mine Principles. Permit me to share with you some of the highlights of what I learned and how I will apply that in the coming month.

THE MONTH AHEAD  

1. I am working on four book projects that I want to complete this month. When I think of them, I get intimidated and even overwhelmed. So I am controlling my self-talk to manage my anxiety, and I am encouraging myself that I can do all things through Christ who helps me.  I am counting on His help.
2. I teach four college classes in April on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights and one on Saturday morning. I have never taught three of these classes. I am counting on God's help so I can prepare and deliver so that the students are impacted and changed.
3. I preach three times in the next five weekends in a total of 11 services. God will help me as He always has to speak through me to His people.
4. I faciliate The Pacific Institute IIE seminar two days this month. Those are all-day presentations, along with one all-day faculty meeting. God will provide me the grace to do well and help those present learn and apply the principles.

All this is in addition to my pastoral duties, my nine radio show, 30 daily devotionals, five weekly Monday Memo, and two regular online Bible studies from Romans and other projects and assignments that will undoubtedly present themselves for attention this month.

THE KEY

The key for the month of April will be to control my fear and ask God to ''stop the sun" just like Joshua did in Joshua 10. I am trusting the Lord for the time and energy to carry out the things I believe He wants me to do. As I mentioned in all four items above, I am counting on God's help. Now is the time for the truth of Philippians 4:13 to flow through my life: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Now if I can attempt all these things in April, what more can you do?  You don't have to do the same things as I or as many things, but I am certain you can do more things than you are planning right now. Don't quote Philippians 4:13 and then have an April iike every other April. Apply the resurrection life we celebrated yesterday to your schedule and write the poetry, compose the song, go back to school or visit your family in that resurrection power.

I am challenged by the April ahead, but I am confident in God, and not my own capabilities.  Yet I am prepared to do my part, which is trust Him and apply myself, and then trust Him for the rest. And I will report back to you the first Monday in May to let you know how we (God and I) did for the month.  Have a blessed week and month ahead.

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EXCITING KENYA UPDATE: You don't want to miss this exciting update on little Mary as she sets out for her new boarding school. I have read it many times already, and I helped write it!  After you have read, allow resurrection power to flow through your giving either by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882 or using my website. Thank you for your help, and of course, Mary thanks you, too.

A NEW PAGE: I have added a new page to my website that contains many of my spoken messages from the past along with my archived Saturday morning radio shows. This is my gift to you, made possible in large part by my son's untiring efforts to convert many of my old messages from cassette to MP3 files. Thank you J3!  I hope you find things on this page that are helpful to you.  I will update it from time to time as we convert other messages and as the radio show continues to gain momentum here locally.

Comments

[Kimsuzanne]

Wow, Dr. J,

YOU have a very busy month! You are right that you could not do that in your own strength but only God could help you.

You will have to share some of your tips to time management.

I have an accountability prayer partner. We pray each day for each other's needs...we have seen God do the miraculous!

We will be praying for you...blessings to all those you teach, they will be blessed to learn the important life lessons you have studied and applied to your life as a genuine Servant Leader who has wisdom and humility.

Blessings to you, my brother in Christ,

kim