FEAR is the biggest enemy to your future.

It comes in many forms, mainly having to do with your future:  failure, rejection, lack, or death (to name a few).  Abram was mighty in battle yet his deepest fear was not having a successor.

How will you overcome the fears that limit you?            

Growth is first internal, then external.

Whatever your job, your business, your ministry, or your finances, you can grow beyond it this year. Change is inevitable, growth is optional.  Wouldn’t it feel good to CRUSH that invisible barrier you haven’t been able to penetrate?

This blog is somewhat of a confession.  Limits are my biggest weakness.  I over schedule, red-line, high performance everything.  As I come to the end of a year, I realize it. 

How can I change it this year?  “Margin.”

Where is “home?”  God is Home.

“Real” estate is not “real.” It is like a motel room.  This world is tangible but it is temporary.  Set your affection on the Person of God Himself and you will enter into true happiness.

Here are a few perspectives to keep your focus correct going into a New Year:

How would you like to sit down with Jesus Christ Himself for an “end of the year review?”  Don’t you wish He could coach you, challenge you, and change you for a greater year in 2018?

He did.  It is found in Revelation chapter two. 

All failure is foundational.  Whether it is your marriage, your ministry, or your money, it all comes down to one issue:  “foundation repair.”

Jesus said that a wise man “digs deep” and builds on a foundation.  A foolish man builds on the sand.

How do you repair your foundation?

Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon) just went over $100 billion in net worth this week.  That is more than the individual GDP of 146 out of 211 countries!

That’s ridiculous prosperity. 

How do you insure that your soul is prospering that well?

They call it the “baptism by fire.”  Fire is pressure.  Fire is refinement.  Fire transforms.

It may be happening to you.  Don’t worry, join the crowd. 

Here are some things to remember about this process of refinement:

Grief is real.  It doesn’t go away quickly.  It requires time, Scripture, and support.

One year ago this week, my son Jonathan lost a pre-born baby.  He and Angie’s journey included a “healing song” Jonathan wrote that has brought them through. 

Here are a few thoughts to help you in your journey of recovering from personal loss:

Temptation is real.  It is bigger than me, but not bigger than Christ.  He faced every temptation I do, yet was never defeated.

What were His three secrets to overcoming temptation?

Jesus said deception would be rampant in the final days of this age.  That deception will culminate in the “Beast” (the Antichrist) and the “False Prophet.” 

What are some of the warning signs of a false prophet, a “wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

What is your legacy?

It is not what you build or accomplish. It is your family, your sons, daughters, and grandchildren. 

You may not have children or grandchildren yet. They may be spiritual children and grandchildren, people you are fathering and mothering in their lives. The same principles apply.

Here are my top 5 secrets to successful grandparenting:

Everyone wants to be a great leader.  They try every book, conference, and seminar.  They pump themselves full of motivation.  They read and listen to the latest leadership strategy.

All good.  The missing ingredient of all of the above?  “Self-awareness.”  

ANGER seems to be at the root of the senseless violence confronting our nation today.

People are angry.  Many of them do not even know why.  Most of us have no clue how to deal with them. How would YOU deal with a monstrously angry person?

“Ask, seek, knock.”

I only casually read that simple prayer formula Christ taught.  Somehow, I never realized that it can describe three very important arenas, or levels, of prayer.

If you can’t figure out why your answers to prayer seem elusive, read on.

“Crisis management” is not my favorite thing.  It is, however, often thrust upon you out of nowhere.  If you knew it was coming, it wouldn’t be a crisis!

Can you keep your head in a crisis?  Do your choices lead to disaster or do they point the way forward? 

Here are the 5 top things I do for direction in one of life’s sudden, unexpected crises:

Besides Harvey/Irma/Maria, North Korea nukes, Mexico City earthquakes, and London terrorism, what is there to worry about?

I believe the secret of peace right now is understanding the difference in “times” and “seasons.”

Here are some facts about "times" and "seasons":

How many times do couples fight per year?  A British insurance survey said 2,455 (that’s 7 per day!). The survey lists 28 sources of fights with "Not Listening" being at the top of the list!

Here is a thought or two about how to avoid these major annoyances:

“Judge not.”

No Biblical phrase has been more overused (or abused).  Was Jesus actually saying we should have no discernment?  What actually DID He mean and how do we steer clear of breaking His commandment?

Here are the 8 signs of judgmentalism and how we overcome it in our own lives:

Why are people making more, owning more, and interacting more…and enjoying it less?

Solomon had everything:  intelligence, pleasure, productivity, possessions, and long life.  In spite of that, he said, “I hated life!”  Really?

What are the secrets to enjoying your life…without or without all those things?