Accurate Appraisal

To appraise something means to assess the value or quality of something.

When an appraiser appraises an object they look intently at it. They look at each detail of the object, studying every aspect of it. They spend time focusing on it to properly discern its value.

Discerning the heart of God will require us to appraise or look intently into His heart on the issue.

True discernment is derived from intimacy. Intimacy will help you accurately appraise something or someone.

Many times we fail at accurately discerning what God is actually trying to do in our lives; we fail in trying to understand His heart due to a lack of intimacy.

When was last time you just had an intimate moment with God? When was the last time you really appraised the heart of God on an issue?

In I Corinthians 2:10-12 is says “But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.”

When we are intimate with God, we can know His heart. The way you allow yourself to search out and connect with the Spirit will help you accurately discern any issue.

Running with Excellence

Several months ago I was at the gym stretching before a run when I noticed something:

Some runners run with excellence and others don’t.

I laughed to myself as some people climbed upon the treadmill, without stretching, dressed very stylishly with new shoes on, focusing on everyone around them, chatting and catching up, only to stop running within a few minutes. While others came in with worn shoes to stretch their muscles, do core exercises, and focus on preparation, only to be seen again an hour or two later after completing what they showed up for in the first place.

So I thought, this is the difference between running the Christian race with excellence verses not running in excellence.

Training is part of the race; in-fact the race is simply a byproduct of your training. How are you training?

If we are going to run lets run with excellence, and this will require core training! Runners do core exercises to strengthen the internal muscles that give you better posture and overall endurance to run a successful race.

One way to train our spiritual core is to be intentional in our thinking.

Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Successful runners work on the things that no one sees (your core) so that they can win the race that everyone will see!

If we allow our spiritual core to be weak, if we think on lies, things that are impure and immoral, it will affect the kind of race we run.

Remember all runners run, but how are you running? Lets run with excellence!

Focus

To bring glory to God one must be focused. The only way to arrive at any goal is to be focused. Being focused helps us to stay single-minded.

James 1:5-7 says “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

Whatever we want to obtain, whether it be to get promoted at work, to raise a Godly family, to be valedictorian, to finish high school---whatever---if we ask for wisdom and do not doubt God will give wisdom generously to us.

Think about this: When you are face to face with something you cannot see anything else. There is a single focus taking place. The only thing you can see is what is right before you. Imagine if I were staring into my wife’s eyes, my forehead resting against her forehead. The only thing I will see is straight into her eyes. Why? Because my eyes are fixed on her.

What are you focused on? Are you focused on God? Are you focused on His goals, His kingdom, His vision for our world? Or are you focused on yourself, your kingdom, your vision, your world? What are your eyes fixed on?

The only way to arrive at any goal is to be focused.

Your focus will determine your destination!

Are you focused on God and His kingdom? Are the things you want to achieve, goals that God has placed in your heart for the purposes of advancing His kingdom---or are they goals to advance your kingdom? If they are goals from Him, then I challenge you today to start asking our generous God for wisdom, and believe that you will receive it! If they are not- then I challenge you today to pray for new goals- goals that God desires for you to achieve!