Making A Difference Through Mentorship

God is always thinking about us and He says, "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for (Jeremiah 29:11, MSG Bible).

In the larger context of Jeremiah 29, God’s people were in exile in Babylon for seventy years, and it was important for them to adjust to their environment.

The thoughts that God had towards His people were imagined, invented, and purposed in His mind despite their captivity.God just needed them to "change their thinking."

In English, a thought may be defined as the “process of using the mind to consider something. It can also be the product of the process of an idea that has the potential to become that which we act upon or carry out.”

The Voice translation gives this statement, “We are demolishing arguments and ideas, every high-and-mighty philosophy that pits itself against the knowledge ofthe one trueGod. We are taking prisoners of every thought,every emotion, and subduing them into obedience to the Anointed One.”

The word thought, as Paul uses it in the latter passage, means a design or purpose.In other words, what is the purpose of this thought? What is the potential action or outcome connected to this thought?

The prophet Isaiah states, ”You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You”(Isaiah 26:3, AMP).

Therefore, God says whatever we imagine, when our minds are on God, He will give us perfect and constant peace!

God’s peace is the assurance of present and future security, deliverance, and success! God’s peace delivers a person through all the conflicts, strife, divisions, trials, and temptations of this life. The question that follows is, “How do I keep my mind, my thoughts on Him?”

One solution is to have purposeful daily reflection or reflective thinking about Him! It’s All About Him! Think Like God Thinks and be at peace in your mind!

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A detox can refer to the process of removing toxins or harmful influences from our lives.

Henry Ford,founder of the Ford Motor Company once stated, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right,” emphasizes how much attitude and the way that we think determines our success or failure.

In the Message Bible version of Romans 8:37-39, the Apostle Paul declares, “None of thisfazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutelynothingcan get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master and Lord has embraced us.”

Ford had his share of setbacks and failures, but chose to overcome the negative, toxic thoughts and sometimes people, and because he refused to give up or give in to his dream of affordable automobiles the Ford Motor Company is worth almost $126 billion today.

Any thoughts that are contrary to God's plan for your life require a detox. God says in Jeremiah 29:11 in The Message Bible, "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

Stand on God's Word and detox toxic negative thoughts from your life because God knows the plans that He has for you.

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The wordsynergycomes from the Greeksun, "together" andergon, "work" (the same root that gives usergonomicandenergy). When one thing magnifies the effect of another, together they have synergy. Synergy is further defined as a combined or cooperative action or force. When we combine God's sovereignty with our faith, together we have synergy... which provides us with the energy to succeed.

As we consider the theme or topic of today's podcast, the key to prosperity in this New Year is God's sovereignty and the key is our faith. Although there were hardships, setbacks, difficulties, uncertainties, heartache, and heartbreak this year... things that you may not have understood why you had to endure or go through... Yet people of God if you're listening to this podcast you're still here. You're still standing, under the canopy of God's sovereignty!

The synergy of God’s sovereignty in this New Year is the combination of our faith in God’s word and His power as Emmanuel, God with us. Although there were hardships, difficulties, uncertainties, heartache, and heartbreak... Things that you may not have understood why you had to endure what you did but God was making you into another vessel as it seemed good to the Potter. You're still here. You're still standing.

Share this podcast with family and friends during this holiday season as we and in this New Year, and know that you will continue to stand, you will continue to fight the good fight of faith, you will continue to experience the prosperity and blessings of God because He is our sovereign Lord and King and He is on our side.

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The Christian Standard Bible version of 1 Samuel 30:8 declares... “and David asked the Lord, “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them? ”The Lord replied to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.”

The ASV of 1 Samuel chapter 30 verse 8,  says…“David inquired of Jehovah, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? And He, God answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them, and shall without fail recover all.”

Our English definitions of the word recover mean to get back, to regain. Or when you recover from an illness or an injury, you become well again. The word recover in the original Hebrew means “rebuild, repair or restore.”

Encourage means to put or add courage in. As seen in 1 Samuel 30:6, one of the passages for this revival, “David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” This word encourage in the original Hebrew can be translated as prevail, to be recovered, repaired, strengthened, and conquered.

There are those in your family, possibly on your job or even in your church that have never learned how to encourage themselves in the Lord and is held captives of their own minds.

As it was with David, so it is with you and I. God has commissioned us to pursue those that have been taken captive by the enemy and as God said to David, we shall recover all.

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Jesus says in John 13:12-17, in the Message Bible,“Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So, if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.”

If we are to be servant leaders, our minds, thoughts, emotions, designs and desires for life and ministry must be immersed in Jesus’ example. “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” Philippians 2: 5; (NIV). The word mind in the original Greek carries the meaning of that part of the human system that initiates “thoughts, emotions, designs, and desires; to set the mind upon.”

The principles of John chapter 13 are a platform that Jesus used to develop His disciples into servant leaders by “serving one another.” Jesus further says in  Matthew chapter 20, verses 26-28, in the New Century Version. “Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. 27 Whoever wants to become first among you must serve the rest of you like a slave. 28 In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.

As servant leaders, this is the place of beginning for us and the truth of John 13:17 being seen in our lives. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.”

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Weakness is a defining feature of our humanity but we seldom, if ever, acknowledge or recognize this reality. The Apostle Paul recognized this when he stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9…" when I’m weak, that’s when I’m strong."

The answer in the Bible for our weaknesses is to call on the Lord for strength, and there are reminders all over His Word to do just that. The book of Psalms is one of the best sources of biblical encouragement and calls for divine help.

Join us as we journey with David, the man after God's heart, as we discover principles and precepts from his life in the book of Psalms obtaining " Strength for Our Weakness."

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One of the greatest military leaders in history, Napoléon Bonaparte, once said that a leader is a dealer in hope.  I have modified Napoleon a little by saying a “servant leader is a dealer of hope.”

As one of the greatest and most famous military leaders and rulers in the history of France, I believe what Napoleon is saying is through a time of war, chaos, hardship, and uncertainty, how important it is for us as servant leaders to generate hope and motivation through the most difficult of circumstances.

Being inspirational and emotionally stable through hardships and in the midst of trouble, dealing out, passing out hope or in the relationships all around us, create feelings of, expectation, joy, relief, a sort of light at the end of the tunnel. Hope can mean dealing out, passing out little nuggets of life, wisdom, and encouragement when everything else and everyone else is falling apart. As a dealer of hope, our actions or words can mean the difference between hanging on or giving up for a person.

Even something as simple as a smile can deal hope. Smiling is one of the only universal physical, unspoken facial languages I know of that means the same to everyone. Kindness, delight, joy, happiness, and can say quietly to a person, "everything's going to be alright."

The Apostle Paul as a servant leader was a dealer of hope. In Romans 5:2-5, he declares, we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

The word hope in Romans 5 carries the meaning of “expectation and anticipation, with pleasure, solid assurance, confidence and faith.”

In the first month of 2023, there have been 1,124 deaths by guns. which tragically means the deaths by gun violence can only increase. No matter how a person may look on the outside, the world and everyone in it needs hope. Yet we have the solution. It is "Christ in you the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

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Our lives are governed by time. This is the reason why we're surrounded by clocks and calendars that help us to know where we are going and what we are doing on any given day or time.  When responsibilities and pressures mount, many become frustrated by the pressures of life and proclaim, "I just don't have time to get it all done!"

As the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years of life tick by, we may wonder what happened to the last 10, 20, or 30 years? And in a sense, our life on earth is like a ticking clock, but our new life in Christ will never stop, never end, because we live in eternity (John 3:16).

God has given us enough time to do exactly what He's planned for our lives here on earth (Jeremiah 29:11). Perhaps the bigger issue is whether we are using our time to do our will or the Lord's will?

Time is a gift from God, and He has allotted each of us the means in which to live and accomplish His purposes. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 reminds us, “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens."

Since time can never be retrieved or reversed, it's critical that we make the most of every opportunity the Lord provides. Jesus was given just thirty-three years of life on earth, but only the last three were invested in fulfilling His ministry.

Yet Jesus accomplished everything His Father gave Him to do in the time that he had in life on the earth. That's why on the cross He could say, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Jesus did not manage His time, He fulfilled the purpose of His time.

Invite a friend or family member to join us for today's podcast, " Your Life Is Your Time."

Dr. Gregory L Cruell

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Joseph in his lifetime went from the Pit-To the Prison-To the Palace. Even though Joseph's brothers threw him in a pit, the pit could not stop Joseph from a demonstration of visualization in his life because in Genesis 37 we see that Joseph had a vision of his future!

Visualization can be described as the process of using our thoughts to consciously imagine (see) and create that which you intend and desire to experience in your life.

Joseph operating in the principle of a demonstration of visualization saw what didn't even exist yet (Romans 4:17). Yet, through visualization Joseph activated the God-given ability within us to harness the creative power of the mind to change our circumstances and consciously choose the life we desire by the way we think, which includes imagining (thinking), feeling (emotions), and believing (faith). What You See Is What You Get!

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Joseph in his lifetime went from the Pit-To the Prison-To the Palace. Even though Joseph's brothers threw him in a pit, the pit could not stop Joseph from a demonstration of visualization in his life because in Genesis 37 we see that Joseph had a vision of his future!

Visualization can be described as the process of using our thoughts to consciously imagine (see) and create that which you intend and desire to experience in your life.

Joseph operating in the principle of a demonstration of visualization saw what didn't even exist yet (Romans 4:17). Yet, through visualization Joseph activated the God-given ability within us to harness the creative power of the mind to change our circumstances and consciously choose the life we desire by the way we think, which includes imagining (thinking), feeling (emotions), and believing (faith). What You See Is What You Get!

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