9 Tips On How To Get Your Life Decluttered

"Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us." ~ Hebrews 12:1 (CEV)

 Do you ever feel that your life is just a bit cluttered? Have you ever gotten to the point where you felt so overwhelmed by all of the things that surrounded you, whether at work or at your home? The truth is, at times life can leave you feeling overwhelmed and that leads to mental clutter. Your brain goes into overdrive either by you trying to multitask or to speed process your thoughts and then - it's as if you are gasping for air and your breath is about to be taken away. The clutter can come in a wide variety of forms and you do not realize it until it's too late and then, you are shoved into a 'melt down.'

Look no further than your email inbox and you have a good example of some of the clutter I'm talking about. Look at all of the 'to do's' on your list, the deadlines you have to meet and the meetings that you have to attend and you are one step closer to being overwhelmed.

Prayer - When Courage Meet Grace We Overcome

Father in the name of Jesus, we come boldly to your throne of grace where we may obtain mercy, and help where there is trouble. We lift up praises unto you. Lord we declare that you alone are the one true living God! You are Omnipresent, your kingdom is from everlasting to everlasting. Your power is unbreakable! Your throne is unshakable, and you are immovable! You cannot be impeached, and there is no re-election for your office. You are holy, you alone are worthy. From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, you are worthy of all the praise. You are GOD and you change not!

We ask Lord that you forgive us for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Grant us peace where there is confusion. Give clarity, distinction and understanding where our thoughts are clouded by negative situations we have encountered along life's journey. Rebuild trust in you where the enemy crept in and undermined it. Restore and increase faith in you where it was lost, hope where there is hopelessness, unity where there is division.

Be Grateful To Those Who Hold You Accountable

I perused a few resourceful pieces and came up with these simple definition of accountable as 'being obligated to account for one's acts/actions' and accountability as 'being held answerable for accomplishing a goal or an assignment.' It is an unfortunate however that the word 'accountable' or 'accountability' often connotes punishment or negative consequences. Therein lies the challenge because when organizations or even those in authority over you use accountability only as a 'yardstick' for punishment, then fear and anxiety permeates the culture, hence many are not willing to step up to the plate of responsibility.

By all means though, I encourage us to embrace the idea of accountability and let it become a part of our everyday lifestyle. Wherever you are, be it church or at work in your secular life, if you are accountable to someone, it means that you have acknowledged that person has the authority to bring you to question about a certain behavior or attitude. Conversely, if someone is accountable to you, they have acknowledged that you have the authority to bring them to question about their actions or attitude.

The Choices You Can Make And Win

I've said before on this blog that life is a sum of all the choices that we make from day to day. Ultimately, our identity is also connected to our choices, whether good or bad. It's our thoughts, our words and our actions. Our choices can lead us to a life of happiness, on the path to our destiny or a life of misery. In the case of the latter, God's plan for us however, is abundant life and a new life of hope, and blessings through our inheritance that came about by Christ Jesus.

What is that newness? 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) says, "If any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."

The new is that you and I may have our minds renewed so that we think differently, that our words begin to declare who we are and what God says we have been created to become, and our actions are in complete alignment with the word of God. It's about choosing to align yourself with positive thinkers, dreamers and visionaries who not only hold you accountable but will help you to articulate your ideas and thoughts into positive actions, thereby producing winning results.

15 Quotes From Martin Luther King Jr We Love

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."

"Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase."

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

Prayer - Thank God For His Goodness

"The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard." ~ (Psalm 19:1-3)

Let all the heaven praise you dear God. Let all the earth rejoice and be glad as we thank you for your goodness, grace, mercy and your loving kindness. We have life through your Son Jesus Christ who gave Himself as a living sacrifice and by His own blood, has purchased our redemption. We thank you for your perfect will and for the plan that you have for each of our lives. We ask that you continue to lead us, and guide us for we have no other help but you.

Celebrating My Life As I Step Into A New Milestone On My Birthday

 

It's my special day! It's my birthday! It's an even greater honor for me to have received so many birthday wishes from my social media friends. I pause to say thank you! I could not have asked for more. I am blown away by the extra-ordinary amount of love that you have sent my way - it's beyond my wildest imagination. May God continue to bless you all and thank you again for your love, support and encouragement. 

Never Take Anything For Granted - Give Thanks!

"When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." ~ G.K. Chesterton

In just a few days, Sunday 19th January to be exact, I will be celebrating another milestone in my life. It is one of those occasions that I never take for granted. Matter of fact, we should never take anything in life for granted. Everything has significance to it and while it may not always be explicit, some things are implied and it behooves us to dig deeper into the meaning of it so that the appropriate response is taken.

My birthday is that special occasion! Yippy! Yeah!! Okay, let me calm myself down. lol! Well, aside from the special gift that I plan on giving myself, I would like to use this opportunity today, being the day of the week that I have set aside on the blog to express gratitude, to give thanks for my life over the years.

I refuse to complain about the past, and all of the things that did not go the way that I thought they should have gone. It is God who orders the steps of each one of us and if He God so allowed my steps to be directed in the way that it went, it was for His purpose and divine plan that He allowed it.

That I will not take for granted, so I say thank you God for all that you have done in the past, thank you for what you are doing right now and more so, I thank you for what is to come!

15 Notable Quotes That Point Your Life Forward

John Wesley
"Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing."


Ralph Waldo Emerson
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved."


Orison Swett Marden
"Achievement is not always success, while reputed failure often is. It is honest endeavor, persistent effort to do the best possible under any and all circumstances."


Joyce Meyer
"One mistake does not have to rule a person's entire life."


Ted W. Engstrom
"The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that must precede the victory."


Napoleon Hill
"The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail."

Don't Hurt Your Future By Living Your Past In The Present

"Press your way through your pain. Give a voice to it so that it may give birth to hope that produces the substance that you would need for your miracle." ~ Yvonne

If you can select one area of your life right now, whether it be your health, finance, your relationships, your competence, what are some of the messages that you heard from your parents and other adults around you? What are some of the things that are haunting you to this day and how is your subconscious mind reflecting those beliefs back to you today? Negative messages such as: "Men are like dogs, they cannot be trusted." "You will never amount to anything." "You are just not smart enough." "You are so stupid." "Children are to be seen and not heard." "Get out of my way, I can't stand you." "Money don't grow on trees." "Look at you, you just like your father/mother." And the list goes on...

You may have grown up in a loving environment and you were not exposed to these things. But the sad truth though is that, there are many who go through life and are never able to overcome those very sad moments in their life. Those negative words when sown in the past, were the very seeds that took root,  and have formed blockages and is now standing in the way of you being able to fully embrace the future plan that God has envisioned for your life.

It took me many years to realize how much damage had been done. I grew up in a home where I vividly recall my mom and my dad's struggles. I will admit that they never spoke those words to me. On the other hand, their actions spoke more clearly through the voice of abandonment from my dad. Then again my dad whose only profession was that of a fisherman and my mom a laborer in the fields, poverty spoke even louder and it became like a curse in our lives.

"There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in." ~ Seth

Prayer - Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

"But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired." ~ Isaiah 40:31 Amplified Bible

Lord we thank you for this day that you have made and the word that you have established in our heart. While we meditate upon it, we will rejoice and be glad. According to your word we expect to receive the things that we petition you for by faith and that which we hope in you for. We are thankful for your word to change and renew our strength and power. According as it is written, the youths shall faint and become weary and the young men shall feebly fall and become exhausted but those who wait on you shall receive the good things that you have in store for us.

#2014WTWSeries January 11 - More Reasons To Celebrate!

It's been a really fantastic week and I am so excited about the week that was series 2014 [#2014WTWSeries]! There were many positive outcomes, reasons to celebrate, an end of week send off luncheon for one of my staff who went off to join his fiance' as they have their 1st baby (yeah!!), and so many good reads around on blogosphere! I am also giving thought to turning the WTWS into an 'EMB weekend block party' where fellow bloggers can actually link up here on EMB. The highlight of the party is for you to showcase your best posts for that week. Sounds like a great idea, doesn't it? Well, more details to follow. In the meantime, here's the week's review:

It's My 2 Year Blog Anniversary

Today, I celebrate 2 years of blogging. To some it may seem like a long time, but I still consider myself a newbie - more like a little 'toddler in blogging' who has just learned to walk and who have fallen down on occasions, speaking a few key words and still not full sentences. Oh wow! Yea, true still do not have my blogging skills down packed! Sometimes I tried to swim in the deep ocean of blogging with the pros - that often got me down under water and coming up for air one more time than I went down.

The bible confirmed that about falling down. Here is how. It says a just man fall seven times. S/he would however later be deemed righteous in God's eyes having both common sense and faith to dust off and get back up again.

A Life Filled With Gratitude

One of the things that I promised myself for this year is to be more grateful for the little things in life. As simple as it may seem, gratitude is a great trait for anyone to have. It is a blessing in itself for anyone with that kind of spirit. It is a wonderful virtue as also spoken of in the bible, that we are to give thanks in all circumstances. So on this day, I would like to introduce a new thing on this blog where every Thursday by the grace given to me, I would be posting thoughts, quotes or short stories to illustrate on gratitude and how it could be more influential in our daily lives once it is applied in your daily walk.

The dictionary defines gratitude as 'the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful.' Other words that are synonymous with gratitude are 'thanks, thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness.'

Grace To Persevere To The End

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, v2) fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

As believers in the body of Christ, we all have a race to run. It is not a race to see who can get to the finish line first, but rather, it is a race of service [first to God and then to man], it is a race that without a doubt will include suffering along the way, and it is a course of active and passive obedience as we journey into our future.

To each his own because the race that we run as individuals is already marked by the word of God and the examples of faithful men and women [great cloud of witnesses] who have trod the path before us.

Prayer - Lead Me Lord And I Will Follow

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ( Psalm 23: 1-6)

7 Awesome Rules That Will Impact Your Life Forever

"The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I'm not going to let myself pull me down anymore." C. JoyBell C.

So we are already into the fourth day of this brand new year. Many of us are already seeing signs of the things that we had hoped and dreamed of in the year/s gone by. Prophecies have been released into the atmosphere through our spoken words to establish what we would like to experience in the new year and over the upcoming months.

The truth be told, I discontinued making New Year's resolutions some years back, simply because I found myself in the tradition and was never really taking the things that I had planned to do in a serious way, hence the cycle kept going with no results at the end of the year.

Welcome 2014, A Year That Is Crowned With God's Goodness!

"You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance." ~ Psalm 65:11

With the new comes new hopes, dreams, aspirations, goals and for many new year resolutions. It is always an exciting moment! God has been so gracious and kind for allowing us to see this brand new day, this brand new year. We could not have asked for more!

So much is in store for us! We are moving from our history into our destiny. God has already crowned the year with His goodness and His abundance. It is the year of elevation and transition, double-fold blessings and divine completion of things that God had already begun in the year/s gone by. God is going to hasten His word to perform the things that concerns us. And whatever you have in mind to do, be sure to pursue your purpose in God with a passion!