Author, Nicole L. Ross

Stay In Your Lane

June 17, 2013 Author, Nicole L. RossLeave a comment

It’s amazing to know that God has blessed each and every one of us with our own gifts and talents. Some people work great with children, some are very organized and do outstanding at administrative and clerical positions, others are very social and work well with other people. The list goes on and on because we are all such a diverse group of people. God made us this way and that’s a beautiful thing. The issue I’d like to discuss today however is about people not necessarily doing what they’ve been blessed to do instead them doing what they want to do. I feel as though if people would focus on themselves and what’s ahead of them instead of getting caught up in all the craziness and confusion with other people around them life would go so much smoother. I don’t go bowling often, but I do like to go every now and then because it is a lot of fun. When I bowl, I have learned that I won’t do a very good job is I am distracted by the activities happening around me on the other lanes. When it’s my turn, I walk up to my lane, focus on the pins ahead of me think about what I can do to knock them down then roll the ball. I am not fancy, no twists and twirls like some people because that does not work for me. If I try to do all of that I may end up hurting myself, literally. But no, what doesn’t work for me works really well for professionals and I am fine with that. Why, because I do it just for fun for one, and for two that’s just not my gifting.

This concept is prevalent in so many areas of life. In marriages, family structures, even on our jobs. A husband and wife should be a team and work together as a team to make their marriage work. Marriages take a lot of work, dedication and of course focus by both people. When you add children into the element, they also have a role to play in regards to the structure of the household. In most jobs, before you even applied for the position you knew what the specific job duties were. Same thing goes for the body of Christ as well. The word declares in 1 Corinthians 12 that the human body has many parts but all the parts still only make up one body. My legs cannot do what my eyes do and my stomach cannot do what my arms do. All different parts have their own specific duty in order for the body to function all together as a whole. God has gifted each of us to play a certain role in the church. When everyone gets on one accord and operates in their gift then the spirit of God is allowed to flow freely and have His way. In my opinion, this is what the church should be all about.

Why is it so easy to get distracted and get pulled out of your lane? As I said earlier, we get caught up in not so much doing what we know we should be doing but instead doing what we want to do which totally throws us off course. We all just need to become skilled at staying on the path that God has laid before us. If you get knocked off for some reason, jump back on, dust your hands and feet off and continue to move forward. At this point in my life, I am all about progress. I will not, to be perfectly honest, I cannot allow anything or anyone to get me off track. Successful people never worry about what other people are doing. They have enough going on in their own life. That’s the place I’m at now. I have so much going on in my life. I am focused and determined to stay in my own lane so that I can reach the place that God has called me to. I am determined to leave behind a legacy not just for my children but also for my children’s, children’s, children all throughout my bloodline. Stay in your lane everybody and see how far it takes you. #iDeclare #stayinyourlane

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, first and foremost I want to thank you for being you Lord. I pray today that you would please help me to stay in my lane. Help me to focus on what it is that you would have me to do and not be caught up in what I want to do. I thank you for the gifts and talents that you have placed inside of me. I decree and declare on this day that I will operate in those gifts and focus on the destiny that you have set before me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Scripture Reference:

1 Corinthians 12:12 NLT “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.”

Romans 12:3-5 NIV “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

I Won’t Complain

June 16, 2013 Author, Nicole L. RossLeave a comment

Song says I’ve had some good days, I’ve had some hills to climb. I’ve had some weary days and lonely nights, but when I look around and think things over all of my good days out weight my bad days and I won’t complain. This song has been in my head, which really got me to thinking. Life is a whirlwind of both good and bad, highs and lows meaning we will have some great moments at times and we will have some not so great moments. The kicker for me is this, no matter what life may throw in my direction I choose not to complain. I make a conscious decision. This is a choice. Have you ever known someone where every time you saw them they had something to complain about? If you ask them how they are doing, they go down a long list of stuff that is wrong with them. My toe hurt, my head hurt, my knee acting up… I mean something is always wrong. Folks like this I try to avoid. If I can’t avoid them, I just say hello and keep it moving. I don’t try and make small talk or anything because I don’t want to hear their list of complaints about life, and I know they will have one. It’s sad it has to be that way but their negativity begins to rub off after a while and I don’t want it rubbing off on me. They make the choice to focus on the negative and complain, instead of focusing on the positive. If your toe, knee and head hurt then thank God you still have your arms, hands and fingers that work just fine.

There is always a positive for every negative in our life we just have to choose what side we are going to focus on. I think by focusing on the positive in our life, we also honor God. We let Him know that in spite of what situation or circumstance may be going on, we are still thankful for the many blessings that we do have. By maintaining a positive outlook, we show Him that we are able to see beyond the present chaos to the beautiful panorama that lies ahead. This in essence is what exercising faith is all about. Being able to praise God in advance and know that your present situation is only temporary. My charge to you on this day is to make a conscious decision not to complain. If your whole body is aching, thank God that you are still breathing. If the worker in the store treats you horribly while shopping, instead of filing a complaint with the manager find someone who treats you the way you deserve to be treated and compliment them. Replace every complaint you have with a kind word instead. There is always good in every situation, you just have to find it. #iDeclare #iwontcomplain

Prayer:

Father God, in the name of Jesus. Forgive me for all the complaining I’ve done. I decree and declare on this day that I will no longer complain, but I will focus on the positive in my life. I choose to replace every complaint with a compliment because I truly believe that there is good in every situation. Thank you Jesus for shifting my mindset. In Jesus name, Amen.

Scripture Reference:

Philippians 4:8 NIV “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

Proverbs 17:22 NLT “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”

Your Word is Your Bond

June 15, 2013June 15, 2013 Author, Nicole L. Ross2 Comments

There was a time when a person gave their word, one could be certain that the promise would be kept. Now and days it just seems as though many people say one thing and five minutes later turn around and do something else. The part about it that is even worse is that they have no conviction about it. Whatever happened to your word being your bond? Why does it seem so hard to just do the right thing and have some integrity? Integrity is something that is proven over time by our behavior. In my opinion, it is a reputation of trustworthiness. When you say you are going to do it, then do it and if you can’t be man or woman enough to then say so. Even better, simply think about what you say before you say it so that you are not making a commitment you cannot fulfill. Do not be afraid to take a moment to think before answering a question. Use wisdom. I had to learn to do this because on multiple occasions I put myself in situations when I would say something with good intentions, but when it came time to actually fulfill that commitment it was a lot more than I had anticipated. We have to get to a place of individual accountability and take responsibility for not only our actions or lack thereof, but our words as well.

Here is something to think about, when people have a good talk game, which is what I like to call it, but their deeds do not line up that eventually leads to a lie making the person who didn’t keep their word a liar. Just in case you do not know, a liar is a person who is not honest and cannot be trusted because they do not speak with truth out of their mouth. No one likes to be called a liar. One must understand however that lying is not just when someone asks you something and you answer with a false response. Lying is saying you are going to do something and never do. Every time you go back on your word, the value of what you say decreases. Here is where that integrity I was talking about earlier comes in. If not for you, have enough respect and reverence for God. He sees all and knows all, so if you love Him and don’t want to disappoint Him then think twice before you communicate so you don’t disappoint your creator. I leave you with this, what’s your word worth? Is your word truly your bond? #iDeclare #yourwordisyourbond

Prayer:

Father God in the name of Jesus, help me Lord to keep my word. Please forgive me for times when I have said I was going to do something and did not follow through. I decree and declare on this day that I will think before I speak and I will hold myself accountable for what I say and do. Thank you God for hearing my prayer and for helping me to be more mindful of the speech that comes out of my mouth. I am not a liar and I will not allow my carelessness in dialogue to cause me to sin. Thank you Jesus for helping me be more cognizant and operate with a spirit of integrity and uprightness. In Jesus name, Amen.

Scripture Reference:

Proverbs 12:22 NIV “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.”

Ephesians 4:29 ESV “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

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