If I were to ask. . .how many of you reading this want to be blessed?  I'm sure all hands would be immediately and enthusiastically raised.  And some would even say. . .I'm already blessed.

Here are seven keys to being blessed. . .or not.  We decide.

1.         Learn to receive.

John 1:12 in the Amplified Bible says:

“But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name.”

According to Strong’s Concordance the Greek word for receive is H2943 and it means:

“to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it; to take what is one's own, to take to one's self, to make one's own; to receive (what is given), to gain, get, obtain, to get back”

Salvation is a gift. . .but we must receive it.

Healing is a gift. . .but we must receive it.

God’s promises are a gift. . .but we must receive them.

Holy Ghost power is a gift. . .but we must receive it.

There are times when people won’t receive a gift, a blessing or a compliment because of some false sense of humility.

Stop saying you don’t deserve compliments for a job well done.

“The prayers are working.  A Momentum has begun!”

When I read this Tweet by my friend and ministry partner Susan from Hawaii. . .it ignited my spirit.

The word “Momentum” energized my faith and stirred an inner Holy Spirit desire for me to write about the subject.

Momentum is best defined as:

“The amount of force a moving body has because of its weight and the speed at which it is moving.”

Momentum works the same whether you’re a short person or a hefty one.

If you take a big rock. . .it will not travel very fast. . .until you give it a push on a downhill sloop. . .then watch out.

Momentum is a moving force that overcomes resistance.

David ran to meet Goliath. . .1 Samuel 17:48-49 in the Message Bible says

“That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.”

Here are seven keys to momentum.

1.         Stop seeing yourself the way others see you.

The reason most people can’t see the big picture. . .is because they’re worrying about little things … that don’t really matter.

Erma Bombeck, the author and humorist, once said:

“Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.”

Now don’t get me wrong. . .attention to the details is important but worrying about them is not.  In fact, it’s counter-productive and detrimental to the achievement of your goals.

Dwight L. Moody, the famed evangelist, once said:

“There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do the little things.”

Little things are not to be ignored or improperly handled. . .lest they become big things.

As Christians. . .it’s important to discern what’s important so little things don’t wipe us out. . .emotionally, physically and spiritually.

The question becomes. . .is God concerned about the little things in our lives?

Luke 12:7in the Classic Amplified Bible says:

“Order in the court” is a phrase you’ve probably heard frequently if you’ve ever watched legal dramas on television or at the movies.

In fact, Law and Order was one of the longest running series on television.

Order is defined at dictionary.com as:

“an authoritative direction or instruction; command; mandate; to regulate, conduct, or manage: to order one's life for greater leisure.”

Personally, I prefer the wisdom of Luke 1:1 in the Amplified Bible which says:

“Since [as is well known] many have undertaken to put in order and draw up a [thorough] narrative of the surely established deeds which have been accomplished and fulfilled in and among us.”

Here seven reasons why order is key to your personal success.

1.         Our great Jehovah is a God of order.

Genesis 1:2 says:

It was an early morning when the Lord began this rapid-fire succession of the seven worst things a person can do. 

I try to be a positive person but the truth of the matter is this… there are some things we just don’t need to do!

I knew in due season He would help me put meat on these bones to pass along to His people and here it is.

# 1    Not believing

There is an old saying. . .if you don’t believe in something you’ll fall for anything.

More properly said, if you don’t believe in the Word of God then you’ll more likely fall for the tricks, traps, lies, deceptions and wiles the enemy throws your way.

The word believe is found in 131 verses in the King James Bible.  However, I feel led to share with you seven things you must believe.

First, You must believe He is a miracle working savior.

Matthew 9:28 says:

Two scriptures have captured my attention today.

The first scripture is 1 Corinthians 15:20-22  which says:

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Looking up the words “. . .in Christ shall all be made alive” in the Strong’s Concordance.

The word “alive” is the Greek word zōopoieō (zō-ah-poi-e'-ō) (G2227) and it means:

“to cause to live; by spiritual power to arouse and invigorate; to give increase of life; or of seeds quickened into life, i.e. germinating, springing up, growing.”

As I read the definitions the Lord quickened several things in my spirit.

First, He wants you to live.  There is more to living than just inhaling and exhaling oxygen, occupying space and going through the motions of a daily life.

God saved us for a purpose. . .that purpose wasn’t to look at today as just another day that the Lord has made.  Yes, we are to have that viewpoint . . . but so much more is involved in it.

If a quarterback's timing is off. . .he's going to have a bad day with more interceptions than touchdowns.  That's clearly evident in some of the National Football League games you may watch each week.

If a basketball player whether high school, college or professional has his timing off. . .he won't be able to make a free throw. . .no matter how big the rim is.

If life. . .if your timing is off. . .you can miss possibilities. . .and opportunities for success.

Timing is critically important in life.

Something can be a good idea. . .it can be a great idea. . .it can be a God idea but for it to be successful it must be in God's timing. 

Here are seven facts you ought to know about His timing.

1.      The Holy Spirit gives you the timing.

Have you ever wondered if it was the right time to make a career change. . .to ask someone to marry you. . .to present your ideas to your supervisors?

Knowing when to speak. . .is equally important to what you’re going to say.

Acts 1:7-8 in the Message Bible says:

“He told them, `You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.’”

Recently, the Lord stirred me about the institution of marriage. Since Harold and I just celebrated our 51st year of marriage … I thought this might be a good time to share.

Now understand this, I’m not sharing because I think we have a perfect marriage because there is no such thing as a perfect marriage.

As a matter of fact, Harold and I have often been asked to write a book on marriage.  But, the longer I live the less I think that I know on the subject.

What works for one couple may not work for another.

That doesn’t mean there are not obvious foundational aspects that all marriages need like love and respect. But those are obvious.

However, there are probably just as many myths about marriage as there are foundations … so I’m going to address some of those.  

Myth 1 You will just naturally get along if you are meant to be together  

Even if you know God put you together with your spouse…marriage is and always will be an ongoing work.    

Saying all that … there are certain things that can help a marriage last just as it says in Philippias 2:12-13.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Recently, I was watching one of my favorite John Wayne movies entitled “Big Jake.”  The Duke as he was known was my favorite movie star during my formative years.  He was always the good guy.  The one who stood for what was right. . .regardless of the consequence.

My three favorite John Wayne quotes are:

# 1    “Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid.”

# 2    “Courage is being scared to death…but saddling up anyway.”

# 3    “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.”

John Wayne won his only Oscar in 1969 for the movie “True Grit.”  There’s a point in the movie where 14 year-old Mattie Ross says to Marshal Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) “They tell me you are a man with true grit.”

Dictionary.com defines true grit as:

“firmness of character; indomitable spirit”

Webster’s Dictionary defines Success as:

“outcome, result”

A successful outcome is something that follows as a result or consequence.

According to Webster…..marketplace is defined as:

“an open square or place in a town where markets or public sales are held in  the everyday world.”         

Let’s talk about the marketplace or workplace of life…..the things we’ll discuss can apply on your job….your business or as the definition says:  the everyday world.

If you want to be a lawyer………you study law.

If you want to be a doctor or a nurse….you study medical procedures.

If you want to be a teacher……you study education.

If you want to be a hair stylist….you study cosmetology.

If you want to be successful….you study the principles of success.