In less then two weeks. . .we will celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  His birth was the greatest gift ever given.

A gift that is priceless and never goes out of style or date.

Our Heavenly Father is a giver and He wants us to be givers as well.

He wants each of us manifesting all His precious promises that are in the Word of God and that includes prospering even in the midst of adversity.

But there’s a problem. . .

Some believers feel they’re not good enough to manifest His promises.  That’s a lie of the devil.

Some believers think that where they are in life. . .is where they will always be   ... or are destined to be.

Some believers don’t know what the Bible says about them prospering and being in health.

And, sadly some believers know more about the world economy than they do the Word economy.

We feel impress to stop and discuss this last point for a few minutes.

There is nothing wrong with lacking financial knowledge unless you have no motivation to increase your understanding.

James 1:5 in the Classic Amplified Bible says:

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

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 that are important should 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?

I was reading a book when I came across a powerful quote by Pastor Joel Osteen who said:

“Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you're doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you.”

Have you ever had someone say something to you that cut you to the quick?  Something that wounded you deeply even though you knew they were wrong in their assessment?

I had such an experience and it wasn’t fun. . .it fact, it hurt very deeply.

This person is someone for whom I’d done many things for over the years . . . made decisions and suggestions that literally made them millions of dollars.

These friends had listened to a third voice. . .one that sought to advance himself at my expense.  These friends assumed the third voice was correct. . . because he was part of their family.

Though he was wrong. . . their perception of the events he described or alluded to. . .became their reality even without hearing the other side.

I’ll be honest … the things they said brought me to the point of offense.  But then, I realized what the enemy was trying to do.  He wanted me offended and hurt. . .thus opening myself to further and greater attacks by him.

Thanks be to God that I realized this first. You see, offense is a foul trick of the devil. 

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) to administer immediate assistance or provide transportation?

I remember when a volunteer Rescue Squad was formed in my hometown of LaGrange, North Carolina.  This dedicated group of men and women donated their time for training and responding to emergency situations.

I also remember that every time the LaGrange Rescue Squad was dispatched on an emergency call. . .it was reported in our local newspaper, The Weekly Gazette.  It’s a bit humorous (kinda) that everything reported from having a baby to having a heart attack was referred to as a “sudden illness.” 

We know because when they rushed to our home on a Thursday evening and took our newly arrived baby girl and us to the hospital, our precious bundle of joy was described as a ‘sudden illness’ … even though she was 9 months in the making.

Over the years, the title of the organization evolved into EMTs. . .truthfully, the name does have a little more pizazz than rescue squad.

The protocols used by EMTs have an amazing parallel to spiritual EMTs otherwise known as “Emergency Miracle Technician.”

Now you’re probably wondering who in the world is an Emergency Miracle Technician and how in the world. . .do you become designated, trained and identified as such?

Is the spiritual EMT your pastor. . .it could be.

I’m convinced that it’s time . . . really past time for believers who want to avoid a catastrophic financial 911 to make a 9-1-1 call to their Heavenly Father.

When you call. . .He always answers. . .you’re one of His favorites

Jeremiah 33:3 in the Amplified Bible says:

“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).”

Psalm 50:15 in the New Living Translation says:

“Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

What is the first Bible verse that you ever learned?  For most believers it’s John 3:16:

““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God seeks to give. . .man, left to his unrefined nature. . .seeks to get.

Giving is God’s way

If you desire to be closer to God and be more like Him … begin by giving.

The problem is that man—our human nature seeks to obtain and increase its money, clothes, food, possessions, houses, lands and businesses by expending energy in getting more and more things……

Consider the words of John 6:31-33 in the King James Version which says….

“Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.  32Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.  33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.”

When we focus on seeking the ways of God (being a giver) then things will come to us….

Giving is completely relinquishing control of something of yours into the control of another person to do with as he/she pleases.

Would you like to be known as a successful person or as someone who just gets by?

Would you like to meet and socialize with important people?  And by the way, there is a difference between important and successful people.

Seem impossible to you?  It’s not. . .according to the Word of God specifically in Proverbs 22:29 in the King James Version which says:

^“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” 

The key to meeting, working and socializing with important people is to be “diligent” in your business.

It’s important to understand that being diligent in your business does not necessarily mean you have to own your own business.

The word diligent is the Hebrew word mahiyr (H4106) which means:

“quick, prompt, skilled, ready.”

The Message Bible translation of Proverbs 22:9 says:

“Observe people who are good at their work—skilled workers are always in demand and admired; they don't take a backseat to anyone.”

Some of you know that years ago I was in politics on a national level.

So drawing on my vast knowledge of how and why people get elected. . .I’m willing if you want me to tell you who’s going to win the 2016 election.

However, God stirred in my imagination what would happen if someone were to die today before the election results were known to the rest of us in nine days.

As the person entered heaven...God allowed me to see this person asking Him "who will win the election?" To which, God boldly replied, "I will."

"The people whose candidate lost...prayed to me for the safety and protection of the country from evil.

"The people whose candidate won...praised me for their victory and the next four years.

"In both cases...I WIN....because the people prayed."

Think about it.

Make no mistake in your thinking . . .God created you to be a leader.

You can also know that the enemy has used and is continuing to use some clever tactics to keep you from realizing that YOU ARE A LEADER.  Sadly, many believers allow him to get away with this deadly deception.

You may never have thought of yourself as a leader and truthfully, what you think will hinder what you accomplish. 

The real question is what does God think and say about your being a leader. . .how does God see you?

Ephesians 2:10 in the New Living Translation says:

“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

“You are God’s masterpiece” . . .does that sound like you’re a failure, a has been or a never was?  Not only are you His masterpiece. . .but He has plans for you.

I’m going to make a statement and I want you to get it down inside of you. . .in fact, if you get nothing else from this teaching, get this:

We have 73 days remaining in 2016. . .it’s time for each of us to prepare for the battles ahead. . .and the victories to come.

Here are seven preparations for your inevitable successes even in the midst of adversity.

# 1     Prepare for battle.

Alexander Graham Bell once said:

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”

Ephesians 6:13 in the Message Bible says:

“Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

The World English Dictionary defines preparation as: