"Could anything ever make God wonder? God is omniscient; He knows everything. God is omnipotent; He can do anything. God is omnipresent; He is everywhere and sees everything. So what could possibly make God wonder?
The answer is found in the Book of Isaiah where the Bible says, “God wondered that there was no intercessor.” An intercessor is someone who talks to God and prays to Him for other people and their needs. As we read what the Bible has to say about prayer, there are some almost incredible promises given to those who will pray. Yet in our day, surely God still “wonders” at the prayerlessness of His children.
Despite knowing the promises of God relating to prayer, many Christians still never experience fervent prayer for one simple reason. It requires time. The kind of prayer that moves mountains doesn’t come as an afterthought when falling asleep. It must be time set apart and prioritized or it won’t happen. But prioritizing prayer time redeems the time.
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"Are you an offensive person? If not, you should be. I don’t mean having bad breath or being obnoxious and rude, but rather going on the offensive to get things done.
Someone has noted that we spend time in three different modes: Defensive, Maintaining, and Offensive.
Defensive time is putting out fires, responding to crisis and being controlled by events.
Maintaining time is staying on top of what has to be done. Things are more in control and routine. It’s a better place to be.
Offensive time goes a step further. Is not only being in control and getting things done, but taking initiative, conquering new territory, expanding our borders and sharpening our techniques. This is the most productive and satisfying time.
Too many Christians are wasting time being defensive, or at best maintaining, when God wants them on the offensive. How about you? How is most of your time spent? Remember, you have to be offensive if you really want to redeem the time.
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"In August 1999, Roger Dudley of Huntsville, Alabama was pleasantly surprised to find an extra $1.6 million in his bank account after an Alabama hospital received new deposit slips with Dudley’s account number instead of their own.
Obviously someone at the bank wasn’t being very careful. In fact, they probably did better that day at keeping track of their ink pens than their money. Banks often keep track of pens by attaching them to the counter so they can’t be accidentally or intentionally taken.
That same technique also works at home. If you never seem to have a pen by the phone, try making a simple chain of string and tape to keep it in place. It is 100% effective and keeps you from wasting your time and your caller’s time while fumbling for a pen.
The Bible tells us to always be ready to give an answer to those who ask about Christ, because readiness is a big part of redeeming the time.
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"If someone would have asked you 10 years ago to imagine where you would be and what you would be doing today, how accurate would your guess have been?
That’s a thought provoking question, because for many of us, we had imagined the future would be quite different from what it actually turned out to be. For some of us, our expectations were greatly exceeded. For others, this question may point out the disappointment and failure we’ve experienced.
How about you? Do you have regrets about the way you have spent your time over the past 10 years. If so, the more important question to ask is, “What can I do today to avoid those same regrets 10 years from now?” If you do in the next 10 years what you did in the past 10 years you’ll probably be about where you are now in another 10 years.
God has great plans for your life. Don’t miss them because you fail to redeem the time.
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