What an investiment

This week a lady who works as a financial adviser and has been attending the services recently approached me after hearing me talking about Isaac’s return when he sowed in the land.

She explained that one hundred fold is not just 100 times but  one hundred fold is 1,201,064,595,207,167,685,882,431,343,616 (one nonillion, two hundred-one octillion, sixty-four septillion, five hundred ninety-five sextillion, two hundred seven quintillion, one hundred sixty-seven quadrillion, six hundred eighty-five trillion, eight hundred eighty-two billion, four hundred thirty one million, three hundred forty-three thousand, six hundred-sixteen).

The formula is a bit hard to explain it would be like folding a paper one hundred times it would multiply it many times but the point is:

What God gives is beyond measure when we obey him that is why Isaac in the same year became very prosperous.

“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants.” Gen 26:12,14

We see the same when God promised to bless the tither’s He says : “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven.
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:6  

If we were to mention Abraham and others that God promised to bless we see his promises are always beyond what we can measure but we must be willing to obey and sow in other to receive the fulfilment of the promise.

Thanks for your time.

The Fast of Daniel Purpose - Day 6

 The Fast of Daniel Purpose – Day 6 

Through each task that you complete in this purpose, you’re growing and improving in at least five areas of your life. Soon, some of these tasks will develop into good habits and they will help you to be a successful person. 

Today, schedule to spend some time to S.O.S God, as if it’s going to be a meeting with Him. Find a private place, turn off your phone, and ask for people not to bother you. Have your Bible with you, and spend that time meditating on a passage, and talking to God. 

Your physical task today is to sweat! Find an activity that obligates your body to sweat after a couple of minutes. Go on the treadmill, jog in the park, move around the furniture that you had wanted to the longest, go up and down the stairs – whatever wets your shirt. Remember that if you don’t sweat it doesn’t count! 

About your finances, consider this: sometimes we buy things or spend money on superfluous things and/or things that we don’t need. The pressure from ads, the desire to be like friends, wanting to please your child with their heart’s desire… If you look closely at where your money is going, you will probably find ways you could economize hundreds of dollars. 

Lastly, identify activities which waste your time, and eliminate them from your life. When you have more time available, you will also grow more. 

Until tomorrow!  Fast of Daniel	Day 6	Done √
Spiritual	Have a meeting with God: spend 10 to 30 minutes meditating on the word of God, without distractions, and talk to Him.
Health	Do any physical activities which will make you sweat! If you don’t sweat, it doesn’t count!
Relationships	Spend time with a family member and do what he/she likes.
Finances	Identify where and how your money could possibly be slipping through your fingers. Cut these costs.
Personal Growth	Identify something that wastes your time and remove it from your day to day life.

Fast of Daniel Purpose - Day 5

 Fast of Daniel Purpose - Day 5 

Congratulations to those who are still in this purpose. You are perseverant and will be rewarded. 

Today we are going to use our head a great deal. Think, meditate, consider, plan, and then take actions. 

There are people who are toxic to us. They don’t add anything, they just fill us with doubts and confusion, and they don’t want our good as they say. Just like the Lord Jesus advised his disciples to steer clear from the yeast of the Pharisees, in today’s task identify that type of person in your life, and cut off connections to them. Trust me, you won’t be lose out on anything. 

Financially, you’re going to use the power of your imagination (a ramification of the power of faith.) Imagine with details how you want your professional life to be, your business, what you conquer, your finances, and your generosity towards others, 12 months from now. Have a fixed image in your mind. Travel there in spirit. See everything materialized through the eyes of faith. And don’t forget what you saw. 

Speaking different languages is like a passport to new opportunities. But, if different languages are not your thing, learn to communicate better in your language; this will also open a lot of doors. Consider this investment. 

Finally, after burning so many neurons, your last task is to sleep at least 7 hours. Who would have thought that sleep had to become a task now-a-days… Yeah, there’s a lot to do, but we can’t forget to regain our strength. 

Until tomorrow!  Fast of Daniel	Day 5	Done √
Spiritual	Read the message of the day from  www.bispomacedo.com.br/en/
Health	Re-arrange your schedule so you can sleep at least 7 hours: the rest you so need
Relationships	Identify any friendships that are bad or contacts which are a bad influence, and cut off connections to them
Finances	Take 5-10 minutes to think about where you want to be a year from now financially
Personal Growth	Consider how many opportunities would open up if you learn another language or even if you improve your English; decide what you’ll do about this

Something More

Something More

Why did the rich young man become sorrowful when Jesus suggested that he sell what he had and give it to the poor, and then follow Him?

He was an excellent religious person, since he obeyed most of the commandments of the Law of God.

But he was aware that something else lacked in his life.

This something else, was really SOMETHING SOOOO MUCH MORE...

That, unfortunately, was not meant for him.

His possessions already occupied the throne of his heart, so there was no room for anyone else.

Because of this, he lacked SOMETHING MORE.

It’s useless not to kill;

It’s useless not to commit adultery;

It’s useless not to steal;

It’s useless not to bear false witness;

It’s useless not to honor your father and mother;

It’s useless not to love your neighbor,

It’s useless to be good in Church and in the world if the Almighty does not occupy the highest place in your life.

It’s useless for a "Christian" to obey most Christian doctrines and DENY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST FROM OCCUPYING THE THRONE OF HIS HEART.

You shall love the Lord your God with all thy heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind... Luke 10.27

How can anyone want the Best of God – His Spirit – when they are not giving Him their best?

But, don’t forget: For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones”. Isaiah 57.15

source: www.bishopmacedo.com

Fast of Daniel Purpose - Day 4

 Fast of Daniel Purpose – Day 4 

For those who haven’t accomplished the previous tasks… We know that some people give up because they don’t finish the tasks of the day. 

They ask if there’s any point to keep going, since they didn’t do one or two of the tasks. The answer is: Yes, there is! You won’t get struck by lightning if you don’t do a task. 

It’s good for you to try and do all of them, but if you can’t, keep going and do the ones for the following day. If you get the chance to go back and do the ones you missed, great. If not, don’t worry. It’s better to keep going than give up. 

The table of tasks for today is below. One of the main goals for today is to think about your anxieties; fight them and don’t any of them steal your peace, faith or money! People purchase a lot of things, especially during holidays, moved by anxiety created by advertisements and social expectations. Resist. Use your head. 

Relationship-wise, we invite you to express your recognition and gratitude to someone who has made the difference in your life. Your expression, no matter how small, can make a difference in the life of that person. 

And as we said in yesterday’s article on how to break a bad habit, it’s important that you begin to practice a good habit to substitute the bad habit you had. For example, if I want to break the bad habit of doing things at the last minute, I’m going to make a good habit of organizing my time and agenda — never letting something important get done in a hurry, when time is running out. 

Be blessed and  until  tomorrow.  Fast of Daniel	Day 4	Done √
Spiritual	Speak to God in the morning about your biggest worries and anxieties surrendering them to Him.
Health	Exercise for 30 minutes. (Walking, stretching, etc…)*
Relationships	Think about someone you’re grateful or thankful for and express your gratitude.
Finances	Is it a desire or a need? Think twice before buying anything.
Personal Growth	Identify and begin to practice a good habit to replace a bad one you’ve decided to get rid of.

Fast of Daniel Purpose - Day 3

 Fast of Daniel Purpose – Day 3 

The table of tasks for today is attached below. Some points are self-explanatory. 

However, I would like to elaborate on relationships. 

In this task, you will seek to be helpful, nice, and useful to someone who needs help, no matter how small this might seem. 

In Proverbs 3:27 it says “Do not withhold good from those whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so.” 

Give some advice, take some time to listen to a person that’s going through a hard time, do someone a favor, help at work or help with chores at home — those are some examples. 

Financially, you need to stop and think about your current salary. If you’re not satisfied, what would be a realistic amount that you can strive for and achieve in the next 6 or 12 months? Write down the amount on paper and put it in your wallet or somewhere visible. That way, you will always see it. From there, God will give you ideas on how to reach this goal. 

Bad habits are chains that bind us up. Once you identify one in yourself, read this article, and it’ll help you know what to do to eliminate it completely from your life. 

Be blessed and until tomorrow!   Fast of Daniel	Day 3	Done √
Spiritual	Read Psalm 143:10, pray for God’s will to be done in your life, and go to church today.
Health	Make sure to eat some fruit today*
Relationships	Perform an act of kindness to a family member, friend or stranger.
Finances	Write down on a piece of paper the monthly salary you want to start earning in the next 6-12 months and place it in your wallet.
Personal  growth	Identify a bad habit you’d like to get rid of.

Fast of Daniel Task - Day 2

 Fast of Daniel Purpose 

Starting the day with God is always a good idea. Prepare yourself by separating a bit of time to meditate over these words of faith. 

Regarding our health, the majority of us today eat too much or too little. We have horrible eating habits. This is your chance to think about your eating habits, and find a balance. Remember, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Taking care of it is a spiritual task. 

Clean your heart, it’s common to find small bits of resentment, jealousy, grudges and bitterness that we didn’t even know were there. It’s good to clean all of that, have an emotional deep cleaning and get rid of what you don’t need. The best thing for this is called forgiveness. 

If you made your list of debts yesterday, then today is the day to plan on what steps to take to eliminate them one by one. Starting out with the smallest debt is easier and more motivating. Go ahead. Just a reminder, in case you don’t have any debts, do something different to improve/organize your financial situation. 

Finally, all of us have something rolling around in our thoughts saying, “You still haven’t done that, you still haven’t done that…” Very well, let’s stop this broken record and do what we have to do once and for all! 

See you tomorrow! 

P.S. How about inviting someone to join you in this purpose? Become partners and motivate each other.  Fast of Daniel	Day 2	Done √
Spiritual life	Begin your day by meditating on Hebrews 11:1-6, followed by a prayer
Health	Balance out your diet* by eliminating excessive amounts of: sugar, salt, fat, etc.
Relationships	Clean your heart: do you have hard feelings towards anyone? Get rid of them and forgive.
Finances	Make an updated list of all your debts starting out with the smallest.
Personal Development	Do you have a certain matter/job/idea that you haven’t started or finished, and it’s been bothering you? Today is the day! Go for it!