Second Quarter Review: Purposeful Living

“Commit your actions to the Lord,

and your plans will succeed”.
Proverbs 16:3

I was writing some notes in a meeting the other day and wrote the date, and realised that we are already half way through the year. Wow! A while back I uploaded a post called “First Quarter Review”, and realised, it is about time we went over the plans we set out to Rise, Run and Reign with this year. Its time to find out where we are, from our first review. It is time to gauge if we are living out the realities of 'a day in God's Will'.

It is time to find out if we are still on track and living a life of 'focused purpose', or have we fallen behind, or worst still, lost the plan and plot altogether.

To review means to: go over (Plans, lessons, mistakes) in review, look at, or look over again.

To gauge means to: determine the exact dimensions, capacity, quantity, or force of; measure.

If I asked the question, "Are the plans you are working and walking with, enabling you to live a life of focused purpose in God's will for you?" What would your answer be? It's a tough one isn't it? I asked myself the same question and my head is still spinning!

The only way to affirm that question is to continually review our plans and the way we are living out its reality each day. We have to review them with God, and make sure they are aligned with what He has confirmed as the purpose for our lives, in each season we are in.

To affirm that our plans are in alignment with God's plans, means that we are confirming and affirming God's very plan for our lives; that we are living every day in God' purposefully to accomplish His will with, in and through us.

To affirm means to: state or assert positively; maintain as true

To confirm means to: establish the truth, accuracy, validity, or genuineness of

When we are sure of God's purpose, we will avoid needless activities which tend to complicate our lives. Knowing God's purpose for our lives does the following for us:

• Gives meaning to our life: Knowing God's plans for us, directs and helps us to fulfil His purpose for our lives. The understanding that there is a reason, and meaning to the very essence of our being, our life, encourages us, increases our desire and Zeal to work, doing activities that will bring forth God's purpose. Are you plans helping you to live out the very meaning of your life?

• Simplifies our life: Imagine your manager at work giving you a mandate and it goes like this "I want you to implement a project"! However, the manager does not describe the nature and shape, or reason for the project! I could assume that most of us would be a bit frustrated with such a request, however for want of not loosing our jobs, we would (based on the knowledge of the work we do, and guessing of what the manager is involved in), we will put a few projects together, hoping that at least one of them might come close! This can be likened to when we try to live our lives without knowing what God wants us to do. We end up working on various 'life plans' in the hope that one of them might be the one! However, life does not have to be that complicated. We simply need to know what God wants and then ask for His wisdom to do understand what we have to do and for His grace to enable us to do it. Furthermore, this understanding will help us ask important questions such as " does this activity help me fulfil one of God's purpose for my life, or does it take me away from it?" Proverbs 13:7 explains it the simplicity of this better, it reads "A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life" (MSG). Are your plans simplifying your life, or making you busy without results?

• Gives focus to our life and hence our plans: Ephesians 5:17, explains this point clearly and it reads "So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do. (NCV). All we need to do is look at the rich and famous list, and we realise that the most successful people on that list are the most focused ones. From the best footballer, to the best singer, to the best writer, to the best business man, to the best accountant. Something successful people have in common is FOCUS and lots it! Are your plans helping you to live a life focused in God's will for you?

• Motivates us: The understanding of God's purpose and plans for us (bearing in mind that God's plans for us are always good as declared in Jeremiah 29:11), helps to keep us motivated and focused in doing the EXACT things we are meant to do, to usher in its manifestation. We focus on direction, on content, on the big and small picture of it all. We have the vision and the purpose there right in front of us. Are your plans motivating you to live out the reality of God's purpose for you?

• Prepare for Eternity: We must remember that this earth is a practise run for our real home, Heaven. When the physical body we are in expires, and we get to heaven, God will ask us the question "what did you do with what I gave you?" Which means, what did we do with our gifts, talent, ideas, inspiration, resources, energy and much more. Working with plans that encourages and focuses our lives to live a life of purpose, will enable us answer this question and pass the test, and determine what we do in eternity. Are your plans preparing you for what you are going to do in eternity?

Living a life of purpose is the only way to live. This means that the plans we are working and walking with, should be moving us forward in focused, and purposeful living.

So, as we progress through the second quarter of this year, I encourage you to review the plans you are working and working with. Does it need re-work, does it need re-alignment with God's purpose for your life? Is it keeping you focused, inspired and dedicated to live out each day in God's will?

I encourage you to review your plans from all angles and on all levels, from quarter forecasts to weekly and daily activities. I encourage you to also review all the resources that you have been working with, such as financial, relationships, technology, education, prayers and even sowing like seeds.

Also, not forgetting to review yourself; your attitude, growth and character, patience, tolerance, consistency, persistent, prayer plans, diligence, attention to detail, and spirit of excellence.

Finally, pray about your renewed understanding from the review, ask God for His never-ending and ever-increasing wisdom, to re-align the plan to fit into His will for your life. Pray for strength, focus, and zeal to help you live out the realities of GOD's plan for your life; whilst making Him famous in your focused and purposeful living.

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures by google***

Not Falling, BUT Growing In Love...

And may the Lord make your love for one another

and for all people grow and overflow, just as

our love for you overflows.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NLT)

From the verse above it is evident that we are expected to GROW and overflow in LOVE for one another.

To Grow means to: increase gradually in size, amount, become greater or larger or expand

To fall means to: drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support. It also means to be deceived by, such as being falling for an old trick.

Growing in love with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, appointed someone is a conscious and determined process. God determined He loved us and thus, gave us His only son, Jesus Christ.

Paul also encourage us to stir up our love for one another as written in Hebrews 24:10, which reads "and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.." . To Stir up means to stir up means to rouse to action or incite, which can be viewed as the opposite of the meaning of falling.

Furthermore, our God IS love as confirmed in 1 John 4:8, and He is not a God that takes us to a lower place through loss or lack of support, when we grow in love with God, we arise Higher and deeper in Him.

When we grow in love, we grow in the understanding, meaning and nature of what Love is as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, which reads "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance".

So, here is me encouraging us all that as we start out a new week under God's grace, living a day a time in His will, to GROW gracefully in love towards one another; displaying the intricate nature and colours of God, who is the definition of love, whilst making Him famous along our way.

PS... Congratulations to Danny Bagucci for winning the book"The Call".

There is still one free book to be won! "The invisible bond - breaking free from your sexual past"

Much Love

Remi

***pictures by lukeprog.com***