Success is Intentional

5 Points of Wisdom

James 1:5–8 NLT

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Lack of Preparation Will Always Lead to Failure.

300 Illustrations for Preachers Banks Profiting from Customers’ Negligence

USA Today reported in 2009 that the 10 largest U.S. banks profit from people who don’t keep track. Their biggest money maker is to pay checks presented to them drawn on accounts that have insufficient funds to cover. Then they charge the customer a large fee for overdrawing their account. Banks will use every opportunity to get your money. They pay checks before entering deposits. They pay the largest checks first, thus bouncing more of the smaller checks—collecting a fee for each check. America’s banks are making their living off the sloppy bookkeeping of the American people. They hire consultants to help them increase the penalty fees they collect.

The easiest way to avoid the fees is to heed the wisdom of the Bible that encourages us to keep track of our business. Know the state of your finances. Pay attention to them and keep a close eye. It does you more than just spiritual good.

Luke 14:28 NLT

28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?

Tell the story of Perfecting Church current situation.

Proverbs 27:23 NLT

23 Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,

Wasting Time is Wasting Money.

The Complete Gathered Gold: A Treasury of Quotations for Christians Time—Misuse

Kill time and you murder opportunity.

Psalm 90:12 NCV

12 Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise.

A wise man once said there are more rich people in the graveyard then there are on earth. Full of rich ideas that will never come to pass.

Poor Work Ethic Will Always Lead to Poverty.

Proverbs 6:10–11 CEV

10 Sleep a little. Doze a little. Fold your hands and twiddle your thumbs. 11 Suddenly, everything is gone, as though it had been taken by an armed robber.

God called you to work, work is good, so stop putting it off and start getting up to get what God has for you. He desires for you to prosper, so get it!

Psalm 128:2 CEB

2 You will definitely enjoy what you’ve worked hard for— you’ll be happy; and things will go well for you.

Procrastination Will Always Position You Poorly.

Tell the story of Christine who always procrastinated.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 NCV

10 Whatever work you do, do your best, because you are going to the grave, where there is no working, no planning, no knowledge, and no wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT

4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

Stop talking and Starting Doing.

If your always busy being a busy body then you can’t care for anybody including your own body!

1 Thessalonians 4:11 NLT

11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

2 Thessalonians 3:11–12 NLT

11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. 12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.

Proverbs 25:17 CEV

17 Don’t visit friends too often, or they will get tired of it and start hating you.

Things you need to start doing today. To improve yourself.

Start working on the better version of yourself.

Start being intentional about drawing closer to God.

Start examining yourself as you look in the mirror everyday and ask yourself, are you really putting your best foot forward.

Start being intentional about reaching others for Christ in all you do.

Start working on saving for your future and giving to others needs.

6. Stop spending so much time on what doesn’t really matter.