Surprise! Surprise!

Season of Surprises, which was demonstrated as Singapore celebrated SG50. The unprecedented unity displayed during the Jubilee Day of Prayer surprised many, including the political leaders of our land. The result of the recent General Election was also a surprise to both the governing party as well as the opposition. In fact, the word “surprise” has been used multiple times in articles written about the election. From this, we can discern that what’s taking place in the natural realm is also taking place in the supernatural.

He is a God of the ‘Suddenlies’, as the Bible states in Isaiah 48:3 (NIV), “I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.” Likewise in Malachi 3:1 (NIV), “‘I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

As we enter into this divine Season of Surprises, let’s watch, pray and work, believing that God is going to surprise us with spiritual breakthroughs. Let’s continue to believe Him for the attainment of our goal of 1728 cells that should add up to 20,736 disciples in a year’s time. Yes, I know it sounds impossible – but God is the God of the impossible, and I know it will happen suddenly as we labour in persevering faith!

Faith in Action

Apostle Paul was preparing to be executed when he wrote in his last letter to encourage Timothy (2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth”

How do we correctly handle God’s Word? We must do more than just read and study it. The Bible says in James 1:22-25 (NIV), “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

Don’t compare yourself with others. God does not expect from us what He expects from others as He knows what each of us is capable of. He wants us to give our best and as extreme disciples, every one of us should be motivated to seek God’s approval by continually growing in Godliness and Holiness.

The 48 Laws of Power

The Laws

Law 1: Never Outshine The Master  Law 2: Never put too Much Trust in Friends  Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions Law 4: Always Say Less than Necessary Law 5: So Much Depends on Reputation  Law 6: Court Attention at all Cost Law 7: Get Others to Do the Work for You Law 8: Make Other People Come To You Use Bait  Law 9: Win Through Your Actions - Not Argument Law 10: Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky Law 11: Learn To Keep People Dependent on You Law 12: Use Selective Honesty to Disarm Your Victim Law 13: Asking for Help Appeal to People's Self Interest Law 14: Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally Law 16: Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Law 17: Cultivate an air of Unpredictability Law 18: Isolation is Dangerous Law 19: Do Not Offend the Wrong Person Law 20: Do Not Commit to Anyone Law 21: Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker Law 22: Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power Law 23: Concentrate Your Forces Law 24: Play the Perfect Courtier Law 25: Recreate Yourself Law 26: Keep Your Hands Clean Law 27: Create a Cult: Play on People’s Need to Believe Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness Law 29: Plan all the way to the End Law 30: Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless Law 31: Get others to Play with the Cards you Deal Law 32: Play to People’s Fantasies

Law 33: Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew Law 34: Be Royal in Your Own Fashion – Act Like a King. Law 35: Master the Art of Timing Law 36: Disdain things you cannot have Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles Law 38: Think as you like, but behave like others Law 39: Stir Up Waters to Catch Fish Law 40: Despise the Free Lunch Law 41: Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes Law 42: Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep Will Scatter Law 43: Work on the Heart and Mind of Others Law 44: Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect Law 45: Preach Change But Never Reform Quickly. Law 46 Never Appear Too Perfect Law 47: In Victory Learn When To Stop Law 48: Assume Formlessness

http://48laws-of-power.blogspot.sg/2011/05/law-28-enter-action-with-boldness.html

The Anima Series

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAnimaSeries

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2Et_xoD3EY&list=UU3sezeaHPsJW9-TRGnQXlRg

David Pawson's Unlocking the Bible Series

http://davidpawson.org

5 things God uses to grow our faith

http://fivethingsgoduses.com/overview

5 things God used to GROW your faith.

1. Practical Teaching

2. Providential Relationships

3. Private Disciplines

4. Personal Ministry

5. Pivotal Circumstances

God has a purpose for everything

Glorious Ruins

When I cry out to God, He heard and sent me Psalm 61

 

and Isaiah 61, The Year of the Lord's Favour

Let the ruins come to life
                       G
In the beauty of Your name
                    D
Rising up from the ashes
                 A
God forever You reign
                       Bm
And my soul will find refuge
                       G
In the shadow of Your wings
                   D
I will love You forever
                  A
And forever I'll sing

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/strategy/hidden_flaws_in_strategy
Article|McKinsey Quarterly

Hidden flaws in strategy

Can insights from behavioral economics explain why good executives back bad strategies?

May 2003 | byCharles Roxburgh

Concentrate on what you want

When you think about what you don’t want to happen, it happens! Concentrating on what you fear and obsessing about negative outcomes has a way of manifesting disastrous images in your head. These images are very powerful and often turn into reality.
Instead, create pictures in your mind of what you want. Imagine the best possible outcome. Take a minute or two to do this every day.
When you focus your energy toward things you really want, rather than toward what you don’t want, the universe will respond and deliver. Try it. It’s an amazing phenomenon that nurtures your desires!
©Jane Powell – Meditations for Women


Read more: http://meditationsforwomen.com/get-what-you-want-now/#ixzz2aEbdBzTL

Reset

Reset. What a relief.

Why Revival Tarries

Leonard Ravenhill Why Revival Tarries  PRAYER GRASPS ETERNITY "No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. The pulpit can be a shopwindow to display one's talents; the prayer closet allows no showing off. Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of praver. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere. The two prerequisites to successful Christian living are vision and passion, both of which are born in and maintained by prayer. The ministry of preaching is open to few; the ministry of prayer-the highest ministry of all human offices-is open to all. Spiritual adolescents say, "I'll not go tonight, it's only the prayer meeting." It may be that Satan has little cause to fear most preaching. Yet past experiences sting him to rally all his infernal army to fight against God's people praying. Modern Christians know little of "binding and loosing," though the onus is on us-"Whatsoever ye shall bind...” Have you done any of this lately? God is not prodigal with His power; but to be much for God, we must be much with God. This world hits the trail for hell with a speed that makes our fastest plane look like a tortoise; yet alas, few of us can remember the last time we missed our bed for a night of waiting upon God for a world-shaking revival. Our compassions are not moved. We mistake the scaffolding for the building. Present-day preaching, with its pale interpretation of divine truths, causes us to mistake action for unction, commotion for creation, and rattles for revivals. The secret of praying is praying in secret. A sinning man will stop praying, and a praying man will stop sinning. We are beggared and bankrupt, but not broken, nor even bent. Prayer is profoundly simple and simply profound. "Prayer is the simplest form of speech that infant lips can try," and yet so sublime that it outranges all speech and exhausts man's vocabulary. A Niagara of burning words does not mean that God is either impressed or moved. One of the most profound of Old Testament intercessors had no language "Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard." No linguist here! There are groanings which cannot be uttered." Are we so substandard to New Testament Christianity that we know not the historical faith of our fathers (with its implications and operations), but only the hysterical faith of our fellows? Prayer is to the believer what capital is to the business man. Can any deny that in the modern church setup the main cause of anxiety is money? Yet that which tries the modern churches the most, troubled the New Testament Church the least. Our accent is on paying, theirs was on praying. When we have paid, the place is taken; when they had prayed, the place was shaken! In the matter of New Testament, Spirit-inspired, hell-shaking, world-breaking prayer, never has so much been left by so many to so few. For this kind of prayer there is no substitute. We do it--or die! Taken from Why Revival Tarries, by Leonard Ravenhill. Copyright 1959, Leonard Ravenhill. Published by Bethany House Publishers.

The gates of spiritual progression

http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/nehem3.htm

Is This the Perfect Way to Hire?

Step 1: Don't post a job; post the problem the employee will solve.

Write out what problem this new hire is going to solve. Be rich in details. Explain what pain they will alleviate and how you see them accomplishing that as quickly as possible in the role.

Next, explain why your company exists. Again, be rich in details. What problem does your company solve? What pain does it alleviate for its customers?

Finally, tie in how the right candidate will support those efforts.

Step 2: Ask candidates to answer three key behavioral questions. 

Ask candidates to share as much as they can about the following:

• What do you know about our business and industry?
• How did you come to learn that what we do is important to our clients?
• What is your favorite aspect of our business, and why?

Step 3: Ask for their LinkedIn profile, Twitter name, and any other online presence that supports their candidacy.

Make it very clear you do not want a resume or any other materials submitted beyond answering your three questions and providing social profile links.

Step 4: Provide an alias email address and have applications sent directly to you.

Set a deadline of 10 business days for applications to be submitted. Then share the posting via all your social channels and sit back and wait for the right applicants to come in.

Why does this approach work?

1. Slackers won't apply, since they see researching your company and writing out answers to your questions as too much work.
2. Candidates who submit a standard cover letter and resume clearly did not read and follow directions. They can be eliminated without a second thought.
3. The deadline motivates candidates to get their applications in, again, weeding out the lazy folks.
4. Asking candidates to answer your three specific questions provides a sense of their writing and communication style and ability. You'll also see how well they understand and connect with both your business and the role they hope to fill.
5. Asking for Linkedin profiles and other social media presence gives candidates a chance to direct you to professional information they want you to see. If for some reason they don't want you to see their online presence (maybe they have something to hide?) they won't apply.
6. The best responses show how the candidate can solve your problem and why he/she is the right person to solve that problem. That also makes for a far more relaxed and productive first interview; you'll have more to talk about.
7. Applicants are more committed to the interview and hiring process simply because they invested in the process during the application stage. (In part they'll want to land the job simply because of the time they put in.) Better still, landing the job will feel like a big "win" and they'll be more likely to try to exceed your expectations when they start.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/is-this-4-step-process-perfect-way-to-hire.html

Decluttering

Meetings should be for ACTIVITY not DUTY
- Decision making
- Innovation
- Improvement
- Development

Brain Rules
http://www.brainrules.net/the-rules
Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
Rule #4: We don't pay attention to boring things.

District Website homepages

http://toastimonials.com/districtwebgallery.php

How to start a START_UP

You open Your hand and fill the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145:16

How to Give a Killer Presentation

http://hbr.org/2013/06/how-to-give-a-killer-presentation/ar/1

Think before you Speak

Psalm 141:3
Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

http://shareaverse.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/think-before-you-speak-and-before-you-act/