Unblock Your Blessings!

Have you ever considered that you might have things present in your life that are blocking your blessings? I'd bet that you might.

Here's an analogy. What if you plowed a field, sowed seeds into fertile ground, watered them and then covered the ground with plywood or even concrete? Those seeds might have a hard time coming to life and bearing fruit! Wouldn't you agree?

I'm going to share some thoughts about blessing blockers over the next few weeks as I'm guided because this is something that I came to understand in my own life. Sometimes you're doing or have done many of the right things, but things still haven't opened up the way you wanted or expected. Why?

Maybe your blessings are being blocked?! The good news is there is a way to identify and remove these obstacles and that's what we want to do together. For example, the first thing you must do is take care of all the seeds you've already sown. Make sure they're being nurtured and cared for. A lot of times we neglect the investments (career, relationships, business, ministry) that we've already made and then wonder why they don't produce the way they could or used to.

What are some things that you've found that block blessings from flowing in your life?

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What Do You Expect?

I've had a small epiphany. I'm sure you've already had this one and this post is just a reminder for you. You generally perform at about the level you expect out of yourself.  I've been a lot more productive in this past week and I've only made one change.  I've expected to be.

So much of how we perform is based only on one thing - our expectations for our performance.  Do you recall the Roger Bannister 4-Minute Mile thing?  Nobody thought it could be done.  Once Bannister broke the barrier there was a shift in expectations.  Now, if you can't run a mile in four minutes, you're not even taken seriously as a runner.  In the same way, many of your current limits are totally arbitrary.  No reason you can't raise them!  
Time for me to get back to work.  It's been a productive day, but I can do better.  In fact, I will do better!  I'm expecting a lot more from myself and it feels good!  Subscribe to this blog.  Let's see what's ahead together!

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The God of Provision.

"Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”" ~Genesis 22:14 (NASB)

...which is an interesting passage and very well known and a good illustration of where it's good to dig into the language a little bit. Thinking the word "provide" or about provision limits our understanding. Abraham really said "The LORD will see to it." or (more colloquially) "The LORD will take care of it."

The Latin helps us, too, when we go into why certain words were chosen as the Bible was being translated. Why use the word "provide" instead of another word like "give" or something else? Because provide comes from "pro" (before or beforehand) + "videre" (to see). The LORD sees ahead of time.

The ram was in the bush before Abraham set out in the morning! We don't know when he got his horns caught in the thicket or why. Was the ram running from a coyote? Had the coyote been chased away from another encampment by a local shepherd? Did that shepherd catch the coyote because his breakfast had been burnt and so he got frustrated and went out to pasture early? The answers are both "Yes!" and "who knows but God?" because we see that He saw ahead and saw to it.

We talk about giving blessings. We've got songs celebrating Jehovah Jireh. That's good. The Lord certainly blesses. It goes well beyond giving to you to include arranging all the things that concern you! Even your deliverance!  That challenge you're facing right now? He already saw it. Concerned about how it's going to turn out? Don't be. Relax. He will see to it. In fact, He already has.

Subscribe to this blog.  Let's see what's ahead together!

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Your Words Shape Your Life!

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"I expect to be playing Aledo for the State Championship on December 17 at Noon in Cowboys Stadium." ~Manvel HS Head Coach when interviewed about his preseason expectations for the Mavericks in June...before school had started...before ANYONE had played any games. This weekend at Noon, they are playing Aledo for the State Championship in football.  I am blogging this from the game.

"One day I'm going to sell out Madison Square Garden." ~ Five year old Justin Bieber

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit." ~Proverbs 18:21

I want you to seriously think about what you've been saying lately. What direction are your words carrying you? I can assure you they are taking you somewhere. But are you happy with that direction? You have to learn to speak to your own future.

How does "speaking it" work? Does your tongue hold some kind of mysterious power to shape your entire world? Can you "make" people do what you say? Well, to a degree, I believe so! I believe our words have creative force to bend and shape expectations and circumstances and greatly influence even other people who hear us. It's not magic. People still have free will. You still have to work to manifest most of the things you want. But it's about using your language to craft expectations...which leads to outcomes.

If you're always setting your dreams and goals out there in front of people, you will attract people who will want to help. People will treat you the way you expect to be treated.

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Second, and most important, your words will shape YOUR OWN attitudes, expectations and actions. As you start to speak, you will expect more, press yourself harder and look for more opportunities and open doors. As you begin to speak to your future, you'll become less satisfied with the mediocrity of your present. You will be changing yourself from the inside - and the manifestations will begin show on the outside.

It's like Zig Ziglar says...positive words won't make everything possible, but they will make more things possible than negative words will! So don't be afraid to "declare it" because, until you do, it's likely what you really want to see manifested will never appear.

Mark Anthony McCray helps people live on PURPOSE, achieve higher PERFORMANCE and experience true PROSPERITY. Be sure to subscribe to this blog so you don't miss a thing and forward this to a friend if you found it helpful. All material © Copyright, Mark Anthony McCray unless otherwise noted!

He can be reached in the following ways:

Mark@LiveBIGDieEmpty.com
Phone: 281-846-5720
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