Cedric Dukes's Blog, page 8
September 6, 2018
Divine Connections
Divine connections are God’s way to let you know that He has your back. Those connections are for your destiny. Understand that orchestration of divine connection cannot be orchestrated by you. We have no idea when, where and how to be prepared for His purpose. Frustration sets in when we orchestrate it by ourselves. The Lord has to open the heart of a person for that to be a divine connection. He will guide that purpose toward you. Divine connections are God saying, “I got you”. You are not going to fail. His plans are forever; he has appointed you. Your legacy of obedience is more important than a legacy of personal success than no one will experience.
Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Psalm 33:11 – But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Proverbs 21:1 – In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.
August 27, 2018
Prayer – Keep Farming
Prayer is like farming. It is the sowing of your thoughts, declarations and petitions to God. Once it is sown, faith comes next to water it. Watering is showering of praise thanking God it is already done. It takes patience for a seed to grow; similarity it takes patience for God to answer your prayers. Everyday the farmer goes out by faith – pulling up weeds area around the seed so it does not choke it. He ensures that animals are not digging up the seed(s). He continues to water it until it goes into full bloom. Our prayers are like seed(s) until it gets to full bloom. We don’t know when the answer will come. It comes when God is finished in Heaven then He gives it to us on earth.
James 5:7 – Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 – He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
August 21, 2018
Better to Give than Receive
Not giving denies the very existence of living your purpose on earth. Winston Churchill wrote, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Your life will be measured by what you give. You have a gift and a purpose. Your gift is that special ability bestowed upon you by God, one that creates favor upon the individual who receives it. You are born with it. It starts off as a seed, and you must develop it through the journey of life.
August 14, 2018
TIMING is EVERYTHING
Your entire life is dependent on the decisions that you make and the time that you take to complete them. You must make the most of every opportunity that is presented to you. Every decision that you make will affect something or somebody. Timing is important, as you become vision oriented. As you get focused and concentrate on those activities that deal with your purpose, you will see and experience an extraordinary amount of time on your hands. For myself, I only do the things that matter to me the most. I don’t ignore the other stuff, but I plan my day around the most important activity that is going to get me the best results. With that, I find more time on my hands, plus there is less stress. This is called prioritization; prioritization is a key principle in your life once you understand that timing is everything.
The key to time management is defining timelines. Timelines keep the vision and goals from dying. They keep the vision fresh and in front of you. They keep your task alive, and they are a great reminder that you have a vision. Timelines are boundaries that push you into your purpose. You need boundaries established so that you do not get off track. Boundaries allow you to stay within the course of life; they will not allow you to wander off aimlessly unless you purposely ignore them.
Some say that boundaries prevent creativity and initiative. I beg to differ. Boundaries help stimulate creativity because you are forced to work within a specific time to get something accomplished. Boundaries can be moved; they are not set in stone. If a particular task is not met because of someone or something not being accountable, redefine its timeline. Don’t become condemned or frustrated because you did not complete it on time.
August 6, 2018
The process of building a vision like the ANT
The ant is one of the smallest creatures on earth. Their bodies are not built for carrying food. Ants survive by building up their storehouse of food day by day. They build up their supplies (food) to prepare for the harsh winters. Because of their body size, ants work in groups to collect their food. Their tasks are specialized according to their size (large ants cut stalks while the small ants carry food).
Ants build and build and build their storehouse of food. The task of getting the food is enormous because of their small bodies, but it becomes easier when the task of getting food is achieved daily. An ant cannot store up a winter’s worth of food in one day of work. Similarly, your plan, for the most part, will not be achieved in one day. Building is a process; it takes time to build. A builder cannot build a 3,000-sq.-ft. home in one day. There is a systematic process to construct that home. The steps below simulate building a 3,000-sq.-ft. home. The purpose of this is to show the amount of time and tasks required to achieve this goal. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list.
✦ Prep the site
✦ Measure the square footage ✦ Prepare for foundation
✦ Construct framing
✦ Install windows, doors and siding
✦ Install electrical, plumbing and drywall
✦ Complete surfacing of the bathrooms and kitchen ✦ Install heating and air-conditioning units
✦ Connect the water main and sewer to the house
These are some of the steps in building a house. Each of these tasks has its own separate timeline to achieve completion. Some tasks cannot start because they are dependent on other tasks. For example, installing drywall cannot be achieved if there is no framing. The framing holds the drywall. Completing the kitchen and bathrooms will be useless without electrical or plumbing.
July 31, 2018
The Helper
With the victory being won, you don’t have to struggle anymore. God has graced us with the presence of someone who will walk with you every day and anytime you need him. He is comforter, counselor, confidant can be trusted with the utmost secrets. This someone speaks on your behalf. I am talking about is the Holy Spirit. He is not some spooky imagined person in your mind. He is not there to control your life. The Holy Spirit is there to guide you along your path way. He receives direct communication from God and gives to you. Ephesians 1:13 says we were sealed after we heard the truth of salvation. Jesus promised the disciples a comforter to replace his missing presence in John 14:16-17, And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and He will be in you.
By giving us the Holy Spirit, our Heavenly Father knew that we could not make it alone. To live without the Holy Spirit is to live without a heart. John 14:26 said the helper, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you”. The Helper is the one who will help you to live day to day. He is the one who will point you in the right direction. He is the one who is going to give you peace. He is the one that will direct your heart. He is your direct line of communication with the one we call God.
July 23, 2018
July 17, 2018
Road Not Taken
The new attitude of walking in the Spirit is like the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken basically describes the road in which one will need to take. The poem was published in 1916 and it told about the two roads that the traveler took. The traveler looked at both grassy roads. Both equally had leaves and the traveler knew the way of one road and not the other. So he decided to take the road less traveled. In this poem the traveler had a choice to make. One was of comfort while the other was of suspense and uncertainty. That is sort of like how having a new attitude of walking in the Spirit. You will never know what will happened at the end because the control and outcome is not up to you but of God. All we are called is to go through the process. And through the process people are impacted and our lives are changed forever.
Our journey ultimately will impact others in this life so the roads we take are important for growth. If you don’t understand how to select the right road, ask God. He will let you know through the Holy Spirit. He will do it in so many ways to get the full and complete picture to you.
July 10, 2018
We don’t have to worry – we have the victory
Understand the change we are talking about is a decision of the mindset which can combat the carnal flesh and desires that we have. It is the Apostle Paul that said I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not but what I hate to do Romans 7:15. He is saying that he flesh and body automatically does things that it hates. It is similar to two magnets attracting together. One end is a positive pole and the other end is a negative pole. The “+” and “-“attracts each other until they come together. That is what sin does to our carnal flesh; it attracts the sin. Galatians 5:17 says or the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh. Both are opposed to one another; so that you do not do what you want. I can understand this because sometimes our unconscious mind takes over and do what we have been preconditioned to do. Even though I consciously try to be good in my own action, I can’t because something is always pulling me back (think back to the magnet example).
We have the victory. Jesus gave us the victory when he took himself to the cross to die, defeat and rise from our problems, issues and mistakes. He not only died for our sins but everything we have done and everything we will do. 1 Corinthians 15:57 says but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. His victory is our gain. His victory solves every problem we have to combat life issues.
