97 TAKING THE INITIATIVE. Deuteronomy 31:7.

When God gives an unconditional promise, all we need to do is wait for it. But when He makes a conditional promise, we have a part to play in it’s fulfilment. That’s when you’re called to:- Firstly, take the initiative. For Israel it was being ready and willing to face opposition and driving the occupying nations from the promised land. (Deuteronomy 31;7-8) “Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel. ‘Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which The Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And The Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, do not fear or be dismayed.” In essence, God was saying, “When you take the initiative, I will act on your behalf.”And He is saying the same thing to you and me today. Here is what it means for us today to take the initiative (a) knowing what you want: Humorist and pianist Oscar Levant Once quipped “Once I make up my mind,, I’m full of indecision.” We smile, but sadly that’s the way many of us operate. The fact is one can’t be indecisive and effective at the same time. (b) being willing to take risks. The difference between a believer and unbeliever is this; as a believer, God has promised to go before you and arrange the circumstances in your favour. You may say “But I’m afraid” Faith in God doesn’t eliminate fear – it overcomes it; Believe and say these words (You promised it Lord and I believe your Word. Take the initiative. The Second thing you must do is take action: There is an old saying, “You can if you will” Initiators don’t wait for others to motivate them. They know it’s their responsibility to move beyond their comfort zone and they make it a practice. One-time U S President Theodore Roosevelt said “There is nothing brilliant or outstanding in my record, except perhaps this one thing. I do the things I believe ought to be done. And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act. The Bible says ( Psalm 37:3) Trust in the Lord, and do good (take action)’ dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Thirdly; Learn from your failures and keep moving forward. The good news for initiators is, They make things happen. The bad news is they make lots of mistakes along the way. The fact is, the greater your potential the greater your chances of failure. Senator Robert Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever hope to achieve greatly.” Are you constantly on the lookout for opportunity, Or do you wait for it to come to you? Are you willing to pray and take a step of faith, or do you endlessly analyse everything? As former chairman of “Chrysler,” Lee Lacocca said “Even the correct decision is wrong when it’s taken too late.” When was the last time you initiated something substantial in your life? If you haven’t moved yourself forward out of your comfort zone lately, you might have to jump-start your initiative. The Bible says*(Psalm 115:11) “He is (your (help) and... shield”. That means God will help you to succeed. And if and when you fail, hang in there, He will be there to protect and redirect you. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. (Jeremiah 17’7)” Fourthly:- Change your mindset. Does risk scare you? Are you discouraged by past failures? Do you not see the potential that opportunity offers? You wont be able to move forward until you discover what is holding you back. (Proverbs 29;25 ) tells us “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in The Lord shall be safe.” a snare is a trap, so when you begin to see your fears as a trap, you will want to be free from them. Fifth:- Don’t wait for opportunity to knock. Opportunity seldom comes knocking, you have to look for it. Assess your assets, talents and resources. Doing so will give you a picture of your potential. But, You say I don’t have any special talents.” Yes you do, God says so in (Romans 12:6) “God has...given each of us different gifts to use.” Sixth:- Take the next step. It’s one thing to notice an opportunity but quite another to act on it. Somebody once quipped “Everyone has a great idea in the shower, but only a few step out, dry off and do something about it. Choose the best opportunity you see, pray about it, do the best with it that you can, and keep going until you have done everything possible to make it happen. And when you have done your best, - trust God to do the rest Winston Churchill said ”Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities…because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” And where does courage come from? God! “Trust in The Lord forever, for in The Lord is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4) Thank you for reading about How to take the initiative. I hope these ideas and proposals help. (Some of which I have borrowed from several other writers) .The Word of God being my primary source. “Trust in The Lord always, and lean not on your own understanding.” May our God richly bless all who trust in Him, Phaline. -------------------------