Good morning. Sitting out in the gazebo... what a difference from South Carolina!! I think it may be 75 degrees out right now! Maybe cooler! For sure different than 105 or 110! It definitely feels like fall (which i LOVE!) Fall was always my favorite season. I have always enjoyed sweatshirts & jeans! What a wonderful wardrobe! We don't need much of that down south.... at least not like I did when I lived in Indiana. But... this will be my first fall/winter in SC not working a job, so maybe I'll actually get to enjoy sweatshirts more. That would be swell! My dad had a Notre Dame catalog last night, what cutie stuff!!! Ok... I'm going to refill my coffee and then we will get rolling....
I have often heard the common phrase, "Experience is the best teacher, especially when it is someone else's!"
Growth, progress, success.... so much of that can come from learning from & observing other people. Whether it be positive observations or negative observations, we can learn! Did someone have an outcome that you would REALLY like to have also? What did they do? Look & learn! Observe & apply! What did they do to get the outcome they desired. If possible, duplicate it! Did something not so favorable happen? Look & learn! Observe & apply! Do you NOT want the outcome that they had? Learn from what they did & do not do the same thing!!
I recently heard an amazing man of God sharing a personal story that was quite impactful! God had spoken to him about a book he wanted this young man to write. God gave him the whole book, the ideas, concepts & even gave him the title & what the cover should look like. Now... it was just up to this man to write it. God wanted the book out, so the words would most definitely be inspired, and the book WOULD get published! Well, this man got busy.... one day, had things to do, errands to run... the next week, a new project to work on with his ministry... a few months later, celebration of some exciting events in his life..... then a few months... a few months.... a few months. Then, to his demise, one day he saw HIS BOOK in the bookstore!! The COVER, the TITLE, the CONTENT! There it was, on the shelf! The book God had given him had been written and was now lining the bookshelf!
This is what the Holy Spirit said to me about this:
Another great example is one that you & I use EVERY day! A man was given an idea of talking through a line. Transmitting sound waves through a wire. After receiving the idea, it took him about 4 months to put anything down on paper. After finally putting it down on paper, he waited another 2 weeks to go to the patent office. One afternoon, he finally went to the patent office to submit his plans for what would be called the telephone. The man at the patent office said, "Sir, I'm sorry but just an hour ago someone came in & got a patent for these exact same plans. He was a teacher by the last name Bell. Alexander Graham Bell."
Procrastination. What was the first guys name? I have no idea. But, due to procrastination, we don't know or care what his name is. An idea that changed the way we live life is the legacy of a man who did not procrastinate. Alexander Graham Bell.
Our Proverbs 31 friend is LOOKING WELL to what is going on in her household. She is paying attention to what is happening. She is monitoring, tweaking, assigning tasks, and considering the tasks that she should be working on. She is working towards those things she feels led & directed to work on. See Proverbs 31:16... there she is considering before doing something. She is evaluating. She is making sure she is doing the right thing as not to get overwhelmed or overcommitted! She is using wisdom in the tasks she is working to complete!
Observing.... considering... also can be directly connected to obedience. Being obedient to the last thing that the Holy Spirit was directing us to do. We may not know or understand why we are feeling led to do something, but that does not matter. It is about obedience & the Holy Spirit knows best! Are things not going right in your life? What was the last thing the Holy Spirit directed you to do? Have you done it?
Observe & Think. - Slow down long enough to observe. Slow down long enough to be able to think about what you are observing!!! So many people are so busy, they see nothing else around them. They are just focused on quickly getting to where they are going. Slow down. Observe. Give yourself time to THINK about what you are taking in! There is a time to focus & be narrow minded to complete a task... but there is also a time to slow down & observe. To take in. To think so that it can lead to learning!
Observe & Learn. - Observe & learn! What can you learn from what other people have done? Their experience? Could it or would it in some way help you to fine-tune or tweak what you are doing? Help you fine-tune things to get you to your end destination better, faster, more efficiently? Take the time to LEARN from others actions!
Observe & Apply. - Now, APPLY IT! In my case, the Holy Spirit has given me books & has given me a finish date to have them completed. Now it is my responsibility to be faithful! To be faithful with the instructions of the Holy Spirit. To be diligent. To not procrastinate. To set aside time for completion! That is my application. Diligence!! Faithfulness. Obedience! And, it is a daily task. It is easy to get busy.... and one day slips away, the next... the next... before I know it a month has gone by and I have not worked on my book. It takes diligence & planning!
Where have others go awry? Or where have others been on course, on a straight path? OBSERVE THESE THINGS! LEARN FROM THEM! APPLY THEM IN YOUR LIFE!
Learn from the mistakes & successes of others. Learn from their experience & allow it to help you have success in your life!
So....what was the last thing the Holy Spirit directed you to do? Have you done it? If he hasn't told you to do anything, are you listening?
Proverbs 24:32 (NIV) - I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw.
Proverbs 24:32 (AMP) - Then I beheld and considered it well; I looked and received instruction.
Proverbs 31:27a - She looks well to how things go in her household...Observe & think. If you read a few verses before Proverbs 24:32, and the few verses after, you will really have your eyes opened even more. In verses 30-31, you are told what was seen, what was observed. A lazy man with an overgrown vineyard & a broken down wall. In verses 33-34, you are shown what was learned from the observation. With sleep and laziness, poverty comes. Observe & take instruction. Observe & learn.
I have often heard the common phrase, "Experience is the best teacher, especially when it is someone else's!"
Growth, progress, success.... so much of that can come from learning from & observing other people. Whether it be positive observations or negative observations, we can learn! Did someone have an outcome that you would REALLY like to have also? What did they do? Look & learn! Observe & apply! What did they do to get the outcome they desired. If possible, duplicate it! Did something not so favorable happen? Look & learn! Observe & apply! Do you NOT want the outcome that they had? Learn from what they did & do not do the same thing!!
I recently heard an amazing man of God sharing a personal story that was quite impactful! God had spoken to him about a book he wanted this young man to write. God gave him the whole book, the ideas, concepts & even gave him the title & what the cover should look like. Now... it was just up to this man to write it. God wanted the book out, so the words would most definitely be inspired, and the book WOULD get published! Well, this man got busy.... one day, had things to do, errands to run... the next week, a new project to work on with his ministry... a few months later, celebration of some exciting events in his life..... then a few months... a few months.... a few months. Then, to his demise, one day he saw HIS BOOK in the bookstore!! The COVER, the TITLE, the CONTENT! There it was, on the shelf! The book God had given him had been written and was now lining the bookshelf!
This is what the Holy Spirit said to me about this:
Observe. Think. Slow down to think. For you Amy, consider it well. Look at the book. I have books I want out & they WILL come out, I just find the faithful people who WILL NOT procrastinate. This man was given a book & I would've wrote it for him. He procrastinated so I gave it to a man who did not "need" this book for growth or elevation, but I knew he'd be faithful to complete it when I wanted it done. Observe. Learn.The man who completed the book already had countless books in print. He did not "need" the book out to establish his writing career. Whereas, the man the book was originally given the book idea to, this book would have launched a new era of his life & ministry. This book would have been the beginning of more great books to come.... not to mention the aftermath of the book coming out may have brought more people to the ministry in which he was involved. This book would've helped to promote him to the next level. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure this man has learned a great deal about procrastinating, and God could surely use him to get out another book. I'm sure this time, he would be faithful to complete it in the time directed by the Holy Spirit. :) Praise God that God can even make our mistakes to prosper!!!
Another great example is one that you & I use EVERY day! A man was given an idea of talking through a line. Transmitting sound waves through a wire. After receiving the idea, it took him about 4 months to put anything down on paper. After finally putting it down on paper, he waited another 2 weeks to go to the patent office. One afternoon, he finally went to the patent office to submit his plans for what would be called the telephone. The man at the patent office said, "Sir, I'm sorry but just an hour ago someone came in & got a patent for these exact same plans. He was a teacher by the last name Bell. Alexander Graham Bell."
Procrastination. What was the first guys name? I have no idea. But, due to procrastination, we don't know or care what his name is. An idea that changed the way we live life is the legacy of a man who did not procrastinate. Alexander Graham Bell.
Our Proverbs 31 friend is LOOKING WELL to what is going on in her household. She is paying attention to what is happening. She is monitoring, tweaking, assigning tasks, and considering the tasks that she should be working on. She is working towards those things she feels led & directed to work on. See Proverbs 31:16... there she is considering before doing something. She is evaluating. She is making sure she is doing the right thing as not to get overwhelmed or overcommitted! She is using wisdom in the tasks she is working to complete!
Observing.... considering... also can be directly connected to obedience. Being obedient to the last thing that the Holy Spirit was directing us to do. We may not know or understand why we are feeling led to do something, but that does not matter. It is about obedience & the Holy Spirit knows best! Are things not going right in your life? What was the last thing the Holy Spirit directed you to do? Have you done it?
Observe & Think. - Slow down long enough to observe. Slow down long enough to be able to think about what you are observing!!! So many people are so busy, they see nothing else around them. They are just focused on quickly getting to where they are going. Slow down. Observe. Give yourself time to THINK about what you are taking in! There is a time to focus & be narrow minded to complete a task... but there is also a time to slow down & observe. To take in. To think so that it can lead to learning!
Observe & Learn. - Observe & learn! What can you learn from what other people have done? Their experience? Could it or would it in some way help you to fine-tune or tweak what you are doing? Help you fine-tune things to get you to your end destination better, faster, more efficiently? Take the time to LEARN from others actions!
Observe & Apply. - Now, APPLY IT! In my case, the Holy Spirit has given me books & has given me a finish date to have them completed. Now it is my responsibility to be faithful! To be faithful with the instructions of the Holy Spirit. To be diligent. To not procrastinate. To set aside time for completion! That is my application. Diligence!! Faithfulness. Obedience! And, it is a daily task. It is easy to get busy.... and one day slips away, the next... the next... before I know it a month has gone by and I have not worked on my book. It takes diligence & planning!
Where have others go awry? Or where have others been on course, on a straight path? OBSERVE THESE THINGS! LEARN FROM THEM! APPLY THEM IN YOUR LIFE!
Learn from the mistakes & successes of others. Learn from their experience & allow it to help you have success in your life!
So....what was the last thing the Holy Spirit directed you to do? Have you done it? If he hasn't told you to do anything, are you listening?
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