GOD'S BEST IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN YOUR BEST

Always declare everyday that the best is yet to come.
There is no use of thinking negatively of what's wrong could happen. Always think that the best is about to happen. What you believe will happen because this is anchored on the One who can make it happen. God has promised that His thoughts for us are always for peace and for the best and not for evil.

Now, let me challenge you today. Pause for awhile and think whatever best you want to happen in your life. Can you give me at least 5 best things you want to happen in your life?

Now, whatever best you have thought of, this is an amazing promise from God -

God's best is always better than your best!

In essence, God is saying, "Is that the best you can think of, well, I can give you better than your best."

He said in Isaiah 60: 17 -

"For brass, I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron." 

Consider that promise. Is your best brass? Then God can give you gold. Is your best iron? Then God can bring you silver. Is your best wood? Then God can give you brass. Is your best stones? Then God can give you iron.

God's thoughts of best for you is always better than your best.
You can never out-best the Lord.

Therefore, God is just asking you to declare, think, pray and do what is your best.
And from your best, God will do the mark-up of His version of His best for you.
And let me guarantee you, His best is always surprising, overwhelming and amazing!

Take note, you are not required to declare, think and do what is best set by others for you, or your best based on the best of others. God is asking for your best as the basis. Your best is just His minimum, impossibilities are His expertise.

So, what is the best you can think of to happen for your life?
God is challenging you now, "Is that all you can think?"
Make it bigger. Make it higher.

God's best is always better than your best.


- A r t  R o y  R e m y

ENCOURAGEMENT TO ALL WHO ARE BUSY AT CHURCH WORK EVERY SATURDAY

Before I proceed, let me salute you, thank you and praise God for you for volunteering to any church work every Saturday. What you do is very important for God's kingdom and you are a great blessing to many. Your work may not be noticed by some, but surely God is well-pleased in what you are doing for Him.


Saturday is one of the busiest days for most churches around the world. This is the day pastors and preachers recaps and prepares their messages, the choir and worship team practice their songs, some do visitations and invitations, the media team prepares the graphics needed for tomorrow, the workers clean the worship place, the pastoral team meets for things to be done, the youth practices their numbers, the teachers prepares their lessons, and the list goes on. 

It is true - what we are on Sunday is based on what we prepare on Saturday.

All of these works and preparations are needed and vital. God is pleased when His people do His work in the best of their abilities based on His love and grace. 

However, Saturday is also the day which is most prone to irritation and stress since this is the busiest day for all who are active in church work, not to mention that they have been also busy in their homes and in their work during weekdays. So, let me share to you some of radical truths I discovered in life being also a volunteer and a leader in the church :

1. My zeal is primarily for God and not for the people.
No matter what others do, I am still personally responsible of what I should do. What I do is all about Him, not about a program, a goal, a ministerial duty, an assignment or an image. My volunteering for a certain work is more than just fulfilling an assignment. It is all because His love and my expression of my love for Him.

2. I must be sure that my strength comes from what God says, more than what people says. 

3. I must move people, programs and activities through prayer. I cannot be too dependent on what I know or what I am good at, I must still depend on God in prayer.

4. I must not measure other people with the zeal or faithfulness that I have.
    If you do this, you will just be frustrated, and you will be coercive to other people.

5. I must lead people by motivation not by coercion.

6. My zeal must not center on performance of things alone but in building lives.    

    This is the common "lapse" for those who regularly work in the church. Because of their familiarity to   each other, for example the choir and worship team gathers to practice their song every week, but they are not conscious that they are also gathering to build their faith with each other. Same thing happens to the pastor and his staff, and other ministries. We don't just gather to achieve a goal, we gather for each one's soul. 

7. I must never justify laziness nor mediocrity. 

8. I must accept that I am not superhuman. If I am tired, I need to rest. If I am stressed out, I need to relax.

9. My zeal should never be for the expense of relationships. 

   Having this mindset makes us to be understanding and forbearing to others. This will refrain us from criticizing and being irritable. We should not allow things or matters in the church affect our relationship at home. When it is time for lunch or dinner, enjoy time in your relationships. And of course, talk good and positive things.

10. With all the things I have prepared, I must not forget the value of - a good laughter in during the day, and a nice sleep at night.  

Your best preparations during Saturdays is not just what you do with your hands, but what you do with your heart.

Watch your step when you enter God's house. Enter to learn. That's far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice, Doing more harm than good.   

Don't shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think. 

Don't be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.  God's in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better. 

Overwork makes for restless sleep.  Overtalk shows you up as a fool.   

When you tell God you'll do something, do it—now. God takes no pleasure in foolish gabble. Vow it, then do it. 

          - Ecclesiastes 5: 1-5




- A r t  R o y  R e m y

“I don't think [leaders] "burn out" 

because they work too hard.

People who work hard often do so

because they're good at what they're doing

and they enjoy doing it.

I think burnout comes from working

with no relational gratification."

- E u g e n e  P e t e r s o n

One Sentence Can Change Your Life

Everyday we are bombarded with tons of information. From Facebook, countless websites, books, movies, music, infos in our work, television, to our personal interaction - all of these compete with our attention and our focus. To be realistic, all of these information cannot be stuff in our minds. To be honest, not all we read in a book can be 100% retained. Yes, even reading Bible from chapters to chapters, we can admit that we don't remember all that we read.


But what I learned was this, - to learn at least one truth, one sentence, is enough to change my mind and my life. I admit it is not the quantity of information but the quality of information that changes a life.


This is why I jot down sentences I learned from books I read, sermons I heard, movies I watched, music I heard and arts I admired. It maybe just one but it can impact me a lot. This is why, at least one verse a day will already fully inspire me rather than read countless chapters. And even at times I read voraciously from chapter to chapter, but I make it a point that at least I can quote one sentence to summarize what I have read.


John Piper said it well:

What I have learned from about twenty-years of serious reading is this: It is sentences that change my life, not books. What changes my life is some new glimpse of truth, some powerful challenge, some resolution to a long-standing dilemma, and these usually come concentrated in a sentence or two. I do not remember 99% of what I read, but if the 1% of each book or article I do remember is a life-changing insight, then I don’t begrudge the 99%.

So, what sentence has impacted and changed you today? 

Radical Truth from Guillebeau:

“If you want to break out of the mold of average,

the first thing you need to do is

to make a decision to be radically different.

Most remarkable people are

people of action, and for a good reason:

if you don't take decisive action,

nothing will ever change.”

- G u i l l e b e a u

“Being intelligent involves

being ignorant

of those things

that are not worth knowing.”

- u n k n o w n

How To Open Up Your Breakthroughs

[As featured in IBN Magazine August Issue 2010]

Do you know what will open up the breakthrough of your life?

Do you know what will unleash your potentials?

Do you know what will make the whole events conspire to fulfill the dreams of your life?

It’s this –

A THANKFUL HEART.

Doubt will close your breakthroughs because when you doubt, you will have no motivation to move. Fear will close your breakthrough because when you fear, you are driving away the good things you supposed to attract.

Complaining will close your breakthrough because when you complain, you become blind to all opportunities right before you.

Do you know the attitude that triggered why Adam and Eve fell into sin?

It is their unthankful heart.

Just imagine, they have everything and yet of all the things that bothered them is the thing they don’t have. Same until now, right? We fell into depression because we are so bothered of what we don’t have when we supposed to be thankful of what we already have. No wonder a simple and single fruit made Eve to sin when she have all the fruits in her possession! Due to their downfall, the Garden of Eden was closed against them.

Same principle until now, practically speaking, it is your unthankful heart that will close resources, opportunities, abundance and breakthroughs against you.

But a thankful heart will open all the gateways of resources, opportunities, abundance and breakthrough! Blessings come only to those who are already ready to be thankful. 

Being thankful means you are working out of inspiration and not out of desperation.

You can work out of inspiration or out of desperation. For me, I want to work out of inspiration. It is hard when you work out of desperation. Let me ask you, are you really enjoying what you are doing right now? If not, then you are working out of desperation. It is a sign of an unthankful heart and that is the reason why no matter how you work, you have no progress and you have no fulfillment. Why not work out of inspiration? Inspiration invites all joys, blessings and abundance for you. It will also makes you happy in your work.

I have observed many who stayed mediocre are those people who work out of desperation and those who really thrive and became successful are those who work out of inspiration.

So be thankful. When you become thankful, fear disappears and abundance appears.

Being thankful means also you fully believe in your breakthroughs.

You attract what you believe. When you are thankful, you are full of positivism. It is not by sight but by faith. For by faith, you can already see what will happen. You fully believe and that is why you can thank God now in advance, and because you believe, breakthroughs magnets into you.

Be thankful.

Being thankful means also that you will accept any challenges –

It is knowing that you are just going through it. Challenges for you are not hindrances but stepping stones. You accept oppositions, hindrances and challenges as part of the ingredients of your breakthroughs. This is what I do in my prayer life, the first time I prayed for a specific thing, I come to ask. But the second time I mentioned it to God, I come already in thanksgiving.

Simple three words to say full-heartedly everyday that will open up your breakthroughs –

“Thank you Lord.”

I just said it, felt it and meant it and right now I believe another breakthrough has opened up for me.

How about you? Will you keep on closing your breakthroughs in life because of your doubts and fears? Or will you open the reservoir of all blessings that has long been waiting for you?