Recently I was faced with a big decision. It was one that would require me to let go of some things I had worked hard to establish and that I loved very much. I couldn't help but think of a guy in the bible who coincidentally has the same name as me.

Philip was right in the middle of the biggest move of God since the resurrection when God translated him to a lonely road in the middle of nowhere. Philip didn't sit down on the side of the road and complain, instead he jumped right into action. Because Philip was open to change, the Ethiopian eunuch was saved and the confirmation that God desired all nations to be saved had begun.

Is God speaking change to your heart? If so, it will probably require you to leave some things behind. Here are 3 things I believe we need to experience successful change in our lives:

1. Reset your priorities

Luke 10:27 He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

2. Let go of the distractions & the past

Philipians 3:13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind...

3. Strain towards what is ahead

vs 13b-14 ...and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

-Phil Noblit

I recently went through Gang Awareness training for the Dream Center and a few things really hit home with me:

• 80% of the kids participating in the most recent "First Time Offenders Bootcamp" admitted to being part of an organized gang
• Shirley, AR, a town of 354 people, just rounded up over 20 Crip gang members
• In the state of Illinois there are more African American men incarcerated than there are enrolled in college
• The fastest growing segment of gang recruitment is among 10-12 year old white males

The six reasons they give for people joining gangs: Identity, Recognition, Belonging, Discipline, Love, & Respect.

What this tells me is if I want to win my kids for Christ I am going to have to get into their lives. Not just once a week, but all the time. As a parent I can't just eat dinner with them, or have my five-minute family quiet time, but I have to give them more of a sense of belonging, more love, more respect, and more discipline than anyone in their life.

Your kid is looking for all of these things, and if you are too tired when you get in from work to give it to them, you NEED TO BE REMINDED THAT THEY CAN FIND IT SOMEWHERE ELSE.


-Drew Davis

I used to be a puppet. I was jerked around by the strings of other people's opinions, my own insecurities, and my own fears. I was building my life around what others thought of me. It was stupid, idolatrous, and boring. I was a people pleaser.

"Becoming obsessed with what people think about me is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about me," said Craig Groeschel, pastor of Lifechurch.tv

Check out what the Apostle Paul told the church in Galatia:

Galatians 1:10 "Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant."

Paul was not a people pleaser. He told the Galatians that they can't be people pleasers and be servants of Christ at the same time. The two don't mix. It seems that we all have a tendency to be people pleasers. Too many of us live for the approval of others when God's opinion is all that matters! Right?

Here are few simple ways that I've overcome being a people pleaser:

*More detailed article on my personal blog HERE.

1. Be Yourself

Don't compare yourself with others. God made you to be you. Who are YOU?

2. Accept The Fact That Everyone Will Not Like You

One of the quickest ways to wear yourself out is trying to get everyone to like you. We just have to swallow the fact that some people won't like us.

3. Speak Up

Be honest. Express your feelings. Confront people when you are angry or bitter. Communicate clearly, respectfully and politely, but confidently.

4. Just Say "NO!"

You are not a slave! Some of you are saying yes to everyone and you think you are being so kind but your "acts of kindness" are based out of fear and guilt, not kindness. I bet most of you have a "to do" list. Some of us need to make a "stop doing" list.

Don't be a puppet.

-Jason Kimbrow

God inhabits the praises of His people. That's true. But that doesn't mean he's
disinterested in our lives when we're around the water cooler at the office at 3PM
on Tuesday; or when we're watching our favorite shows at 7PM on Thursday.
It's easy for us to understand that God's attentive to us when we sing songs
to Him on Sunday morning. But how interested do we really think God is in us
throughout the grind of our week?

Check out Psalm 139:1-16:

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in -- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for
darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are
wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written
book before one of them came to be.

Clearly, God wants our whole heart -- all the time!

-Jared Bridges

You may have heard it said that "Leadership is influence."
Influencing who? Influencing people, right?

The people in our family, job, school, team, organization, or anywhere else are the ones influence on a daily basis. Anytime we talk about leadership we always seem to talk about leading other people. Leadership is leading others, but honestly the most difficult person I've had to lead in any family, ministry, or organization has been...ME! Yes, most often the most challenging person to lead is our self.

The apostle Paul had the same challenge when he wrote Romans 7:19-20 saying,
“But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and
if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously
need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it.
I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do
it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has
gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time." (The Message)

Let's be very honest with ourselves. To be a great leader we must be able to lead the most difficult person in the world...OUR SELF! One of the fruits of the Spirit is self control (Galatians 6:23) or "self leading," which encourages me that there is hope in leading myself. That hope is found IN Christ (John 15:5). How successful are you at leading yourself? Let's take a deep look and ask the Holy Spirit to show us the areas where we need need to grow, change, or mature so we will be able to lead other people not only by principles but by the authentic influence of Christ-like character.

-Dale Hull