Patience

By Linda Tancs

Patience is defined as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset. The definition hints at the fact that it isn’t just about waiting; it’s how you act while you wait. How do you act when traffic comes to a stop and you’re in danger of being late to your destination? Or what about when a customer ahead of you in the “10 items or less” grocery line has more than 20 items? Or when a website takes several minutes to load? Patience is important enough to be enumerated as one of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). What can you do to improve yours?

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

Let’s Get Loud

By Linda Tancs

The biblical power of the shout is undeniable. When the Israelites shouted, the walls of Jericho fell down (Joshua 6:20). When Jesus returns with a shout, the dead in Christ will rise from their graves (1 Thessalonians 4:16). It’s a form of spiritual warfare as well as a form of praise and worship that is mentioned throughout the Bible (see, e.g., Psalm 33:3; Psalm 47:1; Psalm 66:1; Psalm 95:1; Revelation 19:1). So let’s get loud.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

Quiet Quitting

By Linda Tancs

One of the latest trends in employment is quiet quitting, the act of doing the bare minimum to complete one’s work requirements. The causes for this behavior include burnout, lack of recognition or career development, boredom, despair, discouragement and depression. It’s not just a business issue, though. It can be relational and spiritual, too. Have you ever quiet quit your faith, or know someone who has? Maybe all someone can do is muster up a belief that God exists. Maybe they’ve given up on believing that He can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20), probably for the same kinds of reasons that someone quiet quits at work. A key to avoiding quiet quitting at work is engagement. The same applies to your spiritual life. A robust faith life takes work. It involves engaging with the Word on a daily basis, studying it and applying it. It involves prayer and trust (Hebrews 11:6). Stir up your faith (2 Timothy 1:6) and don’t quit on it.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

Gravity

By Linda Tancs

Sir Isaac Newton propounded the Universal Law of Gravitation, which says that what goes up must come down. That should remind you of Jesus. He went up to Heaven and will come back down again (Acts 1:11). Another scientist, Albert Einstein, described gravity as a curve in space that wraps around an object. Think of the way that Jesus wraps Himself around you, pulling you closer to Him. Now that’s a gravitational force worth celebrating.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

Crisis Management

By Linda Tancs

Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a disruptive and unexpected event that threatens to harm the organization or its stakeholders. Of course, individuals experience crises, too. Whether on behalf of a business or ourselves, we attempt to manage them but often fall into fear, worry or despair over them. In those instances, it’s helpful to recognize that God is the ultimate crisis manager. We’re supposed to cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7). Position yourself as best you can, and let God do His job (2 Chronicles 20:17). Rest assured He’ll manage the situation better than you can (Psalm 46:10).

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

Unlimited

By Linda Tancs

CAVU is an acronym meaning “ceiling and visibility unlimited.” It’s a term that Navy pilots use to define the conditions they would like to see when taking off from an aircraft carrier. It’s a great way to think of God, too. How lucky we are to serve a God without limits. His love and compassion are unlimited (Psalm 51:1). So, too, are His understanding (Psalm 147:5) and His power (Ephesians 1:19). Reflect on some of God’s infinite attributes.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

Help

By Linda Tancs

The Beatles song Help begins with the words: “Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody.” That’s right, not just anybody. We need God, and God sent each of us the Holy Spirit, our Helper (John 14:26). How do you need help? Forgiving? Taking the first step toward a career goal? Organizing your closet? Whatever the case may be, you have an ever-present source of help (Psalm 46:1).

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

Bitter or Better

By Linda Tancs

How do you react under adverse circumstances? Do you become bitter, or better? The root cause of bitterness for the believer is a lack of trust in God. Trust makes you better, not bitter. It’s not that complicated to trust God. Just turn your eyes toward Him (Psalm 121) and don’t dwell on your circumstances, seeking to resolve it on your own (Proverbs 3:5-6). Do this daily, and make trust a habit.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

Minding Your Business

By Linda Tancs

In the classic 1951 movie, Scrooge, Ebenezer tells the ghostly countenance of his partner Jacob Marley that they were good men of business. Marley angrily replies that mankind was his business; their common welfare was his business. Alas, for Marley it was a lesson learned too late. For Scrooge, it was a reckoning. Mankind is, indeed, our business (Ephesians 2:10). So mind your business.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

Let God Be the Judge

By Linda Tancs

At some point, you’ve likely witnessed someone acting as “judge and executioner” when it comes to passing judgment on someone else’s behavior or situation. Maybe you’ve done it yourself (Romans 2:1). Why do we do it? Psychologically, it’s a matter of assigning attributes (thoughts about others’ situations or personality traits) aimed at understanding their behavior. Biblically speaking, judging shows a lack of humility, an inability to recognize one’s own defects. Jesus preached continually against judging others (see e.g., John 8:1-11; Matthew 7:3). Let God be the judge (Romans 14:10). Focus on your own acts and remember, no one is perfect (1 Peter 5:6).

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.