When you understand your rich history, you can better appreciate your fertile future.

I am from Trinidad and Tobago. Back in 1498 Christopher Columbus found Trinidad and Tobago on his third voyage. Although the Spanish controlled Trinidad until 1797, French colonists settled it. The British, French, Dutch and Courlanders owned Tobago. But eventually it ended in the possession of the British. In 1889 both islands became a single political entity. Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence in 1962 and became a republic in 1976. Today Trinidad and Tobago are among the most cosmopolitan islands in the Caribbean and continues to attract visitors.

What is one thing about your history that fascinates you? How can you use that to better appreciate where you are today and influence your tomorrow?  

The likes of Elon musk, Jeff Bezos, Satya Nadella, and Tim Cook continue to push the boundaries of technology. Today we admire and respect them. But it was not always that way. None of them started where they are. Because they overcame many adversities, they excelled and are poised for future discoveries and breakthroughs. Their history shaped them for today and how they use these moments will determine who they will further become.

You do not need to be listed among the Fortune 500 to be considered accomplished obviously. But you sure have the potential to be there. Your dream is just beyond your fear, uncertainty, self-doubt, pain, adversity, struggle, or setback. You are more than a conqueror. Do not give up!

But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is a reward for your work (2 Chronicles 15:7).

A typical American spends 34% of their income in interest and 40% in taxes. This leaves about 23% for lifestyle and just 3% for savings. There is a program which can assist you with reducing your interest and taxes. This results in an increase in lifestyle and savings, to for example, 33% and 15% respectively. We pay interest and taxes on things we buy both with cash and terms. Surely, we pay for our debts.

Imagine if you had a wealthy father who decided to eliminate all your debts. This would leave you with significantly more cashflow to experience more in life. This would be a reason to celebrate! You could travel, contribute to worthy causes, bless family or friends, buy a new outfit, and more.

Our wealthy heavenly father died to eliminate the debts we incurred by our sins. Because He died, we do not have to pay that price ourselves. For this we can celebrate! Because of this we can experience more with new lives. With His help we get to exhibit more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control according to Galatians 5:22-23. This does not mean that we would not make any more sin expenses. But because of Jesus, we would not have to remain in debt.

If you know you cannot celebrate the resurrection of Jesus as you should today, take a moment to invite Him into your life.

Prayer: Jesus, I thank you for dying in my place so I could eliminate my sin debts. Forgive my sins and come into my heart. I accept you today and celebrate your resurrection. Amen.

Now celebrate!

In the movie Ground Hog Day, Bill Murray was reliving the same day repeatedly. It became a routine, even though he did not like it, and it was not good for him.

Is it not interesting the things we allow to become a routine in our lives? For example, returning to behaviors which cause us pain, regret, or loss. Some of the ways we do this is by eating in an unhealthy manner, spending too much time with people who do not uplift us, listening to media that poison our faith, neglecting to make courageous decisions, to name a few.

We all struggle with breaking out of routines just because they are familiar even though they do not enrich us. Habits emerge out of our routines. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, said that habits work because “to save energy, the brain creates a habit loop that looks for a trigger to cue a behavior. To form a habit loop, the brain first looks for a cue, a trigger that tells your brain when to begin the next element, the routine.”

If a cue can instruct our brain to conduct one routine, we can train it to conduct a healthier one instead, thereby creating a new habit loop. Habit causes us to engage in behaviors without thinking. Have you ever had a conversation over the phone, while fixing yourself a drink in the morning and deciding which way you were going to take to work, at the same time? If not the three, have you ever done two at the same time, and even without much effort?

Fortunately, we can change our habits which change our trajectory in life. Our habits make or break us. Start today to choose a different routine when you get that “disastrous” cue, so you can develop a new empowering habit. Does this seem beyond you?

Fortunately, God can do far more abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works within us (Ephesians 3:20). Trust God for the appropriate power.