Be Obsessed With Improvement | TGIM

What's Going On?

I'm so disturbed today in my spirit. As I sat and listened to the news this morning I couldn't believe what I was hearing. In Orlando, Fl homeless people are arrested for sleeping on the streets. Once they are arrested they have to pay court cost etc.... Here you have homeless, jobless people who can't pay for shelter but you arrest them and expect them to pay court cost. When they can't pay they are arrested again for failure to pay. Please tell me what kind of sense that makes.  Humans are treated worse than animals.  If a dog is found on the streets someone either takes them in or they take them to a shelter. When a human is found sleeping on the streets they are thrown in jail. How can this be in America?

Unemployment has been cut-off for millions of people. Some say that the economy is strong enough now and unemployment benefits are too expensive. How can the economy stay strong without strong families? If families can't eat, no shelter for their head, no means of supporting themselves, how can that make/keep the economy strong? This will lead to more homeless people and more violent crimes, creating unsafe communities.  Many of the jobs that are open most of the unemployed do not qualify for, because of the lack of skills and education. What is going on?

The majority of the people who are homeless and/or out of work are not bad people but people who are victims of bad circumstances. I am a witness because my world starting falling apart after being laid-off  in 2011. I am an educated, self-motivated hard worker who felt worthless after losing my job. I looked for for work daily, filled out hundreds of applications and couldn't find work. I had a Master's Degree and years of experience in several areas but jobless. So, I fail to believe that everybody that's in need are sorry, lazy, good for nothing, want nothing people who are out to use the system. I've been there! What's going on?

We'll come together and send millions to other countries for relief efforts but people in our own country are hungry, homeless and helpless.  We cut-off aid to our own, but go above and beyond to send aid to others. We create laws to keep our own from getting while creating more laws to give
more to those who already have.  I really don't understand.  What's going on?

Is your Dream in Development Hell?

I'm re-reading this book entitled: Produced by Faith written by Devon Franklin.  When I tell you that it addresses every stage that you go through when you're in pursuit of purpose and living your dreams, I'm so serious.




Devon describes "Development Hell" as a place that you reach where you feel like you've stopped progressing and sometimes even feels like you're going in reverse.  He talks about the many movies that were in "Development Hell" but just one scene, one new idea, one suggestion or one change away from going into Production. 




Development Hell is a part of the process that all of us will go through or have gone through at some point in our pursuit to live our dreams. This is a very crucial stage because we can choose to give up and throw in the towel because of hopelessness, feeling like you've worked so hard, only to find yourself stuck and/or going in reverse.  I want to encourage you to stand still and wait on God. 


If you want success then you have to trust that the pause you're experiencing is simply an opportunity for God to setup everything that you need in order to hit it big at the Box Office.  This is where the enemy starts playing with your mind and whispering, "give up", "it's not worth it", "this is not for you", "why are you wasting your time"?  You have to turn a deaf ear to the enemy and feed your spirit the Word of God and the Promises of God. See, if you're going to make it through the tough times, you have to have something to stand on.  .What you believe must be stronger than what you see because what you see becomes more believable than what you believe.   




I found myself in "Development Hell" a couple of years ago.  I felt as though my life was going backwards and everything that I worked so hard to accomplish and build had fallen apart.  I didn't realize that where I was - was a part of my process and my chance to learn new things, face new challenges and see how God moves in the midst of the impossible to make it all possible!


God has added more stripes to my faith pin and more experiences to confirm my belief in the supernatural power of God.  It took a while but through His Word and prayer, I got my passion back, my persistence back, my compassion back and my FAITH back. 




Now that you know where you are and that it's all a part of your process, get-up and get back to work.  You have a purpose to fulfilled and a dream to realize.




Living in Faith,




The Purpose Coach

I Still Believe

My heart is heavy this morning because I feel that the justice system has failed my nephew, but my spirit is stronger than ever because I know that God is going to use this setback to set him up for purpose. 


That battle between your flesh and your spirit can cause you to doubt the truth even when you know the truth to be true.  When your spirit is weak and your flesh is strong, your faith waivers because you haven't built it up in the spirit.  Whatever you feed grows and whatever you starve begins to wither away.  Many of you are feeding your flesh through thoughts and conversations that are contrary to what your spirit is connected to and that's the Word of God. 


It's time to go back to that secret place, that quiet place, that peaceful place that assures you that God is in control and everything is going to be alright.  Don't surround yourself with people who will feed your flesh the garbage of bitterness, envy, anger and unforgiveness.  God works through love!


Let today be a new day and a fresh start to a new beginning.  Let God be God and his enemies be scattered.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper!  If you're going to go into battle be sure to go in with the one who has already won before the fight begins.


In the midst of it all, I STILL BELIEVE!




The Purpose Coach
"Live Life on Purpose"

Can You Really Be Sure?

As I sit and ponder the life I'm living and the life I desire to live, I can't help but dissect the word Faith. I know that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. I also understand that when faith is involved common sense is out the door. But, does the absence of common sense mean faith is present or is there a hint of desperation that seeks to find anything that may resemble purpose?

My passion for writing, helping people, encouraging and motivating others, continues to push me to seek those things desired, but even more, those things promised. God has promised me many 
blessings and many open doors. Not one day goes by that I don't question if I'll ever walk in those promises. It's not because I don't believe or have faith, but I wonder if I'm running after God's purpose or settling for crumbs. 

There was a time when I was sure about where I was going. I was determined to live life with no regrets, but the thing I feared the most has come upon me. Lately, I have found myself regretting some decisions that I have made in life. I sometimes feel like fear stops me from really stepping out in faith. My biggest fear is hearing the words "I told you so". I realize now that I've made some people's opinions more important than they should be. I keep going back to the question, "Can you really be sure"?

At the end of the day, being sure is simply having faith that what you believe is sure. I do believe that what God promised he will bing it to pass. I do believe that I will experience the manifestation of every promise God made me. This really isn't about being sure, it's about being steadfast and unmovable, on fire for God and determined to pursue purpose with everything on the inside of you.

No more dwelling on what I had or what I did. It's time to focus on where I'm going and what God has in store for me. So, what about you?  Are you sure?  Have you lost your zeal, your fire, and your passion? Time doesn't wait on anyone. You can't slow down now.  It's time to finish what you started!

So, to answer my own question, YES.........yes,  you can be sure that what God promised he will bring it to pass. It's in the Word.

Live Life Now,

The Purpose Coach

Unfamiliar Doors

When you're forced out of your comfort zone into an unfamiliar place, it's scary.  It's scary because you are looking at people and things that you have no connection to and everything you know seems irrelevant because of where you are.  At this point, you can't see purpose, you don't know why you're there, and you're feeling lost and stuck.

Finding myself in this place was a frightening experience. I couldn't understand why God allowed what I was comfortable with to be snatched away.  At first I thought I was being punished or I did something wrong.  I just couldn't understand it.  Now, I'm beginning to understand that in order to get my life to the next level, I had to be forced from stage 1 to stage 2.  I couldn't maximize my full potential at stage 1 because I had already mastered that level.  It was time to move on and my flesh didn't want to go through that process.  See when you're starting a new level in life, you have to figure out how to maneuver through the ups and downs, the road blocks, the detour signs, the potholes and even the road workers who have been assigned to distract you.  You have to die a few times before you learn where not to step, who not to trust and what not to do.  So, starting a new level can be painful but it's necessary.

Don't make a permanent decision in a temporary situation.  Just because it doesn't look like what you saw in stage 1 doesn't mean it's not part of the plan.  The doors that God will open will be unfamiliar doors.  They won't be shaped the same, won't have the same color and some may not even look like a door.  Ultimately, you're going to have to change the way you think because stage 2 will require you to think outside of the box.  This stage will require collaboration and partnerships.  You will meet people who don't look like you, sound like you or even dress like you.  Your job is to recognize when God is sending a divine connection into your life.  Nothing happens the way we think it should because our minds are so finite.  We can only think so far ahead, but God has already set the stage, organized the event and put the plan in place.  It's not your responsibility to know "how" - "why"  or "when",  you just need to be ready when the door opens. 

This is the season of unfamiliar doors.  Stop looking for what you saw yesterday, today is a NEW day.  SHIFT your mindset, SHIFT your thinking, SHIFT your relationships, and prepare to walk through UNFAMILIAR DOORS!


Live Life Now,

The Purpose Coach

Is It God's Will?

What do you do when the dream you've been trying to keep alive is the one God is trying to kill?  Yeah....it stumped me when I heard it too.  I mean, you put your all into something only to find out that it's not God's perfect will for your life.  I've learned over the years that there's a difference between God's perfect will and his permissive will.  Sometimes we operate outside of His perfect will unknowingly. We can get to a point where we really feel like what we're doing is God's will for our lives, because it appears to be working.  Everything appears to be going well and you seem to be prospering, so what's the problem?  Well, it could very well be His will... just not his perfect will. 

God gives us the right to "choose".  We make a conscious decision daily as to what we will or will not do.  Often times we do good things that help & encourage people and even show the love of God, but just because it's good doesn't mean it's God!  We can find ourselves in this position when we start depending on and trusting our flesh.  Whenever we slack on seeking the face of God and listening to divine instructions, we slip away into a deep hole of false humility that makes us feel like we're to good things so we have to be in the perfect will God.  Sadly, that's not true and it's a tough spot to find yourself.  It's great to do good things for people but don't miss out on purpose because you want to do good.  You can continue to do good in PURPOSE!

It's time to break-out of the mode of relying on our flesh & good heart and really start seeking God for divine instructions and clear directions.  I don't know about you but I'm tired of good, I want God!   When you choose God, you're choosing His absolute best for your life! 

Always choose God.


Walk in Love, Stay in Faith,


Pastor Y.P.