Serago's Pump Ups
  • Home
  • Pump Ups
  • Podcast
  • About
  • Ask Gary a Bible Question
  • JOIN
  • Home
  • Pump Ups
  • Podcast
  • About
  • Ask Gary a Bible Question
  • JOIN

How To Stay Out Of Trouble

2/20/2019

0 Comments

 
Luke 4:43-44 - “But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”  NASB
  • Have A Purpose 
I believe this is why I got into so much trouble as a youth. I never really had a purpose.
 
Some people have set goals for themselves and anything they do has to help them accomplish their goals or they won't waste their time being involved with something that will not help them achieve this.
 
When you look at athletes who set their goals on becoming the best at whatever sport they are involved with it is easy to see why they say, "No, to drugs and alcohol." They understand drugs and alcohol are not going to help them achieve their goals. So they stay away from them.
 
I was very close to spending a lot of years in prison over drug charges back in the 1970's. In the first trial, which ended in a hung jury, 10 people said, "Guilty" and 2 people said, "Not Guilty."
 
Wow! Not having a purpose in my life was almost a very expensive mistake. Two people kept me from going to prison for a very long time. 
  • What's Your Purpose? 
As we can see from the text today, Jesus' purpose was to preach about the Kingdom of God and He was not going to stop preaching because this was His purpose.
 
In fact, His purpose would ultimately lead to people killing Him.
 
He preached about the Kingdom of God and certain people didn't want to hear what He was saying. They hated His message so much they killed Him to try and quiet Him, but we know this didn't quiet Him, except for three days.
 
Then He resurrected and empowered His disciples to preach and preach they did. On the day of Pentecost, they baptized 3,000 people (Acts 2). Hopefully, you have been baptized or immersed into Christ. If not please let me know and I will help you.
 
So, do you want to stay out of trouble? Set a Goal or another way of saying it is "Have a Purpose." 
  • Purpose and Long Life 
I believe if you want to live longer then you should have a purpose in your life. I can't prove this but in my mind, the two go hand in hand. If I have a purpose I want to get up in the morning and get started on accomplishing my established purpose(s).
 
In fact, one of my nightly exercises in bed is to say to myself "Okay, what do you want to accomplish tomorrow?" Then I go to sleep happy because I know there is something that awaits me the next day.
 
Think About These:
 
Some people dream of worthy accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them.
 
A genius shoots at something no one else sees and hits it.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word
​
0 Comments

Every Successful Person Has This One Quality Trait

9/5/2018

0 Comments

 
Prov. 24:16 - For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.   NASU
 
Prov. 24:16
No matter how many times you trip them up,
God-loyal people don't stay down long;
Soon they're up on their feet,
while the wicked end up flat on their faces. 
 
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.) 
​
  • They Don't Quit 
Solomon informs us about a righteous person and what they are made of. They have an "I don't quit" mentally.
 
I have included this verse from The Message translation also. I really love how he translated this verse.
 
No matter how many times you trip them up,
God-loyal people don't stay down long;
Soon they're up on their feet,…
 
I am sure we all have been knocked down by life, but the difference between us and others is we get back up and continue grinding it out until the victory is ours. 
  • What Was It That Knocked You Down? 
Some of my readers maybe knocked down right now. Let me help you get up and back on your feet. Reread this verse in both translations. Eugene says, "God-loyal people don't stay down long; Soon they're up on their feet,…"
 
This is you. You are a God-loyal person and sure you are down now but you are not down for long because he goes on to say soon you're up on your feet.
 
Identify what it is that has knocked you down in life. Is it a health issue, or a financial issue or a work issue? Know this, whatever it is that has knocked you down the fight isn't over.
 
You will get back up on your feet and win this battle.
 
How do I know? This scripture tells us this is what God-loyal or the righteous people do. 
  • Why Have You Been Knocked Down? 
Did you fail to listen to sound advice? Did you listen to faulty advice?
 
Whatever the reason there is only one thing for you to do, get back up, dust yourself off and continue in the fight until you secure the victory.
 
You can do this because God's Word says you can.
 
Think About This:
 
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength.”  ― Theodore Roosevelt
 
Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago


Minister of God's Word
0 Comments

Success Can Be Yours When You Do This

2/7/2018

0 Comments

 
​Gen.11:4, 6 - And they said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." …. 6 And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. NASB
 
The Bible is filled with many stories of how people accomplished success in their lives.

What is it you would like to succeed in today? I will share with you one Biblical plan for you to become successful. 
  • 3 Biblical Principles For Success 
First, we must start out with a PURPOSE (vs.4) - They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."  NASU
 
If you want to be successful then have a Purpose.
 
In Genesis 11 - the people had a purpose, and it was to build a city and a tower.
 
Can you hear the person with the dream? What we need people is a city, and in this city we need a tower, and not just any tower, our tower must reach into the heavens.
 
The people were united, they worked as one and they had a singleness of purpose. They worked as ONE. If your plan entails more than one person working with you to accomplish your goal then you all have to be on the same page.
 
Listen to what the Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them."
 
They spoke the same LANGUAGE or in other words they were all on the same page.
 
If you want to be successful you need to identify your purpose. You need to name what it is you want to accomplish. You will not be successful without naming your purpose.
 
Who is more likely to get in trouble today? It is my belief people without a purpose will get in more trouble then people with a purpose. 
  • Man With A Purpose 
Jonas Salk - His sole focus had been to develop a safe and effective vaccine as rapidly as possible, with no interest in personal profit. His purpose was to save young children from this crippling and deadly disease of Polio. He accomplished this by putting together the best team of doctors and researchers and they developed a vaccine to cure Polio.
 
Second, we must also have a PLAN (vs. 3) They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 
 
Their plan was to build this city by making bricks. What is your plan? What are you going to do to become successful? 
 
Their plan was to work together and work together they did. The result was the city and tower were both built by their hard labor. 
 
Third, we have to be PERSISTENT (vs.6) - The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.
 
Why will they be able to accomplish the impossible? They will not quit. They will work persistently on any obstacle that is in front of them.
 
When you make up your mind to do something, before you begin, you'll be hit with every negative thought imaginable trying to deter you from this project. 
 
Once you begin the project your temptations to quit will come in many a variety of forms. The only way you will succeed is to remain faithful to your purpose and plan. 
 
Think On These:
 
Every accomplishment, great or small, starts with the right decision, "I'll Try."
 
Today's preparation determines tomorrow's achievement.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
0 Comments

This Is The Type Of Person You Want On Your Team

12/27/2017

0 Comments

 
Luke 9:62 - But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."  NASU 
​
  • The One Who Stays Focused 
The person you want on your team or in your congregation is the "One Who Stays Focused" on the goal in front of them.
 
Please allow me to paraphrase what Jesus said, If you begin to plow a field keep your eyes straight ahead, don't be looking around. You can't plow straight furrows when you are looking all around.
 
The person who stays focus is the person you want on your team. This person will not be distracted by what is going on all around them. 
  • Today's Vernacular 
If Jesus were alive today He might have made this statement: "No one, after putting his hand on the car's steering wheel sends text messages." 
  • Dream Crashers 
We all know people who had so much talent and we watched them squander that talent.

We watched the love of money change them, or the love of being popular, or the stupidity of thinking drugs was going to help them in anyway. 

If you want your dreams to come crashing down then lose your focus on what is important. 
  • Let's Be Honest 
The person we want on our team or in our congregation is the person who has the ability to stay focused.

The one who is able to drive the car without texting. The one who puts their hand to the plow and doesn't look back.
 
This person has the dedication to accomplishing the goal that is before them. Anything that tries to take them off course is immediately squelched and they are wise enough to know there will always be something trying to distract them from accomplishing their goal.
 
So what is your goal today?

What are you doing to fulfill your dream?

Hopefully, you are making sure nothing distracts you. Take the advice of Jesus once you put your hands to the plow don't look back.  
 
Think On These:
 
A man with a burning ambition is seldom fired.
 
Too many of us shoot blanks when aiming at our goals.
 
Enthusiasm is apt to breed more action than accuracy.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

MInister of God's Word


Go To  www.SeragosPumpUps.com  to listen to Pump Ups on Podcast
 
0 Comments

How To Succeed In Any Adventure You Undertake.

8/9/2017

0 Comments

 
2 Tim. 2:4 - No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. NASU 

  • Stay Focused On The Task Before You 
You would think once you established your goals it would be easy to work towards accomplishing them. The truth is you will be faced with all types of distractions.
 
As we can see the Apostle Paul uses a military soldier as an example. When he says, "No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life." 
 
In other words, the soldier will not become distracted. He will not lose his focus. His focus is on being a good soldier and pleasing the person who enlisted him.
 
Therefore, daily distractions will not disqualify this soldier. 

  • Possible Distractions 
There are numerous possible distractions in which we can encounter in this life.
 
Some soldiers have been known to go AWOL (absent without leave) because of love. They left home to join the military and in so doing the one they were in love with was left behind. While serving they believed they had to see this special person and left their post. This never ends good.
 
Illnesses likewise can cause a person to become distracted from the task in front of them.
 
Some job offers will come your way and at first appear to be the answer to all your problems.
 
We probably have all heard of battle fatigue. This happens when a person has been in the fight way too long without getting some rest and relaxation. Everyone needs time to recharge their batteries.  
​
  • The Key To Succeeding 
The best way to succeed is not to lose your focus.  When distractions come don't go with them. I believe Nehemiah had the best answer when his detractors were trying to side tract him.
 
Neh. 6:1-4 - Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall , and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, 2 then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono." But they were planning to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" NASU
 
Nehemiah gives the perfect answer in my opinion: "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"
 
Basically, he is saying I am not going to be distracted by you guys. I am doing a great work and I am not going to finish my work by entering into a meeting with you.
 
Don't let anything or one distract you from your goal and you will find out success comes to those who refuse to quit.
 
Think On These:
 
We rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt.
 
Some fellows dream of worthy accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them.
 
You can't make a place for yourself under the sun if you keep sitting in the shade of the family tree.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Author

    Gary A Serago.

    Categories

    All
    Angels
    Bad Decisions
    Christian Lifestyle
    Confession
    Encouragement
    End Times
    Endurance
    Evangelism
    Facts About Jesus
    Faith
    Finances
    Forgiveness
    Friendship
    Fulfillment Of Scripture
    God's Will
    Grace
    Heaven
    Hope
    Humility
    Job Stress
    Leadership
    Mercy
    Positive Attitude
    Praise
    Prayer
    Restoring Your Passion
    Stubbornness
    Success
    Suffering
    Temptations
    Thankfulness
    Trust
    Truthfulness
    Wisdom
    Worship

    RSS Feed

Ask Gary a Bible Question
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.