BEGIN

And the LORD said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. BEGIN to POSSESS it, that you may inherit his land – Deuteronomy 2: 31

Every Action has a Beginning. Until then, it remains a mere Intention. Winning starts with beginning. Success starts with beginning. The courage to begin is the same courage it takes to succeed. That courage separates dreamers from achievers. Everyone who got where they are began from where they were. Here are five pertinent principles about beginning:

• Beginning is not easy: it requires vision, will, courage and determination. Lethargy is easier. It is cheaper to be laid back, and do nothing; but costlier on the long-run. The first things God encountered when He was to recreate the earth were challenges; but He overcame them and commenced the works of creation (Gen.1:1-3). W. C Stone says, “The first step is the hardest, but the noblest. That’s why many fail – because they don’t get started, they don’t go. They don’t overcome inertia. They don’t begin.” Anticipate challenges, obstacles, and hurdles before they emerge.

• Prepare for Problems from the beginning: To begin anything, you must overcome fear, win over worries and weariness, put away timidity and procrastination, and lord it over laziness and lethargy. You must be prepared to face one or more of these subtly opposing ‘enemies’. It helps if you can see beyond the seen – beyond the senses or the natural order of things: “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap” (Eccl.11:4).

• Always begin with Prayers: always seek God’s mind from the start. God is not your “rubber-stamp” to be consulted only after all else is signed and sealed. He’ll only confirm what He commissioned. Jesus gave us the pattern to always begin with prayers: “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Him; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles” (Lk.6:12-13). Here, the Master began the selection of His Ministry’s emissaries with prayers.

• Always define Purpose from the beginning: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down FIRST and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it” (Lk.14:28). It is to the extent you define that you will find. What the fool does in the end, the wise man does in the beginning! Purpose is primary!

• However small, it is best to begin. Even a small step is a step! Small steps of faith lead to large expanses of victory! Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Beginning is half-done; delay could be dangerous. Nothing ever gets done until you begin. The big chunk of success is to show up and start. The successful person does the thing that others never get around to doing.

Dare to begin! Worse than a Quitter is the person who is afraid to begin. It is not enough to boast about the knowledge of a path if you do not put one foot in front of the other to begin the journey. You must begin somewhere; you cannot fulfill your destiny on what you intend to do. No venture is worse than that which is not attempted. You may not know what you can do until you have tried. There are God-ordained lands of inheritance waiting to be possessed. God has begun to put your dread and fear upon your adversaries (Deut.2:25). Begin to do today what you might have postponed until tomorrow. Take Action NOW! Make that call. Write that letter. Compose that song. Begin to read or write that book; to lay that foundation; to plan that journey; to master that subject; to restore that relationship; to pursue that course; and to fulfill that ministry!