God, I Love you, but I’m not Comfortable - Taken from my sermon preached on January 22, 2006

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James 1:2 - 4 NLT
²Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. ³For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

Now this scripture sounds real good but the only problem that people have with this scripture is that when the trouble comes my way, it’s not easy. When trouble comes my way I get frustrated, I get doubtful, my faith doesn’t waver but I do wonder. The reason for my message today is to let you know that it’s alright when you don’t feel comfortable, it’s alright when times look dim, so let’s walk down the road of discomfort and see what God is trying to show us.

In life, people desire to stay in their comfort zone. If you put them in a situation where the zone is above them, they will do things to bring it down (take ghetto people to the suburbs). If you put them in a situation where the zone is beneath them, then they will bring it up (self development, finding Jesus).

Why do we as Christians have discomfort?
How do we overcome the discomfort in our lives?

1. What is comfort
Comfort
· a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain; a feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment, a freedom from financial difficulty

We worship/live/praise according to our level of comfort.
I’m going to church so why am I feeling discomfort?
I’m a man/woman of God so why am I feeling discomfort? I’m saved so why am I feeling discomfort?
Does God have ears?
Why is this happening, I’m a good Christian, if things don’t change then I miles well get back into the world

Romans 8:18
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.
I don’t want to hear that right now Jesus and don’t send anyone to talk to me who’s life is fine, don’t send anyone who’s not going through what I’m going through…matter of fact don’t send anyone…YOU COME GET ME OUT OF THIS. Don’t quote scripture to me, I mean I hear you on that bible stuff but you have no idea what I’m going thru. Your life is not as bad as mine. Everyone has problems…you are no exception…the differences with your problems and someone trying to help you with your problems is that they have already been through it so their perception of it is different.

When we got saved we didn’t want to sign up for Advance Christianity, Basic Jesus 101 was alright for us. Even though we wanted advanced blessings, we only wanted sacrifice 101, we only wanted hard-times 100, and we only wanted discomfort 100. Of course we wanted Walking in Authority 400, Quoting scripture 500, and the faith to move mountains 1000. But how does the faith to move mountains get developed, it’s developed the same way as we develop our academic skills in school, test after test after quiz after handout after homework after project after essay after thesis paper. See we want that PHD in Jesus with that Kindergarten effort. We want Jesus but on our conditions.

2. Conditional Faith/Trust
a. I will trust you as long as my rent is paid
b. I will trust you as long car note is paid
c. I will worship you as long as I have a job
d. I will worship you as long as I have money in the bank
e. I will believe in you as long my marriage is fine
f. I will believe in you as long as my family is not arguing
g. I will have faith as long as no one around me dies
h. I will have faith as long as my health never fails
i. I am your servant as long as I can tithe when I feel like it or I have more then what my bills require
j. I am your servant as long as I can still do a few of the things that I used to do
k. I will follow you as long as you don’t ask me to do anything I don’t want to do
l. I will follow you as long as my situation doesn’t cause me discomfort…..Lord…those are my conditions..take them or leave them.

Don’t just worship when you are feeling good, happy, comfortable. What God has in store for you is so much more then what you can see. He cant just give that to anybody, He has to give it to someone that’s dedicated to His will and will never leave nor forsake Him as He never leaves nor forsake us. Anything worth having takes work and dedication. The kingdom of Heaven and the earthly blessings are no different.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

To the degree we're not living our dreams, our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over ourselves. --Peter McWilliams Author

We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about. --Charles Kingsley

3. What to do when you don’t feel comfortable
a. Who have you depended on all your life? Even though you had many people around you and your family was there for you, when it came down to it, you always depended on yourself…because you would never let YOU down. But what starts to happen is that situations where your skills, talents and abilities were sufficient before…don’t work anymore. Relationships where you used to be able to handle situations just don’t work anymore. Jobs that you used to be able to get and keep, don’t want you anymore, Little lies you used to tell to get by don’t stay little anymore, they blow up in your face…things that you used to do don’t work anymore…they don’t get you the results that you want anymore…you start to feel uncomfortable with yourself…..
b. 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
c. You have to remove you from the situations, remove what you want to happen, remove your way of doing things, remove your will and remove dependence upon your abilities.

d. What did Jesus do when He was uncomfortable (what would our prayer have sounded like)
Matthew 26:39
He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine."

4. Three reasons God puts us through situations
a. II Corinthians 1:4-6
⁴He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
⁵You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
⁶So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. .

b. So you can tell others (so that we can comfort others)
i. God is looking for distribution centers, not warehouses
ii. The most powerful tool you have in witnessing and bringing people to Christ is your testimony.

c. So God can get the glory, advance the kingdom (the more God will shower us with his comfort)
i. When God takes you thru things he wants you to see a situation that He can only bring you out.
ii. It’s not that we don’t trust God’s ability, we don’t trust that He loves us enough to do it. You have to remember that God loves you just as much as He asks you to love Him. When you fear or doubt Him or situations, you are not doubting His ability, you are doubting His love.

d. So we grow, develop, learn, progress (coal à diamond) (for your benefit and salvation)
i. God is more concerned with our growth then our comfort. Growth helps advance the kingdom, comfort leads to complacency.
ii. (God removing the layers, like peeling an orange) – an orange has a protective covering to keep it from harm and to grow and mature. But the purpose of the orange is not to keep the covering, the covering has to be stripped away so that the seed that is inside can come out and grow into an orange tree and make more seeds. When someone planted a seed into you, they did not plant it so that you could keep it inside your covering…no…it was planted so that it could grow and then you could go and plant more seeds that come from the fruit within you.
iii. (Coal to a Diamond) – Everyone wants the diamond but no one wants the coal. Diamonds come from coal that has been pressurized and heated. Natural diamonds come from deep within the earth where the pressure and heat and fire occur naturally. In order for a coal to become a diamond, sounds like it has to go through hell and back and then you can see the true diamond in the rough.

iv. John 15:2 Branches being pruned
He cuts off every branch that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

5. Qualities needed to overcome discomfort
Unselfishness
i. Take you out of the equation. Take what you want, what you have done, what you have acquired, everything in your life that comes before God. Tell God that even though you are imperfect, His will be done…God can easily take an imperfect person and do His perfect will.
Matthew 16:24-25
²⁴Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. ²⁵If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.

Trust
· Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.
· Custody; care.
· Something committed into the care of another; charge.
· Reliance on something in the future; hope.
When someone asks you a question that you already know, you are comfortable with the answer. You are comfortable with your ability to give the answer. If you get a question that you don’t know you would ask someone that you trust to help you or go to a source that you trust to find the answer.

Confidence - Trust or faith in a person or thing

Faith - Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Patience
· Longsuffering Persevering; Tolerant; understanding
· Bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance with calmness.
· Marked by or exhibiting calm endurance of pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance.
· Capable of calmly awaiting an outcome or result; not hasty or impulsive.
· Capable of bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance
Romans 8:25 - But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure.
Proverbs 19:11 - A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
Galatians 5:22 - But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

From The Successful Thinker Newsletter

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Happy New Year and welcome to 2006. The New Year has come in with a fresh new desire to achieve all that life has to offer as well as seek out every opportunity to become successful in life. This past year was one of great achievement and advancement in many of our lives. There were many things that we accomplished that deserved a round of applause, but we all know that there were things that we did that we would rather forget. There were many ups and downs and many times in the midst of our failures we missed the lesson that was to be taken from the situation. I don't want any of us to look back at 2005 and dwell on the things that we didn't accomplish or the failures/shortcomings that we had because that will only make us feel inadequate as we move towards the future. I want us to focus on the things that we did accomplish as well as try to take the nuggets of knowledge from the failures/shortcomings that we had because in each situation we can, as John C. Maxwell says, "Fail Forward, and learn from our failures."

Now in order to make the most of 2006 and take those giant steps towards success, I have prepared the "4 steps of Success" to help each of us in our journey. Let's get started

Find It

The first step towards success is to find out what you want to do with your life. Many times this is discovered by finding your purpose in life. Your purpose is what you were created to accomplish on this earth and what your talents and gifts are most suited for. You can also apply the "Find it" principle to any new venture that you are getting involved in. Your first step in any venture is to seek out as much knowledge about your venture. Knowledge is power when it comes to being successful in any way sort or matter. As you seek out as much knowledge and information about your venture, then you can make a well thought out decision as to whether this venture is beneficial to you and how to achieve and exceed the desired results. When you are seeking out knowledge, use that knowledge to assess the opportunity that is before you. Use that knowledge to see the whole picture (and even the frame) so that you can be sure that this opportunity is the best choice in your pursuit of success. .

Believe it

The next step is to believe that you can do it. This step seems easy if you have all the information and knowledge about the opportunity but many people falter at this step. Believing that you can achieve great feats is not an easy task. When you have grown up in an environment where failure has tore down many people's confidence and faith, it's hard for people to believe that they are able to overcome. Let's look at the two definitions below that make up the basis for the "Believe it" principle.

Confidence - Trust or faith in a person or thing

Faith - Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.

As you can see from the definition of confidence, you must have faith or trust in a person or thing. Now myself I used to have all the confidence in the world in my self. I believed that my own talents, gifts and abilities were great enough that I could achieve anything that I wanted. The problem was that I didn't truly know the source of my talents, gifts and abilities. As, I developed a relationship with my creator, I learned that as my faith grew my confidence grew, so the real source of my confidence was my faith. I also learned that faith is what activates the promises in the Bible and therefore as long as I was in the will of God, I could have 100% confidence and faith in my gifts, talents and abilities because even though I could fail.the source of my faith, confidence, talents, gifts and abilities could not.

Talk It

The next step is to "Talk it". The "Talk it" principle is based on speaking things into existence. Many people do not understand the power of words. The power of words is shown constantly by our continuous use of them and the effect they have. The bible says "As a man thinks, so is he", now we know that words are spoken thoughts, so we can say "as a man speaks, so is he", therefore your words show who you truly are. For example, the Bible is a book of words, but once read, taught, spoken and applied the correct way, they can change lives. Our language is based on spoken words and the things you say to people have lasting effects and can either help or hurt your relationship with them. This newsletter is a collection of words organized into articles to help people reach their goals in life, by reading and applying the principles or telling others the principles that are presented in this newsletter, lives can be changed. Finally, here is the most important factor when it comes to the "Talk it" principle.When you speak, speak with confidence. When you start on your path towards success, many people will ask you what you are trying to do with your life or what your venture is about. You have to speak with confidence and be able to explain to them what you are doing and where you are going in life. People are attracted to confidence and when you speak with the confidence and assurance that you are going to be successful in life, people want to hear what you have to say. When you come across a dynamic preacher, you realize that the preacher has a confidence and great grasp of his or her words during the sermon. Those words capture our hearts, minds, emotions, souls and spirits and bring us closer to God. When you speak with confidence and speak positive things into people lives, you capture hearts, minds, emotions, souls and spirits and bring them closer to their goals of success in life.

Walk it

The "Walk it" principle can be broken down to one single word, progress. As you start on your journey towards your purpose and success, you have to continually take steps and make progress towards that goal. The bible says that the Kingdom of God is not just words, but living by the Power of God. That means that even though we can talk about many things and tell people what we are going to achieve in life, next we have start making things happen and taking steps towards that goal.

Everyday make progress toward a goal. If you see in your future a business for yourself then everyday make progress towards that goal. You don't have to setup the business all in one day but you can at least look up the business process or research your market to see if you can make money with your business. If you see yourself traveling in the future then start looking up the places you want to go online and make sure you will know what you are doing when you get there. You may have to wait to get there but you don't have to wait to be prepared.

The definition of progress is steady movement towards a goal. The keyword there is steady, whatever you want to do in life and wherever you see yourself in the future, continue to make progress everyday. I see myself as a person that teaches people to realize the success that is within them, so everyday I continue to build a company that showcases different ways to bring out the success in people. Remember if you have a lofty goal that is far away from you attaining now, you don't have to make one big step to get there, just make continuous little steps and you will get to the same place.

Finally, if you have a dream or goal that does not require you to become a better person then you are now then the dream is to small. Your dream or goal in life should be so large that it makes you get up everyday and make continuous progress daily so that when you look back in a week, month, year or years you see that you may not be where you want to be, but you are not where you used to be.

Remember, to have what you have never had, you must do what you have never done...because...Success Is Inevitable...So Get Ready!!!

Answer: No, but its so much easier to find Him there.

From The Successful Thinker Newsletter

Link to audio here

Many people often have asked the question of “Do I need to go to church to find God?” The problem with that question is that when people hear the answer “no”, they use that answer as an excuse to never set foot inside a church and improve their spiritual lives. It is true that since God is omnipresent (everywhere) we can find God in all places including church but that does not mean to hope that he appears in the awful places that we continually visit.

From The Successful Thinker Newsletter

I was participating in a seminar last month and a great question was posed that took many participants by surprise. The facilitator asked each of us, if you died tomorrow, what would people say at your funeral? At first I was taken back by this question because you immediately start to say the things you would want to hear, but in reality there is a difference on how you see yourself and how others view you.

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From The Successful Thinker Newsletter

Many People Continue to live a life and disregard what God wants them to do and their excuse is God knows my heart. Let's take a closer look at what's really going on.

Audio Here

From The Successful Thinker Newsletter

Many times people wonder why they are going through a situation and when times will get better. They also wonder why is God doing this to them, or why is the adversary attacking them. Let's look at it a little closer.

Here is the audio

By J. Success

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the bible has 66 books and we all have testimonies so I put together a song that speaks about our testimony and how our stories are the 67th books of the bible. It's a great concept featuring my brother.

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Why do you get up everyday? What makes you go out and face the world everyday? What is your focus from the time you get up until the time you lay back down? What is the reason that you have not given up on life yet? What motivates your life and pushes you to continue to look forward to another day?

This message helps you to understand what motivates your life and if its not what you want, then how to change the motivation of your life.

Listen to mp3 here

Where do you see yourself in the future? Many times when we think about the future we see ourselves as accomplished individuals living a comfortable life with a great family. We see ourselves having a position in life of impact and importance as well as financial stability if not prosperity. We see ourselves fulfilling every dream and vision that we have now where we change the world with the gifts, talents and abilities that we have been given. In a nutshell, we see ourselves fulfilling our purpose.

Taken from the Successful Thinker newsletter. Here is the Heart of a saint mind of a sinner podcast and song.

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Remember no matter how many times you fall short, get back up.

Even a just man falls 7 times

Taken from The Successful Thinker Newsletter.

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Use Obstacles as Motivation - (Your Reaction to Obstacles/Failures Determine Your success)

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Failure, obstacles, rejection, disappointment, hindrances, difficulties, refusal and downright no are many of the experiences that successful people have had to overcome in life to get from where they were at to where they needed to be. The difference between successful people and people that don’t make it are their reactions when these experiences were upon them. Successful people realize that failure is an opportunity to learn and not an opportunity to give up. Successful people realize that obstacles are an opportunity to learn and not an opportunity to turn around. Successful people realize that all negative experiences are opportunities to learn new ways to succeed and not opportunities to throw in the towel and settle for what life gives them. Successful people take control of their lives and never give it back to circumstance, luck, and coincidence.

Have you listened too many of the stories of people that have become successful in life? Usually they came from humble beginnings and against all odds, they overcame their situations. They looked at their current situations and realized that in order to obtain what they have never had, they must do what they have never done. They realized that in order to rise above and out of their current situations, they would need to develop a whatever it takes attitude and let nothing get in their way or deter their pursuit of success. Each person that took the lemons in their life and made lemonade realized that opportunities to be successful are available to all of us but nothing comes easy.

When you approach an obstacle, you always have a choice, you can either overcome or over-complain. Let me give you an example from the bible that will show you how two people looked at obstacles and how their reactions changed the world. When Peter denied Jesus (basically betraying his friendship) he realized that he had failed Jesus and tried to turn and go back to his normal life. Jesus knew that Peter would be a great man of God once he realized who he was and what his destiny entailed but it was up to Peter to walk in that calling. Peter realized his mistake and overcame it, he didn’t let his mistake overcome him. Peter knew he was a disciple of Jesus that made a mistake, not a fisherman posing as a disciple therefore as time progressed he stepped back into his calling and fulfilled his purpose…therefore overcoming his obstacle. Now Judas on the other hand, when he betrayed Jesus, he felt so bad that he hung himself. He let his mistake overcome him and eventually take his life. Judas could have been forgiven because Jesus forgives all that call on Him but Judas didn’t think he was worthy of forgiveness…his mistake was to great.

Remember, you are called to greatness and you will have failures, obstacles, rejection, disappointment, hindrances, difficulties, refusal and be told no but don’t let anything stop you from becoming the great man or woman of God that you are destined to be. You know that you are called to do a great thing in this life, you see it when you are thinking about your future, you see visions of you doing great things…that’s what your calling is…its you becoming what you see in those visions.

Walk in it and let nothing stop you because Success Is Inevitable...So Get Ready!!!

Courage, Confidence – do you have what it takes?

For audio click here (from the Successful Thinker Newsletter)

If you look at the stories of many of the successful people that we see today, you start to see an overwhelming quality that resonates in each of their stories. When you listen to how they overcame great obstacles to achieve their overwhelming success you start to see similarities that set them apart from the masses. In every successful person you see the confidence and courage to make a change. You see the confidence and courage that says, no matter what happens, I will not stop until I achieve success, and I will not settle for a life that is less then what I deserve.

Many times before we have heard that there were two types of people in life. One time I heard the two types were “people that do or doers” and there were “people that watch or watchers”. Another time I heard there were people that “talk about it” and people that “make it happen”. The last one that I heard was more recent and it was that there were people that “hope success happens” and then there are people that “make success happen”. Now since the last one speaks about success, I'm sure you know why it caught my attention, because we all know success is inevitable. The confidence that comes from people who make success happen comes from them having an understanding of who they really are and what they really can achieve in life. When you start to understand who you are and what you have the capability to accomplish, you start to operate on a level of existence that is higher then most people who let life dictate them.

According to the bible in Hebrews 4:16 it says “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” That verse says to come before God boldly with confidence knowing who you truly are. The problem is that so many people lack confidence in themselves and therefore lack confidence in what they can accomplish in life. It takes courage to step out of the norm and open your own business. It takes courage to step out of the norm and accept your calling. It takes courage to step out of the norm and minister to your friends who don’t want to hear it because they can remember when you were acting a fool yourself. It takes courage to step out of the norm and set goals so high that you have to become a totally different person to achieve because if you can achieve them like you are now then you are not thinking big enough. It takes courage to step out of the norm and write a newsletter every month to thousands of people you don’t know but if you don’t write it you feel like you are not walking in the purpose God has for you.

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward ( Hebrews 10:35). Your confidence is what sets you apart. Many people confuse confidence with arrogance or conceit but usually those people are intimidated by a confident person so they try to attack what they cant have. Jesus says that once we accept Him into our hearts we are His brothers and sisters, children of the Lord, therefore let's exhibit the confidence and courage of royalty because success is inevitable…so get ready.

Success is Inevitable...So Get Ready...www.iamsuccess.net

For audio click here (from the Successful Thinker Newsletter)

As I reflected on the last few years and the ups and downs that have befallen myself and my family, I came to one conclusion when I look at my life and what I am to become, I Will Not Lose!!! Now I am not saying that I didn’t have hard times or go through tribulations that ranged from almost being evicted, sickness, financial despair, loss of a business, back sliding, marriage issues, loss of my spiritual covering, loss of hope, despair, unanswered prayers and many other shortcomings that came and went. The interesting thing I keep noticing is that no matter what comes into my path, my faith never wavers and instead of saying “here we go again”, I say “Come on God, here’s another opportunity to show up and show out”. Although I’m not perfect and I do get upset with God and ask Him why, I have decided that I will believe no matter what and have the faith to let Him come in my life and teach me how to win in every situation…even the ones that look like I have lost.

As I read through the bible and look at all the promises that God has made for us I often wonder how many apply to me today and how many were for the people at those times. When I ask God why I go through things that the promises are supposed to keep me out of, He always tells me, “You already have the victory, just believe”. Now we all know how hard it is to believe those promises when we are going through tough times. When times are rough we sometimes feel those promises are basically just words on paper instead of answers to our problems. Well as of late I have decided to believe every promise that is in the bible. I have decided that my life has had enough mediocrity, enough of just getting by, enough of just making it, enough of I’m just okay. I wanted to experience more success, more prosperity, more healing, more faith, more wisdom, more answered prayer, more anointing and overall more POWER.
When I started to believe everything and change my mindset to one of a conqueror, no, I take that back, I meant the mindset to one of “more then a conqueror” (Romans 8:37 - Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.), I started to see how even when it looked like I was losing, I still had the victory. I started to see how all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [His] purpose (Romans 8:28). Have you ever noticed how even your worst situations turn into blessings when God is in control? I’ll give you an example, when I was putting together my first business I paid a woman $400 to setup my business for me. She took my $400 and I never heard from her again. Well that infuriated me because I was unemployed at the time and $400 was a lot of money to donate to her purse. The outcome of that was a blessing because I was so motivated to not let anyone take my money again that I setup my own business, wrote a book on how to setup your own business in one day, created a workshop to go with the book and also created a DVD to go with the book. That one incident helped start my information empire that I am currently building because I felt that if I know what’s going on then no one can take advantage of me again. The cost of ignorance (not knowing how to setup my own business) was $400 and now I will make 4 billion dollars teaching others how to start their own business.

When you approach a situation you have to believe that no matter what happens you are going to win. You have to have the confidence in who you are, the power you have, what you were sent to do and most of all, who lives in you (Hebrews 10:35). You have to believe that you are more then a conqueror and understand that conquerors never lose. You have to understand that Jesus said we will do greater things then He did (John 14:12) and Jesus never lost. Even when people thought He was dead, He rose and defeated all strongholds and gave us the power to win each and every time. The battlefield is the mind and as a man thinketh so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

So if you don’t know that you are fighting a defeated enemy then you will give them the power to overcome you. We fight enemies that have their hands under their shirts talking about stick em up. Well from here on out we will let them know that we will not lose anymore battles, for even in defeat there is a lesson learned so we still win…we always win and the thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Success is Inevitable...So Get Ready...www.iamsuccess.net

For audio click here (from the Successful Thinker Newsletter)

You ever just wish something nice would happen to you? Do you ever wish that things would go your way so that you could get ahead in life? Do you ever hope that someone will think nicely of you and make a way for you to succeed? Do you ever hope that in the future you will make it big, somehow, and that life will be so much easier? Do you ever just wonder where your success will come from? Well step out of that world where life dictates you instead of you dictating your life.

Life for many people is like a game of poker. When I watch championship poker on ESPN I notice that every player gets two cards to start with. Even though those cards are different, it's still two cards. That's how we start life, we start with different cards but we all have cards. Next the players bid on the cards they are dealt, calculating the risks and rewards of the cards they are dealt. They also consider bluffing or folding if their cards are not what they feel they can win with. This is how we all look at life and the experiences of life. We can either fold, bluff or play the hand we are dealt.

Now here is where successful people are separated from the masses, as the dealer lays out the next three cards, you start to see people fold, get nervous, bluff, panic, think long and hard, as well as pray that the cards that are laid out will help with the cards they already have. Successful people know that no matter what cards are played they will win. If the cards played don't make for a great hand then they will either learn from the experience or make their hand work. The average person will look at the cards that were dealt to them and what the dealer put out and fold until the dealer gives them a good hand. Successful people will make their hand into good hands or better yet...BECOME THE DEALER.

In life many people wonder who is controlling their situations and if you ask many people they will usually say "God controls what does and does not happen to me". According to the bible, God is not the one that controls what happens to you…YOU ARE. Your faith lets God come into your life and make things happen, your trust in Him lets Him come in and anoint you to impact this world and your words that you speak based on His word give Him the capability to step into your life and make things happen. Take control of your life and let God work thru you to fulfill your purpose, then you will see how your choice let you start to control your destiny and step into success, because Success in Inevitable…So get Ready.

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I would like to say Merry Christmas to every reader who subscribes to this newsletter and every person whom this newsletter is forwarded to also. Merry Christmas is a common saying for this time of year. When you see someone usually between the day after Thanksgiving and December 25, you say Merry Christmas to them to symbolize the Christmas season. Christmas has an underlying meaning that has been changed and commercialized to fit our capitalistic society. Now I am not going to go into the issues with the Christmas because that would just bring down the spirit of the season. But I will say that trying to take Jesus out of Christmas is like taking Dr. King out of his birthday. Instead I want to focus on the true meaning of the term Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas has three words in it. Most people see two, which are Merry and Christmas but in actuality there are three words. The first word is Merry, which means high spirited delight, to delight one self in. The second word is Christ, which is referring to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Savior or Anointed One. The third word is mas, which in Spanish means more. Therefore what we are really saying is Merry (delight yourself), Christ, mas (more) or “delight yourself in Christ more”. When you take Christ out of Christmas you are saying Merry -Mas, which means to delight yourself more. Delight yourself more in "what" is the question and when you take Christ out of it, then people will delight themselves in whatever they please and that's the downfall that we see our society experiencing today.

Delight yourself in Christ more is a great way to live life and I appreciate the opportunity to do that everyday. I always heard in my Christian circles that Jesus was the reason for the season but I never realized how much Merry Christmas really sends that message home. Therefore, the next time you tell someone Merry Christmas or someone says Merry Christmas to you remember to delight yourself more in Christ so that His love can delight itself more in you.

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Why me is one of the many questions that has plagued man for ages. Whether it be a drastic event, a missed opportunity, a tragedy, a sudden change of fortune or any other unfavorable outcome that has befallen our lives. We all are guilty of wondering "why me"? Of course we wonder why me prior to blaming numerous people, things, luck or God for our current situation. Things would be so much easier if we just knew the reason for our season.

Everything in life happens for a reason, whether the reason is caused by you or someone/something else, there is still a reason. Reasons, explanations, and why's seem to elude us most when we wonder why our lives are not where we want it to be. When many people take a look at their life or their current situation they usually have a sense of non-accomplishment. When many people look at their lives they feel a lack of purpose and direction. When many people look at their current situation the question that runs through their mind is "why me". Now if this doesn't apply to you and you have it all together, then go tell someone how you accomplished it but if you have “why me” moments, then please, keep reading.

When you look at the successful future that you know you are going to walk in, you only seem to want to see the final steps of the journey. When we look at the successful people we only desire the end of the road blessings, no one wants the journey lessons that make you into the successful person that you are to become. For example, no one looks at comedian Steve Harvey and says “I know he's rich but I wish I could live in my car for two years so that I can be rich like him”. No one looks at Writer/Producer/Actor Tyler Perry and say “I know he's rich now but I wish I could have my first few plays tank and then get evicted and lose everything so that I can be rich like him.” Everyone wants the glory of crossing the finish line but no one wants to run the race. No one wants to endure falling during the race, scrape their knees, crying profusely only to realize that you have to wipe your own wounds and dry your own tears. We seem to forget that every successful person endured their hardest times right before their breakthrough.

Success doesn't come to the lucky, it comes to the persistent. Success doesn't come to the wishful, it comes to the determined, focused and faithful people who change hard times into great lessons. We have to realize that we go through hard times for three reasons. Reason one is so that we can grow, learn and progress. Reason two is so that we can help someone get through their situation when they go through what we already came through. Reason three is so that God gets the glory, God will put you in a situation that you cannot get out of by your own power, gifts, talents and abilities. He wants to bring you out but He wants you to depend on Him to get you out. Once He brings you out He wants you to realize that it was Him that brought you out.

When God is leading all your steps then no matter what comes your way, you will not worry nor fret because you know that the battle is not yours, it's the Lords. Therefore instead of saying “Here we go again” or “Why me” when hard times come upon you, you will say “Here's another situation for you to show up and show out God, so have your way, I'll let you lead me out of this once again.”

Why me” is the question, “Let me” is God's answer…you are not alone..so don't try to be. AMEN

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If you had the opportunity to change your life and step into a new existence, what would you do? If opportunity came and knocked at your door and said, come with me, would you pack up and go? If an opportunity to have what you've never had meant that you had to do what you've never done, would you do it? Most people would say yes to these question because everyone is looking for an opportunity to do better but I believe that many people are comfortable right where they are at. They believe that opportunities come to the lucky or only to those who already have everything going right for themselves. Opportunities come to those who have their eyes open to see them and the courage to act upon it. But let's focus on what an opportunity is first.

The definition of opportunity is as follows:

An appropriate or favorable time or occasion.

A situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.

A good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success.

A chance for progress or advancement.

According to the definition, an opportunity has a variety of favorable attributes that lead( s) to a successful outcome. The main attribute of an opportunity is the focus on progress towards a goal. Many opportunities come across our plates everyday, as a matter of fact I once heard a rich man say ; "We all come across a million dollar opportunity once a day". Now I don't know about you, but a million dollar opportunity is definitely progress towards a goal. Another important attribute of an opportunity is a favorable time and situation. When divine opportunities become available to you, somehow you must realize that the time is right to prosper and therefore understand how favorable the situation is for you.

On the other hand, we all know people that continually speak or complain about missed opportunities. We all know people that say how much they could achieve if they had the chance, but when opportunity knocks they don't want to leave the comfort of their bed so they don't answer. Many people would love to have the opportunity to better their lives but they live only hoping that opportunity falls in their lap. They become comfortable with a life that (s) just good enough and let their dreams continue to be put on hold. The reality is that many people are scared to leave the comfort zone of their current life because that could possibly propel them to a level of existence that they might not believe they deserve. Then again maybe the best line from the movie Coach Carter starring Samuel Jackson sums it up, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlighten ing about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

When the opportunity came for me to relocate from Chicago to Los Angeles, I had to take a real good look at myself and figure out if I was really ready to take my life and family to another level. I had to realize the true meaning of divine timing, progress towards success and seizing the day. In Chicago I was living a life that was good for the moment but the path to get to the great future I had was never clear. I was very comfortable in my present existence but God always showed me visions of a great future and how I would impact many people with my gifts, talents and abilities. Now we all know that in order to walk in greatness we must take advantage of great opportunities and moving to California provided a great opportunity. It would get my wife back near her family which she greatly loves, it would give me the opportunity to experience year round summer (I really don't like cold weather) and it would give me an opportunity to showcase my abilities to people that could help me gain exposure. Within a week of arriving we had all we needed including income, daycare, transportation, lodging and contacts for me to network. See when God gives you an opportunity He makes sure it goes smooth and according to His plan so that He can get the glory when you testify about how it all came to pass. So today look at the opportunities in front of you and attempt to pursue one to the fullest and live the life that exceeds just settling.

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Many times in life we hear there are two types of people, winners and losers, givers and takers, starters and finishers, watchers and doers and the variety of other categories of two types. Now I don't believe there are only two types of people in the world, I believe there are many types. I also believe that of those many types, victor or victim is a type that can be added to the list. Victors and victims define not only where people are in life but where they are going. Now of course there aren't many people that will say they live their life like a victim, therefore we won't ask the question of whether you are a victor or victim. It's much easier to look at their actions, listen to their words and analyze where they are trying to go in life.

First, lets look at the definition of victor and victim.

Victor a person who has overcome or defeated an adversary a conqueror a winner in any struggle or contest.

Victim a person who is deceived or cheated, as by his or her own emotions or ignorance, by the dishonesty of others, or by some impersonal agency; A person who suffers injury, loss, or death as a result of a voluntary undertaking. A person who is tricked, swindled, or taken advantage of

Based on the definitions we see that victors always overcome, victors conquer any situation or obstacle that gets in their way and victors are winners no matter what. On the other hand, victims are always being taken advantage of, continually lose and are unable to even overcome their emotions or ignorance. Victors have potential, victims are pitiful. Victors are conquerors, victims deal with consequences. Victors always win, victims hope they win. Victors control their life, victims let life control them. Many people desire to live a life of victory but their situations and words are those of victims. How many times have you heard people say, well thats just how I am? That's just how I am is a victim statement, it's an excuse to not have to change, progress or overcome a situation so they would rather be a victim of the situation or their ignorance of the benefits of change. How many times have you seen people mock, deride or pull someone down who wants to better themselves. Victims don't want to see others who were like them become victors because victors expose the weaknesses of victims and their desire to complain but do nothing to change.

Victors are always in control even when the situation appears out of control. Have you ever wondered why some people are able to keep their cool no matter what's going on around them? Have you ever wondered why some people don't let anything get to them and even when it appears they are about to crack they seem to still hold it together? Victors receive their victory from within, they have tapped into that inner peace and inner joy that surpasses all understanding. Victors have found a source of victory that seems to convince them that they will win no matter the situation, circumstance or odds. Victors realize that no matter what they will win because for some reason they have accepted victory as the only option, so even when it looks like they are going to lose, they still win. See the source of this victory that I am speaking of, that gives joy to the victor before the battle is done or the obstacle is overcome, well that source goes by the name of Jesus.

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What do you plan to do today? What will happen in your life today that was different from yesterday? Does today even matter to you or is it just a day in the way of the weekend? In the constant pursuit of what we are to become, what we are purposed to achieve and what we see as our destiny, we often lose sight of what's right in front of us. We get so focused on the frame that we don't see the picture.

You know that you are destined for greatness in the future but today looks so bleak. Therefore we don't want to look at what appears different then what we want to see. If we took a look at the bigger picture and saw the transformation and progression that's taking place then we would see things quite differently. In a previous article titled "Why Me" I wrote:

When you look at the successful future that you know you are going to walk in, you only seem to want to see the final steps of the journey. When we look at the successful people we only desire the end of the road blessings, no one wants the journey lessons that make you into the successful person that you are to become. For example, no one looks at comedian Steve Harvey and says “I know he's rich but I wish I could live in my car for two years so that I can be rich like him”. No one looks at Writer/Producer/Actor Tyler Perry and say “I know he's rich now but I wish I could have my first few plays tank and then get evicted and lose everything so that I can be rich like him.” Everyone wants the glory of crossing the finish line but no one wants to run the race. No one wants to endure falling during the race, scrape their knees, crying profusely only to realize that you have to wipe your own wounds and dry your own tears. We seem to forget that every successful person endured their hardest times right before their breakthrough.

The best example of the perfect mindset to take and appreciate today would be Joseph. Joseph dreamed a dream that his father and brothers would one day bow down to him. After that dream he was thrown into a pit by his brothers, became a slave, falsely accused of rape, thrown in jail, become a part of the kings court and eventually became a major figure in Pharaoh’s court. Never did we hear Joseph complain about his circumstances, never did he not take advantage of each day knowing that every step he took got him closer to his destiny and never did we see Joseph give up and complain that he was not going to be anything in life.

Today is the only day that you can use to take steps towards the great future you see. Yesterday is gone forever and tomorrow never comes, it’s always today. When we start to realize that time is the most important resource that we have in life, then we appreciate today more because the minute we are born our lives are on a countdown. Carpe Diem is the French term for “seize today”. Remember, today is the beginning of the rest of your life, today is the best day of your life.

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Who are you? That question has confused and defined many men throughout the ages. The general consensus is that whoever is able to find themselves, their purpose and why they are here would experience great success in life. Those that struggle to find themselves and their path would be left to hoping, wishing and searching for the true meaning of the reflection in the mirror. This pursuit of self often translates into success or lack thereof within the workplace. Many people either excel or underachieve based on their view of self and where they see themselves in the future. They also understand that future outcomes are based on today's actions therefore if they do much today they will have much in the future and if they do nothing today then they will have nothing in the future. To develop "You: The Brand", you have to have quite a few characteristics that are displayed by today's strongest brands. When you hear people speak about top brands such as Coca Cola, Microsoft and GE, you think of things such as dependability, visibility, innovative and successful. These are qualities that each of us should have in developing ourselves as a brand. The people that are most successful understand themselves so well that they are in essence their own brand and they sell themselves with the utmost skill, they become the person they want to be.

A key step in developing "You: The Brand" is to develop unwavering confidence in yourself. Confidence is defined as belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities. In order for you to show others that you can provide what they are looking for, you have to believe that you can provide what it is they need. There have been many situations where I had no idea how to reach the solution that someone required of me but because I spoke with confidence people were more then comfortable that I could figure it out within the required time frame. When approaching a problem you have to believe that you can either figure out or find the solution. There can never be a problem without a solution. The issue that most people run into when they approach a problem isn't that there is "no solution", it's that they don't have enough confidence in "their" ability to find the solution. Remember, people don't know what you are capable of until you let them know, if you are confident that you can do anything then people can either believe you or sit back and watch you achieve it.

Communication is another key skill in developing "You:The Brand". Communication is the key to solving many problems in today's society. Not only is communication the key to solving problems but communication is a primary key in advancing in career and business aspirations. Effective communicators are able to easily and efficiently speak their thoughts, intentions and desires. They are able to communicate so well that their audience is able to see a visual picture based on their oratory explanation. Many times when we watch talk shows, newscasts, or any talk based media we find that we are drawn in more by hosts who can communicate at the highest levels without filler words such as ah, um and so. I am a part of the professional speaking organization known as Toastmasters International and when I give speeches I am critiqued based not only on my presentation but my adequate usage of words. I always thought I was an effective communicator but I wasn't aware of the filler words that I used in speaking and how fast I spoke. The people that I were around most spoke that way so I never noticed that I spoke the same and since people have short attention spans, I had learned to speak as quickly as possible. Within a few presentations I had corrected my word usage and now I speak clearly and more slowly to make sure I pronounce all words to further impact my point.

Communication is indeed a lost art but speaking without substance is a quick way to turn people away from "You:The Brand". We have all come across people who talk much about nothing. You have to have knowledge behind the words you use so that when you speak on topics, people listen. John Maxwell said that only 1/3 of all adults read a book after high school. How can we acquire knowledge if we don't read? I make it a point to read many websites and many books on the topics that I strive to become knowledgeable in. Daily I read books and websites on leadership, technology, ministry and web design. It has been said that if you read 3 books on a topic then you are knowledgeable, if you read 5 books you are well versed in it and if you read 10 books then you are an expert. I found that when I spoke on topics, many people would listen because I had researched the topics prior to speaking. I learned in the book of Proverbs that the wise are quick to listen and slow to speak, but fools are quick to speak and slow to listen. Therefore I would listen and learn from many on topics and when I could add to the conversation I would then speak. In my previous article "Reading is fundamental, research is critical", I wrote that research is critical to advancement and when you stop learning you stop growing.

The final step to developing "You: The Brand" is to become unique. When you look at the major brands, you see they are unique in their field. Coca Cola has a secret formula that makes it unique from all other beverages. Microsoft is the only company that provides all the software and computer related solutions that it does. When you start to look at what you are bringing to the table, you need to make sure that you are unique from your competitors. You want to make sure that the solutions you provide, talents you bring and leadership you exemplify sets you apart from anyone or any company that tries to out perform you. Your approach, insight and process should be one that shows that you may not be the cheapest, fastest or shortest way to the solution but you are the best and your way is the only way they should use.

Right now take steps to become the person you want to be, start to walk in who you believe you are and you will become that person. The steps you take today get you closer to your goals of tomorrow.

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Every Sunday I sit under Bayless Conley at Cottonwood Christian Center. A few Sundays ago Pastor Conley spoke about praying and the benefits of praying consistently. He also spoke about the necessity of prayer and how it impacted the life of Jesus and how it impacts (or detracts) from our lives. While explaining the importance of prayer, Pastor Conley gave a great acronym for the word Pray. It was Praise, Repent, Ask and Yield. These simple four steps helped Pastor Conley develop a structured prayer life and continually get answers when he petitioned God for anything that his heart desired. As he broke down each one, I listened intently on the explanation.

Praise
When you start your prayer to God you should always start with praise. We all know God is an awesome God so we should take time to let God know that we believe He is awesome still. We want to let God know that we are not taking Him or His blessings for granted in our lives and each additional breath is better then the one before it. When we offer our praises up to God we can continue to let Him know that He is first in our lives and that His splendor, glory and grace give us more then enough reasons to praise Him. Make sure when you pray you are letting God know that in this moment, I am overjoyed at all that you have done, are doing and will do in our lives and my words are just not enough to speak on all that I am thankful for.

Repent
After you praise God to your hearts content, ask for forgiveness for the sins that you have committed. Repentance is a key part of our Christian walk, 1 John 1: 9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Therefore, once we repent we are back walking in our righteousness and able to walk in the authority that God has given us. Remember when you have unforgiven sin, if you are saved you will still go to Heaven but you are out of the righteousness of God but not uncovered by the blood of Jesus Christ. Repentance is heartfelt sorrow for the sins you have committed, a strong desire to not continue to commit sins and new outlook that will not dwell on past sins. When you ask God for forgiveness then God says that He will remember your sins no more for your own sake. Therefore if God forgets our sins then why would we continue to carry them.

Ask
When you are done repenting then it is time to ask for what it is your heart desires. In Hebrews it says to come boldly to the throne room to make your petitions of the Lord. Therefore when you ask God for what it is that you desire, make sure you have the faith and confidence that He will do it. Everyone believes that God is capable of answering their prayers but not everyone believes that God "will" answer their prayers. Isaiah 45:11 says "Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Would you question Me about things to come concerning My children, and concerning the work of My hands [would you] command Me?" Many people hope that God answers their prayers but according to the bible, God asks us to command His hands...interesting isn't it? Remember when you ask to ask in Jesus name, for John 16:23 says " And when that time comes, you will ask nothing of Me [you will need to ask Me no questions]. I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]." Therefore, ask in confidence and faith what you desire of the Lord and make sure it is in Jesus name.

Yield
Finally, when you are nearing the end of your prayer, yield and listen to what God has to say. I was listening to a song by Deitrick Haddon recently and he said, "Stand still and know that He is God". When you are yielding make sure you stand still and know that God wants to speak to you and it is imperative that we learn to listen. Many of us are the world's best speakers but very few of us can listen to anyone. It took me a long time to learn to listen and my wife will attest to that but now I have learned to listen when I pray and make sure that anything and everything God has to tell me, I will hear. God's got a message for each and every one of us, let's all listen to what He has to say. AMEN

In this episode J Success speaks on how our destiny is related to our purpose, faith, vision and success. Each part is explained. This is part of the Destined for Success series at www.iamsuccess.net

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When I talk to people whether it be in casual conversation or a workshop I am facilitating, I often ask the question, what's the goal for your life? Many times I get a blank stare, followed by an "ummmmm" and then usually I don't know. Quite a few times I received an answer such as to be rich, comfortable in life or something along those lines. Now I am definitely an advocate of being financially comfortable in life and having more then just enough but when the best answer someone has to "what's your goal in life" is to be rich, well then that's what I call the equivalent of chasing the wind. Money is a byproduct of a greater goal in life, not the greatest goal in life.

Chasing the wind is a symptom that I have seen more often then not in many people. Chasing the wind was something that I did as a child and in my mind I believed that I had caught the wind many a days. If you have never chased the wind, let me explain it to you how I would do it. I was born and raised in Chicago Illinois, commonly referred to as the windy city and on many days I would go out with a jar and catch the wind. I would hold out my jar and let some of the wind blow into it and then I would quickly seal up the jar and run in the house. Funny thing would happen when I got into the house and opened my jar to experience the wind that I had caught, there was nothing there. Since I was a child my thoughts were to go outside and try harder, run faster or chase longer to get more wind into the jar but in reality I was just passing the time because wind is uncatchable.

When I see people today chasing after materialistic things today I picture them as children with jars running around the yard as I used to. Materialistic riches are never enough and no matter how much we get, we always want more. The only people that say they don't want more material things are dead people. When I explain to people how to see life with a wider lens and see the bigger picture, I want them to learn that money, fame, and material things are a byproduct of a bigger goal in life. When I tell them that the more they walk in their purpose, see the actual worth of their life and realize they are here to do something great, the more they will see that material things are great to have but small in the grand scheme of things. Money and material things can come and go but a person who is living a life of purpose will never go without because their determination and focus will provide them with numerous ways to make money over and over again.

When you take a look at your life today, what motivates it? Are you chasing the wind day in and day out hoping that one day the wind will jump in your jar? Or do you live a life of purpose and see that you will be something great in life and that you are just getting prepared for your time to showcase what it is that God has put in you to show the world. Well get ready to let everyone know because Success is inevitable...So Get Ready.

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When I was a child I would ask my parents where the sun would go at night. I couldn't understand why the sun had to go away every night for no apparent reason. I knew that when I would wakeup in the morning the sun would be there for me to go outside and play but for some strange reason as the day progressed, the sun would leave me. When the sun fully left for the day then my playtime would come to an end and I would have to get home quickly, always before the street lights came on. My mother tried to explain to me that the sun will come back tomorrow and I will be able to play again, but it wasn't until the sun came back a few times that I finally believed her. I could have believed her based on what she said but more often than not experience has to replace words as our teacher because of our lack of understanding and faith.


When hard times are visiting our daily lives all we see are dark nights followed by dreary days and both have no light in sight. "A night is only as dark as you think it appears", are great words usually quoted by people that are not going through present difficulties. To hear the night is only as dark as we think it appears seems to have no helpful effects because we believe this is the darkest night that we have seen thus far. We also believe that since our life is going through this dark period, there is no way it could be lighter if we could somehow change the way we "thought" about it, what does our thinking have to do with the darkness we see and are experiencing. Again, we see that even though the words stated are true, it's the experiences that we are having that have the most impact on us and thus we disregard great words as just letters spoken that have no application to our lives.



When attempting to endure a difficult period we want to often just say, "don't teach me just tell me", but the question is, will we really learn from words alone? In school we learn lessons, facts, methods and quotes from the words of an instructor but we are given tangible tests because there needs to be validation of words learned. In life we desire to get the great results but never want to walk the difficult paths that those goals require. It takes a great amount of faith to walk through a valley, with a map that says take the difficult path, and believe that at the end of that path is the increase that you so dearly seek. The true lesson seems to be learned not when someone tells you that the increase awaits you, not when you read the map and see the actual steps to take to the increase and not when you are walking the path and cannot see any increase. The true lesson is learned when you obtain the increase that was promised to you and look back and realize that everything said to you was true, then and only then will you go tell someone else how to walk in faith and hopefully they will believe your words.