Worst Words Known To Man

I have been sharing a word with you each month that I thought could add value to your life. It occurred to me that there are also a few words that I wish people had never learned. So let me share a few of those with you today. The first word is CONVENIENT. It means easy to reach and suited to one's comfort or need. First of all anything that is easy to reach or obtain is usually not worth anything. Second if you notice it is related to the word COMFORT or COMFORTABLE. Personally I think that the words CONVENIENT and COMFORTABLE are two that are hurting Americans the most right now. If you want to know what I mean then read my post called "Entitlement Attitude." The next word is the word CAN'T. As I said in July's word of the Month post. This often is just a cover for other truths. The truth may be that we are embarrassed that we don't know how to do something. The truth may be that we are scared to try something new because we might look stupid. There are all kids of reasons why we say, ' I CAN'T." But more often than not, none of them are because we truly can not do something.. All that word does is hold us back from achieving our dreams!

Fact vs. Truth

     When I first started speaking things to life I didn't understand how it worked. I didn't understand speaking something that wasn't true. For example, why would you speak that you are healthy when you are sneezing your head off? Now I understand but I still had no idea how to explain why you speak lies.
     Recently however I was reading a Joseph Prince devotional. He worded it perfectly. "It may be a fact that you are sick. The doctors say that you are sick. The X-ray film shows that you are sick. But God’s Word says that by Jesus’ stripes you are healed! (Isaiah 53:5) That is the truth about your situation. What is the difference between fact and truth? Facts change, but truth — God’s Word — remains!"
     You see speaking things to life is based on authority given to you by God. Since He gave you that authority, anything you say is true. Even if it has yet to be, the moment you speak it, you give it life!

What Bells Palsy?!

          Recently I had something called Bells Palsy. Apparently they don't yet understand why people get this disease. However, they think that it may be related to a virus. I am sure that there are lots of people that don't know about this disease. I didn't until I got it. I will explain it to you through my story.
          I was at church on Sunday. I was outside watching my brother get baptized. The sun was shinning and I was squinting to see properly. My eyes started to water heavily. I thought this was due to the sun hurting my eyes. The left side of my face started to tighten up. By the time the service was over I couldn't smile or close my left eye. The only places I could go to the doctor on Sunday were the emergency room and Sisters of Mercy urgent care. But we were also on a budget with no money for emergencies, ( A fact I have now fixed.) So I didn't go to the doctor. Sunday night I didn't sleep much because my eye watered and I kept having to blow my nose. The need to blow my nose made me think this was some sort of allergy thing or that I had some sort of infection. Monday at lunch it was so bad I could no longer talk right. I couldn't eat. I couldn't chew. Food fell out of my mouth. I couldn't drink without a straw. My mouth was pulling to the right. I looked like I had a stroke. I didn't have a primary doctor. So I was left with Sisters of Mercy. It was $125 to be seen. We had to cash an old savings bond to get the money. I brought my husband because I was so scared at this point.
          The doctor was sure of what I had but confused as to why I had it. She said it was very rare and she had not seen a case in years. She gave me an anti-viral medicine and something else. I was given a pirate patch and gauze to cover my eye at night. The meds were $8 at Wal-mart. She said that it could take weeks or months to get better. She said that some people recover fully. Others had lingering issues. They have no clue why there is such a difference in recovery quality and time frames.
          That night I had to make a decision. I was going to live in fear and wonder if I would get better or I would decide to be positive. My friends helped a lot. They sent prayers and encouragement. They sent me scriptures on healing. I thought about it a lot. I decided that one of the greatest gifts that God had given me was words. I have always been a writer and a reader. I am very good at reading things out loud. At work they say I should be one of the people that reads ads or audio books. My dream is to learn multiple Asian languages and to somehow use that to help people. I feel that God is leading me to do something with my talent for words. So how could it be that God meant for me to have something screw up my mouth?! I decided to reject that thought! I decided that I would speak every day, "Thank you God for healing my face!" Four weeks later my mouth was a lot better! Two weeks after that my eye was closing!
          The doctors could not believe how fast and well I was healing. My friends and co-workers all asked me how I was able to heal so quickly. Suddenly everyone knew someone who had Bells Palsy! They all said the person they knew took forever to heal or didn't get all the way better. I told them all that it was not me. It was God and that all I had done was have faith in him! In this blog I have told you that your words have power. Today I am telling you why I believe that is true.
          I learned something really important from this experience. When I was thinking about what I could lose if I kept symptoms, I realized how much my dreams meant to me. I realized I couldn't waste time and needed to get started moving towards achieving my dreams! I hope that you guys will be able to learn from my story!

You can build him up or tear him down!

          Ladies do you know how powerful you are? Did you know you can control your man simply by speaking to him?! I can hear some of you now,"Girl, you are crazy! I can't get that man to do a thing I ask!" But in truth you can! You have a tremendous power over your man just through your words!
          Men have a strong desire to feel like a "Man!" They want to be good providers! They want to be loved and valued! Your words can make them feel that way. If they have this feeling they will move Heaven and Earth for you! So don't nag them! Don't talk bad about them to your girlfriends! Praise them for what they do right! Earnestly thank them for the awesome things they do! They will do even more! Your words can build them up or tear them down! So if your boyfriend or husband is not acting like you want or like he cares, step back. Start listening to how you speak to him. Watch his facial expressions! If you are tearing him down, apologize. Remember the man you first met and start building him back up! Be his biggest fan and best friend! Remember, your words MATTER!

September Word of the Month: FREE/FREEDOM

          The word FREE has many definitions. Some are based off a positive thought process and others off a negative one. FREE is often thought of and defined as, "Costing nothing. Not occupied or used. To disengage." There really is not such a thing as something for nothing! The truth is even gifts cost the giver something. When most people say something is FREE, they mean it didn't cost them anything! This is a selfish and ungrateful way to look at the world! It can be a dangerous way as well. It can lead to an entitlement attitude. ( http://www.speakittolife.blogspot.com/2011/05/entitlement-attitude.html  ) People also often think of the word FREE in a patriotic sense. It means we have rights and live in a democracy. But the word FREE should hold a much greater significance. The word FREE is also defined as, "Not bound or constrained. Not under obligation or necessity. Not affected by a given condition or circumstance. To rid of or release." If you have financial FREEDOM and believe in God you will have this type of FREEDOM. When you have enough money to be financially FREE you don't have a job. FREEDOM from a job means you are not under obligation to do what a boss says to do. You don't have a necessity to go to work to earn a living. Financial FREEDOM and faith in God give you the confidence to overcome circumstances! These two FREEDOMS release most of our daily stress and leave us FREE to pursue our dreams!

August Word of the Month: DAILY

DAILY means happening or done every day. Things done every day are called habits. Habits can be bad things like overeating and smoking. They can also be good things like exercising or watching/reading positive things. It takes 28 days or a month of doing something new for it to become a habit. So if you just started smoking, the easiest time to quit is in the first month. Unfortunately, if you just started doing regular exercise, you have month before you will stop getting that feeling of dread before a workout. Also, if you skip a workout you start the month all over. You have to be consistent. I f you have, "just one more" cigarette, you have to quit all over again. You are either walking uphill or sledding down it in the snow. You may have exercised for two weeks but when you miss one session it is easy in your head to justify missing the next one. You have to adopt a, "NO EXCUSES." mentality. Here are some of the worst habits people can develop or decisions not to develop habits that I think are bad: 1. Saying, "I can't." When what they mean is, "I won't." or "I'm too afraid." or "I don't know how to..." 2. Overeating 3. Not exercising at all 4. Drinking sugar filled soda all day 5. Deciding never to read a book again after school 6. Watch TV from the time they get home till bed 7. Always trying to be comfortable Here are some habits and decisions I would suggest people develop/make: 1. Trying something new every time their is an opportunity 2. Keeping their word. Part of this is learning to schedule commitments as soon as you agree to do something. If you say you will have to get together with a friend you have not seen in forever, whip out your calendar and schedule a time to get together. Show that you mean what you say and you are not just blowing them off! 3. Think about the week before it starts and plan meals or when to eat out. Have some go to recipes that are healthy and buy groceries to make those meals. Otherwise you will fix whatever unhealthy thing sounds good at that time. PACK YOUR LUNCH! Don't go out to eat with girl friends or with the guys! Eating out all the time will add weight to you. Of course to do this you need to come up with a food budget and stick to it! 4. Come up with a budget. Don't just buy things on the fly! Your money will disappear and you will wonder where it went so fast. Put $1000 in a savings for an emergency. Believe me, it is life and stuff happens! Pay down any debts you have and watch your stress melt away. People are always so happy that they can get credit. "I got a loan for a house with payment of $700 a month. Many people pay that in rent for apartments. This is so cool." In this economy can you afford to risk losing your job and the house being foreclosed? Oh and guess what?! You had to declare bankruptcy..Now you have NO credit. Besides, when I was growing up, I was taught that it wasn't worth having if you didn't earn it yourself! 5. Exercise consistently. You can decide if it is DAILY or a couple times a week. Just do it consistently! 6. Drink water. Drink unsweet or drastically less sweet tea. Stop drinking all the soda and energy drinks that are loaded with sugar. I personally sell and use XS energy drinks. They have a ton of B-12 and no sugar. They taste awesome! They are like 15 flavors! I am not trying to sell them right now I am just trying to remove your excuses and tell you that you can make a choice to be healthy and still enjoy your drinks. However, if you are interested in them check them out at www.amway.com/vsm . 7. Read self help/leadership/people skill/personality growth type books all the time. They will help your friendships and your marriages. They will improve your relationships with co-workers. 8. If all you ever do is work and watch TV then your life will have no meaning. You will start escaping into the TV shows and characters and living through them. You deserve more of a life than pretending to be someone else! 9. Get out of your comfort zone often. That is the only way to grow and change. It is how you find out who you really are on the inside... So remember it is not just about what you do DAILY but about what you chose NOT to do DAILY! Habits define you. They define your character! So I leave you with one last habit I think you should develop..MAKE LIFE FUN DAILY!

July Word of the Month: CURIOUS

CURIOUS means eager to learn. It also means extraordinary or unusual. Being eager to learn is a good thing. If you are not learning you are not growing. You should always be growing and changing. Why does everyone try so hard to be normal? What are we afraid of that we feel we have to be like everyone else? It is good not to be normal. What does normal even mean? Normal people are average. Average people are not growing. My awesome pastor, PK Bowman of The Rock of Asheville, says, "God made you because he wanted a you." According to the bible I was designed for a unique purpose that only I can fulfill. Clearly, I was not meant to be normal. I was not meant to be like everyone else. I cannot fulfill my purpose if I do not continue to grow into the person He created me to be. Besides consider where would the world be if everyone tried to be normal. What would have been invented? Would we have gone to the moon? Also, think about the things in this world that we consider to have value. It is the rare and limited quantity things that we consider most precious. Diamonds are a good example. It is because the are scarce, hard to create, and a limited quantity that they are so valuable. If you are different and you get laughed at by others, brush it off. They are only tying to make themselves feel better about letting go of their dreams! You are removing their excuses and they don't like that! So don't pay anyone attention. Go out there and be weird! Be CURIOUS! Study math and science! Pursue whatever you are good at doing! Build to your strengths! Go after things with passion! Be courageous enough to explore all things in life! CURIOSITY and learning will keep you mind and your heart young!