October Word of the Month: AUTHORITY

          AUTHORITY means the right and power to command and judge or determine things. It also means confidence. This definition makes an important distinction. It says you have the right to the power to command! God says, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say unto this sycamine tree, Be plucked up by the root, and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you." Luke 17:6. KJV You have the right and power to command! You just need faith and with that comes confidence!
          This word should hold great power in your life. Any time fear holds you back, remember your God given authority! Remember, just as negative thoughts can snowball into a pity party, positive action can multiply. Action towards your goal or dream will bring confidence and a sense of relief. Then you can work towards the things that really seem impossible. Then you can have one of those moments. "I've had my moments, days in the sun. Moments I was second to none. Moments when I knew I did what I thought I couldn't do...Lookin' at me now you might not know it. But I've had my moments."(Moments by Emerson Drive) Remember, "I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 NKJV

Outwitting the Devil

In the book, ”Outwitting the Devil” the author claims that he was able to force the devil into honestly answering questions. This may or may not be true. However, if you can get past the question of the source, you can learn to think about your thoughts in a whole new way.

            The book states that the devil does not dwell in some cave or other dwelling that is called hell. He lives in your thoughts and fears. He grows in strength when you do something he calls “drifting.” He has no actual physical body. No horns and red skin like in all the movies.  He is simply negative energy that lives in the minds of those who fear him. The devil claims that the 6 most effective fears for controlling human thought are poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of love, old age, and death. The biggest lie he uses is that, “I am standing just beyond the entrance gate of the next life, waiting to claim them after death for eternal punishment.” Then he points out, “Of course I cannot punish anyone, except in that person’s own mind, through some form of fear..” When we die and go to hell, we don’t just roast in a fire. We are, “taken over be me and their mind power is added to my being.” The devil is constantly working to control our minds so that later they will become his.

            I said that the devil grows in power when you “drift.” Let me try to define this word for you. Drifting is a habit.  “A drifter is someone who permits himself to be influenced and controlled by circumstances outside his own mind.” “A drifter has lots of opinions, but they are not his own. Most of them are supplied by me.” The devil says, “I enter the minds of people through thoughts which they believe to be their own.” In other words he starts when you are young and whispers little negative lies to you until you start to take them as truth. He tricks you into going through life without direction or purpose.

            Here are some examples of drifting: 1. Going into a marriage without a plan on how to live in harmony. This causes arguments over money, nagging about chores, and arguments over social activities. 2. Drifting from job to job or in and out of school. This causes a fear or poverty and keeps you with a lack of purpose. 3. Not saving and budgeting. This takes away hope for the future and really causes a fear or poverty. 4. A thought process dominated by negativity. This causes a snowball of negative actions and makes people constantly feel like a victim.

            The sad part of what the devil does is that he enslaves people. In my last post I said this post would explain how people can act contrary to their soul their whole lives because of fear. That is because they have been drifting their whole lives. For example, once I did something clumsy and my mom said, “Geez, you are so clumsy.” Then the devil came into my head and repeated that to me over and over. Without me realizing I adopted that as a personal trait. I would describe myself that way! It made me expect to drop things and trip up. Then the world delivered what I asked for until I was convinced that it was true. When I learned the power of words I realized what had happened. I have since started dancing and catching balls and playing game that require coordination. Guess what, I’m pretty good. I am not calling it a talent (gift given by God so you can fulfill your purpose in life). Still, all that time I was giving power away to the devil!

            So my plea to you is simple. Please realize the power you have over your world through your mind and use it. Don’t give it away or let it be used against you. Remember, “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as
your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2.

September Word of the Month: ASSOCIATE

          The reason that this word is powerful is because who you chose to do it with defines who you become as a person. It doesn't shape your soul. People can act contrary to who there soul is all their lives. This is usually done out of several fears. My next post will explain this in detail. But who you chose to ASSOCIATE with determines your thoughts, desires, interests, and goals.
          Lots of people seems familiar with the phrase, "You will be and average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." But writers all over blogs and websites are giving credit to the speakers that used it. Let me first set the record straight and point out that it was Napoleon Hill in the book "Think and Grow Rich." Secondly, let me point out that the book is called "THINK...and Grow Rich." If you master your words and therefore, your thoughts, you can succeed in anything!
          So let's talk about ASSOCIATION and how it affects who you are as a person. People are just wired this way. Remember in high school. Didn't everyone have small groups of friends. Football players all hung out together. Cheerleaders at my school were like the "it" crowd. All guys wanted to date them. Later you go to college and you have fraternities, sororities, and all the pot heads. You get into the real world and you get a job. You start hanging out with co-workers. Or you have college buddies over to watch football/NASCAR. You get older and you have kids. Now you hang out with all people with kids and talk about kids. When you are old you have friends over and play bridge or go to book clubs. When you make a friend you are looking for what you have in common.
          If you start hanging out with someone for a book club you may discuss things about the books. But then, you start to pick up each others speech patterns. Perhaps you don't have kids yet but all your friends do. How long will it be before those cute clothes, smiles, and sappy stories make you want kids too? If you hang out with people that are on unemployment and don't want a job. People who trash talk the government but want government to pay for everything. You will eventually develop a little entitlement mentality or start to dislike the government as well. You might hang out with a wiccan person and suffer some doubt about your christianity.  I'm not saying that you can't be christian and have a wiccan friend. I'm saying that if your do, you need to be positive of your beliefs. You need to be able to hear that friend and still keep your thoughts centered on your principal beliefs. Decide what is open for debate in your mind and what is not.
          Just as having someone be negative around you can hurt you by ASSOCIATION. Having someone positive around you can help keep you positive. It can give you a place to explore possibilities. John Maxwell once said that he doesn't build his weaknesses. He builds his strengths. Then he surrounds himself with people that are strong in the areas that he is weak. This method of ASSOCIATION is amazing! It makes you constantly feel as if you can do anything. It frees you up to just be the best you that you can be.
          Given all the we have just said about ASSOCIATION, I want you to stop and think for a minute. First, who are the 5 people you ASSOCIATE with the most? Is that really the ASSOCIATION that will get you what you want? Second, are you on someone's top 5 list? What impact is your ASSOCIATION having on their life?...

August Word of the Month: APPRECIATE

          APPRECIATE is a powerful word simply because you need to learn to do it. You need to have an attitude of gratitude. Learn to APPRECIATE everything. Time, money, possessions, relationships, family, and even your talents and abilities.
           Time with family is precious and needs to be APPRECIATED. Even if you only have a small amount of time with family, make it quality time. Life is a series of moments. When we leave this earth people remember and tell stories about those moments. So make them great stories. Remember to laugh and to cry and to laugh so hard that you cry!
           Many people don't APPRECIATE their money. All they think about is needing more. If you don't APPRECIATE what you have and mange it well, you will not be trusted with more.  So learn to budget money. Put your money towards things that show your priorities in life. Don't dwiddle away money on small immediate gratification. The bigger price you pay in immediate gratification the large a harvest you will reap when it's time to bring in your crop.
           If you APPRECIATE things, then you take better care of what you have and you work harder for the things that you want. You also have more respect for other people's property. For example, if you own a book, how do you treat it? Most people dog ear the pages. The binding of their books is split and pages are almost falling out. However, if they borrow a book from a library they return it in good condition. They don't want to have to pay for the book because of damages. Some people are so selfish that this works the other way. They treat their stuff like it was made of precious gold. Other peoples stuff doesn't matter to them. Therefore, they treat other people's property poorly. They throw it into a dirty seat in the car. They mark on the pages. They tear pages as they turn them. Other people just don't care about anyone's property. They will trash their stuff and other people's stuff. These last two type's are the people who write on bathroom stalls. There is a sub-group of these people that really bother me. They always write W.W.J.D. on the walls. My thoughts when I see that are, "Probably NOT write on public property!" If you APPRECIATE things and are grateful for what you have and the blessing people bring to your life, then you can truly appreciate the things you don't have and will work harder to get them. Plus, like I said before, the better you take care of what you have the more with which you will be trusted.
           Learn that everyone in your life can teach you something. Everyone you meet has value for that reason. Then you APPRECIATE everyone that comes into your life. Show that you appreciate people by having an attitude of gratitude. You show this attitude by listening to and serving them. When they express a need, try to fill it. That attitude of gratitude will make others APPRECIATE you more as well.
          Also APPRECIATE your own work. Take pride in what you do. If you live a life of significance that is based on principles, you will take certain actions. Gratitude that you are able to take that action and an APPRECIATION for the significance of that action gives you a sense of purpose!

July Word of the Month: AFFECT

          This word has power because it is your power. AFFECT means to influence or change or to touch the emotions of something. You can control you attitude and your actions. You can AFFECT them. Likewise you can AFFECT people around you. You can influence them by your attitude and actions. You can AFFECT what type of things happen to you. When you sow good actions you reap good reactions from others. This translates into opportunities and even material gains.
          I have talked many times about speaking thing into existence. You can speak how you feel about yourself and different situations. You can use your words to change your attitude. Your words AFFECT your thought process and with that, your emotions. The way you feel AFFECTS the way that you act. The way you act AFFECTS the way others perceive you.  The way others see you gives you influence over them. If you have a positive influence over them, you have power to AFFECT them.
          When you sow good seed, do good things, and stay positive you AFFECT the world around you. You start to attract good things and new opportunities. For example, your boss and other co-workers watch how you treat people at work. If you are good to a co-worker your boss may see you as a possible canidate for a management job. Or if you donate to American Cancer Society you might later receive a kidney when you need it. Sometimes you sow seed in one area of your life and reap a harvest in a different area. Maybe you help a friend with a place to stay while he is broke and laid off. However, maybe you reap a harvest by being blessed with a healthy family.
          So the next time that you feel stuck in a situation that makes you unhappy, look at the situation again. Maybe your actions can AFFECT it. If not you can always change you attitude about it. Lastly, maybe you aren't as stuck as you think. Maybe you are being pushed to move in another direction that you can't see yet. Remember AFFECT also means to change...

June Word of the Month: ADVENTURE

          ADVENTURE means to take a risk and to have an unusual or exciting experience! ADVENTURE is a powerful word because you should see much of life as an ADVENTURE.  Many people go to work, come home, watch tv, go to bed, and get up to do it all over again. They take no risks and they don't ever experience anything new, let alone exciting.
          You should always be trying new things and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. It builds character and teaches you to have confidence.  You have to take risks in order to gain confidence to take bigger ones. But when you do step out of your comfort zone and manage to survive it makes you feel like you did something of significance!
         The hardest part of chasing an ADVENTURE is having faith. I don't mean that in a spiritual way. Although that type of faith helps as well. By faith I mean certain belief in something. You need faith that you can do whatever you are setting out to do. You need faith that whatever circumstances are set before you, that you can overcome them. What gives you that faith? It's the knowledge that something greater lies ahead. For me that knowledge comes from spiritual faith. I believe that God wants me to prosper and be in good health, even as my soul prospers. (3 John 1:2) That knowledge that I will overcome gives me the faith to take risks, because they aren't really risks. That doesn't mean that I'm not scared or embarrassed. It just means that I am motivated to do it anyway. If you weren't scared or nervous or embarrassed, it wouldn't be an ADVENTURE!
   

Apology

          I want to apologize for not posting for so long. Someone sent me a virus that hacked all my email accounts and all my Google applications. I had to track down the virus and notify contacts that the virus was sending emails to them. Then I had to verify my ID and clean everything up.
          I will go ahead and post The Word of the Month posts for June- August all at once. Then hopefully we can get back to normal. Again I apologize to all readers.