The Look On His Face

I am very much enjoying the special series “The Bible” that is airing on The History Channel. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a 5 part series of the history of the old and new testaments. It is very interesting to watch as stories of the Bible come to life on the screen.

The other day I was watching the part where Jesus first begins His ministry. Peter has been out fishing all night and has caught nothing. Jesus then invites Himself onto the boat and tells Peter to go back out and cast the nets again. Peter argues that they had been out all night without results. However, He still takes the advice and goes back out fishing with Jesus on the boat. As He does this, he is still shaking his head and looks at Jesus like he’s crazy.

It is the next part of the video that completely caught my attention. Jesus knows that Peter is looking at Him like He’s crazy. However, Jesus has a look of anticipation on His face. It’s a look like, “just do what I say, because I know exactly what’s going to happen. You’ll see”. It’s the very next part that really hit me. Jesus is now looking at Peter to see his reaction as the miracle occurs. If you don’t know the story, Peter ends up catching so many fish that he can barely pull the nets in. Jesus is just sitting there watching with joy as Peter experiences the miracle.

As I mentioned, I was very touched by this scene and it really made me think. You should have seen the look on Jesus’s face as He watched His disciple reap the benefits of this miracle. I then thought about it and even said it out loud to the people I was watching with. My exact words were..”that’s the exact look that Jesus has on His face when He sees us reap the benefits of one of His miracles. That’s so cool!”

It is cool, isn’t it? It’s not His burdensome job to provide miracles for us. It’s His joy and absolute pleasure to do so. Invite Him onto your boat and ask for the miracles you are looking for in your own life. Then imagine the look on His face as He watches you enjoy the benefits of it. If that’s not something to live for, I don’t know what is. Enjoy the blessings : )

Trust In The Silver Lining

A friend of mine posted this on their Facebook page the other day. I felt the strong need to share. If you think your day is not going well, this will help you think differently…

Me: God, can I ask You a question?
God: Sure
Me: Promise You won’t get mad
God: I promise
Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do u mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late
God: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start
God: Okay
Me: at lunch they made my sandwich wrong & I had to wait
God: Huummm
Me: On the way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked up a call
God: All right

Me: And on top of it all off, when I got home ~I just want to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax. BUT it wouldn’t work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?
God: Let me see, the death angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send one
of My Angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that

Me (humbled): OH

GOD: I didn’t let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.

Me: (ashamed)

God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn’t want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn’t afford to miss work.

Me (embarrassed):Okay

God: Your phone went dead bcuz the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn’t even let you talk to them so you would be covered.

Me (softly): I see God

God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn’t think you wanted to be in the dark.

Me: I’m Sorry God

God: Don’t be sorry, just learn to Trust Me…. in All things , the Good & the bad.

Me: I will trust You.

God: And don’t doubt that My plan for your day is Always Better than your plan.

Me: I won’t God. And let me just tell you God, Thank You for Everything today.

God: You’re welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I Love looking after My Children…

This is not a conversation I actually had. However, in many ways, I have already had it numerous times. Not everything goes our way all the time. If you’re like me, you may sometimes complain about it and wonder why God has abandoned you or let negative things happen. I challenge you that, whenever you feel that way, think of this conversation and remember that God has you covered in every way : )

How To Gain Ultimate Success

“The value of the individual life is not measured by the quality of possessions, but by the quality of existence”.

The above quote is by Christian Larson in his book “The Ideal Made Real” (p. 109). It is easily one of the best of many books I’ve read on personal development. I’ve read it several times, and it seems like each time, a different part of it catches my attention.

What is the significance of the quote? Based on the other information in the chapter, he is saying that instead of striving to achieve “things” and material success, it is far more important to strive to be the absolute best you that you can be. We are all blessed with different personalities. Knowing this, let your unique personality shine as brightly as it can.

I will share more quotes from the chapter that I believe can bring the point across far better than I can…”to find your personality passing through a transformation process, bringing out into expression the finest and best that you can picture in your ideals is something that will add immensely to the joy and worth of living. In fact, this alone would make life not only worth living, but so rich that every moment would become a source of unbounded satisfaction itself” (p.110).

I will add one more…”the average person usually asks himself how much money he can make during the next ten years, but why should he not ask how much happiness he can enjoy during those same years, or how much brilliancy he can develop in his own mind or how much more beautiful he can become in body, character, and soul? He would find that by living for these latter things, he would not only perpetually enrich his life and live a life that is thoroughly worth living, but he would find that the earning of money would be much easier than if he simply lived for material gain alone”(p.110-111).

Once again, the message is this. Focus on being the best person you can be at all times. See the beauty in the unique personality God has given you. Constantly remind yourself that His perfect and loving spirit is a part of you. Be love, beauty, kindness, joy, and all of the other fruits of that Spirit.

When you are the best you that you can be, you are setting yourself up for success. You are more attractive and positive, and you will be drawn like a magnet to positive and successful situations. You will have the confidence to act and take full advantage of the opportunities. Most importantly, you will enjoy a life of happiness, satisfaction, and success. That’s a life we all strive to live. Enjoy those wonderful blessings : )

As a footnote, an acquaintance of mine provided me a free copy of the e-book I mentioned above. If you would like a free copy for yourself, leave a comment or contact me, and I will be happy to share. The book has helped my life immensely, and I believe it will help you in the same way : )

Let God Handle It

Why do we often struggle through our day, trying to do everything ourselves and stressing about all of the obstacles we face? It’s a battle I faced for a long time, until I realized the value of surrender. I realize that I often have very little control of some of the obstacles that enter my life.

I can certainly control how I handle the difficult situations. But why should I? There is a God who is more than willing to handle the difficulties, obstacles, and whatever negative situations enter into life.

I was reminded of this fact after reading a quote in a Wayne Dyer book. He said there is a sign in his house which says the following: “Good morning. This is God. I will be handling all of your problems today. I will not need your help, so have a miraculous day”.

I am fully confident that God keeps His promises, so why not just step out of the way and let Him do His thing. Let go and let God. Go where you feel like He is leading you, but leave the stressful details to Him. It’s a great way to remove stress and get things done. In fact, much more gets done through His power than trying to do everything on your own. Not only will you will be less stressed, but you will be more blessed!

I am thankful for this quote, because there are still days where I forget, and I try to do too much. If you do too, remember to leave the problems and difficulties to God. They will soon disappear, and you will be very thankful for it. Enjoy the blessings : )

Empower Your Mind At The Beach

I live in Buffalo New York. We are known for our snow and difficult winters. For the first three months of each year I spend a great deal of time dreaming about the beach, and finding ways to get me there. Usually it’s done through video, photos, etc. This year is no different.

I am also a firm believer in using positive affirmations to impact my subconscious mind. When your mind is filled with positive, powerful thoughts, the inspired action follows, and you are much more likely to gain success.

I found a wonderful video/audio that helps the listener accomplish both the beach and positive affirmations at the same time. I especially like this program because the positive messages are subliminal. They are embedded in the ocean sounds. This is important because it prevents the subconscious from rejecting the positive ideas. For example, if someone doesn’t believe they are smart, they don’t believe it when someone tells them how intelligent they are. They reject the idea of intelligence because they think they are not. However, once the mind hears something often enough, it starts to believe it. What this program does is feed the brain with 30 minutes of positive thoughts. Ultimately, these are the thoughts that dominate the mind.

I find it best to listen to this at bedtime. It is extremely relaxing as I feel like I am laying right next to the ocean. I can feel the warmth of the beach and the positive feelings it brings. It’s so relaxing that I sometimes fall asleep. However, even if I do, positive affirmations are still being poured into my mind. Affirmations such as:

I am unlimited
My life flows with harmony
Life is full of wonderful opportunities
I am open to divine guidance
I naturally succeed
Unlimited abundance awaits me
And many more

I encourage you to relax with this program. Spend time experiencing the positive feelings it brings. You may ask, does this type of subliminal affirmation really work? I can’t answer exactly. However, I can tell you that I feel much more positive and energetic the mornings after I listen to it. For me, it definitely works in a positive way. Ultimately, I believe the same would happen for you. Please let me know what you think. I’d also appreciate you sharing any similar types of programs or techniques that help you. In the meantime, have an excellent day : )

How To Eliminate Your Fears…Now!!!

Fear is the number one thing that prevents us from reaching our goals and taking the steps to bring our life to a higher level. If we let it rule in us, we may never get to the point we want to get to. It especially bothers me because fear is the opposite of faith. When I fear, it means I am not demonstrating faith, thus not allowing the God who can do all things to impart blessing in my life.

You may feel the same way. You want to take the next steps and move to the next level in your life, but some type of fear is stopping you. Perhaps you are afraid you will fail, or you fear what other people might think or say. Maybe you even fear that the goal you are seeking is not even possible, so why even pursue it if you know you will only be let down?

These fears are natural, but I am here to say now that they are totally unnecessary. There’s a God who is in your midst, waiting for you to remove your fear and instead have the faith to know that all things are possible. That time has arrived.

So what’s a great way to immediately eliminate fears? I have learned that the best way to remove your fears is to keep your mind focused on the present moment as much as possible. It seems too simple, but it cannot be more true. What is fear anyway? Fear is simply the worry about something that your mind believes could potentially happen. Has it actually happened yet? No!!! You are worrying about what people MIGHT think, or about what MAY happen. It is all simply a negative process of the mind. In fact the mind is the only place where fear actually exists.

The key is to fully focus on the present moment. When you focus on the present, fear is nearly impossible. The present moment is the only time you actually have. You cannot live a past or future event at this exact moment, can you? Yes, we need to plan for the future. However, when do you do things that affect your future? Now! Anything you do to make up for your mistakes in the past are done now as well. I will say it again…this present moment is all we have.

I understand that there are some fears that are beneficial to us. This is based on things we have learned in the past. For example, I fear touching a hot stove because when I did it before I was burned. I fear going into a dark alley in the inner city because I have heard how dangerous it can be. These are realistic fears. The problem is that most of our fears are simply imagined. It is these fears that hold us back from living the life we want to live.

I challenge you again to live as much as possible in the present moment. Right now, replace those thoughts of worry and fear with thoughts of faith and success. Visualize yourself living the life you choose free of fear. The thoughts you are thinking now play a big part in the way life manifests in the future. In the present moment, your fears have not played out yet. If you stay in the present moment, they will never play out because you are taking the steps towards success instead of retreating in fear.

As always, I thank you for reading. I pray for your goals to be reached and your dreams to come true. Enjoy the blessings : )

What Are You Complaining About?

“A change of feeling is a change of destiny” – Neville Goodard

I start with this quote because I had a conversation with someone about the art of complaining. Totally by accident, this person said something so profound that I felt the need to share. He is going through some difficult times in his life right now. He said he is trying to think positive because he said the more he complains, the worse things seem to get.

BINGO! It’s the same simple fact for everyone. The more you complain, the worse things get. Why? Because what you receive in life is in relation to the thoughts you think, and the things you say. When you complain, you are thinking negatively, and saying negative things. As a result, you automatically receive more of the negative, especially if you are thinking about something specific.

I realize there are many things to complain about, and it’s something very easy to do. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t complain at times. I don’t like to, but it happens sometimes. However, I do it far less now, because I am much more aware of its negative impacts.

So how do you change the negative situations in your life? Do exactly the opposite. There is a silver lining in everything. Try to find it, and focus your thoughts on it. Look for and recognize all other things in life that are positive, and those you can be thankful for. The results are the opposite of complaining. When you think positive thoughts and say positive things, you receive more of the positives in your life.

There are two ways to determine what kind of thoughts you are thinking. I wrote about this yesterday, and the opening quote relates to it. How are you feeling? If you are feeling good and joyful, it means you are thinking positively. If you are not, then you are most likely thinking negative thoughts. When you change the way you feel about something, you see the results in your life. Speaking of results, that’s the second way to tell what thoughts you are thinking. If you are seeing positive results, it means your thoughts and feelings are on track. If you’re not seeing the results you want, then check the way you are thinking, and the words you are saying and make any necessary adjustments.

I fully understand things don’t always go our way in life and that negative things happen to us, some of which we have no control. However, in most cases we do have control. I challenge you to think twice before complaining. You will find the same results as my friend, whose situation kept getting worse. Instead, focus on the solution and visualize the positive outcomes you desire. Then go get ’em. Have a spectacular day : )

A Quick Recipe For Success

“You can move much more swiftly and effectively toward the joyous success you seek in life by giving your attention and emphasis to the way you want to feel, or to your state of being, rather than to the action”. – Jerry and Esther Hicks.

As I asked for divine guidance for my day today, I was led to this quote. And it’s amazing how, when I am led to a particular quote, it’s along the same lines as other quotes I’ve been led to. In other words, God is trying to tell me something!

For several years, I have read about the importance of monitoring my feelings and my state of being. I strongly believe in this philosophy. It’s a simple fact that the more positive you feel, the more you open yourself up for blessing. When you feel negative about something or someone, the negativity only increases, and things get worse. I completely understand that you can’t have positive feelings all of the time. You can’t be expected to. Bad things happen, and it is natural to feel bad or sad when they do. However, the key is to replace the negative thoughts with positive as soon as possible.

I often share in this blog how important it is to maintain positive thoughts. Your feelings and emotions are the indicators to use for how positive your thoughts are. If you are feeling good and happy, you are thinking positive thoughts. If you are down and out and not feeling well mentally, it is an indicator that you need to change your thoughts.

Another part of this quote I find important for success is about state of being. When you feel the state of being you would have if you already reached your goal, you are helping to bring it into your life. For example, if you are seeking greater health, be healthy. Deliberately eat more healthy foods, do more exercise, and feel the extra energy. If you want more wealth, feel wealthy. Treat yourself to something good and be thankful for all the things you already have. If you are seeking a new relationship, be the ideal partner that anyone would want to be with. Whatever it is you are seeking, be the person you would be if you already had it, and act like it’s already yours.

The part of this quote that may bother some is the part that says to feel and be rather than acting. I can certainly understand that because many people feel like they have to do something all of the time. It’s also true that, if you want to accomplish something, you have to take some action. I believe the authors of this quote are not advising you to avoid action. Instead, they are saying to feel and be first. When your emotions are as positive as they can be, and you are being the person you desire, it is much easier to take action, and the action you take is so much more effective.

I will provide a short example. Let’s say you have a goal to lose 20 pounds. You will not accomplish it by just sitting around and thinking about it. However, the first thing to do is to picture yourself at the ideal weight. Think of how much better you look. Reflect on how much better you will feel about yourself. Imagine doing things you want to do that you can’t do now. When you do that, your emotions automatically become more positive. At this point, you begin attracting success to you. Now, look in the mirror and see yourself as healthy. Repeat to yourself how great you feel. Even though you’re not there yet, your subconscious mind starts to take hold of it. Now you believe you can lose the weight and be healthier. When this happens, you are driven to take actions to match the picture in your mind. You automatically think, “what I can I do to get me to my goal”? You think of eating healthier, going for a walk, taking vitamins, or whatever. Since the picture in your mind has changed, you take the actions necessary to make it come true. So you do eat healthier, exercise, etc. Then when you see the weight coming off, you are only inspired more until it happens.

I challenge you to focus on the aspects of feeling and being. Feel as good as you can as much as you can. Be the person you want to be, living life as much as you can as if you already have what you want. Then take any necessary action you are inspired to take. If you follow this formula, you will see the blessings in your life multiply, and you will continuously reach your goals. As always, I invite you to share your success stories here. Have an awesome day!

Helpful Advice To Reach Your Goals

The other night I listened to teleconference where a friend of mine was interviewed. She just published her first book, and shared details about it, as well as her background, and some other information.

At the end of the interview, listeners were invited to ask questions or provide comments. Since I am an aspiring author with limited time at the moment, I asked how she budgeted her time, and what advice she could provide about getting things done with limited time to work with. Her response was extremeley helpful. She said nothing earth-shattering, yet it was timeless, logical advice that I feel the need to share.

The advice she shared was to do a little bit each day. Even if it’s just a paragraph a day, a little bit of progress is better than nothing. It keeps you going in the right direction, and eventually your progress snowballs into the success you are seeking.

I am the type of person that sometimes becomes frustrated if things don’t happen right away. Often times if I am not able to build Rome in a day, I tend to give up and think it’s not possible. Then I fail to act, and the goal does not get accomplished. However, according to my friend’s advice, it doesn’t have to be built in a day. Slow and steady wins the race, and as long as a little bit of progress is made, I am going in the right direction.

If you are having difficulty moving towards your goal, I recommend this advice to you. You don’t have to do it all today. Just do as much as you can. Even if it’s a small piece of the puzzle, if you keep connecting the pieces, it will eventually come togather.

I’ve read it in several places…do all you can do today to get closer to the goal. Perhaps today is the day you accomplish it. If not, you are at least that much closer to it. It’s much better than sitting idle and frustrated because you don’t see the possibility of it being done.

I understand that time doesn’t sit still for us, and most of us would say we don’t have enough of it. However, even if it’s just a few minutes, do something that will bring you closer to the success you are seeking. It’s amazing that, when you do your part, God does His and works in amazing ways that we can’t even imagine. Your efforts, as small as they are, will be honored and rewarded.

Please don’t be frustrated by lack of time. Use whatever of it you have, and take the small steps necessary to reach your great success. You will be thanksful you did. Enjoy the blessings : )

Expect A Miracle

I mentioned in my previous post that my mother in law lost her husband last week. As a way to support her, my family and I decided to join her at her church this past Sunday instead of going to our own. We very much enjoyed the service.

There was one part of this church that stood out most to me. As you walk into the church you see a big sign above the altar. In big letters it says, “Expect a Miracle”. At that instant, this church had my attention for good.

In my opinion, it’s an absolutely perfect message for a church to have. After all, we serve a God who is full of them, so what better place to “advertise” miracles than the church.

I am a firm believer that we receive in life exactly what we expect. If we expect failure, we’ll certainly get it. If we expect greatness and success, we will receive it. I’ve read this in several books, but it says if you were to go and gather water from the ocean, there are several ways you can do it. You can go with a tea spoon, and you will get what you expect. Instead you can go with a cup, or a bottle, or a barrell. Who will get the most water? The answer is obvious. In each case, you will receive the amount of water you expect, based on what you brought to collect it in. the key is for your level of expectation to be high!

I was inspired by that church sign, and now I pass the inspiration to you. Go through life expecting to be blessed, and expecting to succeed. If you expect success you will receive it. Then it has a snowball effect, and your life will be marked with blessings and miracles, all because you had the faith to expect them. After a while, it becomes natural to expect the absolute best.

God always works in great ways. You may not receive things as you expect, and some you may not get at all. However, keep in mind that God has only your best in mind. If you don’t receive one miracle, you will receive something better instead. The key is to believe and expect, and you will receive and be blessed. So what miracle are you expecting? Feel free to share. I will be happy to pray for its manifestation, and enjoy the success with you : )