Name A Small, But Very Powerful Part Of The Body

The human body is an amazing machine. There are many individual parts that work together. It’s ironic to me that some of the most powerful parts of the body are the smallest parts. The big parts like the arms and legs are important, but our body would not function at all without the brain and heart, both which are much smaller.

Today I would like to focus on another small but powerful part of the body. You could probably live without this part, but it is still one of the most important, yet neglected parts of your body. That part is….the tongue!!

Proverbs 18:21 says the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will enjoy its fruit. James 3:5 says the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. The chapter discusses how the rudder is a small part of the ship, yet controls the whole vessel. It also discusses how a large horse can be controlled by feeding it one bit.

It’s the same with us humans. One of the best quotes I ever heard is from by a preacher who visited our church several months ago. He said…”my words can make me miracles, or my words can make me miserable.”

Once again, the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it can control the whole vessel. Further down in James 3, it says, “with the tongue we praise the Lord, and with it we curse men who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”

Which way do you want the power of the tongue to take you? The choice is yours. You can use it to praise and say positive things that will take you in the direction you want to go. With your tongue and words alone, you can create greatness in your life. Or, you can use your tongue and words to complain and make yourself miserable. With your words alone, you can go from faith to doubt, and from joy to despair.

Please don’t forget this powerful part of your body today. Use it to produce positive and powerful words, which in turn produce the same kind of thoughts and actions. Whatever type of words you decide to use will determine the level of positivity and joy in your life. I’ve always been advised….don’t use many words, but choose the ones I do use wisely. I offer the same advice to you my wonderful readers today. When it comes to the words you use, its all about quality, not quantity. Use words that will bring you miracles today. Enjoy the blessings : )

Faithful Consequences

I very much enjoy listening to popular preachers, and I have learned a great deal from them. One of my favorite’s has always been Charles Stanley. He is full of wise statements based on God’s Word.

I was reminded of something he said that grabbed my attention when I first heard it year’s ago, and it has stuck with me for years. His message is this…have faith, obey God, and let Him take care of the consequences.

What’s the big deal with that, you may ask? Many human beings try to have faith. They want to do the right thing and take action towards achieving their goals and desires. However, many don’t take action and fail to reach their goals simply because of fear of what might happen. For example, I once knew a woman who was overweight, and wanted to lose weight and improve her overall appearance. It was a strong desire, but nagging fears held her back. For example, she was afraid that some people would think differently of her and would not accept her new look. She was afraid that she might receive unwanted advances from guys she wasn’t interested in, something she hadn’t had to deal with in her current situation.

This is a minor example, but it is a clear example how we sometimes avoid moving forward, even when we strongly believe God is prompting us to do so. This is simply because we fear what might happen.

I will say that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t follow through and let your fears get the best of you. You are simply robbing yourself of major blessings and potential miracles, that’s all. Think about it though. What if Moses continued to tell God that he wasn’t good enough to lead the people out of Egypt? What if David thought going against Goliath would be too difficult? What if Jesus’s disciples listened to those who forbade them to spread the word of Christianity? How ordinary and purposeless their lives would have been! Where would we be today?

I can’t downplay these fears. After all, sometimes obeying God’s call will cause consequences. You may lose friends. It may cause family problems. It can cause loneliness and initial difficulties. However, please know that God’s plan is always the best plan, and even though you may have these difficulties and obstacles initially, know that you will win in the long run. And you won’t just win by a point or two. You will be blessed beyond what you could have ever expected if you faithfully follow through with God’s call and whatever desire you believe He has planted in your heart.

Which consequence would you rather have…some initial resistance from other people and initial obstacles, or the consequence of knowing that you missed a major opportunity to add greatness and blessing to your life, all because you were afraid of what might happen?

I will say again that I understand your fears, especially because I’ve been there many times myself. However, I  challenge you to live in faith. Know that if God is for you, no one can be against you. Know that if He has something great set up for you (remember, He promises that He has great plans of blessing and prosperity for you),  He will handle any consequences that come your way because of it. Have faith in that promise, and move forward with the confidence that great things are on their way in your life. Enjoy the blessings : )

Feeling Better About Yourself Is As Easy As ABC

Throughout my life I have been lucky enough to be able to travel and drive long distances to see relatives, the country, etc. Each time we take another trip new memories are created, and old ones are brought to the front of my mind.

There is a game that we often played, and still sometimes do today. It’s called the alphabet game. The object is to pick a topic, like animals, food, movies, or whatever, and name one that starts with A. Then the next person says one that starts with B, and so on.

I was having a very difficult day a few days ago (yes, even the best of us positive, optimistic people struggle sometimes). I was looking to find something to bring me back up, and I found a gem.

The article I read suggested using the ABC game to come up with positive words about yourself. It may be difficult for some, but contrary to popular believe, you ARE allowed to say nice things about yourself. I tried it, and didn’t have too much difficulty coming up with words for each letter of the alphabet. Even X was usable, as I improvised with words like xtra special, xtra nice, etc.

Does this exercise work? Yes, and it works almost immediately. I went through two rounds of the game, thinking of positive words starting with each letter of the alphabet to describe myself. Within minutes I felt far better about myself, and was right back to being my normal, positive self. I did this in mid-afternoon, and the rest of my day was happy and pleasant. In fact, according to theme of the article, this is exactly the purpose of the game…to help you feel more positive emotions about yourself, and about life as a whole. The reason being is that when you are at a high emotional level, you set yourself up for the positive outcomes you seek.

I share this exercise with you and challenge you to use it. Use it if you are feeling down, but also when things are good. This morning I used this as a gratitude exercise and came up with with words from each letter of the alphabet of things I am grateful for. The positive feelings surfaced quickly and easily, and now remain as I go through my day.

The more things you can be positive about and think about, the more things will go your way. The more you maintain positive emotions, the more you will set yourself up for blessings. I am constantly looking for ways to do this and to share, and as mentioned earlier, I believe I hit the jackpot with this one.

What great things do you have to say about yourself? Answering that question should be as easy as ABC. Enjoy the blessings : )

If you are interested, here’s a link to the article…http://www.discoveringpeace.com/abraham-hicks-and-the-emotional-grid.html

A Selfish Way To Positively Impact Many People

If you are like me, you have a sincere desire to positively impact those around you.  I am constantly trying to find ways to better serve others and bring people to a higher level. In fact, that’s the main reason for this blog!

I once read a very interesting fact in a Wayne Dyer book (I’ve actually read many interesting facts in his books). It said that when we are in a high emotional state, we can impact many people because of it. This is not only true for those around us, but it says this high energy you create can impact many beyond people your realm. He also says that if your energy is negative, it can have negative effects. He jokes to watch your energy level because you could be potentially depressing someone in Bulgaria(or whatever far away place) right now.

At first, I questioned how this could be true. However, I went with it because I know the importance of maintaining a positive, high energy emotional field. However, as I’ve learned more, I realize the potential we have to impact many.

I have learned a great deal lately about the power of connection. In fact, I recently wrote an article about it that you can check out here..https://powerofpies.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/a-connection-to-an-old-commercial/ 

How does this power of connection help you impact people? This principle states that you are connected to everything and everybody in this universe. This is because the Godly spirit that is a part of you is a part of everything else.

Ok, so how can I take advantage of this connection to positively impact those around me. you ask? My answer may seem very ironic at first. However, once you read the explanation, I believe the light will go on for you as it did for me. In order to impact the most people, you need to…pay strict attention and focus on giving the absolute best to….YOU!

Have I lost you yet? How can focusing on the supreme best for you help others? Again, it’s all in the principle of connection. You are connected to everything. When you enhance the good for you and take yourself to the absolute highest positive energy level, you are automatically doing it for everyone else. Since you are connected to everyone else on this planet, when you shine your own light brighter, you are literally shining the spiritual light of everyone else. You are adding energy to the universal light if you will.

This can enhance your life in other ways too. For example, if you want to “add light” to your bank account, just increase your positive vibration when you think about money. Know that you are connected to every single dollar in the universe. When you increase your own positive vibration about money, you are in turn increasing the positive vibration for all money as a whole. As a result, you attract more to yourself. I believe this is one of the big reasons that the world’s economic situation is as difficult as it is. There are so many individual minds thinking negatively about money that it impacts the negative energy about money itself as a whole.

Remember that you are connected to everything and everybody in this universe. Which part of that connection do you have total control of? That would be you. I remind you again that when you maximize the positivity and greatness of your part of that connection (which you automatically have in the Spirit of God that is part of you), you maximize the qualities of the connection as a whole. In this case, it’s OK to be selfish because in your “selfish” act of making yourself better, you are automatically taking everyone and everything else with you. Hopefully that’s a great idea you can connect with. Enjoy the blessings : )

A New Look On Faith

I have read through the entire Bible several times. There are some stories and verses that it has taken me several times to read before I fully understood their message.

I was reading one such chapter today. My one year Bible reading took me to Romans 4. It talks about Abraham and how he was extremely faithful. I’ve always read this with the attitude that I already know about Abraham and his faithful deeds. What can I learn from this?

First I will say this…when you ask God “what can I learn” be prepared for an answer. He loves providing new knowledge! As I opened myself for this knowledge today, I certainly received a new enlightenment.

If you are looking for a definition of what faith is, I will point out some details from this Bible chapter that describes part of Abraham’s story. First of all, he was promised by God that his offspring would be like the number of stars in the sky. God asked him to move to another land and do other things to make it happen. Abraham did those things even though he didn’t see the outcome yet. In fact, he didn’t even have any kids yet.

Speaking of kids, there was an issue with that. His wife couldn’t have any, and he was 100 years old. So how could he have descendants like the number of stars? I believe the key comes in verse 20. It says…he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised.

As it turned out, because of this great faith, this 100 year old man was able to conceive a child through his barren wife who was well past the age of child bearing herself. As it turned out, the descendants of an entire nation can be traced to this one man. Why? All simply because he fully believed that God had the power to do what He promised. He then followed through and took action in the power of that promise.

If you are looking to build your faith, or get a better understanding of what faith is, I can think of no better example than this one. Please know that God delivers on His promises. One Bible verse says God has nothing but great and prosperous plans for you. Another says all you have to do is ask in prayer, and He provides great and wonderful gifts for His children. Another says all things are possible if you believe. There are tons more.

I challenge you now to be fully persuaded that God has the power to follow through on these promises, even though you can’t yet see the successful outcome. He can do it in anyone’s life, including yours. Follow this example of the great man of God who was blessed because he believed this concept. I have faith that God will provide blessings beyond your belief. Have an excellent day!

A Connection To An Old Commercial

I don’t know about you, but for some reason I have a fascination with TV commercials. I enjoy watching some of them today, and have fond memories of commercials of the past.

As I was doing some reading the other day, an old commercial was brought to mind. It’s an AT&T commercial from a while back where the theme is that “we’re all connected”. Makes sense for a phone company, right?

It brings me to the theme of my message for today. It’s about…you guessed it…connection. Don’t get me wrong, I like the theme of the commercial. Their phone service certainly makes it possible to connect with people and places. However,  that’s not exactly what I want to talk about today.

I would like to remind you that you are already connected to everybody and everything. How? It’s simply your Creator. Think about it. The spirit of God is a part of you. This same spirit is a part of everyone else. We are all part of it, meaning we are all connected in that way. A good visual of this is provided at our Christmas Eve church service each year. There is a giant candle at the front of the church. Each individual has their own candle that they light from that big one. As a result, each one of shines our individual light brightly, but the source of the light is from the “original”

It’s the same for you and me. We each have that spiritual light shining through us that comes from the same source. Do you ever wonder one of the reasons we are supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves? In essence, when you love and respect someone else, you are loving and respecting part of yourself!

The same is true for the material things and situations we are seeking. The same God that created you also created the money, house, job, car, talent, or whatever it is you are seeking. Your goals and desires are already a part of you because it originates from the same energy you are made of.

How can this information help you? When you know you are separate from no one and nothing and you focus on the fact that you are one with the people and things around you, it doesn’t seem so far away or unattainable, does it? For example, let’s say you are seeking more money. You and money are created by the same Creator. You both have the same energy. You are connected. All you have to do is believe it, and you begin the process of manifesting it to you. You will then be inspired with the action to take to allow it to manifest in reality.

When you realize this concept of connection, your relationships with others flow much more smoothly. Once again, when you love and respect other people, you are doing it to yourself because you are made of the same spiritual essence. I believe that’s one of the reasons your relationships suffer when you don’t love yourself. It’s because you are not respecting the same spirit that is also a part of everyone else.

I know that I feel a greater love and respect for those around me when I focus on this idea of connection. I also have a greater faith in my circumstances because I know that I am not separate from them. It’s already part of me, and it’s just  a matter of manifesting the goal.

I know the same will be true for you too. Focus on this idea that you are connected to everyone and everything. It will really make a difference in you life. I can attest to it. If you will excuse me, my phone is ringing. Remember, we are all connected. Have a wonderful day : )

How Are You Like Dorothy From The Wizard Of Oz?

The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies ever made. If you’ve never seen it or need a brief review, here’s the main idea: The main character Dorothy is blown from a tornado in her home in Kansas to a beautiful place called Oz. In this place she is provided with shoes that provide unlimited power. In fact, the power is so great that the wicked witch constantly tries to take them from her. Dorothy is a hero in Oz because her house landed on a previous wicked witch who had been terrorizing the place and kills her. She also finds great friendships, and wild adventures, all surrounded by unthinkable beauty.

Even though Dorothy is provided with many great things, she misses the people at home in Kansas, and all throughout the movie she expresses her desire to get back home. To fulfill this wish, she is told she needs to make a long journey to see the wizard of oz who can grant this wish. She finally makes this long and sometimes dangerous journey and gets to the wizard where he is about to grant her wish by taking her back to Kansas. However, there is a glitch in the plan and now she is still stuck in Oz. Then the good witch who provided the powerful shoes comes to her rescue.

Herein lies the most ironic part of the movie and the theme of this post. The good witch shows Dorothy how to use the powerful shoes to take her home. However, she says that Dorothy had the power to go home all along.

What is it you are wishing for today? Whatever it is, I would like to remind you that you already have the power. Whether you are seeking love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, they are fruits of the spirit that are already part of you. 

Even if you are seeking an external thing, such as more money, a job, a new home, or anything like it, please know that the same all-powerful energy that is part of you is part of the the thing you are seeking. When you focus on that power, you let the fruits of the spirit manifest through you. You don’t have to strive for happiness. It’s already a part of you! Just meditate on that fact and let it manifest through you. As far as a material item, keep focused on that item and on the power you possess. When you do this you attract it to you. Then be sure to take any inspired action to make it happen. In the movie, the good witch gave Dorothy the instructions and she followed them. You need to do the same to make it happen and make the power work.

I will remind you that the power you have is very strong. As a result, just like in the movie, the evil one will make every effort to take it from you. However, if you rely on God and meditate on His power that is a part of you, He will protect you from those evil influences.

I remind you again that you already have the power you are seeking. Use it with confidence and for good, and there’s no place it can’t take you. Enjoy its wonderful blessings : )

A Quick Lesson In Positive Logic

I will start by saying that I am far from a math genius. It was certainly not one of my stronger subjects in school. However, there is one part of math I always enjoyed. That part is called logic. I was even crazy enough to take a college course on logic. I wasn’t that good at it, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

What’s logic all about? I only remember the basics, but it goes something like this…A-B therefore C. To translate to English, A=I live in Buffalo B=Everyone who lives in Buffalo likes snow, therefore C=I like the snow (yeah, right).

See, I have a little bit of the knowledge left. Please allow me to prove to you that this class was not a complete waste of time. I’ve actually thought a lot about it lately as I go through life, and it’s helped get my mind in the right place. For example….I am a human being; the Spirit of God is in every human being; therefore, the Spirit of God is in me.

It works very well with the things we desire is well…I am a being made up of great energy who attracts other things with great energy; my desire is made of great energy; therefore, I attract my desire.

I apologize if your head is already spinning. Hopefully, you haven’t left the page by now. I just wanted to share that, as sure as these formulas in logic are true, they hold true in all aspects of your life as well. There’s no going against it. So consider this…when you think positive thoughts you get positive results; you are thinking positive thoughts; therefore, you are getting positive results.

There’s no way around this. It’s true. I just wanted to use this college flashback (I took this course almost 30 years ago) to share that God’s laws and the laws of nature are indeed logical and unchangeable. Hold steady to them, and you will be blessed. Does that sound logical to you? Enjoy the blessings : )

Sharing One Of Life’s Greatest Illusions

Please allow me to share one of life’s greatest illusions. It’s a 4 letter word that I consider just as bad as those other 4 letter words. What’s the word?

The word is….lack. It’s an idea I’ve often pondered on it when it comes to money, time, faith, etc. Many of you have thought lack when it comes to those things. Unfortunately, it’s a part of human nature.

After being told by a speaker that lack is simply an illusion, I really began to reflect on this idea. Is it a complete illusion? Maybe not. When you look at pictures of starving children and homeless people, the reality of lack is thrown right back at you. I wish I could say that I have answers for those situations, but I don’t.

On the other hand, I believe the idea of lack is one that we are not meant to have. I am talking about lack in terms of the mental perspective we have about it. Think about it. This universe was created with the idea of abundance. There are billions of stars, galaxies, heavenly bodies, etc. On this earth, there are virtually endless oceans, countless grains of sand, and enough money and natural resources to last for millions of years longer.

Since God created this universe and our own planet in the idea of abundance, don’t you think He intends that for your life? I began thinking about this and realized how often I was thinking in my own lack mentality. I was thinking about what I didn’t have instead of focusing on the abundance that I do have. I do have plenty of great things in my life!

The main point I want to share is that God’s mind and His ways are solely based on abundance. He knows no lack. Instead, it’s all about growth and abundance. We should have the same mindset. When we focus on lack, we are taking our conscious thinking away from the mind of God. We let our limited thinking ego get in the way of our unlimited spirit.

I challenge you to change your focus to the unlimited abundance of God. Let your thinking consist of the same idea of endless possibility, blessing, and infinity that your Creator lives and creates by.

When you realize that God is all about abundance and knows no boundaries, you will realize that lack is simply an illusion. It is simply your own mind getting away from where it really belongs…connected to its spiritual source.

I will say that I sometimes still fail this challenge. However, as I have gradually focused more on the concept of abundance instead of the illusion of lack, the abundance of good in my life has significantly increased. The same will happen for you. And that’s as real as it gets : )

How To Gain True Freedom

Last week the United States and Canada each celebrated their Independence Day. It’s a great reminder of the freedom that we have as citizens of these countries.

The problem is that, as much freedom as we have, many individuals hold themselves in bondage and feel like they lack the freedom to be who they want to be. It’s quite ironic that we live in a free country, yet we sometimes are the only ones who put restrictions on ourselves.

If you are stuck in that situation and you are seeking the freedom to be the person you want to be and live the life you are dreaming of, I have the simple solution. I was reminded of this Bible verse by a song we sang in church yesterday. It says…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Therein lies the immediate solution. Do you want personal freedom? I believe the above verse says it all. The God’s Word translation is a bit more basic. It says “The Lord is the Spirit. Wherever the Lord’s Spirit is there is freedom”.

Did you know the Lord’s Spirit dwells in you? It is a large part of your very being. So the freedom you are seeking….is already a part of you. You’ve had it all along!

The key is to focus on His spiritual presence as you go about your day. When you are conscious of this presence, you are free. There can be no bondage in your relationship with yourself and others. There can be no financial bondage, no health issues, no worries.

Do you get the picture? You are free as long as you acknowledge the Spiritual presence that makes up your being. It’s part of God’s word, and that word is true and constant. I encourage you to enjoy that freedom. Live in its blessing and confidence, and carry that light as you interact with others. Enjoy the blessings : )