How to Find the Balance Between Being and Doing

I don’t know about you, but I often struggle to find the balance between being and allowing God to do His work, and doing and taking action.

One side says to avoid striving and spending too much of my own effort trying to reach my goals. They say it’s a matter of letting go and letting God, and relying on His wonder working power. The other side says to take massive action, and that our goals won’t be accomplished if we don’t make the necessary blood, sweat, and tears effort.

So what’s one to do? As mentioned, I’ve always been confused by this question. Recently, I found a very helpful bit of advice that significantly clarified this concept. I share this now with you, especially if you have had the same struggle.

The advice comes from a book I read from Anita Moorjani called, “Dying to Be Me”. If you’re not familiar, it’s the author’s story about her near death experience after battling with cancer. After returning from the experience, she was healed within a few days of the cancer that almost killed her. She learned many new ideas during this experience which she shares in the book. I disagree with some of the philosophies, but it’s an interesting read nontheless.

One of the key ideas I’ve taken from the book is this concept of being and allowing, and the contrast with taking action. She discovered that being (as in being our best Godly and spirit-filled self) trumps doing every time. But we have to do things and not just sit around and wait for things to happen, right? Here’s the key idea that has really helped….if we are doing something out of obligation, duty, or fear, we are DOING. If we do something out of love, passion, and joy, it’s BEING.

The key is this. We still need to do our part. We also still have to sometimes do things we don’t want to do. The key is to do it in love, and with the heart to do it as well as we possibly can. For example, my lawn needed to be mowed yesterday. There are plenty of things I would rather do than mow the lawn. However, instead of doing it as a chore and something I needed to do, I instead did it with the attitude that my wife would appreciate coming home and seeing a beautifully landscaped front yard when she arrived home. I enjoyed being outside in the beautiful sunny weather and cherished the fact that significant calories were being burned.

Can you see the difference? The way I did a mundane chore yesterday was in a state of being. I did it out of love and appreciation, which even made the experience joyful. It’s the same with your goals in life. If you do things because you feel like you have to or in fear that you won’t reach the goal if you don’t, you are doing outside of the state of being and allowing God to intervene. When you do things lovingly and joyfully on the other hand, you are still doing your part and allowing God to intervene and take care of His. That can only be a win-win situation.

I challenge you today to remain in a state of being your absolute best, and letting God’s light shine through you. Stay active towards your goals and desires. However, instead of striving to achieve them, cherish the journey and the small steps getting your there by acting in love, joy, and gratitude. Next thing you know, those baby steps will have you flying. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

How To Get Fast Results

In my previous post, I discussed a powerful prayer by Nehemiah in his book in the Bible. It is very powerful because if you use this method of prayer, you are incorporating praise, thanksgiving, supplication, and positive and powerful focus on what you want. If you would like to view the article, here’s the link…https://powerofpies.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/a-powerful-and-effective-prayer-that-works/

I have always been intrigued by this story of Nehemiah. If you are not familiar, I will provide a quick review. After Jerusalem was destroyed, exiles remained in Babylon/Persia for many years. After a while, some were permitted to return. The city remained in ruins for all of these years. Several years earlier, they had the holy temple rebuilt, but that was it. Nehemiah felt the need to go and rebuild the city walls. At the time, he had a prominent position working for the Persian king. However, he felt the calling to go. This is when he prays the powerful prayer that is written. He prays that he can convince the king to let him go, and for the strength and power to rebuild the walls.

Several awesome lessons are presented as the story continues. He easily receives permission from the king. As he arrives, he continues to pray through everything, and acts upon whatever inspiration he receives. As a result, a project that could have taken several months or even years is completed in 52 days.

I don’t know about you, but this is the type of example I want to follow. This was a man who simply knew how to get things done. Luckily, everything went smoothly, right? Wrong! During this process, Nehemiah encountered much resistance. Several plots were formed against him, and even his life was threatened. However, he remained focused and completed the project in just 52 days.

What are some of the lessons from this and how was he so successful? I present some reasons now:

1. Prayer – As mentioned, Nehemiah prayed before every situation and during the time he worked as well. For more results on the power of prayer, please check out my previous post.
2. He was an excellent example – Not only was he in charge of the project, but he dug in with everyone else and did the work as well. Not only was he a leader, but he was a server as well.
3. Focus – This is the key…he knew what had to get done, and remained focused solely on the goal. He faced many obstacles, but always prayed and found solutions to overcome them.
4. Action – As soon as he knew what to do, he acted immediately. The word procrastination was not in his vocabulary!

Every time I read this story, I am inspired. You may have something that you want accomplished like yesterday, but it seems like it’s a long way off. If you are looking to accomplish a goal sooner than later, I strongly recommend you follow these guidelines above. There is no reason you should have to wait to receive what you want. The only reason would be that God has something better for you in the meantime.

What is it you want to accomplish? Determine a clear answer, pray about it, and stay focused, doing all you can and letting God do His part to let it happen. And know that it will happen. Enjoy the blessings : )

4 Great Ways To Conquer Procrastination

There are many people, including myself, that struggle to avoid procrastination. Each time we put things off we feel guilty and upset with ourselves for not accomplishing the ambitious goals we’ve set.

I recently watched a video from Nelson Berry with an excellent 4 step formula to help avoid procrastination. The 4 steps are:

1. Determine your best time for getting things done. It’s funny that I’m not a morning person, yet I get most of my best work done early. Find your best time and focus on getting most of your work done at that time.
2. Don’t over estimate yourself or under estimate the task. Sometimes we disillusion ourselves which frustrates us, causing us to put the task off.
3. Avoid multi-tasking. When we put all of our focus on one task at a time, we are more likely to get it done, and get it done well.
4. Get the subconscious to cooperate. When we see success in our minds and repeat positive affirmations to ourselves, our subconscious mind actually guides us to success.

I believe these steps are very helpful in avoiding procrastination and moving closer to acheiving our goals. For more details about these steps, check out the full video here….

http://youtu.be/jHJz-OHqrfU

 

What Are You Worried About? – 3 Ways To Turn Worry Into Faith

Many of us do it. It’s a fact and a reality that many of us worry. Even those of us who look on the bright side of things and whose lives are under control still sometimes spend time worrying. Is it wrong to worry? I don’t know if I would say wrong, but I do know that it does us no good at all. Matthew 6:34 says…”Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.” If you go back to verse 27 it says…”who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

I have found that it does not pay to worry. Instead, there are numerous verses throughout the Bible that describe how faith (the opposite of worry) can add so much to our lives and to those around us. As I continue to study ways to bring life to a higher level, I have found several ways to turn worry into faith. Here are the top 3:

1. Seek God first – In my opinion, this is the key to all success in life. In the same Bible chapter, verse 31 says…”So do not worry saying ‘What shall we eat or what shall we drink?’ …For your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things. But seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be given to you as well” When we focus on God and His power that is in and around us, we focus on the positive things instead of the negative obstacles in front of us. Instead of worrying about the negative things that may happen to us, we focus on the accomplishment of the goals we have in our lives. Also, when we are consciously aware of the presence and power of God, we have an enormous peace, and we will be led to the right people and the right areas to take action. More about that coming up shortly.
2. Focus on the present – If we are placing our full attention on the present moment, it is impossible to worry. This is because we are not thinking about things that can possibly go wrong in the future, even if that future is only a few minutes away. The present moment is what we have to work with, and is the only time frame that is fully in our control. If we make the most out of every present moment, it secures our future, giving us even less of a reason to worry. It is the people who best take advantage of present moments that receive the greatest future rewards.
3. Take action now – This step goes had in hand with the first two. As mentioned, when we seek God first, He leads us to the people who can help us and places and situations where we need to act. However, it is up to us to follow through and take that action. As mentioned in step two, it is when we focus and act fully on the present moment, and do the best we can at that time when great blessings take place. The even better thought is this…when we follow the first two steps, taking action is so much easier. This is because we are taking God-inspired action, we know His power is with us, and we have the peace of knowing it is His will because it is for His kingdom and glory. This is when miraces happen.

In my opinion, these are three very simple steps to take, especially knowing what the rewards are. This philosophy is great too because it doesn’t take weeks or months to implement. It can be done in minutes, and as we continue to focus on God first, keep our eyes on the present, and do our best in everything at that time, it will be a habitual way of life. The result is great faith and blessing instead of worry, doubt, and procrastination. It can be effective for anyone. Let it be you today. Have a blessed day : )

The Power Of a Clear Goal

I invite you to listen in on a conversation that occasionally occurs in my home. Usually, my wife is the one who cooks dinner. She has everything in line and doesn’t need to ask questions. There are some occasions where she is not home, and it is up to me to make dinner. The normal routine is me asking my kids, “what do you want to eat”? The normal response…”I don’t know.” This of course makes things difficult for me. I want to please them, but if I don’t know what they are looking for, it is difficult to do. I may need to make several considerations before a decision is made. Even then, it is possible that someone won’t be satisfied.

In the above example, things would be made much easier if one of us would just set a goal, settle on it, and act upon it. If my daughter gave me a direct answer and said she wanted spaghetti, I would make spaghetti without hesitation. Or, if I told them they were having chicken, it would be a done deal and I would make the chicken.

This situation reminds me of the importance of having set goals. I hear it very often. Have a clear idea in your mind about what you want. Keep the thought fixed in your mind, along with a picture of it’s accomplishment. Then take the necessary action.

In the example of my kids’ dinner, time is wasted by the indecision. The kids then get hungrier, and we both become less patient. The same is true for our personal goals. If we are not perfectly clear on what we are trying to accomplish, we procrastinate and become frustrated as time goes by without our goal’s accomplishment. When our goals are clear, the opposite is true. We have direction and we are more likely to take action. And the action we take is more focused and effective, usually resulting in a successful completion of our goal in a shorter amount of time.

It is often said that it’s difficult to shoot when we don’t have a target. When you are looking to accomplish something, determine exactly what you want to accomplish. Set a measurable goal and keep it fixed in your mind. You don’t even have to spend lots of time thinking about how you will accomplish it. If you keep your mind fixed on the final outcome, those ideas will come to you, and then you can act on them effectively.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend you follow this guideline. Take some time to determine exactly what it is you would like to accomplish in the different areas of your life. Stay focused on them and work towards their completion. I believe you will see excellent results. Now please excuse me. Our dinner is ready. Have an excellent day : )

A Great Way To Improve Your Focus

As I begin to write this article, I am hearing voices in my head. No, I don’t think I am going crazy (yet). I am hearing the voices of my wife, parents and past teachers. They are all telling me the same thing they always did when they told me something important.

What did they say? I’ll share in a moment. Before I do, I will say that this same advice is very helpful in several ways when it comes to assisting us in reaching our goals. Here’s the advice…write it down!!!

I have seen the importance of writing things down. First, when we write our to-do list down, it helps us know exactly what we need to do. For those like me who often forget, it helps us to remember. However, I have found that it goes beyond this. For some reason there is power in seeing something in writing. For example, it is very helpful to state our affirmations and intentions for the things we want to accomplish. If you want to add some extra power to them, write them down, and then affirm them. It is very effective. There is also power in visualizing our goals being achieved, and feeling the corresponding emotion. Recently, I was challenged to actually provide a written description of this vision and corresponding feeling. I have done it for a few days now, and it definitely adds power to the desire and belief of my goals being realized.

If you are looking to add focus to accomplishing your goals, I recommend you write down your goals, affirmations, visualizations, feelings, and courses of action. It is a powerful and effective way to bring about the desired results much faster. I will share the link below (it’s from the same author in the link I provided in my previous post) which provides an example of writing down our affirmations. I believe writing things down can be great help in getting you to where you want to be. Enjoy the blessings : )

http://www.nelsonberrysubliminalblog.com/free/

A Powerful Self-Talk Technique

It’s always funny when we see someone talking to themself, isn’t it? I think this is mainly because we all do it, and we can all relate. On several occasions I have mentioned the importance of self-talk on this site. As much as we joke about it, I believe it is very important to make a habit of deliberately telling ourselves great things about ourselves. The more our mind hears it, the more it believes it, and the more we act in confidence and faith.

I would like to take this self-talk technique a step further. I read this on a website recently (as well as other places before) and decided to try it. After only a few days, I can already see some dramatic positive effects. The technique is this…instead of just affirming great things, ask yourself a question. That powerful question is, what can I do TODAY that will bring about the desired result? For example, at this time in my life (my mid 40s), I am seeking to be in the best shape of my life.  Instead of just affirming that I am strong, healthy, and in great shape, I need to ask myself what I can do this day to make that happen. I am seeking to be the best husband and father I can be. Instead of just affirming that throughout the day, I can take it a step further by asking what I can do, ALL I can possibly do that day, to make it happen. I am looking to double my income in 2012. Instead of just affirming it, praying it, and visualizing it (all important steps), I need to ask on a daily basis what I can do to make it happen.

This may seem like an overly simple process. However, here’s the cool thing. When we sincerely and prayerfully ask that question, the answer ALWAYS comes. The key is to act on it as soon as it does. Also, there are many occasions where the actions we need to take are very small. We may hesitate when we receive a small answer, and even possibly dismiss it because we are looking for great solutions right away. However, the small action, such as a phone call to reach out to someone, filling out an application, looking up a Bible verse, or doing a small favor, can do wonders and have great impacts. Whatever it is you are inspired to do just do it!

The only drawback I’ve heard from this is that we are doing the work and not allowing God to do His. Yes, I know that sometimes people (definitely me) try to do too much and get in God’s way. Remember though, that although God wants us to faithfully rely on Him, He also expects us to act in obedience to Him. When we ask the question of what we can do to achieve our goal, and listen attentively for the answer, we will receive it. When we act on it, it is simply us doing our part as we pray for God to do His. It’s also a kick in the butt for people like me who are sometimes slow to act, to just do something, and then let God use it for His good.

I challenge you to ask yourself this question daily for whatever goal you have…What can I do TODAY to realize my goal? When you challenge yourself this way, the answer will come. And when you act on that answer, you will see fast results. I’ve seen it myself already after a short time of using this technique. I strongly recommend you try it. Enjoy the blessings : )

P.S. I wanted to share the link where I was presented with this challenge. The information on that website mainly deals with using this technique to increase your income. It will certainly help you do that. However, you can use this technique for any area of your life, whether it’s improving relationships, health, finding a job, or simply enjoying life more. The author also presents another process for helping reach your goals that I also recommend you try. In both cases, I believe this can be a great help to anyone. Enjoy!

http://www.nelsonberrysubliminalblog.com/4-free-subliminal-messages-video-downloads/

Is It Right To Live For Today?

You’ve heard the phrase “live for today” many times. This phrase has always created controversy. Why? Because living for today is often associated with disregard for the future. There are many that live their lives this way. They live their lives recklessly with no concern about how their actions will affect their future. We see the negative results, and draw the conclusion that it is wrong to live for today.

There is also the opposite extreme. Many people don’t enjoy the present day because they are too worried about what the future may bring. They miss out on so much in life because their fear of the future prevents them from taking present day steps towards their goals and the life they want to live.

So what’s the answer to the article’s title? I believe it’s a matter of combining the information presented so far. I strongly believe we DO need to live in a present moment mentality….with an eye on, but not fearing the future. Why it is important to live in the present moment? Because the present moment is all we have. The past is gone forever. So many times we don’t move ahead because we are still caught up in the mistakes of our past. We need to learn from those mistakes, but we cannot spend our present days living in the past. As mentioned, we must spend some time planning for our future, but we cannot fail to act in the present because we are worried about something in the future. Just as we can’t live in the past, we also cannot live in the future. Jesus Himself stressed that we are to avoid worrying about the future. In Matthew 6:34 He says..do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The bottom line is that the present is the only time where you have complete control of the outcome. Can we change the past? Sorry, but that’s a no. Are we in the future yet? Not unless we are talking about the past, and again, we can’t live in the past. We have full control of the present. And here’s a great thought. The more you take advantage of your present day opportunities, the better your future will be! So spend time perfecting your relationships; going after your dream job; taking care of your health; and doing anything that will help you get to the person you want to be and life you want to have.

 I will conclude by saying again that, as long as we don’t completely disregard our future, it is right, and I believe necessary to live for today. If we do all we can possibly do each day to be a better person, to serve others, and to make this world a better place, we will find life more rewarding than ever before. We will enjoy the present moments to the fullest, and we will have no reason to fear our future. That’s the type of life I want to experience. Enjoy the blessings : )

A Positive Way To Get Noticed

There are many people in our world that do things to get noticed. It happens in different ways. It could be the middle school student acting out to get the attention he or she craves. It may be a musician or actor trying to make it big. Perhaps it could be the average worker in corperate America seeking a promotion.

After some conversation and reading, I have found a sure way to get noticed. It seems like a simple, common sense method, but it’s amazing how many people know this and still don’t do it.

So what’s the magic formula? It is simply to do your best. I’ll say it again. DO YOUR BEST. Wait a minute, that’s it? I’ve been told that all my life and it hasn’t taken me far. I understand. The key is to do your best in every situation, in every place. Every time. That’s what separates the average from the extraordinary. When you put your best effort into everything, that’s when people take notice. Here’s another key. Don’t do it to please others. Don’t do it just so people hopefully notice. Do it to please you. Do it so you can sleep at night knowing that you were your best and did all you could possibly do that day. Do it also to please the God that created you, and will bless you abundantly for it.

When we do our best in every area all the time we take the next step to experiencing greatness in our lives. We don’t do it to get attention, but we WILL get attention. We don’t do it to get blessed, but we WILL get blessed. God says that faith without works is dead. Well, these  are the works He is talking about. And when we do our part as well as we can, do you think God will hold back when its our time to be blessed? No way!

Whether you are seeking a great family, superior health, endless work and income opportunities, many friends, or whatever you are seeking in life, do everything wholeheartedly. Even if you are not where you want to be at the moment, you will get there if you do things right. For example, you may desire to be a corporate executive, but right now you are a shift worker on an assembly line. If you are the best assembly worker you can be, you will be promoted to supervisor. The best supervisor you can be then results in another step up. This continues until you eventually get to where you want to be. The more effort you put to being your best, the quicker you get there. There are many stories of this occurring in the lives of ordinary people who ended up with greatness.

Doing our best in everything is not a difficult thing to do. Also, make sure you are trying to be YOUR best, not THE best. We are not competing with anyone. It’s just a fact. When you do your best at everything, doors open and opportunities that you could have never imagined are presented to you with regularity. Make that happen by doing and being your best today. Enjoy the blessings : )

Stepping Out Of the Ordinary

Ok, I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of the average, ordinary life. I am tired of accepting mediocrity, and know it is time to make the serious effort to reach the level of greatness I am seeking.

It’s frustrating to know that great things are close within my reach, but I am still not quite there. Why not? I believe it’s for several reasons. One is that I often don’t follow the excellent advice I’ve learned over the past couple of years about putting positive mind power to work. I believe I am a positive person overall. However, I have not yet perfected the process of putting that positive power to work for me on a consistent basis.

Another reason I feel like I am being held back is that I am listening to too many people. But isn’t it wise to listen to other people? Yes, very much so. However, I am letting what other people say, or worse, what they MIGHT say or think dictate what actions, or lack of action I take. Lately when I read inspirational information that can really help me with my life, there seems to always be someone there putting a damper on it. I will explain shortly.

So how do I remedy the situation? As I was sitting in church today, I realized some things. By the way when I “realize” something in the middle of church, I can almost always take that as God trying to tell me something. I realize that I just need to take God literally at His word when it comes to matters of faith. For example, here are some Bible verses that came to mind: If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Matt 21:22). Everything is possible for Him who believes (Mark 9:23). You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it (John 14:14).

These are very inspirational verses. He will do ANYTHING, it says. Yeah, but what about only in His will? Yeah, but now your preaching prosperity gospel. Yeah, but you’re being greedy asking God for too much. Do you know what? I’m done with the “yeah buts”. Yes, I know God’s will is much more important than my agenda. The problem is I often use this as an excuse and fail to act instead of doing so in faith. I don’t know about you, but I don’t see any “prosperity” labels in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And the more I read, the more I find out that God WANTS us to keep asking for great things in our lives. In the book of James, it says we have not because we ask not. So why not ask?

As I’ve mentioned, I’m done listening to the doubters and dampers. I am taking God at His word, and praying for big, great things, expecting that He will come through. If something is not in His will, I will gladly step aside and let Him fulfill His better plan for me. It’s up to me to pray and understand His will, and to act and move forward without getting too far out in front of Him. However, if I do, I trust that He will bring me right back to where I need to be.

After all this ( I appreciate you reading this far), you may be asking why I am writing this on a blog that is supposed to be helping people instead of focusing on myself? It’s because I get the feeling there are others like me who are done living the ordinary and are looking for greater things. If that’s the case, I offer the same advice I am taking for myself. Take God at His word. If He says you can ask boldly for anything, than do it! He wants to see your life grow into greatness even more than you do.

The bottom line is I am taking God at His promises and moving out of the ordinary to a life of great adventure and success. Would anyone like to come with me? Have an excellent, blessed day : )