by Dale Shumaker4spirit@gmail.comThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is probably the achievement classic of all time. His interviews of the wealthiest men of the early 1900's commissioned by Andrew Carnegie resulted in this most comprehensive, thoroughly researched success manual ever written. Hill, before writing Think and Grow Rich, interviewed over 500 multimillionaires of his day, which translates to the billionaires of today. Carnegie introduced Hill to the wealthy people of his era so Hill could create a resource for every person to obtain wealth. This 21st Century Updated Edition includes modern analogies and applications of these enduring principles.
Of the 13 principles to riches, I will focus more on a few selective ones, but this is a book every person starting a business or building an enterprise should read and re-read.
Thoughts are things. What we think about frequently and with emotion, good or bad, eventually materialize in our lives. When thoughts are mixed with purpose, persistence, and a burning desire are translated into riches. Hill points out several examples where people literally thought themselves into riches. So his book title is the theme behind all the principles in the book... you can think and grow rich. In what most people see as defeat, may be a direction for what you want. So, with good thinking, we can evaluate defeat and see the opportunity for our success in it. All you need is one sound idea for success. So what follows Hill says are "13 principles which contain the best and most practical ways and means of creating ideas."
The first huge step is changing the way you think from failure consciousness to success consciousness. Combine desire with persistence and the Think and Grow Rich formula unfolds.
Desire has no retreat... the first step to riches.
The way your desire is transmuted into its financial equivalent consists of six definite and practical steps.
1. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire.
2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire.
3. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money.
4. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.
5. Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
6.Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night and once after arising in the morning. You must believe that you are already in possession of that money. And read the statement with emotion.
"With the power of desire backed by faith, I have seen this power lift people from lowly beginnings to places of power and wealth. Nature wraps up in the impulse of strong desire 'that something' which recognizes no word as impossible."
Faith...visualization of, and belief in, attainment of desire is the next step.
When faith is blended with thought the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibrations. It is then translated and transmitted into Infinite Intelligence. With love and faith and intimacy in relationships, a thought induces Infinite Intelligence to act. You develop faith by mastering the 13 principles in Think and Grow Rich.
Faith is created by continual affirmations or repeated instructions to the subconscious mind, through the principles of autosuggestion. Regardless of what is in your subconscious mind, you can direct it through repeated instructions to assist in materializing thoughts. With positive emotions, what you Think, repeated, will cause Faith to grow to the level of your desire. When you believe it, and faith has taken root, you become what you think about. The danger is the opposite is true. When your thoughts are filled with fear and doubt, what you fear and doubt will be what you become.
Ideas are created into huge fortunes by an idea created through the imagination, mixed with faith, formulating a plan, the action of the plan, persistence and decision to fully carry it out, and the burning desire for success.
Riches begin in thought, only limited by the person's mind, but faith removes limitations.
Autosuggestion, the third step, the method for influencing the subconscious mind.
Autosuggestion is the term that applies to all suggestions and all self-administrated stimuli that reach your mind through your five senses. It is self-suggestion. By allowing certain thoughts in the conscious part of the brain, it programs the subconscious to do what it suggests. The subconscious responds to the conscious suggestions with good or bad. What ever it puts there, the subconscious makes that happen for you. We have this control, but we don't always deliberately exercise that control. When we do, we get powerful results, while we deliberately put powerful suggestions into our subconscious brain.That's why some go through poverty and others prosperity. It all depends what we are telling ourselves.
To reprogram our brain, regardless of what's there now, we use the six steps outlined in "desire" above. When we recite our specific goal, time of achievement, what it will do for others, and do it with strong emotion, we implant this in our subconscious. Hill points out that this has the strongest impact on the process, and over looked by many, which is doing this with a strong emotion. And doing it in morning when we get up, and before we go to sleep. At these two times the subconscious is most reception to suggestion.
When this information is given for our imagination to act on, the brain creates practical plans for the accumulation of money you desire... which Hill calls the transmutation of your desire. (Note the definition of transmutation in Wikipedia, etc. Hill uses this word a great deal and it's a very powerful process.)
A plan emerges out of this process, many times in creative idea form, when we are focusing on the solution, seeing the money in our hands, and emotionally involved in the experience. By not thinking directly about a plan, our subconscious comes up with a plan. Hill feels these are many times Divinely inspired and implanted to us through the brain. To stimulate the subconscious, go to a quiet spot, close your eyes and repeat these statements aloud, with strong emotion. Again, state the time for its achievement, the exact amount, what you will do in return, and seeing and believing it is happening with money actually in your hand. Do this at night and early morning. Have a written copy of the statement where you can see it night and morning, until you have it memorized. After reading the entire book, Hill recommends you come back to this chapter on autosuggestion and refine this process.
The fourth step to riches is specialized knowledge.
Specialized knowledge is from personal experiences or observations. Knowledge alone will attract little money. Knowledge alone is not power, but a potential to power. It becomes powerful when organized into definite plans of action and directed to a definite end. Acquire specialize knowledge related to your idea... through study, other people who know, other resources available to tap. This includes using colleges, libraries, courses (today the Internet). Successful people never stop acquiring specialized knowledge. People pay great dividends to those who have special knowledge in areas they need. Specialized knowledge is easier to get than ideas. That's why each person needs to develop his imagination.
Imagination then is the fifth step to riches.
This is the workshop where all plans are created. The impulse and desire is given shape. What we can imagine, we can create. Two forms of imagination prevail... synthesized imagination, and creative imagination. Synthesized imagination recreates and re-arranges old ideas, concepts or plans into new combinations. When this doesn't solve a problem, then creative imagination steps in. Creative imagination creates a connection to the Infinite Intelligence which produces new, creative ideas. These come from "hunches, inspirations."
The creative mind works automatically. It is many times stimulated through the self-suggestion process. It is also motivated with strong desire. The ideas are transmuted into cash with a strong definite purpose and definite plans. Ideas born in the imagination out of a burning desire, which march into an obsession, are ones people buy. Especially when you give life, action and guidance to an idea. Ideas live on and carry a sense of immortality to them.
Organized planning is the sixth step to riches.
Those who can assist you with organized knowledge, through the coordinated effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite end in a spirit of harmony. This formation of minds in harmony, create another power coming to their ranks... Infinite Intelligence. It's the greatest of all powers because it taps the genius of the universe. Mixed with positive emotion and faith a great unseen stream of power flows through like a river that carries you to life's fortunes. Riches are shy and timid, they need to be attracted.
Decision, not procrastinating, is the seventh step to riches.
Procrastination, the opposite of decision, is a common enemy which practically every person must conquer. Most people who have made millions have a habit of reaching decisions promptly. Others reach decisions slowly but then change them quickly.
Learn to make your own decisions and not be influenced by others. Everyone has a flock of opinions and delight to shoot holes in your decisions. Limited discussion on what you want and desire to those trusted people who are part of your mastermind group. You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it. Keep your eyes and ears open and mouth closed if you want to acquire the habit of prompt decisions. Everyone wants to acquire wealth like you do and if you share your dreams and desires with the wrong people they will try to get the jump on you. When you know what you want and a plan to get it, you can reach decisions quickly.
Persistence, sustained effort necessary to produce faith,
is the eighth step to riches.
It's a power of will to keep moving with your desire. Lack of persistence is one of the greatest causes of failure and one of the greatest weaknesses among a majority of people. To accept defeat as only temporary, we must have persistence. Then through persistence defeat is finally turned into victory.
Anyone who has achieved success in a noteworthy calling has persisted. Persistence is a state of mind so it can be cultivated. What causes persistence: definiteness of purpose, desire, self-reliance, definiteness of plans, accurate knowledge, cooperation, will power, habit. Rid yourself of fear of criticism and move ahead anyway. Avoid negative thinking, circumstances that pull you down, and have a strong purpose with definite plans surrounded by friendly people to those plans.
The ninth step to riches is the driving force behind the master mind principle.
To make practical plans align yourself with people for the creation and carrying out of the plan. Form, what Hill calls, a mastermind group. The key ingredient is that each person has a benefit or advantage for being part of the group. People will work together when each has a form of desired compensation coming their way for their efforts. It is good to meet about twice a week until you jointly perfected the necessary plan. And, maintain a spirit of harmony in the group. If this part is not carried out, the group will meet with failure.
Sexuality, charisma and creativity, is the tenth step toward riches. Sexuality drives the human willpower, courage, persistence, imagination. The desire for sexual expression is natural and inborn. When harassed and redirected, it is a power force in all forms of our culture, arts, literature, as well as highly effective in driving us to accumulation of riches. When you can transmute sexual energy into charisma, you have an attractive enthusiasm. The influence of a mate or lover affects sexual energy which can then be transmuted to acquiring great fortunes. Genius and creative imagination also are induced by sexual energy. Love and marriage are powerful forces in achieving wealth.
The Subconscious mind is the connecting link and the eleventh step toward riches.
When you plant desires in the subconscious mind mixed with faith and emotional feeling, it goes to work night and day to fulfill your desire. It calls upon Infinite Intelligence for the power to transmute your desires into their physical equivalent. And it does it in the most straight forward and practical way. Hill concludes from his research that this is the defining link between the finite mind of man and Infinite Intelligence. It is the source that prayer can be transmitted into tangible answers to prayer.
You must accept the reality of the operation of the subconscious mind for this to work. So thoughts of fear, disbelief and failure affect the subconscious mind as well as the desires for what you want.The seven major negative emotions to be avoided are fear, jealousy, hatred, revenge, greed, superstition, anger.So focus on the positive and what you really desire so it will work powerfully for you. Using autosuggestion and positive emotion it puts the things we think about strongly in motion.
The seven major positive emotions are desire, faith, love, sex, enthusiasm, romance and hope. If you pray for something but at the same time fear you will not receive it, it defeats the power of the subconscious mind. Use prayers, of faith, and prayer books with this added dimension make prayers work.
The brain, the twelfth step toward riches,
is your broadcasting and receiving station for thought.
Your brain both receives and broadcasts information. It picks up vibrations from other brains across the world. The brain with emotion and at a rapid rate picks up thoughts and it transmits thoughts to others.The subconscious is the sending station of the brain. Autosuggestion stirs the sending part and imagination activates the receiving part.
Our connections of our brain cells have 15 million zeros behind them. This is a great magnetic field that works in power beyond what we can figure out. So your transmitting power is incredible and you can use it to connect with and draw you to your heart's desires when strongly fixed in the subconscious mind through suggestion.
This also works when working with teams. It creates more power in the team, and in a spirit of harmony you get incredible results. If you are sending negative signals from the brain due to negative or resentful thinking it affects the others around you that they aren't productive. But positive and loving thoughts stir the imagination to greater heights, plus those who have the answers or connections for your ideas are drawn to you. It's a mysterious power, that also connects us to Infinite Intelligence.
The thirteenth step to riches, the door to the temple of wisdom,
is the Sixth Sense.
The sixth sense is somewhat of a mystery too. It is based on mastering the other 12 steps and is tied to the creative imagination. It's an innate quality of knowing without knowing, much like a guardian angel is with you. There is an intelligence that permeates every atom and the sixth sense taps this. Although, not a believer in miracles, Hill believed that when you master the other principles this extra sense comes in. It taps nature for results we would call miracles.
Tapping this source of inspiration has to do with the cell structure of the brain that receives vibrations of thought we call hunches. These hunches, or this extra sense is cultivated by those who develop their brains explained in the other parts of Think and Grow Rich. Your mind will develop until you have power to throw off all forms of discouragement, master fear, overcome procrastination, and draw freely from your imagination. This touch of the unknown will tap you on the shoulder and give you the total package to transmute desire into its physical or financial counterpart easily.
There are six ghosts of fear that want to stand in the way of the sixth sense. Indecision crystallizes into doubt, and the two blend to become fear. When these are hidden in the mind and not overcome through deliberate effort, they cause everything else to break down. The fears are the fear of poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of love of someone, old age, death. To overcome these you must control your own mind by taking it from a negative to a positive place of activity. The brain must be a place of positive activity through self-discipline and habit. With a definite purpose and a definite plan keeping it busy with this activity, these ghosts of fear will vanish.
Hill's sequel book, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude goes more into depth in this area.
More on Think and Grow Rich, The 21st Century Updated Edition and other Napoleon Hill works at
http://www.naphill.org/In 1907, at the same time when Andrew Carnegie was commissioning Napoleon Hill to share knowledge of how to create wealth, Smith Wigglesworth was having a life changing experience of his own. He experienced, what he called the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And with this new Spirit of faith, many were healed and delivered from serious personal afflictions both mentally and physically. Both Hill and Wigglesworth claimed that faith was the key to seeing riches.... materially and Spiritually, respectively.
Here is a summary of Smith Wigglesworth's Spiritual classic, Ever Increasing Faith.
Wigglesworth's theme...""Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart." (Mark 11: 22, 23, NLT)
We need to have our faith strengthened. Miracles literally happen with faith. We should all live by faith. Many try to discredit the miracles in the Bible and claim they are not relevant today. All things are possible if you believe. There is nothing impossible with God. Things are only impossible when we measure them to the limitations of our own unbelief. "You can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours." (Mark 11: 24, NLT)
Desire things toward God and you will have desires from God; and He will meet you on the line of those desires when you reach out in simple faith.
If you only believe, all things are possible... if you have no doubt in your heart. God gives liberally. He that asks, receives. The Scriptures say you will have whatever you ask for... and that is "whatever."
We must take our thoughts captive, and believe in God, and His power in our thoughts. God never fails to plan the best for us.
All things are possible through the name of Jesus. "No one can prove to me that God does not always answer prayer. He always does more than that. He always gives the exceedingly abundant above all we ask or think." There is nothing that our God cannot do. He will do everything if you will dare to believe. How can this be done? Through the name of Jesus, through faith in Jesus, through faith that is by Him.
When you are anointed and prayed over, you can be rest assured that the Lord will raise you up. It's the Word of God. If you turn away from God's truth, the enemy will have an advantage over you.
What is faith?
Faith is the principle of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit, the inspired Word, is called the Spirit of Truth. As we receive with meekness the engrafted Word, faith Springs to our hearts. Faith is in the sacrifice of Calvary, the shed blood of Jesus, the fact that Jesus took our weaknesses upon Himself, our sicknesses and carried our pains, and that He is our life today. God has chosen us to help one another. We dare not be independent. He brings us to a place where we submit ourselves to one another.
We have a Big God, a wonderful Jesus, who comforts us in His strength and love. Under His wings we will trust. The Word of God is Living and Powerful. In It you will find treasures of eternal life, if you dare to trust in a Risen Lord. In Him you will find everything you need. You will find if you dare trust Him, you will never fail. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise you up." Do you trust Him. He is proven and worthy to be trusted.
There are awful diseases, but Jesus is the healer. There is no case too hard for Him. The Spirit is a Lion who can break ever chain, any bondage, relieve the oppressed, set people free from finances and debts. He is our redeemer, and redemption is with Him.
No man can meet darkness and powers of Satan in their own strength. But any man filled with the knowledge of Jesus, filled with His presence, filled with God's Spirit power, is more than a match for the powers of darkness. Through Jesus death, and rising again, Jesus destroyed the power of death, the power of the devil, and delivered us from the fear of death and all the bondages that may grip us.
We are called to be more than conquerors and we are through the Power of Jesus that works so mightily in us.
The power at Pentecost came to loose men. God wants us free on every line. Mankind is tired of imitations, we want reality, we want to see people with the real living Christ living through them, and filled with the Holy Spirit power as prevailed at Pentecost and thereafter.
God wants us to have this. Receive your portion now. Filled with the Spirit you will be super-abounding in life... living water will flow through you.
"This great Pentecostal work is in motion. . God has promised to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, and His promises never fail. Our Christ is risen.That He might transform us by His grace, and bring us out from under the power of Satan into the glorious power of God. One touch of our risen Christ will raise the dead. Hallelujah!"
"I feel that everything else must go to nothingness, helplessness and ruin. Every thought of advantage for ourselves must be on the decrease in order that Christ may increase, that we may live in another state, where all things are under the power of the Spirit. Dare you take your inheritance from God? Dare you believe God? Dare you stand on the record of His Word? What is the record? If you shall believe you shall see the glory of God. You will be sifted as wheat. You will be tried as though some strange thing tried you. You will be put in places where you will have to put your whole trust in God."
"If you are counting on the presence of the living Christ within, you can laugh when you see things getting worse. God would have you settled and grounded in Christ, and it is only as you are filled with the Holy Ghost that you become steadfast and unmovable in Him."
"I see that God has a realm of Divine life opening up to us where there are boundless possibilities, where there is limitless power, where there are untold resources, where we have victory over all the power of the devil."
"You can never be ordinary from the day you receive this life from above. You become extraordinary, filled with the extraordinary power of our extraordinary God."
"There is no stopping the current of life, of love, of inspiration, and of power."
"I want to tell you that you can please God, and you can get things from God, only on the line of a living faith. God never fails. God never can fail."
"People became so assured that God was working that they knew that anything would be possible, and they brought their sick into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, so that the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow them."
"I do not believe that it was the shadow of Peter that healed, but the power of God was mightily present and the faith of the people was so aroused that they joined with one heart to believe God. God will always meet people on the line of faith."
"Leave yourselves in God's hands. Enter into rest."
"He that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His." (Hebrews 4).
"O this is a lovely rest! The whole life is a Sabbath. This is the only life that can glorify God. It is a life of joy, and every day is a day of heaven on earth."
" I want you to promise God never to look back, never to go back to that which the Spirit has said is "done away." Live with this Faith and miracles will surround you continually.
More articles by Smith Wigglesworth: http://www.smithwigglesworth.com/
Be filled with the Spirit and live a life totally consecrated to God...
and ALL His Power will be within you.
by Dale Shumaker4spirit@gmail.comThe Sales Bible is an upgrade of Jeffrey Gitomer's original Sales Bible. It is a refinement of all his best works in sales made as a guide to follow, with detail and process in each step of the sales process that is a viable constant reference tool. It is like the Bible in that when we go back to it constantly to gain excellence in our selling skills, we will become the master sales person we want to be. He starts with his10.5 commandments, then takes us through his 12 parts of the book.
His 10.5 commandments are: Think, believe, engage, discover, ask, observe, dare, own, earn, prove and become. Jeffrey Gitomer goes on to explain how to use the book and defines the purpose of The Sales Bible... it is not a method of selling, but a series of real-world observations, strategies, and philosophies that you can modify to your style of selling. Below are selected excerpts from The Sales Bible, but not even close to the exhaustive nature of each part of the sales process he advocates.
The old way of selling doesn't work anymore. The new rules of the game has 7.5 rules.
1. Say it in terms of what the customer wants, needs, and understands.
2. Gather personal information.
3. Build friendships.
4. Build a relationship shield that no competitor can pierce.
5. Establish common ground.
6. Gain confidence.
7. Have fun and be funny.
7.5 Never get caught selling.
Part one has all the new rules... 39.5 of them. The success sales formula today is a big AHA! ...Attitude, Humor, Action.
One of the secrets of the Book of Selling is finding the hot button. Ask... do a lot of asking... but ask questions about their status and situation, issues of pride, personal interests, what they would do if they didn't have to work, goal-related questions, and look around the office or environment. Listen... and this is the key to really hear what they are saying... but listen for the first thing that comes in their mind, emphatically said, long-drawn out answers, repeated statements, emotional responses. Then ask more questions of significance or importance that is to them. Now you are circling around the hot button. The hot buttons are many times sensitive issues, elusive and an elevator. You must push this button.
Create a personal mission statement and read it daily. In it define yourself, what you're dedicated to, your service to others, how you will do better, commitment to self and others and how you're going to achieve your mission. Post it where you can see it every day.
Use humor, and create WOW. WOW is persistent, knowledgeable about the prospect, prepared, arrive ten minutes early, professional, gets to points quickly, differentiates you from the competition, confident and be a WOW in your positive, self enthusiasm.
Build your power questions that are concise, thought through, knowledgeable of competitors, relations to prospects business situation, addresses their objectives, and exceeds their objections, and makes your prospect think through his needs, wants and desires.
Build power statements that creatively makes your product outstanding, understandable, credible, incredible and buyable.
In your introductions, at the first meeting or networking opportunities, be sure to include your name, company name, "what I do, my power question, my power statement, how I can help, and why the prospect should act now." This is your 30-second commercial you should have artfully down pat. To get referrals: go slow, arrange a three way meeting (if your customer is with you you don't have to sell at the first meeting), arrange a second private meeting, don't send too much information in the mail, write a personal note in first 24 hours, write your customer a note of thanks, over deliver.
Take along objection prevention insurance by sharing stories of similar situations, use testimonial letters and videos, story or article about your product or service, a comparison chart, "my experience has shown," other customers have said, "I used to believe, but now...," prepare yourself.
When the prospect is ready to close, begin the close. Almost any question by the prospect is a closing sign. Don't use yes, and no answers. Ask more questions to gain more insight to their question, to clarify what they may want. The more rapport you gain in the front, the more true inquiry the prospect will have.
The follow up process is vital, and use tools such as personal notes, letters from customers, third-party mutual friend endorsement, support articles, video, meet at a networking meeting, visit to your facility, ad specialty, lunch appointment, after-work meeting, tickets, telephone to provide more information of interest to the prospect.
Want to close more sales... listen more closely. Don't interrupt, give nods and voice gestures to show you are following them ( a huh, I see, gee, oh). Gitomer says the best advice is to just shut up and let them talk. Look, nod, and repeat back what they said... "so this is very important to you..."
Use trade shows to get many leads. Work the trade shows during setup, set a goal to meet so many customers, so many prospects, have someone with you to help, be a presenter, meet new vendors who will network with you. Have fun, shake hands, repeat names, and be memorable. The more fun you are having the more you will attract others.
Network, work a room, get your 30-second commercial down, be where you meet new people (75%), and build relationships with customers (25%).
The new breed of salesperson... a non-sales person. The trend is to non-manipulative selling at its purest, non-threatening, helpful, consultative, total product knowledge, error prevention, on top of the job.
Commit yourself. Sales is a way of life.
1. Get a positive attitude.
2. Set goals, and make a commitment.
3. Dedicate yourself to mastering the science of selling.
4. Design a networking plan and implement it.
5. Be a leader.
6. Get involved in the community.
7. Know your prospect.
8. Be memorable.
9. Help other people.
10. Stay focused and look for opportunity.
11. Establish long-term relationships.
12. Have fun.
Train yourself, train your team.
For much more on Jeffrey Gitomer and The Sales Bible, delve into his website and log into his Git Bit box:
http://www.gitomer.com/In If You Will Ask (Discovery House, 1985), Oswald Chambers gives fresh insight from this classic work on how prayer is powerful to change us to great people of God's character. Prayer is an interruption of personal ambition. No one who is busy has time to pray. What will suffer is the life of God in him, which is not nourished by food, but by prayer. Here's selective sections from this Classic by Chambers.
Chamber's reminds us that God knows the things we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8). So why ask? Prayer is not the way to get things from God, but the way to get to know God. It is not the tool of a spoiled child to get what he wants. The purpose of prayer is to reveal the presence of God, equally present at all times and in every circumstance. As long as we are self-sufficient and complacent, we don't want Him. It is only when we know we are powerless that we are prepared to listen to Jesus Christ and do what He wants.
Be yourself exactly before God and present your problems, the things you have come to your wits end about. Ask what you will and your prayers will be answered. "In everything give thanks." Prayer is not altering things externally, but working wonders within our disposition. When we pray things may stay the same, but we become to be different. It's like when we fall in love, the circumstances around us don't mean as much as just being with that person. We are never what we are inspite of our circumstances, but because of them.
Laying on a bed of feathers is comfortable, but feathers on top of us can smother us. By Jesus, The Spirit of God, we stay on top of our circumstances.
Beware of placing the emphasis on what prayer costs us; it cost God everything to make it possible for us to pray. Jesus did not say to agonize with me in prayer, but to "watch and pray."
"My Kingdom is not of this world. The Kingdom of God is within you." "Watch with me. Mine is the only road to the Kingdom." Our importunity, or pressing demands are for others, not self-centered in ourselves.
We get glimpses of heaven, then we are brought immediately down to actual circumstances. We have to walk on earth to what we see according to the vision. But the vision is to be made real in the actual circumstances; the glory is to be manifested in earthen vessels... our hands, finger tips, eyes and feet.
When we pray with difficulty it is because Satan is gaining ground. If we try to tackle the devil by our strength, we are done for. Confidence in the natural world is self-reliance, in the Spiritual world it is God-reliance. Faith is the unbreakable confidence in the personality of God, confidence in God over and above everything. We are protected by His covering shield.
"Praying Always." ...the unutterable simplicity of it! No panic, no flurry, always at leisure from ourselves on the inside.
We should never blunder on trying to forecast how God is going to answer prayer. God made a tremendous promise to Abraham, then God didn't speak to him for 13 years, until every possibility of his relying on his own intelligent understanding was at an end. Over and over again, God has to teach us how to stand and endure, watching actively and wondering. It is always a wonder when God answers prayer. "If two of you agree with each other as touching anything that you ask it will be done for them." (Matthew 18:19) That is a wonder. "The effectual prayer of a righteous man makes much available." ( James 5:16) Isn't that a wonder. If you have a vision for how wonderful God will answer your prayer, are you watching for it to be answered along His line.
In times of perplexity may we get back to the watch tower with a wide-eyed wonder of a child waiting for God's answer to our prayers.
God does not expect us to work for Him, but work with Him. Every man carries His Kingdom within, and no one knows what is taking place in another's kingdom. We say, "no one understands me." Of course they don't; each of us is a mystery. There is only One who understands us, and that is God. We must hand ourselves over to Him.
We should never bank on our own earnestness or our own sense of need. We should never have the idea that God does not answer; we become restfully certain that He always does. Prayer is about the atoning work of Jesus. It is because of His work, that we have power in prayer. It's not about our effort, but Jesus Christ atonement on our behalf. When the Holy Spirit lays a definite purpose on our hearts, we must make a decision to fling ourselves almost recklessly on God, burning bridges behind us. No one can advise us when we take our step except the Holy Spirit.
Meet every arrangement of the day in the power of the Holy Spirit. "Pray with ceasing." Keep a child-like habit of recognizing and relying on the Holy Spirit all the time. Anything we rely on, even our religion, may be a hindrance to totally reliance on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like a child, a child-spirit in us, and with utter confidence in God.
Pray with your whole spirit. It's man's personality completely imbued with the Spirit of God till all the highest mystical of God reaches and saturates the person's whole personality. All this becomes embedded in the subconscious, super-conscious beyond the range of what we are able to grasp. Where are these regions. See them in Psalm 139 (NLT).
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
God searches everything, deep within me. He goes before me and places I don't even know exist. His love is so great He covers all the depth of my life with His protective and powerful Spirit.
The mind of Christ is being formed in us. By letting His Spirit imbue our spirit, our thinking, our reasoning faculties. His Spirit will feed our souls.
It is important to remember that all our circumstances are in the hand of God. We intercede with His Spirit for all the saints in the entire world. The Holy Spirit does the interceding, but we must do our part. The Holy Spirit is making intercession for us so we will never become impoverished. Let us never forget the depth and height of our calling and the place he has for His purposes... that He will always protect and provide power.
by Dale Shumaker4spirit@gmail.comIn The Ten Commandments for Business Failure, Donald R. Keough, takes us down the road of his experience as director of Coca Cola to show the roads to avoid for certain business collapse. His experience is impeccably strong and worth listening to. So in a business, if you do these things, failure is just ahead.
Make one of these your practice, and you can expect the others to come crumbling in around you. One step to failure, unchecked, leads to another.
Quit taking risks
One of the pitfalls to success is to stop forward advancing when things appear to be going well. Keough likens this to a sports team who gets a commanding lead then starts being conservative to hold the lead, versus still being aggressive and daring in building on what they got. Many may lose the lead or barely pull the game out. Having things too good is not good. Keough's favorite activity was going around the company and asking what can be better and we should make it better. To create profits in the long term requires innovation in the short term. When you are comfortable, the temptation to quit taking risks is so great, it's almost irresistible. And failure is almost inevitable.
Be Inflexible
Being set in your ways because you have "the" formula for success, and you don't see any other way for doing things is a certain set up for failure. Coca Cola didn't take the rise of Pepsi seriously and felt they had the right answer. They kept their packaging the same, when the consumer was being drawn to the larger size of Pepsi bottles. Coca Cola's inflexibility cost them dearly then. When conditions around you change, remain inflexible, keep on keeping on and stand firm. You will fail. Flexibility is a continual, deeply thoughtful process of examining situations and, when warranted, quickly adapting to changing circumstances. It's like standing water, that eventually breeds reptiles of the mind.
Isolate Yourself
If you don't know the truth of what is really happening in your business, you will fail. Some don't want to know and only hear what is good. It someone gives an honest appraisal that is negative, they are reprimanded for being insubordinate. Keough was always walking around his business, just dropping in offices and asking what could be done better. Top to bottom saw him. Create a climate of fear, put yourself first, take all the credit, take no blame, hog the limelight, and failure's headlights can be seen approaching. In isolation, you will not only not know what you don't know, but you develop a sense of being absolutely right. When the "we can do no wrong" attitude overtakes the top, the bottom is near.
Assume Infallibility
Always find someone or something to blame. The infallible we-know-best attitude of management has caused many companies to ignore reality and miss opportunities. It really pays to see all of your companies operations for yourself, the good and bad outlets. When Keough traveled he not only wanted to see his successful operations, but the little stores that no one wanted to pay attention to. It pays to listen to your own people face-to-face instead of through the filters of layers of bureaucracy.
Play the Game Close to the Foul Line
Walter Cronkite said, "Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles." Recently we have seen quite a few very smart, energetic people who have evidenced a fuzzy view of the right thing. Ignored little cracks in your body of ethics will over time seep the life out of your business. Eventual collapses have been seeping through their ethics cracks for a while, when they finally collapse, it is many times over night. Celebrity status have seduced many into the cult behavior of crossing over the ethical behavior line... to maintain your praise-filled image. It's doing the right thing, and holding up honor and decency. There is no such thing as business ethics... just ethics. "A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder."
Don't Take Time to Think
Technology does many great things for a business, but the brain still sees things with a greater perspective. Allowing technology and data to take over our own thinking is the a step to failure. Three major problems are inherent in unprocessed data flowing without time to think. When we delve into all kinds of data we need time to decompress. You must take time to think. Moving faster, without processing information leads to failure. Second, data not processed can mask reality. We want the numbers to be true, so we don't look into what is behind the numbers, or what is really going on in the entire operation. Third, not taking time to think is just plain foolish. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity. As human beings, we are constantly making mistakes. We need to recognize this, find them and constantly fix them. If you want to fail avoid looking at and analyzing your mistakes. When you don't they will continue to haunt you in the future.
Put All Your Faith in Experts and Outside Consultants
Consultants come in as authorities with absolute direction. What you get is a narrow perspective of what appears to be genius, but is often the inverse of wisdom. Management is a craft, not a science. Beware of those who try to mathematize and quantify human behavior. You simply cannot put numbers on everything. The business is your baby. It is your responsibility. Anything that has strong psychological impact deserves face to face communication.
Love your Bureaucracy
The machine of the organization should not get in the road of human creativity and productivity. Personality, personal creativity, personal feelings, personal emotional commitment, personal imagination... there has to be room for these ineffable qualities in every job through out an organization. It seems eventually the rules and regulations of a business become more important then the ends they are to serve. Then the bureaucracy itself becomes the major impediment to progress of any kind. Layers and layers of people become a standard, and meetings are the religious services of a company. If you want to lose some of your best talent, make sure the administrative concerns take precedence over all others... love your bureaucracy. Decisions need to be made by those with the best information, not those with the most power.
Send Mixed Messages
Sending mixed messages or confused messages to employees and customers will jeopardize your competitive position. Like when a parent who tells his child to clean his plate or no dessert, but then when he doesn't finish his meal, he gets dessert any ways. Sometimes we say it doesn't matter what you do, you will be rewarded. One year Coca Cola didn't have their sales meeting at a resort, with wives. They picked a city, in the north, in dead of winter, at an average commercial hotel. They got the message. We aren't spending money we don't have. Sales did pick up and the next year they met at Hawaii with wives.
Be Afraid of the Future
There is a great difference between prudent caution regarding and unbridled fear of that future. Science and world conditions could paint a painful picture of what's ahead. Life has always had its things to be concerned with, but when pessimism sets in, it will set you back. As human beings we have always found new markets and ways to capitalize on what's going on around us and create new opportunities. "Worst case scenarios rarely happen." Pessimism focuses on failure. That focus leads to failure. We have a tendency to be thrill seekers obsessed with safety.To aspire to any kind of leadership in business you simply have to be an optimist. American business has constantly reinvented itself. If you want to fail, be afraid of the future. If you want to succeed, approach the future with optimism, and passion.
Commandment Eleven: Lose your passion for work, for life.
"Nothing great in this world has been accomplished without passion." Life is best expressed in our declaration of independence. "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." We aspire to be happy. If you really want to fail, lose the passion for whatever you are doing. "I have never met a successful person who did not express love for what he did and care about it passionately." Make an emotional connection with your customers, your brand, with your people, with your dreams. Don't be afraid of the criticism that great enthusiasm and optimism sometimes engender among the "realists." Be an idealistic goal setter of a vision of something extraordinary perhaps that others around you do not yet see or understand. And failure is not final. When you fall pick yourself up and move on.
For more on The Ten Commandments for Business Failure:
http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/2008/08/business-failur.htmlInteresting to note that when God gave the Ten Commandments they were all "thou shall not". In the New Living Translation it uses the "You must not" phrase. We were told when you do these things you will fail in life. So the admonishment was not to do them.
3 "You must not have any other god but me.
4 "You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
7 "You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
8 "Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
12 "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 "You must not murder.
14 "You must not commit adultery.
15 "You must not steal.
16 "You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
17 "You must not covet your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor."
(Exodus 20:3-17, NLT)
But then when Jesus gave the Great Commandment He used "You shall" or in the New Living Translation, "you must."
"'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."
(Matthew 22: 37-40, NLT)
Life is complex enough, and we need principles simplified. Our laws have gotten so involved, we can't keep track, so we have lawyers and accountants gainfully employed to help us figure them out. But Jesus simply said....
All the laws ever given are based on this commandment to love God with all our hearts, mind and soul and love everyone else the same way. And treat them the same way we would want to be treated... with respect and consideration of who we are.
And if we do this we make complete all the laws that exist.
The next challenge is to define love.
Paul said love is "patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT)
Interestingly, very little is said about achievement. It's about character. Actually, achievement was down played by Paul the Apostle. If you don't have love he said, everything else you do is worthless.
"If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing."
(1 Corinthians 13:3, NLT)
We have an achievement-based society. Money makes the world go round, but the admonishment was to have only one debt, one obligation. and that is to love each other.
"Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law."
(Romans 13; 8, NLT)
That is what we owe. We owe only that and are asked to pay off that debt continually. A debt is what we owe, what we are obligated to do. And that obligation is we should love... Love God, love our fellow man, our friends and work associates. Love is patient, kind, gentle, suffers long with us, and holds not grudges.
We can live in this, and when we live in this, all the other "things" grow out of this. It is sort of a magical formula. It produces miracles. Out of love God gave us the right to be His sons, and as His sons we have a co-inheritance in His privileges and kingdom.
"Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."
(Romans 8: 15-17, NLT)
Being a joint heir, we have a Deed of Trust with God's name and our name on it. What is God's is also ours. We share in the assets He has, God has, which is the entire universe. All things of substance and spiritual are part of us.
It boils down to that He loves us to the level that he is co-signing with us so that we have His assets as well. We share in all He has to the infinite extend of His glorious riches... Through our legal counsel Jesus Himself. Jesus, is our petitioner and is our power of attorney to all of God's wealth... materially, but most of all in our spirit and emotions.
This love is boundless and makes us happy like we never can fully understand.
by Dale Shumaker4spirit@gmail.comLife Entrepreneurs by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek is how ordinary people can create extraordinary lives using entrepreneur principles. Being an entrepreneur and living a life should be the same thing. What we learn in the business entrepreneur world can be applied and should be applied to our lives as well, so we live them as one thing. The authors studied the lives of 55 entrepreneurs who they found were ordinary people who did extraordinary things. They found not just business ideas, but people that have living and business as integrated, intertwined principles. They live happy, fulfilled lives.
The Life Entrepreneur is one who creates a life of significance through opportunity recognition, innovation, and action. Life entrepreneurs use the same tools that business entrepreneurs use. It is about developing an authentic, personal vision for our life and then setting up audacious goals. It's finding rewarding work consistent with our values. Where we can develop our talents and achieve the success we desire. It's threading the needle of opportunity and happy home life. Then along side this is drive and direction to create an extraordinary life. The path to the good life is winding, each person's path is different, but we all can walk our personal path of an authentic integrity, deep awareness, breakthrough innovation, courage to try, purposeful spontaneity, adaptive persistence and pervasive service where we contribute as our defining feature in our lives.
The steps of this life entrepreneur path are:1. Discovering Core Identity2. Awakening to Opportunity3. Envisioning the Future4. Developing Goals and Strategies5. Building Healthy Support Systems6. Taking Action and Making a Difference7. Embracing Renewal and Reinvention.
Our Core Identity
Our core identity comes out of a convergence of our history, the current circumstances in our lives, the nature of our relationships (external elements) which converge with our needs, strengths, and passions. This forms our core identity of purpose with our values. It is the dis-covering of ourselves, that's peeling off the layers of ourselves to find our core person. The process to get to this requires introspection, action, change and reflection.
In forming our values and purpose core, we must delve deeper. Spirituality has shown up in how leading entrepreneurs do this. It includes believing in a higher power, experiencing a transcendence as we employ strengths, passion, connect with others...by staying active and doing your best.
This is enhanced by the pursuit of a calling. Our core identity is meaningless without Spirituality. Life is about not finding our purpose but uncovering it. This then becomes the passion of calling driving us, and sight of a new vision giving us direction.
Our Purpose and Values emerge and we live out authentic integrity... that's congruence between who we are and what we do.
Awakening to Opportunity
After our core identity is discovered and we are molding it, we start waking up to possibilities. Rather than being tossed around by our circumstances, we look for and discover opportunity in our challenges and changes we face and see around us. Most limits we think we see are really our mental illusions from something in our mindset that prohibits expansion. We create new categories, remain open to new ideas and information, accept uncertainty, re-frame and enlist our minds in a creative playful state.
With mindset skills of breakthrough innovation we create and innovate. Creativity is coming up with new ideas. Innovation is applying a newly found creative solutions in a specific context, and making the way so others cause it to effect change. Finding a better way and seeing to it that it is something others can use to make things better. So the life entrepreneur recognizes the opportunities, while proactively and purposefully choosing which ones to seize.
Envisioning the future
Our vision is something big we see years down the road... maybe out 10 years.The vision goes beyond the status quo, is projected out far enough that we can work for it, and altogether lined with our core identity... purpose and values. The vision moves in three directions... personal, professional, and within our relationships.
We may have to push our minds beyond our present circumstances and not be confined by them. It may evolve over time, but each next step may not be crystal clear, but we move toward it. A big vision may take a while, so our purpose values keep driving us in its direction. Stuff happens. The Life Entrepreneur holds fast and figures out ways to continue the path.
When a vision is shared with those in our lives, spouses, friends, colleagues, these associations keep us going when progress seems bleak or even out of the question. In sharing, there is a resolve of power.
Developing Goals and Strategies
Goals are aims, the ends we seek, the objectives we want to accomplish. They keep us focused and accountable. Goals are purposeful, prioritized, clear and measurable, challenging but achievable. Although long-term in vision, in the short-term they make us highly effective. Short-term gains added up over time create the long-term results we hope for.
Some stumbling blocks to goal setting...
--too many goals (3-5 well constructed goals are best for achievement)
--lowering goals if we fail (commit to work harder)
--getting them out of the mind (write them down with action activities)
--over fixation (keep them in perspective and remain flexible)
--making them a one-time sprint (its constant and ongoing continually)
When developing strategies, master the context of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats. Test assumptions
Craft experiments
Mitigate, disarm risks
Identify required resources
Now Blaze the Trail.
Build Healthy Support Systems
Having healthy support systems has significant effect on our success and happiness. But, unfortunately, evidence is pointing to that this is on the decline generally.The average person has two close friends, someone they can confide with in total honesty. And one out of four say they don't have any close friends. We all are more fragile and vulnerable than we care to admit. The important people in our lives encourage us to be people of courage and character. They are a root of foundation on how we handle difficult challenges or whether we collapse when they come. Our closest friends are our chosen family. We look to them for support when challenged in mind, and spirit. One key to entrepreneur success is having these close, supportive, encouraging, friendships that spur us on when facing tough situations.
An ideal support system is couples. Entrepreneurs as couples have proven to be next to invincible. The Howard Schultz story of his wife's support at a critical time of his dream for coffee bistros in the US like Europe, was the turning point difference that has given us Starbucks today. So many notable entrepreneur ventures thriving today, have this "entrepreneur couple" factor highly factored in. This growth of entrepreneur coupling is budding the entrepreneur phenomenon.
Other factors of support strength includes mentors that know the road and help you on your entrepreneur path. Professional partnerships that include strong friendship relationships rise up to the top of a healthy support system. Then creating extended support networks works it way up the ladder... inviting those to join in your vision who whole heartedly support it.
How do you build this strong support network? The greatest persuader is authenticity. Without a personal conviction, expression of your passion, your words come off hollow. Being genuine, authentic, aligning what we do with our purpose and values, we present a package that attracts others.
Unquestionable trust and integrity bind the relationship between you and your support people... beyond legal agreements. Respect between parties must reign.
Healthy support relationships have trust, diversity, and reciprocity in their themes. When we are doing something good, people notice. When they see it's from the heart, it grabs theirs. Our support network brings others to support us too. The "positive network effect" is the flow of ideas through a broad web of relationships, a power that gains a momentum to a point of being unstoppable. It is the key ingredient for taking vision to reality.
Taking Action and Making a Difference.
Each entrepreneur has the courage to try... to discover who they really are and leave what is comfortable, safe and known. They could recognize the brief windows of opportunity and move quickly to seize them. They live in a purposeful spontaneity. If their purpose and core values were not defined and known to them clearly, this spontaneity would be a train wreck. Their search is a search of excellence discovery and bringing more excellent things into the marketplace. Service is a theme in all parts of our lives... home and work. Service is the "rent we pay for living on earth." Living in the realm of adaptive persistence. Sticking with it while being able to instinctively alternate between anticipation, changing course, learning to navigate to the back door if the front won't let them in.
There is more risk when we do not go for it, when the opportunity and purpose of self line up. Real failure is not entering the arena, or erasing the lines that stand between us and opportunity, and then not persevering.
Embracing Renewal and Reinvention
Stress is no stranger to the entrepreneur. Stress is induced by over committing ourselves and not being able to fulfill our promises, intense time pressure, and being subject to matters outside our control. So renewal and reinvention is essential. Adapt renewal strategies. Find a personal sanctuary where you can pray, reflect; places to walk, jog or swim; listening to music or reading a novel. Create habits of renewal.
The renewal process cycle has four stages. The awakening stage is realizing the need to change. Reflection is entering our sanctuary to revisit our core identity and get back to what is important to us. Planning is about taking action anew. Action is breaking out of old patterns.
When renewal is not enough, we must reinvent our lives. After a divorce, midlife crisis, we may need new direction which require big changes. Each change should lead to realigning us with our core identity of purpose and values. Then once again gain congruence and integration in lifestyle.
Creating a New Future
The authors discovered three overarching societal trends that emerged through their research of the life entrepreneur. The new age of entrepreneur progress has had its influence of Google, You Tube, wireless, open source, instant messaging, bioengineering, nanotechnology...
The first trend surfacing is untethering. A move away from traditional institutions and structures to a greater prevalence of free agents and specialized products and services. A move from traditional careers, to professional reinvention. Community is being redefined as we are untethering from local neighborhoods to social networks of similar interests and values... again made possible by the new advances in technology. Lives are more free flowing and uniquely designed by each individual, no longer tied to traditional modes of living.
The other trend is authenticity... finding a fit in the world that matches our genuine selves. There is a search for lifestyle and work which pushes them into their unique ideas, talents, skills and interests. The goal is to add purpose to their lives, and not be manipulated by work that takes them away from their true selves. Meaningful, lasting and enduring are key characteristics. This also affects consumer trends as social conscientious thinking affects who we choose to participate with in purchase of products or services.
The third trend is integration... a restoration of coherence and congruence in our lives. The blend is about less emphasis on income and security, and more on learning, challenge, fun, fulfillment, and service. Work must have value while paying the bills. It integrates family values with lifestyle interests, so work enhances and expresses these. Life is lived coherently and fluidly with our purpose, work, relationships, choice of place to live and activities coming together in a powerful whole.
Life is about living a life of our own that we own and someone else, or business doesn't. All three are the foundations for the pursuit of a new future in the lives of Life Entrepreneurs. The new life is about choosing to do so... with imagination, courage, and conviction. We integrate work and purpose. Success is about limitedless opportunities we now pursue and knowing we have the freedom to pursue them. There is joy, grace, and beauty to live out days within purpose and value.
Life Entrepreneurs website:
http://lifeentrepreneurs.com/Jesus had a power formula for turning the ordinary into extraordinary. He said when just two or three agree in pursuits, desires, objectives and lovingly work together toward that pursuit, everything is possible.The secret is the closeness of our relationships and respect for each others diverse nature, and abilities. When diversity, people of different personalities and abilities work together, extraordinary results manifest from it. The complete text of this is at:http://jesusisus.blogspot.com/2005/07/nucleus-of-spiritual-power.html(Geffry Fields is the aka for Dale Shumaker)
The Power Cell for Power Living is now being rediscovered.
Here's the secret to the whole thing.
It came after these frequent discussions with Dr. A. He had an insight before he died and wanted all to know what he was seeing.
One day he shared the story of how, after Jesus died, He reappeared to His followers. The followers of Jesus, after His execution, were afraid for their own lives. If those who executed Him found them, they might be killed too. So they all huddled in this little room with the doors locked hoping no one would find them.
Jesus came back. Although, with a new body, new look, new countenance. Most failed to recognize Him... after He came back from death with a miracle-produced body. Similar to his old one but different.
He was overcome with love for His followers. He didn't want to leave those alone saddened by his death. They were afraid, discouraged, feeling defeated and all was lost. They even had the doors locked so no one could get to them, not thinking that might keep Jesus from finding them too.
He was gone.... murdered by a bunch of arrogant, self-serving church folks. Who can you trust at times like this? Friends may be enemies. Those in your group may be making deals to betray you. What do you do but hide out.
But Jesus in all the power of Love in the universe would not let their doubt stop Him. He came through, penetrated the walls they had around them, and appeared to them.
(Note Luke 24)
Think of this.
Think HOW MUCH power there is in Jesus power of Love in you, and around you. Seeking to find you, even with the walls you put up to prevent anyone, including Jesus, to make His Presence known to you.
Even as we doubt... His Spirit is working for us.
When we may get so discouraged, feel ultimate defeat, He presses through any barrier, even the ones we create, and He will come and show up… personally, with all Heavenly power along with Him.
Jesus Love is so deep and strong, He comes to us in spite of us, to comfort us and let us Know... "I live with you, I 'literally' live in you," and all things "are" now possible. "Look what I have just done" He would say. Look how I pressed through all your own barriers and have come to appear to you.
No matter what... Jesus Spirit surpasses everything around and in us to come to restore what we think we have lost....making it even better! He was better and will continue doing more miraculous things... everywhere. He was killed but came back Super-Naturally.
We have the same privilege of this benefit.
Now what is the nucleus to this power?
They all hung together, even while disappointed and feeling defeated. As Dr. A emphasized... He came into their mist. He called this the law of manifestation.
When you master the following as the nucleus to your faith in Jesus Spirit in Us... what ever you hope for can be manifested... materialized... come into a tangible, living reality… in your very life, YOUR life.
This is the missing ingredient we have lost in our society and institutions of Spiritual representation. The Secret to the Law of Manifestation is… as Dr. A described…
1. When just two or more people join in thought and action,
2. When they connect circuits Spiritually, make contact in person, or through some other communication means (phone, email, internet video, etc.),
3. On behalf of Jesus Spirit...meaning
--In a state of love that loses interest in self and considers others more important than themselves
--Sharing in thought and ideas and respectfully considering others thoughts, feelings and personal gift/callings.
--Serving each other as if they were serving themselves. With Jesus Spirit of serving others more important than trying to get from others, or selfishly using others for one's own gain.
(Note Matthew 18)
This is the master formula... that creates miracle, supernatural power in all things and the greatness of Jesus is Us... all universal potential of Jesus manifests itself.
This is the missing component to why power is not around, functioning naturally as a normal, existing part of life.
Master the above and the Supernatural events as Jesus demonstrated when he returned to His followers will be a partisan part of your personal life, business operations, family, and all components of life.
"Given these components, one can expect the manifest presence of Jesus"(Dr. A) as Jesus Spirit is with us. Jesus is now Us.
Expect the least likely, most defeated areas, to have their rebirth, reappearance in you and even marvelously more superior than before. The circuits of Spirit will flow continuously and powerfully in all aspects of all you do. This intimate fellowship with each other is reflected among us... above normal.
by Dale Shumaker4spirit@gmail.comIn Get Noticed... Get Referrals, Jill Lublin, its author, lays out a very practical process for getting you into a very active lineage of referral relationships.
She goes through how to distinguish yourself (that intro statement that grabs people's interest), informing your clients and customers on what you really do, and creating your power referral program.
Look for networks that love you and what you do... especially those who enthusiastically like to tell others about you. Basically, they must trust you as competent in what you do, and know you are a person of integrity. Before leading you through how to get noticed. Lublin takes you through how to build your power referral program.
One of Jill's favorite referral systems is Dick Bruso's. Here's his process:
1. Create a list of 10 people you love and who love you.
2. Meet with each individually.
3. Tell them the types of overall markets you want to penetrate.
4. Then zero in to the specialty area you want to reach.
5. Know the positions of people you want to meet, ask them if they know people in those positions that could help you move forward. It's important to identify clearly who you want to meet.
6. Tell them about the qualities and attributes you specifically look for in a person.
7. Ask your contact for 3 or 4 referrals. Then get as much info about these three or four as possible.
Do you have good references? People won't give quality referrals without knowing others are really happy with you too.
People who work well with one person may not work well with another. Is there a personality, emotional, intellectual match, a philosophical and business match. Some referrals may not be good matches for you or good referrals for you. Some clients may conflict with other clients.
Help your connection group, referral group refer people to you. Provide them with a profile of the ideal client you seek. Equip them with vital materials that will help them, and make it easy for them to make referrals. Put your background online so others can link you to the person they are introducing you to. (Services like www.linkedin.com work good for this.)
Keep your referral base advised on who you are working with, new developments that would help them keep up on what you are doing. It always gives a person fresh ammunition to use to tell others the exciting things you are up to.
Lublin goes on to talk about where to get noticed. Whether to join an organization, local group, industry group, structured referral network, or form your own network. Sometimes you may join a group not directly related to your field, but an area you would like to serve... who would be interested in what you do, and be a good contact group for your product.
When introducing yourself simply tell who you are, what you do, and specific (unique from others) benefits you can provide. Lublin encourages you to work on this and do it very well. She goes into greater detail on how you can.
What questions are you commonly asked. Be prepared to give your best answer.
Always keep it fresh with the latest news you are excited about, and be aware of protocol of those you are with. Be a good conversationalist and explain yourself by focusing on how what you do benefits others, and not so much of what you do. People like stories of how we are affecting others' lives.
Always be ready to meet new people while waiting in a line, where food is served, even in the restroom. Where ever you are always be interested in others.
Deepen your relationships. Regularly catch up on what's happening in others' lives and let them know about yours. Set a strategy to be an education marketer. People are bombarded with sales approaches of all kinds, but they like being informed on new ideas with information that makes a difference in their lives. Demonstrate yourself to others as a knowledgeable resource.
Lublin continues with how to cultivate the media, and ways to do it, and building on your passions. It's critical that you stay passionate about what you do, so you must constantly generate new energy for this. Do this by spending time with positive people, eliminating negative people, taking chances and keep yourself enriched by taking new programs that refresh you and expand you.
Stay focused (define your focus), schedule your time, solve problems with your products, test ideas in writing. Be real and stay in touch with past customers, rev up old business, stay on the good side of vendors who are great for telling others about you, and grow in knowledge and skills in your field so you are a consultant to others.
It's up to you. Create your own magic, adjust, alter, combine, be Dr. Proactive, take the initiative, barter and exchange.
Stay up will Jill Lublin at:
http://www.jilllublin.com/Today the relationship factor is becoming the most important part of how well we get anything done in business and life. People just don't buy products but the people who go with them. We will listen to a friend on his or her recommendation more than any cleverly designed media slogans.
The greatest power is released through our relationships with God through prayer and the same relationships we have with others committed to interaction in prayer as well. These people, those who we pray along with and we pray together with are the most devoted. The love of Christ is the driving force in their lives, and it drives us to give to each other and assist each other. When love abounds, devotion, commitment action to help each other abounds to the intensity of how much our love is for each other.
What is prayer?
Oswald Chambers said this about prayer: "Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person's life will suffer if he doesn't pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of Jesus in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer....We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the Spiritual purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself....To say that 'prayer changes things' is not as close to the truth as saying, 'Prayer changes me and then I change things.' God has established things so that prayer changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person's inner nature." (My Utmost for His Highest, August 28 reading.)
Dr. A. summed things up as two key areas for Jesus power...--Prayer... existing in constant interaction in Spirit with God himself.--Relationship... extending this "in Spirit" relationship to relating "in Spirit" with others.
It's so much about relationship... with The Spirit, within ourselves and with others. Prayer... then is who we are, not so much what we do. We are prayer... The Spirit is in continual interaction in us. In prayer, we connect in relationship with others of the Same Spiritual pursuit. We respond to others who are consistent with the same Spirit. (Spirit is literally One with everything in the universe).
So, when in this Spiritual relationship "in Spirit," we normally practice these people relationship qualities…
--loving others as ourselves
--giving freely to others needs
--forgiving when things go wrong
--tolerating what we can't change
Through Jesus Spirit, in prayer, we team with others' complementary gifts for increasing Power. Our Spiritual Gifts team with their Spiritual Gifts which create tremendous power.
With this in mind, as you pray and when you pray, relationships build between the two interacting in Spirit... it can be vocal or silent. It happens when those in the same Spirit are in uninhibited flow, flowing without emotional hindrances.
If, after we pray, there is disregard for the "relationship feature" of being One in Spirit, potency of prayer diminishes, digresses and lessens.
When we disregard the relationship factor, everything breaks up. The potential of prayer is drastically hampered and dampened. What is committed to in Spirit needs to remain consistent with the Spirit and the Qualities of Spirit within you, to God and to each other. But if respect for another one of God's creation is not there, prayer power, Spirit working power, is not there either.
Spirit honors its creation, we must then honor each other in the same way too.
Spirit that likes to give itself away, Spirit (prayer) flows in a natural manner between those with the Same Spirit.
It connects without effort... while loving freely.
Jesus Spirit flows back and forth like a stream circulating, refreshing, refueling, re-energizing.
In prayer, interacting in Jesus Spirit, we become bigger, much bigger than ourselves as this flow builds on itself. It is like putting two surging Springs together which form a mountain stream of great rapids of flowing power.
Potential for power keeps increasing steadily and compounding at Supernatural rates.
As we refine the process of this flowing Spirit of relationship among each other, power intensifies.
As you intensify Spirit in prayer… by interacting in Spirit constantly, and building relationships with others in Spirit, the magnitude of Spirit will live as a natural part of you. Cultivate prayer, build relationships.
Make Prayer and Relationships your emphasis in life.
by Dale Shumaker4spirit@gmail.comMake Today Count by John C. Maxwell is a condensed version of Today Matters (2004) and released in a small, handy, hard cover book. He features his daily dozen decision areas that if you do them daily they will bring success as you want. He attributes this to his success and shares his plan with you.
You are preparing for something and you can be a masterpiece. The two ingredients to a masterpiece are decision and discipline. Decide your daily focus, and create a discipline to do it every day.
The Daily Dozen: attitude, priorities, health, family, thinking, commitment, finances, faith, relationships, generosity, values and growth.
Attitude: making the decision to choose and display the right attitude daily. Keep a positive attitude, change bad attitudes to good ones. Think, act, talk and conduct yourself like the person you want to become.
Recognizing your attitude needs daily adjustment. So find something positive in every thing. Remove negative words and replace with positive words. Do the same for people and circumstances. Be a person to express gratitude and find something good to say about people and things. What disciplines must you practice today to have an upbeat, positive attitude.
Priorities: making the decision to determine and act on important priorities daily. Prioritize your life and set it on what brings the highest return.
Ask yourself 3 questions:
What is required of me? Family, in my job.
What gives me the greatest return? High return activities.
What gives me the greatest reward? Productivity with satisfaction.
Stay in your strength zone. Commit to live every day according to your priorities which means five things:
1. Evaluate priorities daily.
2. Plan time carefully.
3. Follow your plan diligently.
4. Delegate whenever possible.
(If they can do it 80% as good as you that's good enough.)
5. Invest in the right people daily. Invest in people of potential.
Decide today your daily priorities.
Health: making the decisions to know and follow healthy guidelines daily. Take good care of yourself by exercising and eating right. Have a purpose worth living for, do work you enjoy, find your pace, learn to laugh. What health disciplines will you practice daily.
Family: making the decision to communicate with and care for may family daily. Decide on problem solving strategies. Put your family on your calendar first. Create and maintain family traditions. Find ways to spend time together...significant events, needs, fun time. one on one time. Put your marriage first,constantly express appreciation for each other, resolve conflicts quickly. What family discipline will you practice each day?
Thinking: making the decision to practice and develop good thinking daily. Take time to think each day and practice the right thinking. Set aside time for thinking every day. Create a process. Use the following: focus on the positive, gather good ideas, spend time with good thinkers. Be an intentional thinker.
Commitment: making the a commitment to make and keep proper commitments daily. Commit to carry through what you determine as worth doing. Count the cost and be willing to pay the price. Always strive for excellence.
Expect a struggle when you commit; don't rely on talent alone, you must put something into it. Focus on choices not conditions because some choices will require struggle, it will require you commitment. Do what's right even if you don't feel like it.
Finances: making the decision to earn and properly manage finances daily. Put the value of things into their proper perspective. Do not be preoccupied with things, envious of others, over value possessions, believe money is happiness, and constantly crave more.
Life follows the pattern of learn, earn, and then return. Reduce debt. Use financial formula like 10-10-80; give 10%, invest 10%, and live on 80%. Create a financial game plan. Follow it daily. Be grateful for what you have and give as much as you can.
Faith: making the decision to deepen and live out faith daily. Decide to accept God's gift of His son as your personal savior. Faith in partnering then with God, and using the Bible as your source for Spiritual principles for living and taking action based on these daily. Faith is the heart of life. Faith is birthed out of difficulties which strengthen, and enlarge faith. Tested faith is trusted faith.
To manage the discipline of faith:
1. Embrace the value of faith.
2. Put God in the picture.
3. Associate with people of faith.
4. Explore and deepen faith.
D.L. Moody said he learned faith when he opened his "Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since."
Relationships: making a decision to initiate and invest in solid relationships daily. Place a high value in people and really work at learning to understand people. Give respect freely but expect to earn it from others. Commit yourself to adding value to others: looking for ability in others, helping others develop their abilities.
To manage relationships, put others first, don't carry emotional baggage, give time to your most valuable relationships, serve others gladly, express love and appreciation often.
Generosity: making the decisions to plan for and model generosity daily. Live to give. Give others your money. Give others yourself. Add value to others and start by valuing people and giving to them, giving others' respect, know what people value, making yourself more valuable by committing to personal growth, and doing things that God values. Don't wait for prosperity before you become generous. Develop a generous mindset with who you are and what you have. Find reasons to give every day and find people to receive everyday.
Values: making the decision to embrace and practice good values daily. Maxwell's values include to be God's man, develop his potential to the best of his ability and be a true spiritual leader. Create a list of good values, embrace them and live them daily. Evaluate each day in light of your values.
Growth: making the decisions to seek and experience growth daily. Develop and follow a personal growth plan for your life. Set growth goals, learn to enjoy the journey and make your goal to constantly move forward to your greatest potential. To grow each day, Maxwell listens to audio lessons daily, reads two books a month, sets an appointment each month to learn from someone. File what you learn, apply what you learn.
To make today count,
each day do one thing in each of the areas.
Make the daily dozen decisions to be a masterpiece.
Ask these three questions.
1. Have I made the decision to improve in this area daily.
2. When did I decide.
3. What did I decide.
What discipline will you practice today and every day to be successful in this area.
http://www.injoy.com/Follow the Joshua Principle.
A daily discipline of fixing our minds on God's principles, renewing our minds, rebuilding our minds, and taking disciplined action every day with the Power principles of Spirit is our driving force.
The first chapter of Joshua and the Psalms emphasize the power behind constant meditation, sharply focused thinking to concentrate on the precepts, principles of the Bible. In Joshua, God guarantees success in efforts that follow this method:" I promise you what I promised Moses: 'Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. "Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1: 1-9, NLT)"But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." (Psalm 1:2,3, NLT) The Lord told Joshua to check out the territory... get intelligence on what is going on where he was to take the land.
" Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, "Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho." So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night." (Joshua 2:1, NLT)
And sometimes His methods are unorthodox, out of the ordinary, even a little bizarre. Think of it, God has His Servants stay in a prostitute's house. That definitely would raise a few eyebrows, but the cleverness here is the enemy most certainly wouldn't expect that as Children of God.
With this intelligence, He guarantees that we will be effective when we follow what he tells us strategically to do. "So Joshua and all the fighting men set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 of his best warriors and sent them out at night with these orders:" (Joshua 8:3,4, NLT)Whenever they followed the orders of the Lord, the Angel of God's Spirit went before them and they had overwhelming success. When they didn't, they had humiliating defeat. The only defeats came when they failed to follow His instructions to the finest detail. We can be assured He, the Spirit, will give us instructions to the finest detail if we seek his strategies first. And then follow them precisely. The important thing is seeking His Strategies, first. We then are assured overwhelming victory.How can we develop this ability to hear the exact mind of Christ, the strategies of God and His Spirit. It takes a life of discipline in the Spirit.Oswald Chambers refers to William James in what we have to do to become holy people. Holiness is a discipline where we must launch ourselves with as strong and decided initiative as possible; never having an exception in this practice until the new habit is securely rooted in our lives; and continually act on all the resolutions you make. Never stop working consciously on this discipline until it is part of your life. It is habitually working out a life of practical holiness until we have renewed our minds, and keep the mind renewed. (Conformed to His Image)
As I wrote in Jesus Is Us (using my pen name Geffry Fields), here's an excerpt from Practical Side of living in Jesus Spirit:
To be consistent to what we believe and stand for requires a personal disciple daily... morning, noon and night... keep mulling over the teachings of Jesus and His Apostles in the Bible. Joshua advocated to meditate on Spiritual principles day and night…i.e., constantly and all the time.
Jesus Spirit lives in us and teaches us directly. When we take time to focus on His Spirit in Us we get Divine direction. When our thoughts come in alignment with Jesus way of thinking from the Scriptures, it ignites the Spirit of Jesus to come alive and speak to us, through our thoughts. And It actively works to become our reality for us.
When you read the Scriptures regularly, this happens more and more and gets more refined. Reconditioning, reprogramming takes time. When you desire circumstances to change and you stay in this High level meditative thought pattern, the elements of earth become a slave to your thought images.
What you see intensely, vividly for a length of time, with strong heart-felt emotion, while intensely in Jesus Spirit, begins moving conditions affecting this. Those who practice this relate that they have seen great miracles when they do this repeatedly. How you prepare in quiet, in Jesus Spirit, in the Secret place of the Most High, will be manifested, come into reality. We, in concert with Jesus Spirit create the reality, the will of Spirit, purpose of life… it becomes us and we then partner with Jesus Spirit to bring it into existence. The biggest part of all this transformational process happens during "Secret Place" times. As a civilization we don't spend as much time here. Those who do will verify that this begins to happen.
But it takes renewing the mind through reprogramming its thought processes, with Jesus Spirit processes and then allowing it to saturate our being as it takes us on a mystical journey in our mind and soul. The more time spent here the greater the external results you will see. The more Spiritual Power you will see being part of your life. The more results you will see in untouchable areas of your life....mind, body, relationships, purpose, mission, gifts, skills.
You live a Powerful, Action-packed, Spirit-guided lifestyle. (For the complete article note:)http://jesusisus.blogspot.com/2005/07/practical-side-of-living-jesus-spirit.htmlWhat does God require of us... a life of discipline, each day and serving His interests.
As Joshua continues to remind us:
"But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord."
(Joshua 24:15, NLT)
Today!
It's about what we do Today!
Each hour, each minute. Make that choice every second to live the Principles and Thoughts of Spirit which we choose to allow into our minds.
"But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul." (Joshua 22:5, NLT)
"So be very careful to love the Lord your God." (Joshua 23:11, NLT)
Seeking God's precise instructions each day is an expression of our love and respect for who God is and how He really wants to bless us in all we do. He wants to be part of us in all we do.We are called to take the Land, and use the exact methods and strategies He gives to us. Develop the discipline of Spirit daily. Secure His Divine Intelligence. Get His orders and carry them out exactly. And know how much He loves us, as we serve Him with such gratefulness, in love, knowing how much He cares for us. What drives us is the love affair God has with us and He asks that we love Him the same. He extends His love first. He just asks us to feel the same for Him as He feels for us. So in love, we naturally love Him back with all we have, with all our strength and efforts.
