The secret to controlling your day

If you are unable to control your day, you will be unable to control your life.

We all know it’s actually impossible to orchestrate the inner workings of your day.  Side balls, curve balls and atomic bombs can be thrown at you at any moment taking you from a place of peace to a place of frustration and unproductive. Despite what we know could happen there is a still a way to maintain yourself and keep your day focused on the course it should go.

The first thing you do in the morning will set the tone of your day. King David said, early in the morning will I seek Thee. Don't look lightly on that statement; King David was very busy man; he was king over a vast kingdom, he defeated many of Israel's enemies in war and still had time to be called a man after Gods own heart. He too was busy. But yet he found time to seek after God.  Before he went into any battle he would pray and then write and sing songs of God’s goodness and faithfulness that we still refer to today as the book of Psalms. 

You can never be too busy to take control of your life.  Ultimately the way to control your day is to spend time with the One who created the day.  The way to control your day is to spend time with God. Here are some simple steps you can take to gain control of your day and thus fulfill your purpose on the earth. 

Wake up 45 minutes early: 

1.    Start with 15 minutes of prayer. 

I know everyone always says an hour but I just want you to get STARTED. Once you begin to see the tremendous results 15 minutes brings you'll easily transition to 1 hour plus!  

During this time don't complain just speak the Word of God over your life and situations. Do that for 10 minutes then listen for 5 minutes for God to give you peace & solutions.

2.    Read your Bible for the next 15 minutes.

I believe this is a great practice right after prayer because often times God will use the scripture to give you clarity, insight and give you solutions to problems. It's an easy thing to do and even easier when you use YouVersion bible app "1 year bible".

      3. Use another 15 minutes to make declarations and affirmations over your life.

If you have vision boards this is the time to meditate on them and see your life taking shape. (In my Unleashing the Greatness Within Kit I teach you how to do this as well as get specific about the important sectors of your life that once structured will lead to breakthough). 

Take the last 2-3 minutes of this time to visualize and construct your day with your mouth.  Speak out, “Today is going to be a productive and fruitful day.  All money owed to me is being given to me today.  Everything is working out in my favor.  I have favor in all matters and victory is my portion.”  When you speak words like that the heavens will align with you!

One important note: You’ll notice that sometimes during the course of these actions you’ll want to write out goals that you need to achieve for the day; you’ll receive reminders of things to do; you’ll get the names of people you need to call etc. WRITE IT DOWN.  Always have a note pad by your side when you’re praying & meditating.  When God speaks you’ll want to be able to document His words to you quickly!

3 things you need to become GREAT

I have this NAGGING belief that most people innately have a strong desire to succeed and do great things in life. There are accomplishments and awards that haven't been given to us but yet have our name written on it! I have never accepted my current circumstances as the indication of my future. I'm not sure about you but when I see others living out their dreams and being great I become even more convicted to live out my greatness!  I know most of our personal circumstances or our childhood did not show us anything that would indicate that there is a better life to be lived BUT there are techniques or even secrets that we can put into action that will allow us to rewrite our situation and draw out our future. 

The biggest thing we can do is commit ourselves to God and after that there are three things that I believe are key to achieving high levels of greatness.

1.     Imagination: When we were children we were told, “use your imagination”. As adults that statement is rarely used but it should be.  Our imagination is this powerful, unseen force that allows us to paint a picture of what could be.  The difference between those that have achieved success in their life and those who haven’t is that they have learned how to use their imagination to see themselves at a better place, living the life they desire.

2.     Goal setting: You have to know what you want before you can get there.  Before you can pack up and move from your current zip code, you have to know what your new zip code will be!  We should have an outline of what we want out of life within the next 1 year, 5 years and 10 years in order to give ourselves a “path to walk on”.  Life has a tendency to throw curve balls and if you don’t know where you’re going you’ll get side tracked. But when your goals are written down and at the center of your focus there’s no way to get side tracked.  Vision boards (a collage of pictures of your goals and dreams) are great tools to keep you focused and on track to greatness!  They're also a great point at which you can let your imagination run wild!

3.     Confidence: When a person lacks confidence they lack the wherewithal to take on challenges, face their fears and walk within the unknown.  When a person has confidence they are willing to take on challenges and face unfamiliar territory because they know they will be successful.   I personally cannot depend on confidence within myself but rather I depend on a confidence in God.  My confidence in God comes from knowing that He has my best interests at heart and that no matter how bad a situation is He can & will work it out for my good.

BONUS:
My new book Unleashing the Greatness Within will help you achieve a level of greatness that will exceed your highest expectation.  Included within the book is the how to for building confidence, exercises to use your imagination and ways to execute effective goal setting.  There is so much more to your life than what you see and my book will help you get there!

There’s a level of greatness that many do not get to because they are held back by negative feelings and doubts of whether or not they deserve a great life.  Essentially you are blessed to be a blessing.  When you have confidence in God, that confidence literally screams out “you cannot fail”!  Because of that, the world becomes your oyster.

These three things make all the difference in the world between being mediocre and being great.  I’ve seen some miraculous things take place in my life that exceeded what I could have dreamed of.  I know I couldn’t have done it within my own abilities; they were a combination of using my imagination, goal setting and having confidence [in God].

Since I still make sure to implement all these things I know there are more miracles getting ready to take place.  I hope you will implement them as well and when you do I’ll see you at the top!

From the Farm-to-the-Table

I found this great article via Redbookmag.com via Pinterest (you can follow me on pinterest by clicking here). There's a move going on that is promoting "clean eating" to the extreme its defined as only eating foods that were grown from the ground.  No fast food or processed foods.  To be honest it challenges everything you know about food and for those of you who [spiritually] fast it is quite similar to what you would eat on a Daniel fast.  

This particular article gives you 3 course meals for two whole weeks i.e. you don't have to figure it out for yourself! (Yay!)  WARNING! it is not for the faint of heart nor is it for heavy carnivores.  But if you're looking to start cleaning up your eating habits it will give you great ideas and cause you to rethink what you buy at the grocery store.

Should you decide to couple this eating style (I don't believe in diets) with Jesus Body workout or any other workout you will see GREAT results and quick fat burn.  

Some of the benefits of eating clean:

• quick fat burning
• cleanse body of unnatural processed food
• better overall health
• enjoyment of healthy natural foods

Remember a lean body doesn't start with your workout it starts with what you EAT!

TLC: How 3 women used opportunity to become successful!

I absolutely looooved the TLC movie the recently aired on VH1!!  I remember growing up, I T-Boz, my sister Kemi was Left Eye and my sister Doka was Chili. We learned all the dance moves to all the videos and bought all the albums  so in essence we WERE TLC. Lots of memories were conjured up during the span of the movie but even better were the takeaways that were derived from it.  All of the takeways are necessary and essential for success in life.

#1 Be ready for the opportunity before the opportunity comes.  Those girls had literal dreams about being stars, being famous and performing.  Every opportunity they had to build upon their individual gift took. From T-Boz out dancing the boys at the skating rink to Chili working hard at being a background dancer; they were beyond ready for their opportunity.  Take out time to practice and perfect your talent.  The payoff will be BIG!

#2 Always have someone standing in your corner.  I flinched as the ladies sat at a beautiful restaurant and were served with contracts filled with language and jargon that only skilled practioners could comprehend. They were then intimidated by Pebbles and signed away their rights to the fruit of their work.  This is when an accessible, loving mentor comes into play.  A mentor provides protection, insight, wisdom and a network of others who can assist them and subsequently you. Avoid the pitfalls of not having someone in your corner…get a mentor.

#3 While you're working towards opportunity ALWAYS be working on yourself. Chili could have avoided a lot of issues with Dallas had she been able to work on herself and her emotions.   She said that she knew she shouldn't be with them but she just couldn't help it.  Our emotions can lead us down paths and trails that really do not benefit us and lead to all sorts of pain and heartache but when we mature as a person those heartaches are easily avoidable.  Personal and spiritual growth are just as important as perfecting your craft.  Don’t neglect yourself read more books, spend alone time with you, pray and meditate on the Word to become who you desire to be.

#4 Keep going! Those ladies were a tenacious bunch. They knew what they wanted and REFUSED to let life’s ugliness stop them from living out their dream.  When T-boz’s sickness came to interrupt her aspirations she  refused the doctors reports.  Left Eye learned about the loss of her father right after at the moment of being propelled to her higher place. Though it plagued her, she scoffed at the negative report and went forward towards greatness.  Life is like a rose, though it is beautiful it comes with thorns.  Don’t let the thorns turn you away from the beauty and fulfillment of life.  Be tenacious.

#5 Follow the God-given dream that is within you. No one ever knows when it's their turn to shine and be lifted up.  Don't stop.  No one knows the exact time they will be propelled. In the meantime be diligent, be consistent and persistent and watch your gifts, talents and skills make room for you!  Those three girls from Atlanta Georgia were able to be propelled to a level they had only dreamed of because they followed the grace of God on their lives for their gifts.   What's your thing? Find it, hone it, let God use it to inspire and IMPACT the world.

For more on achieving greatness get my new book Unleashing the Greatness Within, click here.

How to produce results w/ relationships

Every good and worthwhile relationship produces results. Motivational speakers, inspirational messages and yes the Bible states that relationships should be beneficial to your well being. And if the relationship is not beneficial you should get out of that relationship.
I'm not saying in every relationship you have you are digging for what that person can do for you that type of behavior is an indication that something is awry within you. The Bible says it best, "iron sharpens iron".

The ultimate relationship we can have on the earth is a relationship with God. He is our Creator, our Father and sustainer in life. No one who is truly successful in life can do without Him.

That relationship with God is a beautiful one and one hat yields results. Oh yes! A relationship with the Father is a relationship that you absolutely benefit from. A person can't say they love The Lord and have a relationship with Him yet their life be devoid of wisdom, understanding, growth, health and wealth.

Look at the span of Solomon's life. I kings 3:3 says "Solomon loved The Lord". I kings 4:29 shows the benefit of Solomon's relationship, "And God have Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is in the sea shore". I kings 5:4 shows the progression of the relationship "God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent". Wow. But then Solomon didn't watch his heart with all diligence and pride came in. He began to love many strange women and those women brought their strange gods which he also began to love (I kings 11:1-4, 9-10). Ecclesiastes thoroughly documents Solomon's madness and problems that over took him once he turned his back on The Lord whom He once loved.

Your ability to shine on the earth and be productive with the gifts, skills and talents God has given to you is only heightened through your relationship with The Lord. Your sensitivity to the spirit of The Lord brings wisdom and all other things you need to be productive. You can't "keep going through" if your relationship with The Lord is strong. To increase in productivity you must increase in your relationship.

**Strengthen your relationship**
-Read the Word: if no Word is put inside of you, when you need it nothing will come out.
-Listen to the Word: faith [to do exploits] comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
-Pray: if you are in a relationship communication is key, prayer is communication.
-Be sensitive: listen to what the Spirit of The Lord is saying to you, that is your key to productivity.

It's almost here...don't miss it!!

It's the Glamour Girl (God's irreplaceable royal lady) Women's Conference 2012

in Forest Park, GA 

November 8-10th 2012

Each night is loaded with various talents that glorify God, a special Spirit filled Word to MOVE you into your next season of life, vendors with glamourous goods, great fellowship and Free glam bags.

 Saturday night will include a power packed concert to round off the conference.

Come expecting....

insight, revelation, a fresh word, a move of the Spirit and much more!!

Register at 

WWW.FAITHABRAHAM.COM

Get excited about your prosperity

There is a HUGE debate within the body of Christ about whether or not prosperity is actually of God. I believe that this dissension is a plot of the enemy to cause confusion thus crippling the body of Christ.

But there is a remedy. Psalm 112: 1-4 discusses the issue and gives the answer. In fact Psalm 112 in its entireity tells about the fruit [or the lifestyle] of one who is prosperous.


1PRAISE THE Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who fears (reveres and worships) the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.


2His [spiritual] offspring shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
3Prosperity and welfare are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
4Light arises in the darkness for the upright, gracious, compassionate, and just [who are in right standing with God].
5It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.

6He will not be moved forever; the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) shall be in everlasting remembrance.
7He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord.


8His heart is established and steady, he will not be afraid while he waits to see his desire established upon his adversaries.
9He has distributed freely [he has given to the poor and needy]; his righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) endures forever; his horn shall be exalted in honor.
10The wicked man will see it and be grieved and angered, he will gnash his teeth and disappear [in despair]; the desire of the wicked shall perish and come to nothing.


The answer to the debate is this; true prosperity comes from God and if that prosperity is not predicated by "fear of the Lord" and the prosperity is not followed by righteousness... it is not from El Shaddi, the God of more than enough.

So get excited about your prosperity. The God you serve is ready to give it to you and show you how to use it for His glory, be in the mode of receiving!

You cant lose with the stuff I use...

There is only ONE way to secure yourself so that you cannot fail in this life and that is with the continuous feeding on the word of God.  David said, "I have NEVER seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed beg for bread." Why? Because the foundation of the righteous is always built on the word of God.  The righteous live, breath, confess, meditate, pray and work the word of God therefore in them is the very life of God.  His word will never come back to Him void.  He will ALWAYS make good on His promises!

 

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

   

You cannot fail with these Bible applications.  Each one has a speciality and I actually use them interchangably.  They are customized to be downloaded to your computer, mobile phone, iPad or any other electronic tablet you may have. Thus you're always able to have access to the word of God! What a blessed life!

 

 

Youversion Bible

This is one of the most popular Bible applications with 10 millions downloads within 2 years and is readily accessible through the internet or offline (offline it must be downloaded directly to your device).  It is social media friendly and allows you to type notes about the specific verse you are reading. It is also FREE!

 

Difference: It has various Bible plans to help you read through the Bible at your own pace.  You can read the whole Bible in a year or the Old Testament only or the New Testament only.  Joyce Meyer has teamed up with Youversion and has a 365 devotional delivered straight to your phone.

 

 

Bible360

Bible 360 is a newer Bible app created by Mark Burnett (the creator of the show Survivor & Celebrity Apprentice).  There are two very interactive versions lite, which is free, and premium, which is a nominal fee.  Must have internet connection to use the app.

 

Difference: This Bible appeals to you through tapping your senses with its visual tours, 360 videos of the places spoken of in the Bible, maps and art.   You're able to sync your activity to specific social networks.

 

 

Touch Bible

Although this particular app is not well known as far a popularity, it is used by many because it is available offline.

If you are new to electronic Bibles, this app is quite simple and Free!  The search option helps you find specific scriptures easily & quickly.

 

Difference: Once the app has been downloaded, you always have access to it because it is not dependent upon internet. You can highlight scriptures and write your thoughts and/or sentiments about the scripture & it will always be there until you decide to delete it. 

 

These apps make it easy for you to stay in the word.  When we stay in the word we are guaranteed to excel in life. 

Don't miss out!!!

Do not miss out on the Women's Conference of the year!!

Glamour G.I.R.L (God's Irreplaceable Royal Lady)

Women's Conference

in Atlanta, GA 

October 20-22nd, 2011

      Come and enjoy...

• The presence of God
• Answers to your most pressing questions
• Divine breakthroughs
• Supernatural blessings & manifestations
• The prophetic anointing
• and much more!

REGISTER AT WWW.FAITHABRAHAM.COM

The Miracle of Meditation

In Joshua 1:8 God told Joshua to meditate on the book of the law day and night so that he would make his way prosperous and have good success.  Now that is exciting.  What’s even more exciting is that as believers today we are not limited to the book of the law (i.e. the Old Testament) but we are expanded by the book of grace (i.e. the New Testament).  There is more that we can gain from grace than we ever can from the law!

Through the book of grace all that we can do is embedded in who we are in Christ.  We are His workmanship and He does exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can ask think or imagine in our lives.  When we meditate on the Word we are literally allowing the Word to permeate our existence thus permeating our lives.  

The word of God never fails and so when we continuously fill our heart, mind and spirit with it we have no choice but to yield the Word in our lives.  And since its filled with the promises of God i.e. the good news all that we will experience is good news.

Begin your meditation by following these steps:

1.     be in the moment 

When you sit down to meditate do not think about anything else, what is coming up in the day or the things you have to do...just be thre ...you and God (reference Matthew 6:34)

2.    EAT!

Whatever scripture you decide to meditate on (Psalm 23 is a great place to start) read it with the intention of understanding God's intent of placing in the Bible.   The way you would eat delicious food tasting each flavor and enjoying every spice is the way to eat the scripture. (reference Psalm 34:8)

3.     infuse yourself

 Infuse yourself into the scripture...substitute your name, apply the scripture directly to your current situation allow it to become living and breathing within your life (reference James 1:23-24)

Heres an example:

Psalm 23:1

...The Lord is my shepherd...shepherds lead the sheep that they are in charge of so therefore I am the sheep Jesus is my shepherd and I move by His leading...He will never lead me to wrong place...

I shall not want...well before I begin to think about my wants, my needs have to be met so that means that He has met all of my needs...bills, mortgage, physical healing, wounds from the past... and NOW my wants are being met...as well there is nothing that I lack because He has taken care of it all!

Meditating on the Word 15 minutes everyday will change you life the absolute better.  Because the Word is living, when you "eat" the word you are consuming it into your body, digesting it and retaining all of its goodness just like food.

What is in your life is a reflection of what is inside of you.  When you constantly put the word inside of you; you will constantly get the word out. 

To stay in loop and receive weekly EMPOWERMENT sign up for the empowered life newsletter. 

How to have confidence during a "dry season"

Some say that "having successes creates confidence" but what if you're not in the season of having successes? What if your'e just starting out and unsure of how to create success? How do you gain confidence during that season?

Well honestly speaking, confidence shouldn't be based on anything external but rather internal. Specifically Who is inside of you...when you're born again it's Christ. The Bible says the same power that rose Christ from the dead is the very same power that lives on the inside of you and thus is made available to you. As a believer we are confident that Christ rose from the dead and that supernatural power is given to us for life and godliness. 

External factors can change any day. Good looks, lots of money, a great job, etc can all expire but the fact that Christ came to give us life and life in abundance will not. His blood cannot expire, the atonement for our sin cannot expire, our ability to do ALL things in Christ cannot expire.  Therefore it is wise for us to base and grow our confidence in Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can ask think or imagine.

Confidence that is built on His ability instead of our own ability gives us a head start and puts us ahead of the pack!  Even during a dry season we can walk with our head held high knowing that He makes you lie down in green pastures, He leads you beside the still waters (Psalm 23:2).  Despite feeling like we are in the desert where things are dry, harsh and bitter; in actuality He makes sure that ALL things work out for your good.  


So keep moving and putting the Word of God to work. In due season you will reap if you do not faint...dry seasons make us stronger and also stand as proof that when we place our confidence in Christ we cannot fail and will not lack.

Get more insight & understanding on how confidence can revolutionalize your life by picking up a copy of my book "Christ-Confidence" at www.faithabraham.com
 

What's your life purpose?

I always tell people that you do the world and yourself a disservice by not fulfilling the call of God on your life.  But most people don't know what their purpose is or how to find out what it is.  I've included an excerpt from my book Christ-confidence with an excerpt from the chapter titled "Grand Purpose"...let's find your purpose together.

       God loves us so much that He will speak to someone about you in order for that person to let you know that He is concerned about you.  We go through a lot of things in life that we blame God for when the reality is if He had it His way we wouldn’t go through hardship at all (Revelation 21:3-5). The words that she spoke to me that day let me know that despite what I thought to be true; God still had something good planned for me regardless the pain I was feeling.  Number two, when I found out that God had a plan for my life I became emboldened to find out what that plan was in order to live the life I deserved.  There is nothing more invigorating than to find out that the life that you live has a meaning to it.  That you are more than just a combustion of atoms but rather you are made in the image and likeness of God to make the world a better place for its inhabitants. Your life will come alive with vibrancy and fulfillment as soon as you find out what your purpose is in life.  The question now is “how do I go about finding out my life’s purpose?” 

Initially you will have to start out with a general purpose such as the one found in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  This particular purpose is used in combination with the skills and abilities that you are aware of.  It doesn't matter what skill you have they can all be used to do good works.  Skills such as photography, dance, writing, construction, educating, speaking, organizational skills or any other skill that you are aware of can advance the cause of Christ.  As you continue to work with the skills that you are aware of and continue to grow spiritually (by reading the Word) a more specific purpose will develop. 

Personally, I’ve always enjoyed writing.  Since I was a teenager I kept a journal where I would write my thoughts, feelings and insights into life.  As an adult I am still writing but I now write to advance the cause of Christ.  Something as small as journaling now evolved into this book.  Circumstantial?  No.  Purpose being fulfilled?  Yes. 

        It is very easy to become anxious about finding out your personal purpose in life.  Many times God will have you use the skills you are aware of to live out your general purpose with vigor and faithfulness before He will reveal your personal purpose.  Yet you have the ability to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you into discovering your personal purpose.  When you do this, He will affirm it to you and lead you into intricate truths about your purpose.  John 16:13 says, “…the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” 

There are some clues that you can use in order to find and define your purpose. 

¨    What skills and abilities do you think that the world can most benefit from you?

¨    Are there any painful memories or experiences that you have learned from and can educate others about?

¨    What upsets you the most about life/the world?

¨    Who do you believe you are called to reach?  Do you have favor with a certain group of people (i.e. men, children, young adults, age group, ethnicities, etc.)?

¨    Even if you did not receive a paycheck for doing your purpose, would you still do it?

¨    Even if you never received a round of applause or recognition, would you still do it?

Based on the answers to the above listed questions, if you think that you alone will not be able to carry out your purpose because it’s too big or you don’t have the resources; then you are on target! If you view your purpose as being too big for you that means it’s just the right size for God.  The best part is that God will take what you think is too big to a higher level than what you are even thinking about or imagining (Ephesians 3:20).  

Get your copy of Christ-confidence and other resources from www.faithabraham.com

God wants us to succeed...NO MATTER WHAT!

Our God wants us to succeed. He wants the best for our lives.  The proof of these statements are all over the Bible.  Jesus coming from heaven to earth to die on the cross and rising again is tremendous proof.  But even before then, God has displayed the desire for us to live well.  Look at Adam and Eve for example.  We all know the story, the devil persuaded Eve to bite the apple and Eve persuaded Adam to bite the apple despite God's command.  But the story doesn't end there, an important part of the story is what happened next.

 

Shortly after eating the apple, God began to look for Adam and Eve in the garden but He could not find them.  When He finally did see them God asked them what happened?  Let us pause... God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent and honestly speaking He did not need to ask Adam and Eve what happened because He already knew.  But the whole point of God asking the question was for Adam and Eve to speak for themselves and tell Him what they had done.  I believe that God, at that moment, was giving them a second chance.  Only God's knows what would have happened if they would have told Him about the wrong they had done.

 

 The point of the matter is this, God is still handing out second chances to all of us today.  Chance after chance after chance.  Proverbs 24:16 says, "The righteous man may fall seven times and rise again...".  Rise again and again and again.  God wants us to rise, no matter what!  Rise up to the occasion and be all that you can be in Christ!  He has given us the key to life.  Let us use the key and walk through every open door because He will help us get there...NO MATTER WHAT!

bad experience = bad behavior?

One thing I've learned about life is that it is full of experiences, both good and bad. And although we would all desire to have good experiences throughout life- it just doesn't happen that way. Just as good things happen to good people, bad things happen to good people. But why is it that when people have bad experiences in their lives they sometimes resort to bad behavior or use that experience as an excuse for their bad behavior [more often than using a good experience for good behavior]?

Let's say for example something bad happened to a friend of yours (or even you) in a church setting. That bad experience causes your friend to reevaluate their lives and you and that friend distanced yourselves from the church and begin to act in a way that is contrary to your beliefs and values.

But just because something bad happened in the church, doesn't mean that God is no longer God and living your life for Him becomes irrelevant. The church is a great place to go to so that we can learn the ways, thinking and lifestyle of a godly person. Yet we forget that the church is filled with people, and people aren't perfect. As a matter of fact the church contains imperfect people who need Jesus just as much as you do.

I've heard people tell of experiences when they've been hurt by people in church or life in general. But don't let being hurt by certain people be the reason you turn away from God or stay out of church. God didn't hurt you those particular people did. Separate yourself from those particular people to avoid the same situation but not God. God still has what you need and what you're looking for so pull Him close and allow Him to help you heal.

Your bad experience could be anything. Some people never knew who their mom or dad was but that's not a reason to not be a mom or dad to your child. Make the choice to be the complete opposite of the bad situation you experienced and make a notable difference in your life and others around you. God is a God to the fatherless so if that's your experience let Him be the example that you need.

Let's not sell ourselves short. We have the power to choose and the power to choose gives us the ability to choose to do better.

Is it ever enough?

I’ve encountered many different types of people who have dealt with all kinds of self hindering habits or traits. These habits or traits vary in type but hinder us nonetheless. Those hinderers, I believe, distinguish the average from the above average.

I know that one habit I had to personally deal with was feelings and thoughts of not being good enough. When I was young my father always strived for us to be the best and everything we did especially academics. Though his intentions were to get the best results out of me it had adverse effects on me in the sense that no matter what I did I never felt like it was enough. I could have completed the task better or finished within a shorter time span or made a better grade. I recall a time when I made an A grade on a tough assignment for class and I truly gave it my all but when I returned home looking to receive praise for my efforts I got something entirely different. My father’s response was “you were only a few points away why couldn’t you have gotten an A+”?

Imagine my defeat.

A couple of years down the road I began to realize that these events modified my thinking in terms of what I felt I could or could not accomplish. When opportunities presented themselves there would always be one reason or another to “let it go” or “give up” or “no longer be interested”. In other words self defeating thoughts of not being good enough would hinder my being able to capitalize on the opportunities and move forward in life.

It was a tough journey and very difficult to overcome those thoughts and feelings of not being able to accomplish goals and dreams but it was worth the journey. Now I believe that I can do anything and though the thoughts still rise up within me I recognize them and speak out loud exactly what I want and believe should happen. I’m no longer afraid of stepping out and doing something new but rather look forward to it.

I don’t believe I was created to be average and I don’t believe that you were either. Getting rid of these hindering traits may not be easy but it is necessary. What habits have you realized need to be changed before you find the success you deserve?