How to Accept Yourself For Who You Are

October 24, 2011 by 15 Comments
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How to Accept Yourself As God Made You

by Olga Hermans

 

 

God Knew You Before You Were Born!

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.

When we don’t know who we are and why we were put here, we can easily become wrapped in someone else’ definition, which can be dangerous to our self-esteem. Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded with images of what manhood and womanhood should be according to the standards of society.

It is hard to be free to be yourself when you are not exactly sure who you are. It is even harder if you know who you are but don’t like yourself. You have been given specific physical features, personal traits, talents, and even hobbies that are all unique to your God-given purpose and assignment on this earth.

Being true to who we really are will lead us to our true purpose and our real destiny. When you really want to live with true purpose, you might have to make some adjustments and you might have to embrace some change. Making adjustments can be challenging, and they may take some time, but the results will be truly worth it.

You need to realize how unique and valuable you were made and how to turn all those things you don’t like about yourself into strengths that set you apart from everybody else. The very thing that you always thought was your worst attribute could be the very thing that attracts people to want to know you more and the God you serve.

I heard somebody say once that we should be a trendsetter and not a trend-follower; I totally agree with that, you? You and I ought to be setting the pattern for the world to follow, instead of the other way around. We ought to be fashionable as well. God doesn’t want us looking like a bunch of refugees from the city dumb while the rest of the world is keeping up with fashion. The world ought to be looking to us Christians to set the standard. They should be watching us, how we dress and conduct ourselves.

The world should be taking its cue from us, not vice versa. But that can’t happen without a truthful realization of exactly who you are and what you were created to do. It comes from being the original that you already are and not a copy of someone else and being comfortable with yourself.

The moment you gain confidence in who you are in Christ Jesus, in the love He has for you, and the special uniqueness He has given you, you will be free to be yourself.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

Don’t keep thinking about a pattern what every Christian is “supposed” to be like or act like, it is time to break out and to be yourself. Whatever it is that you believe God has called you to do, whether it is business, politics, or sports or the ministry, whatever it is, God wants you to succeed.

You know, our success will make Him look good. It will make God very attractive. That is what it is all about. It is all about that God gets all the glory for everything that He did in our life. When we live by the principles of God that produce success, people will start to recognize Him and want to get to know Him as well. When we tell people that God is the source of everything that we do and of everything that we have, it is great testimony and it makes God very attractive.

There was a time in my life when I was very concerned about what other thought of me. This fear affected my confidence in myself and my abilities in a very negative way. But then later I discovered my purpose and I had to realize that in order to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for my life, I had to change the way I saw myself. I had to see me as God sees me.

We really have to begin to see ourselves as God sees us. If we view ourselves as incompetent, inferior, or unqualified, we will never get far in life. However, when our worth comes from within, and our image is one of success and victory based on God in us; it will eventually translate to every area of our lives. Nothing can hold us back.

How we see ourselves makes all the difference in whether we are successful in life. Our inner image is very important. We need to understand that many times, the way we see ourselves determines how we are able to handle and overcome situations in our own personal life.

That really requires making a decision to see a better image of yourself to realize that you truly can do all things through Christ, because He has given you the ability to do so. In order to conquer fear, you have to embrace the image God has of you, and become willing to see yourself equipped by God to accomplish all He has created you to do.

Have you ever experienced someone saying something negative to or about you that affected you long after it was spoken? This is because words are containers which go deep into a person’s heart and soul. They have the potential to do great damage, or good, to the listener. For example, if you grew up with a parent who constantly told you how bad you were or that you wouldn’t amount to anything, you most likely internalized those words, and they began to shape your self-image.

I myself, as a mother of two adult-children, I have realized how important it is that I build their self-esteem by speaking positive words and affirmations into them and into their lives instead of negative ones.

Just as the effect of negative words can be tremendous, the results of speaking positive words can have a huge impact on shaping our lives as well. A word is like a seed that we plant. When that word goes into the soil of our heart, it will eventually grow up to produce a harvest. The harvest of a positive self-image is the result of speaking positive words.

We need to ask ourselves constantly: what does God have to say about us? Let me make sure that you realize this; it is always good! He loves us all the time; His thoughts toward us are always above and beyond our own thinking.

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The Responsibilities of Responsible People

October 13, 2011 by 22 Comments
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The Responsibilities of Responsible People

by Olga Hermans 

 

 

Do you like gong to the movies? Just a week ago my husband and I went to see the movie “Courageous”. We were very, very impressed. This movie is advertised as a powerful motion picture about police officer dads who struggle with their roles as fathers.

The men in the movie have to face their biggest challenge, which is fatherhood. Being a “good enough” father doesn’t cut it when tragedy strikes and the faith of these four men is tested. When secrets are revealed and life becomes unbareable, they must draw closer to God and their families to survive.

Have you ever been in a place like that? I sure have and at the moment it wasn’t fun, but after some time when I was able to look back I could see my inner growth and how I made progress in many areas of my life. You know, you only can make progress when you take responsibility in your own life. You will be able to manage others when you are able to manage yourself first.

That is where responsibility comes in. Adam Mitchell, the main character in the movie first had to take responsibility for his own life before he was able to reach out to others.

Being responsible is something a lot of people don’t know much about. A faithful person is a responsible person. To be responsible is to give account or to be dependable.

Reliable friends who do what they say are
like cool drinks in sweltering heat–refreshing! Pro 25:13

NO wonder Solomon said this person is “as refreshing as a cool drink in sweltering heat” A responsible person is one who can be trusted. These kinds of people are hard to find, but when we find them we will notice that they are different than the average person; their motives are totally different.

 

Here are 2 of the elements RESPONSIBLE  people have:

1. They are motivated because they feel responsible; because they want to be trusted, they are willing to prove themselves. These people are driven by certain ethics and principles that they will fight for.

For example, abortion is an issue that may not affect us or our family, but we may fight against it and be willing to risk our friendships or reputation without any personal benefits.

These people are fixed; they have a firm foundation that they live by. They are people of value. They take pride in being strong and they don’t care if they are different.

2. They are motivated because they feel responsible to keep going.

For example, someone who is a millionaire several times over and has all he will ever need to go fishing or traveling for the rest of his life, but instead, he or she keeps on working every day and may even undertake something totally new and keep on going.

Some people may see that as greedy, but this person simply enjoys being responsible and likes to be an achiever. These people may do what others say can’t be done, simply for the sake of accomplishment.

Being responsible is more than making a commitment. It is a desire or an inner force that holds them accountable to themselves. They do things for the sake of getting them done or for the enjoyment of seeing them done.

Being responsible just for the sake of being responsible will make you a great servant. Jesus was a true servant. He had nothing to gain for himself. He gave up His reputation to build His name. He was humiliated and rejected to gain our trust. He was truly and purely motivated from within.

He saw what we were, and took the responsibility of making sure we got the opportunity of being what we could be. It cost Him something, but He now has earned the greatest name ever in history of mankind, and also in the world to come.

The Father sent Him on a mission because He knew that He was responsible and could be trusted. He was and still is as refreshing as cool drinks in the sweltering heat of a hot summer.

We too, have to make a choice to be willing to be responsible to achieve our dreams and our destiny. We have to set a good example. It is so very important because people believe a lot more of what they see you do than what they hear you say. So, take the responsibility to set a good example.

Living responsibly in our society is a big job. I think we should watch ourselves a little more and not be a hypocrite. Author and speaker John Maxwell says everything rises and falls on leadership. I believe that. What about you?

My Question to you is: Do you consider yourself a responsible person? How well are you currently applying this principle in your life?

 

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Does Your Life Inspire Others To Be Better?

October 6, 2011 by 10 Comments
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Does Your Life Inspire Others To Be Better?

by Olga Hermans

Today many are mourning over the life that influenced many, Steve Jobs. He definitely influenced the world by what he did. Many lives will forever be changed because of this one man.  Steve Jobs was a visionary and a dreamer as many others, but we were able to see with our own eyes what he did to make his dreams and visions come to pass. Apple believes that people with passion can change the world. I also believe that passion is one of our main attribute that we need to achieve our dreams. Steve Jobs definitely believed in himself and in his product.

It is amazing what we can accomplish when we believe in ourselves or we know somebody who really believes in us. Do you believe in yourself or do you have somebody in your life that believes in you? If you want your life to get better, then you need to help improve somebody else’s life. Steve Jobs was a great example. If you will help somebody else to become successful, God will make sure that you are successful.

God puts people in our life on purpose so we can help them succeed and help them become all He created them to be. Most people will not reach their full potential without somebody else believing in them. That means that you and I have an assignment. Everywhere we go we should be encouraging people, building them up, challenging them to reach new heights.

When people are around us, they should leave better off than they were previously. Rather than feeling discouraged or defeated, people should feel challenged and inspired after spending time with you and me.

The Bible says that love is kind. One translation says, “Love looks for a way to be constructive.” In other words, love looks for ways to help improve somebody else’s life. Take time to make a difference. Don’t just be obsessed about how you can make your own life better. Think about how you can make somebody else’s life better as well. Our attitude should be: To whom can I be an inspiration today? Who can I encourage today? How can I improve somebody else’s life?

I believe that God is going to hold us responsible for the people He’s put in our lives. He is counting on us to bring out the best in our spouse, in our children, and in our friends. Ask yourself, “Am I inspiring somebody to be better, giving that person more confidence, or am I just coasting along, consumed with doing my own thing?”

That is something that I love about being a mom. There is nobody else in the world that can take my place; I am the only mom they have and they will know it :).  Believing in my children and watching them grow up as mature adults, making their own choices and planning their own lives is my greatest joy. I like them to know that I am their biggest fan. I aim for them to know that I am all for them no matter what they want to accomplish. They need to know that I love them at all times and that I am concerned and that I really believe in them.

Everywhere Jesus went, He saw potential in people that they didn’t see in themselves. He didn’t focus on their weaknesses or their faults. He saw them the way they could become. Look at Peter; he was a man with some rough edges. He was hot tempered, loud, pretentious, and impulsive, but that didn’t deter Jesus. Jesus didn’t say, “Forget it, Peter. I am going to find somebody a little more refined than you.” No, Jesus worked with Peter to bring out the best out of him. It was in there. He just had to get it out.

You never bring out the best in someone by condemning and criticizing, or verbally beating a person down. You inspire people by love. You inspire people by showing that you really care. I heard somebody say, “Complimenting each other is the glue that holds relationships together.” With so many things working against good relationships nowadays it’s amazing what a kind word here and there will do.

So, be free with your compliments and be quick to speak them. Remember, your thoughts don’t bless anybody but you. You can think good thoughts about somebody all day long, but it’s not going to do them any good if you don’t speak them out loud. Every day, try to find somebody you can inspire by giving them a compliment and by building them up.

I want to inspire my husband, my children and my friends. I like to think that people like to be around me because I inspire them to be a better individual. Moreover, I also want to spend time with people who strive to bring the best out of me. The Bible says, “Iron sharpens Iron.” The way we live with each other should encourage one another to do better.

You can inspire others to do better everywhere you go. Everywhere you go, make positive deposits instead of negative withdrawals. When you get up in the morning, instead of applying your energies to how you can be blessed, find some way to be a blessing to someone else. If you make somebody else’s day, God will make yours.

Make a quality choice to be an inspiration to people and to bring out the very best in the people that God has put in your life. You’re never more like God than when you give, and the closest thing to His heart is helping others. If you will meet somebody else’s need, God will meet yours. What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you.

Let’s end this post with an awesome quote:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs

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Prayer: The Breakfast of Champions

September 19, 2011 by 23 Comments
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Prayer: The Breakfast of Champions

By: Olga Hermans

 

“If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day.
I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.”
~ Martin Luther

Prayer is the backbone of a successful life and many successful people know that very well. They take their time to be still and envision their day together with the Lord. Effective prayer will cause you to soar like an eagle in God’s plans for you.

I know people who are successful who will give credit to God, because they know that their success came from the time they spent early in the morning with their maker.

Let’s look at these points once stated by my late Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty. Why Early Morning Prayer would you say?

1.   Jesus did it

Jesus set the example for us in prayer. He got up early in the morning and found a place where He could be alone to start His day with prayer. So, if Jesus started his day with prayer, how much more do we need to start out with prayer? He taught us to go in our prayer closet; wherever your place is, is not important, as long as you can settle your heart in front of the Lord and receive from Him for the day that is ahead of you.

2.   The way you start something has a great effect on the way it ends up

If you start out communing with the Lord, there is a big chance that you will be in communion with Him throughout your day. The way you start out can have a definite effect on the way things will look in the end. When a sailboat starts out, the way the sails are set determines the direction the boat will go. The way you set your sails at the start of your day determines the course you will follow during the day.

3.   When you pray early in your day, you will get an attitude adjustment!

It has been said many times that attitude determines altitude. The pitch of an airplane determines how high it will fly. The nose needs to be turned upward to fly higher, right? It’s the same with or lives. If we haven’t set our lives in the right direction, we will continue to fly on a straight course and never gain any altitude. But when we start out by setting our affection on God, something happens and we begin to climb higher and higher.

4.   It is important to start your day with prayer because many interruptions come in the middle of the day.

You can pray through your schedule each day. Pray though each thing that you know is going to happen. Ask the Lord for direction and prioritize your activities. Many people jump out of bed, run for breakfast, go to work and sometime in the middle of the day, they might think about God. But then they might not, because their schedule is so demanding.

5.   When you are hungry for fellowship with God, you will take time for early Morning Prayer.

Some people work night shifts, which makes it difficult for them to start early in the morning. The key, however, is to set a time, preferably at the start of your day whatever that timeslot might be for you. Families are wonderful and your spouse might be the best thing for you, but there is just something about having a quiet time with the Lord. If you spend time with Him, you will be on top.

6.   Just as you would fill your gas tank before you start out on a trip, you need to fill your mind with God’s Word and prayer before you start your day.

Then you are prepared for the reversals, emotional situations and bad attitudes that you may encounter during the day. All the frustrations and hassles we face could be because we haven’t won the battle in prayer before we started the day. Problems arise and demands come up, and sometimes there is more demand than there is of you! You need to fuel up on the Word and prayer before you start your day!

7.   In Exodus 16, the Lord told the children of Israel to get their manna before the sun got hot on the ground.

Manna is Living Bread and that is Jesus. That means to get a fresh word from heaven from the Word of God before you start your day. There is just something about getting up early to gather your manna at the start of the day.  People who don’t set their sails on God early in the day many times forget about Him during the day, and they go in the power of their own flesh.

8.   When you start your time of prayer with praise to the Lord, you will receive revelation, instruction, inspiration, strength, peace, deliverance from temptation, refreshing and restoration.

People faint and become weary when they do not wait upon the Lord in a time dedicated to prayer. When people talk about how weary they are and how difficult their spiritual life is, they actually say that their prayerlife has ebbed away. Isaiah 40:28-31 tells us clearly that those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will exchange their weakness for the strength of God.

9.   Giving God the first part of your day is part of the spiritual law of giving the first fruits. If you give God the first part of your day, He will multiply time back to you.

Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Pro 3:5-6

God will guide the path you take if you pray over it. But if you don’t acknowledge God and ask for His wisdom, He could be standing right in front of you with the answer to every problem you are facing, but you are too busy trying to solve your own problems and trying to make things happen in the flesh.

God wants to speak to you in early Morning Prayer. If you take time to listen, you will hear God speak.

When the gate of your day is guarded with prayer, the devil won’t be able to gain entrance into your life because you will be alert to his tactics. Without early morning prayer, however, people’s minds and spirits aren’t that alert to the voice of God.

But when you get up early in the morning and God speaks to you at the start of your day, it will carry you, guard you and keep you on course. I, myself, have experienced both; there were times in my life that I skipped my time with the Lord early in the morning and there is that time that I love to go in front of the Lord and open up my heart to receive from Him and leave all my cares of the day with Him. The latter is the best of course.

God will never condemn you; He loves you no matter what you have done; He is always there for you. For me; I live each day with the understanding that if it were not for God’s unconditional love and grace, I would not be where I am today.

Let us know and share with our readers how you set your time with God. Be an encouragement to others, because that is what we need. Thank you so much for doing that.

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Step Up To The Plate, It’s Your Destiny to Hit a Homerun

September 8, 2011 by 20 Comments
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Step Up To The Plate, It’s Your Destiny to Hit a Homerun

by Olga Hermans

 

Do you know what it takes to make a homerun? One thing is sure, you need to be in good physical condition. Winners will lift weights and work out to be at their best for the regular season games. This kind of physical conditioning is a part of spring training, but it continues throughout the rest of the year. Even during the off season, a ball player must continue physical conditioning for top performance.

We all know what most people do in off season; the pressure is off and temptation hits us. We even might get into some bad habits like getting lazy, eating too much junk food and things like that. Christians have off seasons too; the seasons that come after great victories. Maybe you finally got out of debt or your business rose to that level that you have been waiting for.

The thing is though that we cannot stop training in off seasons, because we cannot afford to be out of shape when a curve ball comes blasting our way. The most devastating injuries occur when we become complacent about the things of God because the pressures of life are off for awhile.

When we experience sickness in our bodies, we can end up on the sidelines and if the devil has his way, he will do his best to put us out of the game completely. When we are critically sick we can use the scriptures and release our faith of course and that is all good. But if your life is going in the wrong direction, without a life change you will be sick again.

God has put within us an immune system to fight off enemy particles in our bodies. This system is designed to destroy destructive germs and negative cells, such as those that cause cancer. The immune system sends out chemicals and positive cells to fight and destroy bad ones. When the immune system is worn down, diseases (enhanced through anger, strife, fear, unforgiveness, bitterness, depression, loneliness and similar negative emotions) gain access into the body. Taken from “The 7 Pillars of Health” by Dr. Don Colbert

So, here are several life changes you can make to bring your spirit, soul and body back into alignment in order to step up to the plate to hit that homerun again!

1.   Reset Your Priorities

You can make a decision to have your priorities right. The Bible says clearly that we shouldn’t lean on our own understanding but acknowledge God and He will direct our path! Prov.3:5-6 Let’s face it: God is much smarter than us 🙂

2.   Adjust Your Schedule

You can decide, “The Kingdom of God is going to be first in my life”. Start the day with giving God your very first moments of the new day. When you do that, you prayers are so much more effective and they will cause you to soar like an eagle in God’s plans for you.

3.   Relax in Faith

We are told to cast all our care upon Him, for He cares for us 1Peter 5:7. The God of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps, why then should we stay awake all night worrying? Psalm 121:3-4. Cast your cares upon the Lord and relax in faith. Once you have given something to Him, do not take it back again. He is well able to handle anything that comes your way.

4.   Rest in the Lord

Some people are so uptight they make coffee nervous! You can decide, “Lord, I will rest in You and lean on Your everlasting arms.” Hebr.4:9-10. We shouldn’t overlook the need for natural rest. God made our bodies that way. A good night’s sleep can go a long way toward relieving stress, increasing mental alertness and giving you physical stamina for all the tasks of your day.

5.   Laugh

Many people are standing up on the outside, but they are lying down on the inside. Depression will cause you to lie down on the inside and it will hinder the proper functioning of your immune system. Learn to laugh at your own mistakes and do not be afraid to share the humor with others in a light-hearted way.

6.   Eat the right foods

Replace fried foods (those heavy in fat and high in cholesterol) with fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Drink plenty of water and ease up on sugary soft drinks. We cannot make a “god” out of eating. It is all right to enjoy food, but we ought to have enough sense to eat things that will not cause health problems.

7.   Exercise

In Bible days, Jesus and his disciples did not hop in a chariot when they wanted to go somewhere. They walked everywhere they went. What we call exercise today was their normal way of life. Find exercises you like and stay with them. Schedule them into your day just like you would an appointment.

8.   Forgive

This is a biggie; many people think it is hard to forgive their abusers or their enemies, but the truth is that it is much harder on you NOT to forgive. You are binding yourself up to the enjoyment and fulfillment of your life. Unforgiveness will block the power of God from working in you. It is time to repent and get all that negative stuff totally out of your spirit, soul and body.

When you make a choice to do what is necessary to get into a good physical condition and staying that way even in off-seasons, you will be prepared at any time to step up to the plate and hit a home run. You will be alert, ready, and strong enough for the circumstances.

My Question to you is: Are you willing to take these steps serious? Tell me and the other readers what you are going to do about it and which step is it that you have under your belt already? Thank you for doing so.

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You Can Live the Satisfied Life

September 5, 2011 by 13 Comments
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Living the Satisfied Life

by Olga Hermans

 

Have you ever thought about what it is that brings true satisfaction and fulfillment in life? How you can find that contentment that will last longer this time? We clutter our life with so much meaningless work and activities that it is easy to lose sight of the way that God has meant your existence to be. He designed us and it is up to us to discover the life we were born to live.

Life is meant to be enjoyable, fulfilling, and satisfying; there is so much more to it than just existing or struggling or even surviving. I just have been watching a teaching from Dr. Don Colbert and he said that things/material possessions only produce 10% happiness. Personality makes up about 50% and 40% comes from how we think, our actions and reactions. I thought that was very interesting, because we think, in our way of living, that things bring us the satisfaction that we desire so much.

Truly happy people have found that fulfillment finds its source deep within and is largely unaffected by external surroundings or material possessions. The world however thinks totally different; the world is always pulling us to buy this and do that and most of the times, we fall into that trap.

Several years ago, a U.S. news magazine conducted a survey, questioning people in various income categories. People with an annual income of $25,000 were asked how much money it would take for them to live “the American Dream.” The average answer was $54,000 annually. The same question was asked of people making $100,000 annually; their average answer was $192,000.

What do the results of this survey tell us? Until we come to the understanding that living satisfied comes from our heart and the way we think; our mindset, we will always think that we need more things in our way of living to reach our goal in life. A very rich man once answered the question of how much it takes to be rich with “just a little more”. That is what most people think “just a little more.”

Benjamin Franklin said it his way, “To be content makes a poor man rich and discontent makes a rich man poor.” To really enjoy a life of fulfilment on a daily basis, we need to have our eyes on the right source.

To enjoy this kind of fulfilled life on a daily basis, it is important for us to look to the right source. People around us and even our best family and friends cannot give us what we truly crave. People will always disappoint us, because we humans are fickle. We should never seek approval of others, material possessions or status because they are not meant to be in our days to give us that kind of lasting satisfaction that we think we so desperately need.

Oh yes, there is that superficial sense of satisfaction that can come from all kinds of sources, but that is not the kind of satisfaction that you are looking for, because they are always unpredictable and short-lived.

To be “satisfied” can be defined as the sense of having enough or doing enough; to be content; or to experience fulfillment and gratification. The problem is though that the average person never thinks or feels like has really reached that point of having done enough. That is why we need to have a close look at our perspective in life and to get a grip on the source of real fulfillment and lasting satisfaction.

Can you imagine how fulfilled your life with Jesus can be? His love and joy and abundance are living on the inside of us. Jesus isn’t fickle or inconsistent; He is always the same. He is the only person that you really can depend on. When we put Him 1st place in our life and we center our lives in Him, we become happier and stronger and on top of that we become much healthier in all areas of our way of living.

We have a better outlook on our way of living and because we feel so much better and feel fulfilled, our relationships flourish. Everything gets better, because our focus is not on other people but on Jesus who always causes us to triumph in every situation.

That is the key, that for a lasting satisfied life of fulfillment we need to become deeply connected with an intimate relationship with God. The person who created us to love us no matter what; the person that has experienced that is truly satisfied in the Lord because he understands that God is the only reliable source in his way of living. The only source that of true fulfillment, abundant provision, and lasting security.

This is how The Apostle said it:way of living

    …For I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little. I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me. Phil. 4:11-13

Paul tells us that we need to learn to be satisfied and that it is an attitude that we need to practice. You know, look at the children; they are never content on their own. They always want something new. Marketers know this for a fact; they place the goodies for the children on a lower eye level just for them. We as mommies have to tell them that they cannot get everything they want, right? Children aren’t satisfied with what they have; they want what they don’t have.

Sadly enough many people are still the same when they grow up. Teenagers almost always give in on peer pressure; they want to have the latest thing in the store because “everyone has it.” Far too often, that same childish behaviour carries on into marriages. Some people will always live with that constant feeling of dissatisfaction because of the things they don’t have.

There are far too many people who want to “keep up with the Joneses” and want to have the latest fashion and the latest gadgets or the newest car even. This dissatisfaction robs people’s joy and clouds their lives with discontentment.

Paul talks about attitude of contentment in First Timothy 6:6 (AMP):

“[And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.” Paul describes contentment as a sense of inward sufficiency. It is to be our source of immense profit.

Read again what Paul says in Philippians 4:11: “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” This same idea is also found in Hebrews 13:5: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

A satisfied life comes forth when we live from the inside out; when we can see it on the inside it will automatically show up on the outside.

When we center ourselves in Him, we discover the depth of Jesus’ love for us, and this brings the fulfillment we long for. It is from this point that we discover the power and security of living a contented way of living. As you become clearer about how you want your life to look like and about who you are in Christ, you will watch it come to pass in your own life and that is the true satisfied life.

The moment we are content and at peace with God, we can be at peace with ourselves. His peace brings confidence, no matter who we’re with or how intimidating someone may seem.

Question: What are the things in your life that keep you back from living your life with contentment and satisfaction? Please share with us and the other readers.

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How To Soar Into Your Dreams Like The Eagles

September 1, 2011 by 24 Comments
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How To Soar Into Your Dreams Like The Eagles

by Olga Hermans

One of the things that all of us know about an eagle is, that they are always up in the air or sitting somewhere on the top of a tree in the mountains. But we never have to stop our car for an eagle, because it wants to cross the road. Eagles are born to fly; they force themselves to soar to great heights and glide on currents of wind; this is placed within them by their Creator.

You know, in a way, we are like that. When God created us; He planted a dream on the inside of us or a goal that would push us to go to heights of achievement. But for many, that dream remains just that, a dream. That soaring vision seems utterly out of reach.

Some people dream of having a business or a witty idea; a new invention. Others dream of raising a great family or great relationships. It doesn’t really matter what kind of a vision you have for your life. One thing is for sure, that God didn’t place that dream there to frustrate you. He had put it there for you to fulfill it and to live right in the middle of it.

We can learn many things from the eagle. Nature shows us that God exists and it shows us His character. Romans 1:19-20. The Amplified tells us:

“For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiwork). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defence or justification].”

The Bible uses the eagle frequently. Deuteronomy 32:11-12 is a metaphor for explaining the ways of God.

Let’s see what we can learn from the eagle.

Eagles are very fascinating, isn’t it? They have symbolized majesty, strength and power; the Bald Eagle is the national symbol of the United States. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks revered the eagle. The eagle was the primary symbol of the Roman Empire, as well. In fact, every Roman soldier had an eagle inscribed on his shield.

Ok, we are talking about your dream and mine . When the Bible talks about an eagle, it refers to the Golden Eagle. They mate for life, and when the time comes to build a nest, they typically do that high up in a mountain cliff. They start with large pieces of wood and branches of sometimes 8-9 feet long. These large branches are usually placed upon a sturdy rock ledge or in a cleft in the rock.

This reminds us of what Jesus told us that those that hear His words and act upon them are like a man who builds his house upon a rock (Matthew 7:24). And God hid Moses in a cleft of a rock in order to protect Him from the awesome power of God’s glory (Exodus 33:22).

The most important key to the fulfillment of your dream is to make sure that your life is built on the right foundation and that is Jesus. Nothing else will ever matter or be right until you surrender everything that you are and have to Him.
When the gathering of the large branches out of the valley is done, the eagle pair will look for smaller sticks and bring those to the nest-under-construction. When that is done the branches will be covered with leaves to make it soft.

When the nest is done and the couple is finished, the nest weighs between one and two tons and will be able to withstand frequent winds up to 100 miles per hour.

This is the moment to start the family. You will see that the way the male eagles deal with the baby eagles shows us a lot about how God deals with us.

The female eagle lays one or two eggs in the spring and after a few weeks the baby chicks come out. That is the moment that the male turns into a very skilled provider; he does whatever it takes to provide for all the needs of the family.

This is exactly what God does for us when we get born-again. All our needs get met, Phil. 4:19
The father eagle does much more than just provide the basic necessities, however. He literally showers his young ones with gifts.

Scientists still don’t know why, but the male eagle brings “gifts” before the baby eagles arrive; gifts that have no meaning and above and beyond the necessities of life. Things like an old shoe or some tin can and things like that. And then something funny happens; the mother eagle inspects everything and throws most of it out. 😉

This is something that shows us how much God cares for us. The bible tells us that He wants to do so much more for us than just filling our needs. It says that He wants to “bless” and “prosper” us. He “crowns” us with loving-kindness and good things. God enjoys it to bring good things into our life, just because we are His children and He loves us.

We can compare Baby Eagles w/ Baby Christians

When the baby eagle arrives, mom and dad do everything they can to please and support the baby eagle. All the baby eagles need to do is to sit in their nice comfy nest and wait for the food. Isn’t that what we do as a baby Christians? I remember the first months that I was born again; it seemed that all my prayers got answered right away. I saw many miracles happening in my life right and left.

But we all know those days don’t last forever. In the first season God makes a lot of grace available to us because we lack so much knowledge and there is absolutely no maturity.

But then slowly God is going to hold us responsible for the truth that we have heard and we have to start using our faith to get our needs met.

These eaglets have to do the same thing. The day comes that the mother eagle comes back to the nest not to provide comfort and provision as she always did before. No, she begins to flap her wings and walk around in the nest for the eaglets to get up and start moving. The mother makes the nest as uncomfortable as possible by even taking the leaves out which leaves the eaglets no choice than to get up and walk around. They are forced to strengthen their weak and unstable legs. Do you remember the verse in Deut.32:11?

We truly can get too comfortable as Christians, and there is a danger in being too comfortable for too long. That way you will never grow or develop the strength to achieve your dreams if God keeps giving you everything that you want the moment you ask for it.

Do you want to know what happens next? The mother eagle moves her babies to the very edge of the nest, which is 10,000 foot high above the ground. Whatever these eaglets are thinking or feeling at that moment is nothing compared what is coming up next.

The parent is going to do something that we would find shocking in our natural mind, because the momma eagle pushes her young out of the nest at that time. The eaglet has seen the parents fly and tries to imitate them by flapping his wings frantically with not much success.

And then, just before the eaglet touches the ground, the father comes to rescue and catches him and carries him back to safety. Wow! This is repeated over and over again; this is how the young eagle gets more and more confident and then after a while it flies with the same majesty of its parents.

Do you remember the post on procrastination where we talked about the fact that people keep waiting on God instead of taking some action? They don’t want to leave the nest. They cling tenaciously to the security and comfort of the familiar and the safe. As a result, they never step out into the realm of faith. And it is only in stepping out in faith that they can ever soar on eagle’s wings into their dreams.

Just as God has placed in every eaglet the desire to fly, He’s placed in every believer a vision or dream. A dream that is tightly connected to God’s high calling for your life. A desire to reach toward the lofty things He’s called you to do. So, when will you stop tolerating your unfulifilled life a start to discover the life you were born to live?

Far too few people ever take flight in those dreams because they’re afraid to leave the nest. They’re afraid to risk rejection. Afraid to fail.

Once you get a general idea of what that dream is, you need to let God refine it for you. Then, the only thing that stands between you and the realization of that dream is the comfort of your nest.

If you’re seeking God with all your heart, He’ll not let you fall to your destruction, even if you make a mistake. Psalm 91:11,12 says: “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

There is no other way; when you want to live your dreams, you have to step out in faith. Never be afraid to dream. People who don’t dream, never will develop the motivation to step out of the nest.

Spend time with your God and let Him show you the dreams that He has for you.Then, when He’s refined that dream, step out of the nest with the confidence that comes from knowing He’s there to catch you if you fall.

Just remember, the only thing that limits God in this earth is how big you’re willing to dream and how willing you are to step out of the nest.

Do these things and you’ll ultimately find yourself soaring into your dreams.

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Question: Are you willing to get out of your comfy nest and go for your God-given dreams? Please share and start a discussion; every reader will like you for it 😉

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Ways to Success: The First Step Is to Stop Procrastinating

August 18, 2011 by 20 Comments
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“Nothing Is So Fatiguing As The Eternal Hanging On Of An Uncompleted Task.” ~William James


Ways to Success: The First Step Is to Stop Procrastinating

by Olga Hermans

 

Many times I have heard people tell me they are just “waiting on God.”   While it sounds very spiritual, self-sacrificing and honorable, I also find that more often than not it’s just a politically correct way of procrastinating or justifying indecision.  Instead of gathering information, creating a plan, and taking action, they can comfortably hide out in a theological wilderness with all the other Egyptians while doing nothing.

Am I speaking to you? We all have been there and done that. Many of us are in a position where we need to make a change. Yes, we know that creating change may not come easily, because our mind tends to view anything different as dangerous.

Our mind likes to hold on to things that it knows from the past. Let me tell you, if you are holding on to things of the past, it’s impossible to receive something fresh and new. Just let go. Way too many times our past has a hold on our future.

Many times in my past there was that one thing that kept me from being productive in my life. It shouldn’t have to be. Even to the point that I was almost paralyzed because I had made mistakes in the past.

But then again there was also a time in my life that I felt I was paralyzed because of past success which was holding me back in a certain state of “resting on my laurels.” Have you ever been there?

Until the time came that I started to invest in myself and started to do things daily; I started to pick myself up to get going and move forward to accomplish something that was a benefit not only to me, but also to the lives of others.

I absolutely needed to let go of the past; all those things in the past started to bother me to the point that I didn’t have any desire to do anything. Almost to the point that I felt really lazy and sluggish and I didn’t want to move forward.

Friends started telling me that there were so many people out there who needed to hear what I had to say; that they needed my talents, my abilities; that they were looking for me to encourage them in their life. I remember the moment that I started to believe them and my life started to flourish because my focus wasn’t on me anymore, but I decided to start to serve people.

You see, the moment you decide to get into the “people business,” your life will change. People in need wouldn’t care that my life hadn’t been perfect. Welcome to the human race!

This was the reason why I kept procrastinating and procrastinating; what a foolish thing to do to if I think about it now. Just wasting time away by not believing in myself, thinking so lowly of myself, always thinking the best of other people but never thinking of myself that I could do something worthwhile. That is who I was.

People often say something like, “If I only would know what to do, then I would…” The truth is that if you make a choice to make a move things will start to fall into place.

I have heard someone say once: “you cannot steer a parked car”. That means that we first have to put the key in the ignition, turn the key and start the car before we can steer the wheels.” That principle works the same with our life.

If your life is or was like that, let me tell you what worked for me, will also work for you:

Here we go:

Make a plan that you work on daily. Start to visualize and talk about what you would like your daily life to look like, the direction you want go, the place you want to live, what kind of business you want to do.

You also should avoid those dream robbers, they always come around when you finally start going. Many dreams get robbed by negative thoughts and feelings. The biggest dream robbers are people who like to come and tell you why things cannot be accomplished or why you in particular don’t qualify for that certain thing that you are trying to accomplish.

Just don’t spend any time with people who try to rob your dream. You can ask God for the right people to come into your life; who build you up and not tear you down. There are people out there that are waiting to receive what only YOU can give them.

Take care of your dream and nurture it, keep your dream alive at all cost. Treat it as a newborn baby. Then, you need to grow it and implement things step by step. You will see a difference coming soon enough.

Then, you need to write it down!

The Bible tells us to “write the vision down so that those who read it can run with it.” This is the moment where you need to be bold. Write all the things down where you see yourself in 3 months, then six months and in a year. If you can see yourself in 5 years, write it down and even in 10 years. That is how a vision statement starts. Keep it in front of you all the time and envision yourself with everything that you have written down.

The Bible also tells us that people perish without a vision. You need a road map to see where you are going. If you don’t know where you are going, you will never know that you arrived. You will miss out on all the excitement, because when you arrive at a place there is always that feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction.

Then the moment is there to ACT

Procrastination is the enemy. Ask yourself this question, what would you do if money were no object? This is a moment where you can let your imagination take off, take all the breaks off. What would you be doing in this world that needs you and is crying out for your talents and gifts?

You can do that right now. Dream, plan and write it down and then take a few baby steps that don’t have to cost you anything except time and energy on your part. These are the things that most people don’t want to do, did you know that? I have on my white board here in front of me, “Just Do It!” Once you have taken the first step, you will be glad you did it.

Let me ask you 3 simple questions:

What are your greatest three concerns that cause you to not go forward with your dream? And then ask yourself, “How would God answer to those concerns”?

  1. What simple steps can you make today that declare, “I’ve started”?
  2. If money were no object, what would you be doing differently?
  3. How many hours a week are you presently giving to meditating, envisioning, planning, and praying about your vision?

Please share your answer with us by making a comment; others will love to read what you have to say.
It might be your very first step!

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Seven Keys to Boost Your Confidence Instantly

August 15, 2011 by 16 Comments
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Confidence And Negativity Cannot Live In The Same House; They Are Like Oil And Water, They Do Not Mix!

 

Seven Keys to Boost Your Confidence Instantly

by Olga Hermans

 

If some people are confident while others are not there must be a reason. Let’s have a look at some keys to boost your confidence instantly and tap into some things that will help you live with more confidence and with more boldness; are you ready?

1.       Confident People are Positive

Absolutely! Confidence and negativity do not live in the same house; they are like oil and water, they do not mix! I learned this the hard way that being positive is so much better and more fun and fruitful. Being positive or negative is a choice that you have to make, it is a way of thinking, speaking, and acting. They come from a repetitious behaviour that we have formed in our life.

Our life is the way we are because we are the way we are; there is no other reason and sometimes that is hard to swallow. In life we don’t get what we want, we get in life what we are. If we want more we have to be more, to be more you have to face yourself. People don’t like to be around people that are negative.

It has been said that 90% of what we worry about never happens. Thinking negatively makes you miserable. Why be miserable when you can be happy?

2.       Confident People Say NO to Fear

Fear is not from God; it is the devil’s tool to keep people from enjoying their lives and making progress. That does not mean that we will never feel fear, but it does mean that we will not allow it to rule our decisions and choices and our actions. The Bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear. 2Tim 1:7
Fear causes people to bury their talents because they are afraid to fail, they are afraid to be judged and be criticized.

I DO know what it means to live in fear. When my parents died I was in my late 20’s; fear hit me like a brick. Fear came over me and filled me with a sense that I would never make it on my own and until this day I still have to be very alert to resist this fear. Feelings are fickle; they are ever-changing. The bad ones are there when you wish they weren’t and the good ones disappear when you need them the most.

3.       Confident People DO NOT Compare Themselves

It is impossible to be confident when you compare yourself to others. If there is one person that you can compare yourself with, it is you. Really, that would bring the best out of you! Why compare yourself to others? No matter how good we look, how talented or smart we are, or how successful we are, there is always someone that is better, and sooner or later we run into them.

I believe confidence is found in doing the best we can with what we have to work with and not in comparing ourselves with others and competing with them. Our happiness should not be found in being better than others, but in being the best we can be. What do you think?

4.       Confident People are Action Takers

I have heard that there are two types of people in the world. The ones who wait for something to happen and the ones who make something happen. We all have something to overcome. When you want to do something, don’t let yourself think about all the things that could go wrong. Be positive and think about the exciting things that can happen. Your attitude makes all the difference in your life.

Making mistakes is not the end of the world. We can recover from mistakes. In fact, one of the few mistakes we cannot recover from is the mistake of never being willing to make one in the first place.

5.       Confident People Do Not Live in Assumptions

Many people feel empty and unfulfilled because they have spent their lives bemoaning what they did not have, instead of using what they do have. We all know those thoughts that come “what if” I had my own house, “If I only” I would have more money, “what If” I would be married and “if I only” I could have had a better start in life and so on, and on and on!

One of the biggest mistakes we can make in life is to stare at what we don’t have or have lost and fail to make an inventory of what we do have.

6.       Confident People Bounce Back Quickly

So what if you fail? So what if you made a mistake? What else is new? We all fail and we all make mistakes. The good thing is that we learn so much from our mistakes.  A person is not a failure because he/she tried some things that did not work out. We only fail when we stop trying. I have heard it many times that most people who are very successful failed their way to success.

Let all those mistakes be training ground for you, you will be much better on the other side. If you never would make any mistakes, what would you learn? Nothing, really! One of the great things about God is that He always gives you a new beginning. One thing you absolutely shouldn’t do is to let the past dictate your future. Because you learn of your mistakes you are keen to do things differently.

7.       Confident People Know That God Loves Them

If you are a Christian you should know this for sure, but even if you are not a Christian you have to know that God is a good God and He loves you no matter what you do or where you have been. He loves you more than you will ever know.

There are people who feel so bad about themselves and then get around people who hurt them. You need to look for friends that you feel safe with. God will show you how to recognize them if you listen to His wisdom. One of the ways that God loves us through people and when we have the wrong people around us, we will always have that feeling that something is wrong with us.
God’s love is unconditional and makes you feel confident.

I want to close with this scripture

Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]
— Eph 1:4 -5

I hope that these 7 Keys will help you on your way to being fully confident; let me know which one jumped out the most for you.

If you would pay more attention to your thoughts and choose to think on things that will help you instead of hinder you, you will be able to boost your confidence instantly and you will enjoy being more confident. Think confident and you will be confident.

Question: Please share with us the one key that really impacted you while reading. Thank you!

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7 Steps to Have Your Prayers Answered

August 11, 2011 by 12 Comments
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But The People Who Know Their God Shall Prove Themselves Strong and Shall Stand Firm and Do Exploits

 

7 Steps to Have Your Prayers Answered

by Olga Hermans

 

Prayer shouldn’t be a drag. It should be the highlight of your day, starting early in the morning and then keeping an ear to the Holy Spirit throughout the entire day. Effective prayer will cause you to soar like an eagle in God’s plans for you. It is the key to tapping into the wisdom of God, which will elevate you above mediocrity and perform the “greatest exploits” spoken of in Daniel 11:32

… but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].
Daniel 11:32 Ampl

The next steps deal with fundamental aspects of praying that gets results; that is what we want right?  If you follow these steps you can be sure of prayers that get answered.

Step 1: Decide What You Want From God.

It is very important to make a solid decision James 1:6-8 says if a man wavers, if he cannot make up his mind, he is “unstable in all his ways” and he cannot expect to receive anything from God. There are different types of prayer; we worship and we have fellowship with God, but I like to talk to you right now about getting an answer to your prayer. Are you interested?

If we are not careful, our general type of praying will becomes habitual even when we need to be specific about a certain need. If you went to a grocery store and pushed the cart up and down the aisles without buying anything, people would think something was wrong with you.If you would send your child to buy certain items and he buys just those things, he is being definite.The same is true with prayer. It would be better to pray for 2 or 3 minutes and know what you are praying about than to pray aimlessly for 2 or 3 hours.

Decide what you want from God and be definite about it!

Step 2: Read the Scriptures That Promise the Answer You Need

As we feed on His Word, we build it into our consciousness. Jesus used the Word when satan came against Him in the wilderness. Jesus used the same weapon to defeat the devil that we all have today: the Word of God. When we pray for things that are specifically promised in the Word, we can have complete confidence that He will give us what we need.

The reason people are not confident and have no faith when they pray is because they don’t know the scriptures well enough to know if what they are praying for is God’s will.

Step 3: Ask God for the Things You Want

I know, we think and hope and it is true that He knows what we need Matth. 6:8, but He also tells us to ask Him for our needs and ask it with boldness in our hearts. Matth.7:7-8
God knows alright, but don’t forget that He wants us to bring our needs to Him and ask His help. Just do it!!

Step 4: Believe That You Receive

Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it]. Mark 11:23-24

Everything is provided for us in the spiritual realm. Our needs have been provided for us in Jesus. We may not be able to see them, but they are there. We need to use our faith to receive it out of the spiritual realm; faith will grasp it and create the reality of it in our life. Develop a stubborn faith that refuses to look at circumstances, that is a faith that produces results.

Step 5: Refuse to Doubt

Let every thought and desire remind and affirm that you have what you ask. Keep speaking your desires, the things that you asked for. We should not permit any mental picture of failure to remain in our mind. Never doubt for one minute that you have the answer. Tell doubt to go and get your mind on the answer.

Wipe out every image, suggestion, feeling, or thought that does not add to your faith. People have experienced great miracles and breakthroughs by doing this.

My husband and I had asked the Lord for a trip to be able to go to a Christian conference last year; we had asked this around Christmas time and the conference would be in the 1st week of August. We had made a big deal of it, but when time went by and the summer came things were changing and the circumstance appeared that we had to move end of July.

I really felt impressed to pack already in June, didn’t think much about it; just did it. We hadn’t talked about the conference, but assuming that we wouldn’t go. Guess what? On the day of our moving; it was a very warm day two friends walked into the house.  Two friends that we hadn’t seen for a long time came and told us that the Lord had woken them up that night (two brothers) and had told them to pay for our trip to Dallas. They paid for the airfare, a 5 star hotel, a car, for the gas, for the food and some money to spend for a family of four. That is how good our God is!

That was something that we hadn’t experienced before. It was an awesome feeling to know that my prayers were answered. If I had not packed in June already, things would have been very unorganized, I can tell you that. So, these guys helped us move until late at night. The next morning they picked us up and brought us to the airport and off we went! I can tell you, that He is faithful and He comes through! It was a miracle! We had an incredible time in Dallas, met some friends and were so refreshed because of all the preaching that had been going on.

Step 6: Meditate on the Promises

Prov. 4:20-22 tells us to listen well to His words and to tune our ears to His voice and to keep His message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Meditate on the promises on which you base your answer to prayer. See yourself as if you already have it and make plans as if it already were a reality. God will make His Word good if you will act on it.

If you are sick see yourself healed, if you are broke see yourself rich. Visualize yourself successful!
If you don’t stand by the Word, God can’t stand by you, even though He wants to. He moves in line with His Word.

Step 7: Give God the Praise

Phil 4:6 tells us to not fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting Him know your concerns. As long as we fret and are anxious, praying and fasting won’t do any good.

So do the opposite, start praising and thanking God. When you start thanking, you know in your heart that you truly believe and that you will receive it. This is the final step of prayer, that we lift our hearts up to Him in gratitude for what He has done and for what He is going to do for you now.

Andrew Murray said, “It is not good taste to ask God for the same thing over and over again”. I have to agree with him. If I kept asking my husband over and over for something that I really needed and he already promised to give it to me the first time; who would be the most disturbed about it do you think? Not I, because I really want to have it. He would be the one who would be most disturbed; because that would tell him that I don’t trust him. It would be better to be talking about it with excitement and thanking him for it and so on, right?

Question: Do you have a great testimony that you would love to share with us and our readers to give Glory to God? Let us know by leaving a comment. Thank you!

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