Living The Good Life

The Bible plainly tells us that:

  • We will be tested and tried.
  • There will be times of struggle, challenge, and difficulty when we must prove our loyalty, devotion, faith, and trust in the Lord.
  • There is an element of burden and work in our Christian walk with the Lord.
  • There are rare individuals (like the Prophet Jeremiah and John the Baptist) who are called into a ministry of ongoing leanness and/or suffering.

But, the message the Bible emphasizes over and over from front to back…is that it is God’s will for His people to predominately enjoy a blessed, happy, peaceful, joyous, successful, and prosperous life: what we can call “the good life“.

So, let’s have a Biblical look at living “the good life” that God wills for us.

Psalms Chapter 29
11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

You must be one of God’s people IF you want His strength, peace, and blessings. God must know you…you must know God…you and God must be in a relationship together through Jesus Christ…if you want God’s blessings.

Psalms Chapter 30
4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Hidden away within these scriptures is one of the great secrets of living life as a Christian.  When we live our life according to the principles and commandments given to us across the entirety of the Bible, we garner the favor of the Lord…and when the Lord favors us, He blesses us with the good life.

Psalms Chapter 16
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

God WILL reveal to us the good path in life…the way of life that is good, wholesome, healthy, blessed, and prosperous…and all we have to do to get access to the goodness and fullness of life that God has for us is to read our Bible and follow the precepts that it reveals to us across its entirety.

Now, let’s go to this: where is joy found at?

It is found in the presence of the Lord!

So, IF there isn’t much joy in my life, then I am not doing a good enough job of dwelling in the presence of the Lord.

Now, I may actually go to church…or to a private place of prayer…but if all I do is dwell upon my fears, doubts, or problems, then I am NOT dwelling in the presence of the Lord!

In other words, I can “ceremonially” or “figuratively” come before the Lord…and mentally and emotionally still be a million miles away from Him.  So, we must understand that ceremony or figurative does NOT get the job done.

Colossians Chapter 3
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

The reason so many people do not have the favor of God in their life…and they therefore do not have the peace, joy, and blessings of the Lord in their life…is because there is not enough of God in their interests and affections.

If I cut God out of my interests and affections, then I can count on God cutting me off from His blessings.

Psalms Chapter 28
5 Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.

Do I want to be destroyed?

Do I want my life to not work very well for me?

Do I want to block myself from the good life?

If yes, then all I have to do is not regard the Lord.

This is the state of countless people…their life is dissatisfying, unfulfilled, and miserable…all because they have no time or regard for the Lord.

The point is, we either harmonize with God’s laws, works, and precepts, or we get to suffer the consequences of NOT being in God’s favor.

2 Peter Chapter 1
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We want grace to cover us…do we not?  We want peace in our life…do we not?

Well, the way we get these things is by increasing and enhancing our knowledge of God.

With just a little bit of observation, one can easily see that people who know just a little bit about God have far less peace in their life than do those people who have diligently sought and developed a deep relationship with God?

To elaborate on that, if you have ever spent any time with a person who “ceremonially” gets saved…who “ceremonially” makes a confession of being a Christian…but they never really go any farther or deeper in the Lord than that…then you have probably noticed that they generally lack contentment, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life.  Consequently, they frequently bury their self in external activities…in an effort to fill the void they feel internally…to the point these external activities become pretty much the entirety of their life.

In contrast, those who continue to progress in their relationship with the Lord tend to enjoy significant contentment, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life.

The point is, the more you know about the Lord…and the more you relate to the Lord, the greater your happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment, and meaning in life will be.

John Chapter 6
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

It is only through Jesus that we are able to receive true life…the good life…both spiritually and naturally.

However, just because God has given something to us…that is, just because God has made something available to us…does not mean that we have actually received it.

It is God’s part to OFFER His good life unto us…but it is OUR part to do what is required of us to actually RECEIVE His good life!

Psalms Chapter 27
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

The closer I draw to the Lord, the greater my strength will be.  So, if I find myself lacking strength, then I need to draw closer to the Lord.

Deuteronomy Chapter 4
39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.

Deuteronomy Chapter 30
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Notice that the scope is bigger than just our own self. The way we live our life not only affect us personally…but it also affects and impacts our children.

So, not only can we block our self from the good life…we can also hinder or block our children from enjoying the good life too.

Now, let’s go to this: there are conditions and requirements that we each are individually responsible for satisfying in order to have access to the good life. In the preceding scriptures, some of these conditions and requirements are spelled out for us:

1. Love the LORD thy God. When a person genuinely and sincerely does just this one thing, it will immediately chart their course of life on a better and upward trajectory.

2. Obey his voice. God’s way is the good way…and so for our own sake…for our own well-being, God directs us to obey His commandments.

3. Cleave unto him. God will not bless us with goodness if we treat Him like a spare tire that we pull out when things go flat in our life. We will block our own self from the good life…and in fact, we set our self up for destruction…if we treat God like a “genie in the sky” who we mostly disregard…except for when we are in trouble and need help…at which point we call out to our “genie” for magical assistance, protection, deliverance, or provision. The fact is, God expects us to be in a relationship with Him that is current and up-to-date day in and day out.

Now, let’s look at another set of conditions and requirements that we are personally responsible for…that we are individually REQUIRED to obey and satisfy: wisdom, instruction, and knowledge.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 7
12 For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

Inside this verse is one of the great secrets to success in our natural life: the wiser we are, the better our life will be!

If we wish to enjoy the good life, then WISDOM is REQUIRED!

Bluntly, the main reason so many people stay stuck in a life of non-success is because they persistently fail to use wisdom in their choices and actions.

Now, it MIGHT be possible for me to be a saved Christian…but if the only thing I ever eat is donuts and candy bars…if the only thing I ever drink is soda pop…or, if I eat like a glutton day in and day out…then pretty soon my life is NOT going to be good…because my physical body will not be good.

Similarly, if I foolishly waste all the money that comes into my possession on lottery tickets…or shallow entertainment…or frivolous things…well, soon enough, I am NOT going to be enjoying the good life…because my financial situation will not be good.

The point is, in order for me to enjoy the good life that God intended for me to enjoy, I MUST exercise wisdom in EVERYTHING that I do in EVERY area and aspect of my life. I MUST be WISE / SMART / INTELLIGENT in what I do and do not do.

Now, what is wisdom? It can be boiled down to following, obeying, and honoring the principles that God has laid out for us in the Bible.

When a person obeys God’s principles that are spelled out across the entirety of the Bible, there are things they will do…and things they will NOT do…all of which puts that person into the good life.

For example, in following Biblical principles, we will be a diligent learner and worker who exercises discretion in every aspect of our life.

As another example, we will move towards people and activities that are clean, good, and wholesome…and avoid people and activities that are sinful, carnal, or destructive.

Just these two items alone can revolutionize a person’s life for the better…and these are just the start of what the Bible reveals to us.

Let’s take a closer look at what a Christian will do…and not do:

Proverbs Chapter 6
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

Proverbs Chapter 2
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Proverbs Chapter 4
13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

The question is: Am I obtaining and holding instruction…and honoring that instruction by using it wisely?

Well, the quality of my life answers that question!

There are some people who graduate from high school…and then vow to never crack another book open…or to ever study again…and any person who is foolish enough to have this mindset WILL suffer…they will NOT get to enjoy the good life.

Ephesians Chapter 5
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Once again, we are given the message that wisdom is REQUIRED if we want to enjoy the good life!

Now, take note of this…

Psalms Chapter 31
10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

Iniquity causes a loss of strength!

In other words, when we fail to obey and honor the principles that God lays out plainly and directly for us across the entirety of the Bible…when we disregard God…when we do not maintain a relationship with God through Jesus Christ…when we are unwise…when we choose not to learn…when we do not work…when we are not diligent and disciplined…and so on…then our strength…our goodness…our success…WILL fail.

In conclusion, when we live our life as a wise Christian, we cannot help but put our self into “the good life”…a life of peace, joy, happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment, meaning, well-being, success, prosperity, and so on.

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Following are some additional scriptures that one can consider…

Psalms Chapter 66
8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.

Proverbs Chapter 15
24 The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.

2 Corinthians Chapter 3
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Deuteronomy Chapter 5
16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Job Chapter 33
4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

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© 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

A Key Secret To YOUR Success

Today, I share with you a key secret to YOUR success. Maybe, nobody has ever told you about this secret…because they did not know about it themselves.

Maybe, you have never recognized this secret for yourself…although it has been laying openly before you all your life…waiting for you to recognize it and use it.

Or maybe, somewhere along the way, a teacher actually did tell you about this secret…but perhaps you did not recognize or understand it.  Perhaps it was so contrary to the mentality of the people surrounding you that it did not register with you.  Perhaps you simply did not like the premise of it.  Whatever the case, the net result was that you turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the secret…you promptly forgot about it…and continued on in your life without it.

Now having said this, if you have read any of my writings, then by the end of this article, you will recognize that this secret has been laced through almost everything I have ever shared with you…and now, it is time for you to fully understand this secret so that you can use it for good: for your own good…for good in your family…and for good in God’s Kingdom.

Today can be a turning point in your life!

However, I should warn you in advance…this secret may at first make you angry…it may go against principles you have believed in for a long time…it may seem like heresy and sacrilege to you…it may contradict the “philosophy” you have built around a narrow list of favorite, nice-sounding scriptures that feel good to you.

But, IF you have spent years (or decades) using your philosophy…and it has not produced the success you want, then I recommend you update your philosophy with this secret.

The secret is summed up well in an old Quaker saying that says: “Pray…but move your feet!

In other words, it is a good thing to pray…but DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE AND BENEFICIAL WHILE YOU ARE PRAYING.  DO MORE THAN JUST SIT AROUND DOING NOTHING WHILE YOU PRAY.

To say it even more strongly, the secret is do not waste time and energy asking God for things that He has given you the ability to create and manifest for yourself.

Realize that God has given you the ability to create and manifest far more than you may have wanted to admit or believe up to this point.

Specifically, instead of sitting around wasting your life away asking God for miracles…instead of languishing in unwanted, unpleasant conditions and circumstances (and perhaps dragging the people you love down with you) while imploring God for a divine intervention…just GO AHEAD and create and manifest goodness WHILE you are praying for God’s help.

How do you create and manifest goodness?

You devote your time and energy towards learning and working…while your mindset, drive, focus, and commitment is directed towards providing benefit and value to other people.

Instead of praying for miracles from God…or from other people…direct your prayers towards asking for God’s help behind-the-scenes…in those areas that are outside of what you can do, affect, or impact…while you do your part of learning and working smartly on the front-scenes.

And importantly, this behind-the-scenes part that is outside of what you can do, impact, and affect is FAR SMALLER than what the typical person lazily wants it to be.

It is common for a person to want God’s part to be the large, hard part…and their part…the part they are responsible for…to be a TINY, SIMPLE, EASY, NO-EFFORT-REQUIRED part…and that is NOT how success is…or how success works.

Bluntly, too many people want their success to come to them as a result of God’s divine, miraculous intervention…or as a result of some wealthy benefactor giving them a large money-gift…or as a result of winning some lottery…AND SUCCESS NEVER, EVER COMES IN ANY OF THESE WAYS!

Even if a person is able to work up a heart-throbbing story and thereby finagle a money-gift from someone…or even if a person happens to get lucky and win a large lottery…it will not be long until that person is in worse circumstances and conditions than they were in before they received the gift or winning.

Now, let’s pause here…you may well be popping in anger…you may well be rejecting what I am saying…because it is not how you want the world to be…because it is not how you want life to work…because it is not how you want God to be towards you…because you want God to align with your model…instead of you aligning with God’s model.  But always remember: how things really are…and how things really work…has nothing to do with how we “wish” things would be.

As an adult, you KNOW that the “idyllic philosophy” that a child exhibits in his or her “pretend play” simply does not correlate to success in the real world.

Pretending to be a doctor…or an astronaut…or a sports star…or a movie star…or any other high-performance person of success is very, very different from putting forth the learning and work necessary to actually BECOME such a person.

And yet, too many adults go through their adult life “wanting” their “idyllic philosophy”…their “pretend play”…to produce success for them…BUT IT DOES NOT…and the sooner they accept that…and update their philosophy to a grown-up philosophy…the sooner they can get to the success they want…and that God wants for them too.

Back to the child’s play…you will NEVER hear a young child say, “I want to be a low-paid, low-success person when I grow up.”  No child wants to be a trash-hauler, floor-sweeper, dish-washer, and so on. What every child wants is to be something big, important, meaningful, significant, and successful.

That is what God wants you to be too. In fact, did not Jesus tell us in Matthew 18:3, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven“?

But again, while child-like faith and child-like desires are good…a childish philosophy DOES NOT produce the success we all want to enjoy in life. Similarly, a beggarly philosophy DOES NOT produce this success either.

Now, I can hear some of you rejecting what I am saying…I can hear some of you quoting scriptures such as Matthew 18:19, John 14:14, John 16:23, and so on that tell us we can simply ask and whatever we want will be given to us…but YOUR OWN experience has taught you that these scriptures do not work in this way…which is confirmed by James 4:3, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss“.

So, let your anger go…let your resistance go…and let’s look at some scriptures that tell us the truth of this secret I am telling you about…

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou are in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” Matthew 5:25-26

Notice what this pair of verses TELLS you.

Notice that this pair of verses makes it clear that IF you end up in trouble, God is NOT going to bail you out…that you are in fact on your own and you are going to have to work yourself out of your mess without God’s help.

Now, why is this?

It is because YOU COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO AVOID THE PROBLEM…BUT YOU DID NOT DO “YOUR PART” TO AVOID THE PROBLEM!

But, doesn’t God love us?“, you argue. “Surely, if God loves us, He will help us get out of trouble, right?

Well, you have to understand that love and consequences are two totally different things…and love does not excuse a person from consequences!  In fact, true love administers consequences so that the beloved will learn and work properly.

Bluntly, this scripture is TELLING us PLAINLY that we should NOT expect or count on God to miraculously deliver us out of our SELF-INFLICTED troubles, problems, and messes…especially when the problems could have been avoided by learning and effort on our part.

Now, I grant you, God sometimes does deliver people.  In His great mercy and grace, He sometimes delivers people in spite of their foolishness and ignorance. But, to live life EXPECTING God’s miraculous deliverance out of self-inflicted problems will soon prove to be foolhardy…as proven by the corresponding misery and suffering such a person gets to live in.

Again, we see the secret…God expects YOU to do for yourself those things that you CAN and SHOULD do. And, if you do not, then YOU will pay the price and suffer the consequences.

If God has bailed you out of self-inflicted troubles, problems, and messes, then you should realize that was pure mercy and grace…AND…you should realize that God will NOT continue to bail you out…because He has already given you mercy and grace…He has already given you the opportunity to LEARN what you needed to learn…He has already given you the opportunity to do things PROPERLY and CORRECTLY…and if you did not learn what you should have learned from your past experiences…and if you did not use the opportunities to MAKE SURE YOU NEVER AGAIN MADE THE SAME KIND OF MISTAKES…then you can reliably count on the fact that you are on your own…and you ARE going to pay the “uttermost farthing” to get YOURSELF out of your mess.

The other thing these verses speak to…that we all know…is that life can at times be quite “adversarial”. It does not matter if you are the world’s poorest person…or the world’s richest person…or anywhere in between…life IS going to throw adversity at you. That is part of the curse that we inherited from Adam. But, adversity or not, there is always something YOU can do…there is always something that needs to be done by YOU…WHILE you are praying and asking God for help.

Now we come to the next scripture that pertains to this secret…

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee“. Hosea 4:6

It really is the most amazing thing…people will eagerly learn about things that have no meaning, benefit, or value…and at the same time, they will resist learning meaningful, important, beneficial things with all of their being.

They will diligently STUDY the latest sports stats…or the latest celebrity trends…but try to get them to read a book or listen to an audio program that will give them some valuable knowledge and they will resist, reject, and procrastinate…until ultimately the net effect is that they refuse to read or listen to anything that will give them knowledge.

They will invest spectacular amounts of time and energy towards learning how to work and manipulate charity systems and subsidy programs…but try to get them to learn about how to provide value and benefit to other people…well, you will find that it is a major up-hill battle because they are not very interested in that…and they have loads of excuses besides.

By the way…here is a side note for you to consider: successful people are constantly amazed at how HARD unsuccessful people “work” at being…and remaining…unsuccessful.

Unsuccessful people consistently work FAR HARDER…and SUFFER FAR MORE…in order to get their meager portion out of life…than the successful person ever had to work or suffer in order to create and manifest success.

But, this should not be surprising I guess…after all, the Bible tells us in Proverbs 13:15, “the way of transgressors is hard.”

Who is the transgressor? It is the person who is unwilling to acquire and apply WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, and UNDERSTANDING…the very items that the ENTIRE Bible directs us to seek, acquire, and apply.

So, understand clearly that if we reject knowledge, then God TELLS us PLAINLY that He will reject us too.

In short, people who reject learning…and who refuse wisdom, knowledge, and understanding…are rejecting and refusing success.

That brings us to this point: ALL successful people are LEARNERS! No exceptions!

But wait!“, you argue. “What about those people who did not finish high-school or college and yet they became millionaires or billionaires?

Well, I challenge you to dig into the details of their back-story…and you will infallibly find that the person was a diligent, dedicated, devoted, devout LEARNER.

Perhaps the person had to drop out of school for survival reasons. Abraham Lincoln is an example of this kind of person. But, after Abe’s long day of working to survive, history reports that his evenings were filled with reading, study, and learning. Moreover, history reports that Abe literally read books while he walked to work day by day. Abe came from the poorest of circumstances…lost his mother at a young age…but he was a LEARNER…and ultimately, he became one of the greatest…if not THE greatest…President the United States has ever had.

Or, perhaps the person dropped out of college because the learning pace was too slow or the learning depth was too shallow…and the person realized that they could learn much faster or more thoroughly on their own. Perhaps the person recognized that a college environment was just slowing him or her down from doing important things. Bill Gates of Microsoft fame is a great example of this kind of person.

Again…feel free to dig into the back-story of ANY truly successful person and you will infallibly find that they are (or were) SERIOUS LEARNERS!

Now, I DO believe in prayer…the Bible tells us to pray always…and I DO believe in miracles.

IF, like Daniel, you find yourself being thrown into a Den of lions…and there was nothing you could have done to prevent it short of denying Christ…then in that case, you can absolutely expect and depend upon God to provide a miracle.

But, outside of situations like this, when you find yourself receiving a miracle…you better realize that it is one of two things. One, it may be that God is giving you mercy and grace…and you better learn what you need to learn…and change or do whatever you need to change or do…so that you never again put yourself in a bad situation like the one God just delivered you out of…because if you do, you will most likely find yourself “on your own”. Two, it may be that God…in His goodness and generousness…is simply giving you a gift…which you should receive with thanksgiving and praise…while continuing your learning and working to provide value…without depending upon any additional miraculous gifts.

Ironically, the less you depend upon miracles, and the more you devote yourself to learning and working, the more “miracles” will happen in your life.

To summarize, do not waste time and energy asking God for things that He has given you the ability to create and manifest for yourself. Instead, devote your time and energy towards learning and working…while your mindset, drive, focus, and commitment is directed towards providing benefit and value to other people…and in doing so, you will create and manifest success for yourself, those you love, and God’s Kingdom.

One last point related to this secret I am sharing with you…

Unsuccessful people LOVE to proclaim that successful people obtained their success by being greedy liars, deceivers, and cheaters. However, prevailing reality does not support this proclamation.

Similarly, poor people LOVE to proclaim that the rich obtained their wealth by robbing the poor. But again, prevailing reality does not support this proclamation.

Certainly, there has been…and there always will be…people who are greedy liars, deceivers, and cheaters…but there are just as many or more of these kinds of people in the unsuccessful ranks of life as there are in the successful ranks.

Certainly, there have been wealthy individuals who took advantage of poor people…but there continues to be FAR MORE cases of poor people taking advantage of other poor people…than there has ever been of rich people taking advantage of poor people.

Similarly, there continues to be FAR MORE cases of poor people stealing from and cheating their employers than there has ever been of employers stealing from and cheating their employees.

The prevailing reality is that success stems from providing value, service, and benefit to other people. And, where there is a lack of success, there is a corresponding lack of value, service, and benefit provision.

Who are the successful people who have plenty of money?

The answer is easy…they are the people who are behind the many “brands” that we appreciate, value, and enjoy in our regular lives.

Why do we appreciate, value, and enjoy certain “brands”?

It is because they provide benefit in our lives. These “brands” are the best products…the highest levels of service…the grounds of trust and loyalty…the means by which life is made better, easier, and more enjoyable.

How did these “brands”…that we continue to GIVE our money to…come to mean so much to us?

Was it just luck? Was it just happenstance? Was it due to devious misconduct? NO it was NOT!

The success and wealth of these “brands” came as a result of certain people APPLYING and DEVOTING themselves to LEARNING and WORKING to provide value, service, and benefit to other people.

Search the internet…scan the business magazines…look for the “top brands”…and then dig into the back-story of how those brands came into being…and how they progressed. Today, many of them are huge, multi-million, or even multi-billion dollar businesses…but at the beginning, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE BRANDS was nothing more than an idea in some man or woman’s mind…and that man or woman applied his or her self to LEARNING and WORKING to create and manifest that idea into the thing of value, service, and benefit to other people that we see today.

They did it…and you CAN do it to…IF you APPLY and DEVOTE yourself to LEARNING and WORKING like they did!

You don’t need a killer idea. You don’t need a giant financial grub-stake. You just need to apply and devote yourself to learning and working…while holding your focus upon finding some small way to provide value, service, and benefit to others. In time, you may well find yourself in the list of wealthy “brand” creators and owners…enjoying all the success that God meant for you to have and enjoy all along. He was just waiting on you to apply and devote yourself to learning and working.

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© 2014 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

A Common Purpose For Every Christian

Every person has a unique purpose in life. There is however, an element of our purpose that is the same for every Christian alive. That is, we are to OCCUPY the space wherein we exist…and we are to strive to expand the boundaries of the space we occupy!

Here is an important truth that we must understand: where God’s people occupy, goodness, blessings, peace, and joy prevail…and satan’s destructive work is thwarted or destroyed.

Stated in the inverse, where God’s people do not occupy…where God’s people fail to occupy…satan will infallibly move-in and set up his own evil occupation…and wickedness, evilness, loss, destruction, and death will soon prevail. Just as bad, God’s people will find themselves suffering and being persecuted as a result of not occupying their space with Godly force.

Really get this…when God’s people fail to occupy, they set themselves up for needless suffering and persecution that God never meant for them to suffer.

Whether you live in a governor’s mansion…whether you live in the middle classes of society…whether you are a homeless person living on the streets, your job as an ambassador of Jesus Christ in this present world is to occupy your space around you with leadership, influence, power, and solidity.

Now, in most developed countries, it is no longer effective to try to push or force the gospel onto people. To try to do that is to misrepresent Christ. To try to do that is to push people away from Christ rather than to draw them to Him.

But, what we can do is stand like a pillar…like a beacon…that is immovable…that is solid…that is consistent…that does not change…and that exerts a Godly force throughout the space we occupy…and be a strong resistance to anything that is ungodly or evil.

We can be that light that repels wickedness and evilness. John 3:20 tells us that, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Be that man or woman who occupies your space and reproves evil deeds. Let the sheer force of God’s Spirit abound in you.  Stand strong, vibrantly, effectively, powerfully, and influentially in your space. Be that pillar, that beacon, that light that repels wickedness and evilness out of your space.

Again, where God’s people occupy, goodness, blessings, peace, and joy prevail and satan’s destructive work is thwarted or destroyed.

Being a solid pillar that is a beacon of God’s Spirit in your space means you must carry God’s spiritual force and strength within you that people recognize, respect, and honor. This is one reason why being successful is so important. Even if you are currently a homeless person on the street, be the most successful homeless person on your street so that you carry the highest possible amount of influence and clout with those around you.

Likewise, be engaged and involved in the lives of people around you. The more connected you are with people around you, the more effective and powerful your influence upon them will be. In other words, occupy in the lives of people around you.

This is important! If we are the Spirit-Filled Christians that we are supposed to be, then our “presence” is a magnet that attracts goodness and Godliness…and repels evilness and ungodliness. Moreover, even if our “presence” does not draw people closer to the Lord, it can at least be a polar force-field that holds people from moving towards more evilness and ungodliness.

But, if we are not “occupying” the lives of the people around us…if we are checked out…disconnected…busy…and unavailable…then all we are doing is opening the door to satan. If we are not “occupying”, then we can count on the fact that satan will move in to “occupy” our space…satan WILL INFALLIBLY plant evil people who are an evil influence in the lives of the people around us.

Now, I am NOT suggesting that you should go around trying to control people…because that will never work…and besides, that is NOT God’s model. There will undoubtedly be people who turn to Christ as a result of the witness that your life is to them.  At the same time, it is unlikely that all of the people around you will live exactly as they should. However, your Godly presence can most definitely keep people in check. Your Godly presence can hold people back from going even farther away from God. This, combined with your good and Godly works, combined with the good and Godly works of other Christians, allows goodness and Godliness to prevail and evilness and ungodliness to be thwarted, minimized, or destroyed.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, LET US OCCUPY until our Lord’s return!  And, in whatever way you can, expand the space that you occupy…squeeze out the works of darkness even more.

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Christianity Is Not About A Big House And Three Cars

Most every time I send out an article, I get a passel of emails back from people who are essentially chiding me for being too materialistic and not spiritually-minded enough.  In general, these people hold to the belief that more or less goes along the lines of, “Godliness equals poverty and insignificance“…and so they feel the need to correct me…to point out that I am off-track and misguided.  Interestingly, pretty much all of these people are very open to and interested in “charity” from a wealthy person…they don’t mind receiving some “filthy lucre” from the kind of people they condemn as materialistic.

Now, anyone who knows me…or who has met me…knows that I am about the least materialistic person they know or have ever met.  Actually, I perceive that most people are kind of shocked when they first meet me…I get the sense that they have built up some kind of flamboyant Richy Rich picture of me in their own mind…and that is not the kind of person I am at all.

However, I AM very much a believer that God’s people should be successful and blessed…I AM very much a believer that God’s people should be wealthy and significant…I AM very much a believer that God’s people should OCCUPY our world until Christ returns.

How did I come to believe this?  Well, I…like most others from my generation…grew up under the teaching that “Godliness equals poverty and insignificance“…and LOOK WHERE THAT MODEL HAS BROUGHT OUR WORLD?

While God’s people have foolishly groveled along in poverty and insignificance, they have opened the door wide open to satan and his minions to take over every important part of our lives and world. 

This should have NEVER happened! 

If God’s people had of been doing all along what they SHOULD have been doing…if God’s people had of been doing what the Bible teaches in its entirety…our world would NOT be in the shape it is in today.

Thankfully, more and more of God’s people are waking up…especially after we got past the year 2000…and are realizing that yes, Christ is going to return for His Bride…and yes, His return is sooner than ever…but, until He returns, His words, “Occupy till I come” IS what we are supposed to be doing…because the more God’s people occupy, the more they squeeze out satan and his minions…the more God’s people occupy, the more God’s Kingdom is built up and satan’s kingdom is destroyed.

Anyway, in the interest of expanding people’s awareness…or at least giving people an alternate perspective to consider…I am going to share and respond to a comment sent to me:

Hi, I just read your letter “The Path To Success“. At times, I can see that God works like this. But, He knows our hearts and at other times he uses other people to test our walk and to find out where our heart truly is (He knows). If we are blessed by Him, and a Brother comes to us in need, and we can help him, but we don’t – He sees that (1 John 3:17). Our true heart is what matters, not just what we say. Sometimes it is God’s will for us to help someone come out of a snare the devil laid for him or her. We own nothing here. It all belongs to God. I do not put God in a box that He does things in one way only. Our understanding falls short of His. Words are words. In the Book of Acts, they helped each other and no one went without. That is how we are to still to be one to another. It is not about the money. It is about His people (how we treat the least of His). So, sometime it’s not about them. Rather, it is a test for us…to find out where we really put our trust. Christ did not die on that cross for us to have a big house and three cars. Your brother in the Lord.

I completely agree that God does not fit into the box of our understanding…and I completely agree that in most things, God has a multitude of ways in which He can do things. I also agree that God tests us to see where our love and loyalty lies (Jeremiah 17:10, Revelations 2:23). Next, I agree that if a brother or sister has been caught in a snare set by satan, then Galations 6:1 is God’s commandment to us. And, speaking for myself, I can CERTAINLY agree that my understanding falls way short of God’s understanding.

With regard to the rest of what you say, let’s explore. Based upon my understanding, experience, and view, the key phrase in your comment is: “at times”.

Let’s spell out the verse you mention in 1 John 3:17…”But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Similarly, James 2:15-16 tells us, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Without argument, these verses are a SLIVER of God’s word…and the Bible teaches us that we will be judged according to God’s word…and therefore, it IS important that we know and honor these verses wherever applicable.

However, Jesus ALSO made it clear to us that we are to live by EVERY word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). That means we are to have the wisdom and discretion to consider the big picture of what we are dealing with and do our best to match that up with the entirety of God’s word, nature, and will.

To clarify, let’s consider other SLIVERS of God’s word…

2 Thessalonians 3:10 tells us, “if any would not work, neither should he eat“.

Matthew 7:6 tells us, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

I could go on…but these verses are enough to illustrate that it is our duty and obligation to consider WHY and HOW someone is in need, naked, or destitute…and to wisely respond accordingly.

As the Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 7:12, “wisdom giveth life to them that have it.” The reason MOST people have troubles and problems in life is because they have imprudently lived and operated without wisdom. And, it is important to understand that unless such people suffer from the consequences that correspond with their choices and actions, they will not learn to live and operate in wisdom.  They will simply continue to be a non-contributing drain on society as a result of their unwise choices and actions.

Now, let’s consider the example of a person who is drowning. Should you swim out and try to rescue them? Absolutely not! Does that mean you are a bad person? Nope! Again, wisdom giveth life to them that have it…and to swim out to a drowning person means that they are likely to drown you too. The point is, there is a wise and proper way to administer charity…and a LOT of unwise, foolish, and DESTRUCTIVE ways to administer charity.

There is another dimension that is particularly important for us to keep in mind as well…and this references right back to 1 John 3:17 and James 2:15-16. There are a LOT of people who “claim” they are Christians…there are a LOT of people who hang out in Christian circles to take advantage of Christian benefits and charity…but, the fact of the matter is that they are NOT a true Brother or Sister in Christ…they are NOT living according to the commandments and precepts God gives us…AND THAT IS WHAT THEIR “FRUIT” REVEALS (Matthew 7:16,20).

In your own life and experience, I challenge you to find a case where a true, Bible-honoring, Bible-living BROTHER or a SISTER is truly in need or destitute.

Assuming you live in a developed country (more on this later), I am confident you will find it VERY HARD to find such a person…because after all, as David said in Psalms 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I NOT seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Now, you will certainly find all kinds of NON-brothers and NON-sisters destitute and in need…as a result of their bad choices and bad actions…as a result of their non-learning and non-working.

You will certainly find people who go to church…who are poor and and in financial hardship…as a result of them having settled for living just a PORTION of what the Bible teaches…people who ignore scriptures like, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7)

You will certainly find people in hardship sitting in a worn-out Lazy-Boy chair in a dumpy little house during the middle of the day watching their just-released, biggest-screen-ever TV and chatting on their brand-new iPhone or iPad…people who are not the least bit interested in hearing about scriptures like, “labour, it is the GIFT of God.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:13)

But, finding a true brother or sister…someone who lives and operates according to ALL of the principles the Bible teaches…someone who makes wise choices, acts wisely, and who pursues knowledge and wisdom as instructed in the Bible…and yet is still destitute and in need?

Hmmm…that doesn’t quite ring true, does it?  That seems to be an oxymoron, doesn’t it?

In fact, in my experience…certainly within the realm of a developed country…and often even in a less-developed country…the ONLY time you will find a true Brother or Sister struggling in hardship is during their short season of testing…their season of testing where God is proving them and determining where their love and loyalty lies…and that is a whole different matter…that is a matter between that person and God…and it is never wise to meddle or interfere with something going on between God and another person.

The FACT is, God’s Word that He purposely and specifically provided to us IS SOUND, WHOLE, AND COMPLETE!  Nothing is missing.  Everything we need to thrive and succeed on every level…both spiritually and in the natural…is included.  And, ANY person who studies, honors, obeys, and applies God’s Word to us cannot help but thrive and succeed…because God’s Word IS the very essence and nature of God articulated (John 1:1)…and the nature of God is unyielding, unstoppable, increase, expansion, riches, health, and so on…just read the Bible and you can see that it is so.

And so, IF there is a failure somewhere in our lives, it is because somewhere, we have failed to absorb, implement, and apply God’s Word in its entirety.

Now, let’s consider the incidence you mentioned in Acts chapter 2. This DEFINITELY falls under the umbrella of your phrase “at times”. Specifically, this was a time when there was extreme persecution from the Jews against Christians. As a result, the only way Christians could survive at that time…and simultaneously allow the brand-new gospel to be birthed, delivered, and established…was to band together and support each other. We can find other “special circumstances” in the Bible where “having all things in common” was the appropriate situation for survival. Moreover, there are cases in our world today…in certain nations and regions…where it is still the appropriate solution for Christians. And, I believe that as we continue into the unfolding of prophecy, there will be even more cases where it becomes necessary and appropriate.

However, when we take the Bible as a whole to determine how God wants things to be in “normal” circumstances, we very much find that the capitalistic, individualistic model is God’s model.  It is the model that made the United States of America so great…all the way up until they decided to forget God’s warning in Deuteronomy 8.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 is an excellent expression of God’s model…”every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour“.

As another example of what I am talking about, part of God’s aggravation with the Children of Israel when they wanted a King was that it would undermine the individualistic model that God had them operating successfully in.  You can read about that in 1 Samuel 8.

I could give other examples…but suffice it to say that what happened in Acts chapter 2 is NOT God’s model for “normal” life…and any open-minded review of the Bible will easily prove that.  What happened in Acts chapter 2 is a model that applies to exceptional and unusual circumstances.

Really, we need look no further than the 10 Commandments to know this: “Thou shalt not covet … any thing that is thy neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17)

Plainly and directly, this scripture tells us that we are not to “want” anything that other people have learned for…worked for…and earned/deserved.  Instead, we are to learn for…work for…and earn/deserve our own good!

God has PLENTY of blessings and abundance for each and every one of us.  That is why there is no need for us to covet/want what someone else has…that is why there is no need for someone else to give to us what they have learned and worked for.  God has PLENTY for us…God is with us…and He is ready to give us all that we are willing to learn and work for.  We just have to be willing to do the learning and the work necessary for us to be able to provide value, benefit, and service.

Now, in everything I have said, I am not suggesting that charity, gifts, tithing, and ministry-support are wrong…because they certainly are not. Charity, gifts, tithing, and ministry-support are definitely a part of God’s model of living for us. And, what I have hopefully clarified above is that there is a very specific (narrow?) way in which these things are properly exercised and executed.

Through His people, God has many, many works and ministries going on that are legitimate, good, and worthy.  Being guided by God to be a participant of such works and ministries is always wise and appropriate.

But, outside of works and ministries that are clearly God-ordained and clearly creating greater-good, proceed at your own risk…knowing that most likely, the person wanting your Christian charity just wants you to make the sacrifices, do the learning and the work, earn the money, and then give it to them…after which they will turn around and CONTINUE rejecting Christ…CONTINUE making bad choices…CONTINUE acting in foolish ways…and CONTINUE to want other people to bail them out of their messes and consequences.

And again, yes…I believe there can be a few rare “times” when the Lord wants us to give to this kind of person…as a testimony against them on Judgement Day.  But, my advice is that you better make sure it is God moving on you because otherwise, you are merely “wasting your substance on riotous living” (Luke 15:13) and “casting your pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6).

Now, I know this article has undoubtedly raised the hackles of some people…so I will close with this: before a person starts parroting and pushing popular opinions, beliefs, and dogmas about what “Christianity” is and what “Christians” do, they should read the Bible in its entirety…and they should read it again…and again…however many times they need to…until they start to develop an OVERALL understanding of God’s true nature, will, and intentions.

The reason that God proclaimed David to be a “man after mine own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22) was because David’s understanding of God’s OVERALL nature surpassed that of everyone around him.  In fact, with the exception of Christ, we would be hard-pressed to find ANYONE in the Bible who better understood God’s OVERALL nature better than David did.

My point is this: compare the OVERALL nature of God as defined by the entirety of the Bible…and compare that to popular “Christian” opinions, beliefs, and dogmas…and you will inevitably find major holes and errors…or in some cases, you will even find that there is very little resemblance between the two.  The fact is, MOST “versions” of Christianity are derived from a very NARROW, distorted extraction of a few key verses drawn from the Bible and used inappropriately or given inappropriate significance…much like satan did when he tempted Christ in Matthew 4.

So, by all means, go to church…we are commanded to do so (Hebrews 10:25)…just find the church in your area that practices the greatest portion of the Bible…and make sure that you have worked out your own salvation (Philippians 2:12) with a full-featured study of the entire Bible mixed with prayer and fasting.  Otherwise, you will get to suffer…and any “witnessing” you do will merely mislead other people into suffering too.

NOTE: If you want to consider this topic of “money is evil” further, take a look at this article: Is Being Rich Bad?

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© 2014 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

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Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

How About A Prosperous Swing Upward?

Over and over in His Holy Word to us, God directs us to embrace one particular state of mind…

And yet, in our perverseness, imprudence, irrationality, silliness, and foolishness, we self-generate states of mind that are totally contrary to and opposite of what God tells us to have.

This is particularly odd considering that what we really want more than anything else is the same state of mind that God wants us to have.

When we embrace, have, and hold this God-ordained state of mind, everything in our life becomes well and promising. On the other hand, without this state of mind, we feel unsettled, disconcerted, flustered and our life becomes not-well and not-promising.

I am talking about peace!

Whether they realize it or not, what people are wanting is peace…because when people possess peace, they also have the things that go along with peace: happiness, hope, optimism, faith, courage, strength, joy, and so on.

When a person possesses peace, then no matter how bad their circumstances may actually be, they can move forward with calmness, serenity, tranquility, and optimism. Conversely, when a person does not possess peace, then no matter how good their circumstances may actually be, they stay stuck in agitation, anxiety, worry, fear, tension, distress, and frustration.

Experience and observation has proven to me that the more peace a person possesses, the more successful they will be…and that the less peace a person possesses, the less successful they will be.

Peace attracts!

NON-peace repels!

Now, I am not suggesting that peace is the only determinant of success…but I am saying that possessing peace IS a VERY important aspect of success.

But really, we sort of already knew this, didn’t we? We more or less knew this because every time we read the Gospels, it reverberates in the back of our mind that “peace” was a word that Christ used often. And now, effective immediately, let’s move the inactive concept of peace out of the back halls of our mind…let’s promote it to more than just a word that Christ stated frequently…and let’s make it a state of mind that we LIVE perpetually.

For many, this will probably be a challenge because they are IN THE HABIT of dwelling upon thoughts that produce NON-peace. Listen to people talk for a few minutes…or even a few seconds…and it becomes obvious what their underlying pattern of thought is. As some examples that I frequently hear:

  • I am all alone with nobody on my side.
  • I am not very good at [fill in the blank]. I never have been…I never will be…and that is why I cannot be successful.
  • I can never have my dream because I am unable to afford it.
  • I could never be successful like some people are.
  • I have a desperate need/problem…and nobody will take care of my need/problem for me.
  • I have a great calling for a great ministry…but nobody will give me what I need to establish it.
  • I have no way out of my troubles…and nobody to help me.
  • I just need a break…but nobody will give me a break.
  • I would like to shine for Christ…I would like to have a good ministry…but I have so many problems that are so big that I cannot even get started.

The question is, how much peace do you think a person looping and maximizing one of these thought-patterns is going to possess? The obvious answer is, little to none!

I have encountered many people who have BURIED their own self in a graveyard of THOUGHTS about what they do not have…what they cannot do…and what is wrong in their life. They are like Legion crying amongst the tombs (Mark 5, Luke 8)…they are people who have forsaken and rejected peace…the “way of peace have they not known” (Romans 3:17).

Now, I am absolutely talking about peace here…but I want to make a couple of important points relative to the above-listed thought-patterns.

The first point is this: people who think these non-Biblical kinds of thought-patterns are SENTENCING their own self to the very conditions and circumstances they do not want…confirmable by MANY, MANY scriptures including this one: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).

These people are OBLIGATING God to give them what they do not want…they are OBLIGATING God to hold them in circumstances and conditions that they do not want.

Importantly, whether you realize it or not, you DO have a certain kind of faith…and YOUR faith IS PRODUCING after its kind. It is impossible to not-have faith. You DO have a faith of some kind…and that faith is RELIABLY PRODUCING in your life.

People frequently tell me that they just don’t have faith…but what they do not recognize or understand is that they have DEVOUT faith…ROCK-SOLID faith…POWERFULLY-PRODUCING faith. Lack of faith is NOT the problem. The problem is that they have the wrong kind of faith that IS producing what they do not want.

Over and over again I have encountered individuals whose belief/faith/thought-patterns was along the lines of: “I have a terrible problem…it is [fill in the blank]…and I cannot fix it.” And remarkably, these individuals had been able to support, hold on to, and maintain this same problem beyond anything that was humanly or naturally possible. In the natural, the problem would have LONG AGO dissipated or resolved itself…except these people’s faith was obligating God to hold the problem firmly in place…and yet, they were trying to convince me that they did not have any faith.

Again, the problem was NOT that they did not have faith. The problem was that they had TOO MUCH of the WRONG KIND of faith.

As it applies to you, what kind of faith is your faith?

You absolutely, infallibly have faith…it’s just a question of what TYPE of faith is it?

How are you using your faith?

What are you using your faith to produce in your life and in the lives of others?

Is your faith producing what you want?

Are you using your faith to hold on to problems…or, are you using your faith to see and manifest solutions and blessings?

As you consider these questions, is it perhaps time for you to upgrade and improve the kind of faith that you have and use…so that you can produce more desirable, more enjoyable things in your life and in the lives of others?

Okay…I am still talking about peace…and now, let’s delve into the second point I want to make…

In the list of thought-patterns above, notice how many of these people had FOOLISHLY placed the resolution of their problems, their well-being, and their success into the hands of “somebody else”. Notice how they FOOLISHLY wanted someone else to fix their problems. Notice how they FOOLISHLY wanted someone else to take care of their challenges and their issues for them. Notice how they FOOLISHLY wanted someone else to pick them up and set them onto the path of success.

But here is the thing: if these people do not care about their own problems enough to seriously get up and fix them, then why should anyone else care about them any more than they do? If a person does not care about their own issues enough to get up and constructively do something about them until they are conquered and resolved, then there is no reason for anyone else to care about that person’s issues either. The Bible certainly backs this up. For example, “if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

More to the point, how much peace can a person have if they have abdicated responsibility for their own issues? How much peace can a person have if they placed their well-being into the hands of other people? How much peace can a person have if they are stuck waiting in dependency upon someone else? Well again, the obvious answer is little to none!

The Bible plainly tells us: “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil” (Proverbs 16:17). Bluntly, what that means is that IF a person is in a bad situation, then it is time for them to personally put learning, work, and perseverance into “departing” from the “evil” issues in their life.

If you want the same point in different terms, then consider this: “glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good” (Romans 2:10).

Now, we talk of “having” peace…but in reality, peace is NOT something you just “have”. In life, there are certain things that we “have”…and there are things we must “appropriate”. As I described above, faith is something you just “have”…and the only question is one of HOW you are using that faith…of whether you are using your faith for good, bad, or indifference. But, peace is different. Peace is one of those things that we must appropriate…meaning that peace is something we must consciously, purposely take, acquire, seize, and hold for our own use and benefit.

Of course, we sort of already know this because we are all familiar with the scripture that says: “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Similarly, Isaiah 26:3 tells us, “Thou [God] will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

But, are we actively doing what we know to do?

Well, that leads us to this truth: each person HAS DECIDED whether he or she wants the joys and benefits of peace…or if he or she wants to take pleasure in NON-peace.

Huh? What’s that?

That’s right…I said exactly what I meant. There are people who take pleasure in NON-peace. They like the pleasure of attention that their focus on their problems brings them. They like the pleasure of pity directed at them as a result of their troubles. They like the pleasure of emotionally working themselves up into a negative frenzy. They like the pleasure of negative drama stewed up between their self and others.

These people say they want peace…but they are unwilling to let go of their NON-peace “pleasures”.

However, when we become ready for the far-superior pleasures and benefits of peace, we each possess the God-given power to CHANGE our decision and to possess peace instead of non-peace. It is simply a matter of whether we really want to or not.

My advice is choose peace. My advice is appropriate peace. My advice is develop the habit of living in a state of peace. My advice is that in all things…in every area of your life…go for peace…go to peace…go in peace…stay with peace.

Of course, this is the same advice that the Apostle Paul gave us a long time ago: “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace” (Romans 14:19).

My peace I give you“, Jesus tells us. He continues on to say, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) Jesus GIVES us the opportunity and possibility of possessing His gift of peace. But, we are not required or forced to accept or receive His gift of peace. Again, it is our choice to make.

In order to possess peace, diligence and discipline are required: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)  Diligence and discipline are required…but the rewards and benefits are well worth it.

Again and again in the Gospels, we read that Jesus “held his peace“. This does NOT mean that He was sitting or standing in silence while negative thoughts ran through his mind. It means literally that He silently HELD his mind on God-thoughts…He HELD his mind on positive faith. Christ understood that He had a purpose and a direction…and He did not allow anything to sway Him from the state of mind that He needed to possess in order to fulfill his purpose and move forward in His direction.

Similarly, again and again, as we read of the miracles of Christ, we find that “peace” was a significant part of the equation. “Peace be still“, “go in peace“, and “peace be with you” were key decrees that corresponded with many miracles.

By appropriating peace…and by possessing peace as your dominant state of mind, you eliminate all possible failure from your life…and the ONLY remaining option is a prosperous swing upward. Sure, troubles and trials may arise…but with peace…you will come through those troubles and trials all the better off for having gone through them.

And, if you cannot seem to muster up the ability to appropriate and possess peace, then bluntly, that means you have given too much space within yourself to the “lusts of the flesh”…to the negative thoughts that produce negative emotions…all of which produces NON-action…and not enough space to proper, Biblically-based, Godly thoughts…which produce good-action. (Acts 10:36)

I’ll close with this…

LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.” (Isaiah 26:12)

Isn’t that a marvelous, beautiful, encouraging verse?

The Lord HAS ordained peace for YOU!  God WANTS you to HAVE peace.  And, good works and good outcomes ARE within you…because God PUT them there!  That means no matter who you are…where you are at…or what you have or do not have…you DO have the ability to learn, work, create, produce, and deliver something that is good, beneficial, useful, helpful, and valuable…which means you have the ability to manifest the blessings and success in YOUR life that God has placed within you.

YOU are like the MIGHTY acorn…everything needed to become a great and MIGHTY oak tree is contained within that acorn…and everything needed to become a great and mighty person for God and for good is contained within you…and all you have to do is IMPLANT yourself with thoughts of peace…with thoughts of goodness and blessings…and start learning and working towards delivering something of value, benefit, or service to some person or group of people.

Of course, before that can happen, you will have to STOP looping NON-peaceful thoughts…you will have to let go of all your NON-peace “pleasures”.  But, the peace and blessings that start coming to you will be well worth stopping and letting go of NON-peace.  I promise you.  More importantly, God’s Word promises you!

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© 2014 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

The Path To Success

The Bible is a God-given book that teaches us the way to salvation…we know that. But, it is also the greatest book ever written about success, happiness, peace, and well-being. Bizarrely, instead of being people’s most-read, first-accessed book, it is typically the book people read least and access last.

Experience and observation has proven to me that there is no faster way to improve one’s circumstances and conditions in life than to get into the Word of God and accept, absorb, embrace, and apply the truths, mindsets, strategies, tactics, beliefs, and perspectives that it reveals.

Between the things God has endowed us with innately…and His Holy Word the Bible…God has given us everything we need to succeed. And, this success…OUR success…is totally free.

In other words, God has ALREADY GIVEN success to us. All we have to do to PROGRESSIVELY RECEIVE this God-given success is study the Bible…grasp the instructions it contains…think, believe, accept, learn, and work in harmony with what it reveals…and incredible, uniquely-personalized success in every area of our life is infallibly ours…complements of God Himself.

Amazingly, too many individuals REJECT the success that God has for them. They snub, rebuff, disregard, “brush-off”, and “turn up their nose” at God’s path to success. They don’t want God’s success for them…they want SOMEONE ELSE to GIVE them success. So, these individuals go seek, push, plead, and beg for “gifts” from other people…thinking that IF they can just get a certain specific “gift” from other people, THEN they will finally be able to move into the success they want to enjoy.

But God…in His amazing love…even for individuals who reject His plan and path of success for them…will FOR A TIME actually BLOCK these individuals from receiving “gifts” from other people. These individuals seek, push, plead, and beg for “gifts” from other people…and in one way or another, God thwarts and prevents them from actually being able to receive those “gifts”. In other words, FOR A TIME, God will see to it that these individuals DO NOT get the very “gifts” they think they want…and that they are “praying” for.

Perhaps you have even experienced this yourself. Perhaps you have went asking for “gifts” from other people…all while “praying” that God would move these people to give you the “gifts” you wanted from them…but the gift never materialized. Well Hallelujah…you just got BLOCKED by God’s goodness and mercy TO YOU!

God does not want you seeking “gifts” from other people because THAT is NOT what is best for YOU! God does NOT want you seeking FALSE-SUCCESS from other people. God wants you to receive the TRUE-SUCCESS that He has for you.

Think about what I am saying to you in these terms…

Would you seek salvation from someone else…instead of from God through Jesus Christ?

Well, if you are a Christian, and if you know anything at all about God, your answer is, “Of course not!” You know that the first and greatest commandment is that you are to have no other gods before you (Exodus 20:3, Matthew 22:36-40). You know that there is no other source for salvation (Acts 4:12). You know that God wants you to work out your own salvation between you and Him (Philippians 2:12). In short, you know that God does not want you seeking salvation from anyone else except Him!

And GET THIS…it is exactly the same with your success. God does not want you seeking success and well-being from other people. God wants you seeking success and well-being from Him…namely, by being in right-relationship and by growing in right-operation with Him according to His laws, commandments, and principles.

As you move into right-relationship with God…and as you grow in right-operation with God…you will find that your success will invariably involve YOU providing certain value, benefit, and service TO OTHER people…as it naturally SHOULD…because this is God’s second great commandment (Mark 12:31) to us.

Now, why is that God specifically wants you seeking success only from Him? It is because success that has been worked out between you and God is REAL, ENDURING, SUSTAINABLE success. In contrast, false-success “gifts” received from other people merely put you in a slavish, weak, unpleasant, disagreeable position…and that is NOT the position that God wants you in. God does not want His people “being the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:43-44). God wants His people to “be the head” (Deuteronomy 28:13).

In Joshua chapter 9, we can read about a group of people (the Gibeonites) who sought their “success” from other people (the Israelites)…and verse 23 gives us the pronouncement that came as a result: “Now therefore, ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water“.

By seeking their success from other people instead of from God directly, these people cursed themselves to a menial life of misery…and this PRINCIPLE is just as true today as it was back in the time of Joshua.

This principle is expressed all through the Bible in a multitude of ways and through a multitude of stories. Perhaps the bluntest and plainest expression of it is where God says to us: “Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:5

The preceding verse logically takes us to this verse: “For such as be blessed of [God] shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” Psalms 37:22

What does it mean to be “cut off”? Well, there are both spiritual and natural aspects…but with regard to the natural, it means, “thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore” (Deuteronomy 28:29).

If you want to further explore the principle of seeking success from God only, I particularly recommend that you take a look at Isaiah 30:1-3 and Isaiah 31:1-3.

Now, going back to the phrase, “for a time” that I emphasized above…an individual CAN persist in ignoring the principle…an individual CAN continue rejecting God’s model…an individual CAN push forward with what they personally want…until God acquiesces to their “stubbornness and hardness of heart” and releases them…and turns them over to the misery, loss, and destruction that lies at the end of what they think they want.

Take a closer look at any person who has spent years seeking false-success “gifts” from other people…and you will see exactly what I mean…you will see someone who is clearly “the tail”. It was NEVER what God wanted or intended for them…but it is what they have “insisted” upon for their own self.

The kind of individual I am talking about here is operating under the false-belief…the illusion…that IF someone would just give them a certain-sized “gift”, THEN everything would be okay…THEN life would be good for them…THEN they could “get on their feet”…THEN they could FINALLY enjoy life…THEN they could do some particular ministry.

But, what such a person has FAILED TO LEARN FROM THEIR OWN PRIOR EXPERIENCES is that false-success “gifts” do not EVER produce true-success.

Actually, it would not matter how big of a “gift” such an individual was given…they could be given a “gift” that was 10 times bigger than what they “thought” they needed/wanted…and in a very short time, they would be in a situation that was an even worse mess with even bigger problems…than the situation they were in before they received the “gift”.

As the Bible tells us, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalms 127:1). In other words, you cannot succeed by going down any other path except God’s path for you. To try to succeed on some other path that excludes God…or that is outside of God…is foolishness.  Any path except God’s path is one sure to lead to failure.

This brings us full-circle back to the importance of the Bible. Consider these prophetic words spoken by men who failed to understand their own words: “But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.” John 7:49

Let us make sure that we are regular partakers of God’s Word…let us make sure that we accept, absorb, embrace, and apply the truths, mindsets, strategies, tactics, beliefs, and perspectives that God specifically reveals to us in His Word…so that we can be blessed rather than cursed.

Also, remember that the enemy of your soul and your life is come “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10)…so, IF satan can distract you from absorbing God’s Word to you in the Bible…IF he can convince you that the Bible is not important or relevant to you…or, IF he can get you to postpone embracing the Bible until a later time…then he has effectively defeated you and blocked you from the success that you want and that God wants you to have.

My advice is that you decide to succeed…by becoming a living expression of God’s spirit and God’s blessings…which is accomplished by you becoming a student and an implementer of God’s Word.

Also, remember that it does not matter if a person does not know the Word of God…or if they just ignore and reject it. Either way, a person gets to suffer the consequences of not receiving what is freely available to them. God’s Word is freely available to us…and therefore, we are not excused from the consequences of not living His Word. Whether there is an ignorance of God’s Word…or a rebellion against God’s Word…either way effectively produces failure spiritually and naturally.

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© 2014 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

Considerations for 2013

I.

You are to be commended for all the good that you have done … for opening yourself up to be a channel of God’s good and God’s blessings through you … over the course of the past year.

You are to be commended for having impacted certain people in a positive, up-lifting, and encouraging way.  Those people NEEDED that positive impact from you.  They REALLY needed it.  And God’s Spirit flowing through you … and you purposely being your best and most-developed self … enabled you to make that much-needed impact upon them.

You are to be commended for all the positive influences you have had in other people’s lives.  There were people who were going in a direction that was not good for them … but the love of God flowing through you … and your kindness, compassion, consideration, and care for them influenced them in such a way that they changed and began to move in a better direction.

You are to be commended for the important lessons you learned over the past year.  It was smart of you to look back over your successes and your failures … to look back over the good and the bad … and extract out the important lessons … so that you can carry them forward into the next year and use them in a way that makes the rest of your life … and the lives of those you interact with … better.

You are to be commended for all that you achieved and accomplished over the past year.  Achievement and accomplishment does not happen by accident.  It ALWAYS happens as a result of a person doing certain things on purpose.

You are to be commended for all the good choices and decisions you made … and for all the good consequences that have come and will come into your life as a result.

Now, let’s ask ourselves some personal questions and see if we can spot any opportunities for greater good in our lives…

II.

Was 2012 more or less the same as 2011 … which was more or less the same as 2010 … which was more or less like 2009 … and so on?

These are the years of my life.  Am I satisfied with them?

Are they meaningful years?

Do I want more years just like them?

Are they years of growth, development, increase, and value?

Or, are they years of sameness, stagnation, and mediocrity?

To chart a trend, one only needs three “data points”.  What kind of “trend” does the last three years of my life chart?

And, if the trend stays the same, what are the next three years likely to hold for me?

Now, if after considering these questions I feel pleased with how my life’s journey is progressing, then I can acknowledge and appreciate that.

On the other hand, if after considering these questions I feel displeasure over the lack of progress in my life’s journey, then I must ask myself, “When and how will I decide to do things differently and better so that I can get different and better outcomes and results?

When will I make the commitment to invest the effort needed to make a real change in direction?”

III.

The pattern of my life is a function of my meaningful learning’s, my meaningful efforts, my meaningful people-connections, and my meaningful value-offerings.

What have I learned in 2012 that was meaningful?

What effort have I invested in 2012 that was meaningful?

What meaningful people-connections have I earned, developed, and fostered?

What meaningful value-offerings have I created and presented to the world?

IV.

I have spent a LOT of money this year.  But the question is, what do I have to show for it?

Here’s another question … how much of that money was an investment in developing myself, my spouse, and/or my children in a meaningful way?

People who do well in life are continuously expanding and increasing what they are aware of, what they know about, what they can do, and the value they can provide.

People who do poorly in life rarely ever expand their awareness in a meaningful way, they rarely learning anything new that’s significant or meaningful, and they rarely offer anything of value to other people.

V.

Time and life are irrevocably linked.  To value my time is to value my life.  To use my time wisely is to bless my life.

Here is an important question…How much of my time … how much of my life … have I wasted creating nothing and earning nothing … while WANTING those to who have created and earned … those who have learned and worked … to give to me?

The strategy of letting other people do the learning and work … of letting other people do the creating and earning … while WANTING them to give THEIR REWARDS to me … is a strategy that will keep me in a state of UNHAPPY WANT.

VI.

How well have I nurtured and protected my ability to influence others for God and for good?

There is a way to interact with other people that positions me so I can influence them for good … and there is a way to interact with them that destroys my ability to influence them for good.

If I choose to be the kind of person who holds no influence in the lives of other people … if I choose to live and operate at that level … then I render myself ineffective and I block myself from much good.

VII.

When I look at the overall message God conveys to His people in the Bible, I understand that He wants me to be in right relationship with Him.  He wants me to love people.  He wants me to be full of good works and right deeds.  He wants me to be in good health.  And, He wants me to prosper.  The little book of 3 John gives me an excellent synopsis of this truth.

What this means is that God does not want me living a restricted, constricted, limited, ineffective, or non-productive life that is non-fruitful or less than my best before God and man.

The fact is, God WANTS me to be fruitful and prosperous … both in relation to Him and in relation to humankind.

Those who loved me before they passed on … and those who love me now … do not want me living a restricted, constricted, limited, ineffective, non-productive life that is less than the very best that is possible for me.  Actually, they want the very best for me in every area of my life.

And certainly, those who follow along after me in my footsteps do not deserve the harm that would come to them if I were to live my life in a non-fruitful way that is less than my best before God and humankind.

So, in what ways have I been limiting myself?

HOW have I been limiting myself?

What constraints and limitations have I accepted that really do not exist anywhere except in my own mind?

What possibilities have I blocked out of my life because of how I represent things in my mind?

How am I imposing constraints and limitations upon myself that imprison me and hold me back from the greater good that should be a part of my life?

How much good are these self-defined, self-imposed, and/or accepted-from-others limitations costing me personally … and all the others that I love and care about?

What do I need to begin doing differently?

What needs to change so that I am no longer limiting myself?

Also, is there anybody in my life who I have been letting hinder and limit me?

Have I been letting the mindset and behavior of another person hold me back?

If yes, when will I stop giving this other person power over my life and define a new interaction with them that serves me better?

VIII.

What am I doing that is affecting me adversely?

How am I doing things such that I am costing myself much good?

How am I behaving and operating such that I am blocking myself from the greater good that I want and desire?

Do I like costing myself good so much so that I choose to continue on as I have been?

Or, would I rather have greater good in my life to the point I choose to make the necessary changes?

IX.

It’s easy to go through life seeking entertainment and recreation while procrastinating on (or even avoiding) that which is important, meaningful, significant, and life-impacting.

Certainly, entertainment and recreation is needful if one is to be balanced and healthy … but a good thing over-extended … too much of a good thing … becomes unhealthy and destructive.

So, how much of my time, energy, and effort is devoted towards entertainment and recreation … and how much of my time, energy, and effort is devoted towards creating good, providing value, and making a positive difference in people’s lives?

These are important questions because I don’t want to be one of those people who spend and waste their prime years in the pursuit of entertainment and recreation.

X.

How much of my time, energy, effort, and resources am I devoting towards trying to gain the recognition, attention, and approval of certain other people?

When am I going to realize that it is pointless, fruitless, meaningless, and detrimental to live my life in this way?

When am I going to stop giving away my life to other people?

God truly has a purpose for me … He purposely put me on this earth to do certain good works … to affect certain people in a good way … and if I am living my life trying to do what other people assert is right for me … instead of what I know is right between me and God … then I am thwarting God’s plan for my life … and that is NOT a good thing to do.

XI.

How, when, and where am I going to develop and foster new win-win, mutually-beneficial relationships?

How, when, and where am I going to contribute to other people’s lives so that other people are inspired to contribute to my life?

How, when, and where am I going to develop and foster new relationships where all of us are encouraged, inspired, and uplifted on a spiritual level, on a financial level, on a health level, and so on?

Here’s a way to find the gaps in my relationships so I know where I need to developing and fostering…

If I had to have 5 people who could and would willingly, enthusiastically, and authoritatively endorse me and vouch for me on a spiritual level, who would those five people be?

If I had to have 5 people who could and would willingly, enthusiastically, and authoritatively endorse me and vouch for me on a business level, who would those five people be?

If I had to have 5 people who could and would willingly, enthusiastically, and authoritatively endorse me and vouch for me on a health level, who would those five people be?

If I do not have at least 5 such people in each of the important areas of my life, then that is a major limiting factor in my life that shows and proves I am not providing sufficient value in other people’s lives … and if I want greater blessings in my life, then I must provide greater value to many people which will in turn attract those key, high-quality, high-value people into harmony with me.

XII.

Positive, significant, meaningful, and important experiences with other people are always more valuable and enjoyable than are mere possessions or assets.

There is zero happiness in having and hoarding money and other material possessions.  But, happiness and satisfaction is released when money and material possessions are used and shared for good with people I care about and who care about me.

So, as I go into the next year, what experiences do I want to have with other people?

Who will I use and share my money and assets with so that joy, happiness, and satisfaction is released in my life and theirs?

Having said this, resentment comes from giving to or sharing with those who choose to be users, takers, moochers, and beggars for no legitimate reason.  The ONLY thing one should offer to such people is the opportunity to EARN.

XIII.

I do not watch others participate in life and wish I could win like they do.   Instead, I am an ongoing learner so I can participate and win.  I am an ongoing worker so I can participate and win.

To participate is to win. To not participate is to lose. That is why I participate … that is why I continuously ratchet up my skill by learning from everything … that is why I ratchet up my value by working intelligently and diligently … I am participating UNTIL I DO win.

I realize that many of the good feelings desired by the masses are on the other side of learning and working … and unlike some, I am willing to learn and work … which is why I enjoy many satisfying feelings.

Similarly, many of the possessions and experiences that the masses wish to enjoy in life are on the other side of learning and working … and my willingness to learn and work is precisely why I enjoy many wonderful possessions and experiences.

Those who are not happy … those who have not … those who are failing and losing in life will think I am weird and crazy for learning and working … and they will be quick to let me know what they think.  But, I pay them no mind because their results are NOT the results I want.  I want different and better results … which means I willingly do what they are not willing to do … and I purposely do what they disdain doing.

Of course, those who fail and lose in life “say” that they “work”.  But a closer analysis of their “work” reveals that they are like a disconnected windmill … the fan blades are turning … sometimes they are REALLY turning … but nothing much is happening in terms of producing something of value.

XIV.

As I go into 2013, let me keep the following modified quotations in mind:

“I choose to keep a green tree in my heart so that I will always be able to enjoy the cool shade it creates and the music of the songbirds it attracts.”

“Some people will love me for who I am while others will hate me for the same reason.  So, I choose to be all that I can be so that those who love me have even more to love me for … and those who hate me will have even more to hate me for.”

“This is the beginning of a new day and a new year.  I have been given this day and this year to use as I will.  I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.  What I do this year is important because I am exchanging a year of my life for it.  When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever.  When next year comes, this year will be gone forever.  In its place will be something that I have left behind.  I choose to make it be something good.”

“Every single human being is born with an equally incredible potential to do great and awesome things in their life.  I choose to be one of the few who actually does something incredible and great and awesome.”

“Most people look for what is bad, wrong, or offensive … and they usually find it.  I choose to be one of those few who are different.  I choose to look for … and find … what is good, right, and pleasing.”

XV.

How much am I appreciating the people who bring money into my life…whether an employer…or customers…or a spouse?

How much do I SHOW them love and appreciation?

It really is quite amazing how many people will despise, disparage, and vilify those who bring money into their life…and any person who does this should become aware that this is a proven strategy for CAUSING those people to STOP bringing money into their life.

So again, those who bring blessings, resources, money, wisdom, and understanding into my life…how much am I expressing and showing my appreciation and gratitude to them?

Is it enough appreciation and gratitude that they are motivated to continue pouring blessings into my life?

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© 2013 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

Make a mind-shift and make this year your best year ever…

We get so focused on what we are trying to get…that we forget about all that we have.

We get so focused on what we want…that we have no appreciation for all the good that is ours to enjoy.

We get so busy…we stay in such a rush…that we have no time to notice the smile of a child…the play of a puppy or kitten…the warmth of sunshine on our face…raindrops dancing on our skin…or the millions of other expressions of goodness and joy that surround us every day of our life.

We get so focused upon irritants…that we ignore all the good.

We loop old negative, unpleasant, unwanted incidents from the past in our mind…making the unpleasant and unwanted real to us again in the present…we give ourselves the “gift” of “enjoying” the unpleasant and unwanted again and again.

We imagine negative, unpleasant, unwanted incidents in the future…and thereby ruin the present…and create even more of that which is unpleasant and unwanted.

We have become very good at using our mind in a way that creates fear, anxiety, depression, and other unwanted feelings…and amazingly, we can create these unwanted feelings within our own self while mostly remaining unaware of how we are using our mind to do this to our own self.

This lack of awareness of what we are doing to our own self based on how we are using our own mind causes us to feel helpless and powerless…when actually, all we need to do is simply become aware of how we are using our mind…and choose and commit to using it in a better, more useful, more enjoyable way.

Thoughts ALWAYS precede feelings…feelings are the persistent after-effect of certain thought-patterns…therefore, good or bad, our feelings tell us HOW we are using our mind.

We need only select useful, enjoyable thought-patterns…and we can enjoy all the useful, empowering, pleasant, and wanted feelings we want.

Similarly, we have become very good at feeling sorry for ourselves…we have become very good at magnifying problems, inconveniences, or challenges…we REALLY know how to focus upon what we don’t have…or what we used to have…we REALLY know how to dwell upon certain disadvantages…so that we can justify ourselves in making foolish choices and decisions in the short-term…that will infallibly have painful, expensive consequences in the long-term…and we react to those self-created consequences by feeling even more sorry for ourselves….and justifying even more foolish choices and decisions…and if we don’t get hold of ourselves mentally and emotionally, we will stay stuck in this downward spiral until our life has become a total disaster.

We perpetually want our circumstances, conditions, and affairs to be different from what they are…creating great frustration and unhappiness within ourselves…and if we don’t purposely and consciously make a change, we will spend a lifetime feeling frustration and unhappiness.

Happiness really is pretty simple…

CHOOSE and COMMIT to not being offended at other people…especially your family and friends.

CHOOSE and COMMIT to ignoring the unpleasant and unwanted…and only give attention, interest, and energy to that which is pleasant and wanted.

CHOOSE and COMMIT to keeping your attention upon that which you appreciate and value…while ignoring that which you do not appreciate and do not value.

That which you give your attention, interest, and energy to GROWS in your life. That which you give no attention, interest, or energy to fades OUT of your life.

CHOOSE and COMMIT to enjoying the process of learning, working, and creating greater good…instead of foolishly wanting to skip the process and jump straight to the greater good.

Every GOOD thing you have ever wanted and obtained was the result of a certain process of RIGHT thinking, acting, operating, working, and learning. Every bad thing that has come into your life was the result of a certain process of poor thinking, poor-acting, poor-operating, non-working (or not-smart-working), and non-learning.

Similarly, everything that you ever will obtain…good or bad…will be the result of a good process…or a bad process…carried out by YOU.

And lastly…and most important of all…

CHOOSE and COMMIT to being in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. ALL happiness, contentment, peace, joy, satisfaction, fulfillment, and meaningfulness is dependent upon and stems from us keeping our soul, mind, and body right before God.

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© 2013 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

The Prosperity And Increase Principle

Do you realize that the principle for prosperity and increase is expressed repeatedly throughout the entire Bible?

And yet, this principle still remains hidden to 95% of the human population.

So, knowing that this principle is freely available to all, why do so few people know about it?

It is because 95% of the human population has a certain mindset…

• They want somebody else to give to them.

• They want somebody else to do for them.

• They want somebody else to raise them up to a higher level.

• They want whatever it is that they want without regard to the long-term ramifications or consequences.

• Their lusts, passions, and desires for notoriety, recognition, prestige, power, etc. drive their every thought and action.

This mindset causes them to be BLIND to the principle for prosperity and increase.

Would you like to know what the principle is?

Here is one Biblical instance of it: “yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more“. 1 Corinthians 9:19

There it is…that’s it…and 95% of the world resists it and rejects it because it is contrary to what their “flesh” wants. They want somebody else serving them…and they DO NOT want to serve somebody else.

Here is another Biblical instance of the principle: “by love serve one another“. Galatians 5:13

So, the principle for prosperity and increase is simply this:

You can be as rich as you want to be if you will serve enough people in a way they want you to serve them.

But again, this is backwards from how 95% of the world thinks. The 95% think, “I will help and serve others AFTER I am rich.

Actually, their more truthful line of thinking goes like this, “I wish somebody would make me rich…I wish I could win a big lottery…I wish I could find a lost suitcase filled with millions…and if I could have this miraculous stroke of good fortune, THEN I would be willing to do a few nice things for other “disadvantaged” people (who are thinking and operating just like I currently am).”

That is backwards thinking my friend. You will get rich by FIRST helping and serving others.

Now generally speaking, once a person from the 95% crowd understands and acknowledges this principle, they then SHUT THEIR SELF DOWN with a line of thinking that goes something like this: “I don’t know if I have what it takes…I don’t know if I could do it…what if I can’t do it…etc.

Well, consider Galatians 5:6, “FAITH which WORKETH by LOVE“.

The point is, have some faith in God. Have some faith in how marvelously God created you. Start caring about OTHER people more and yourself LESS…start loving people MORE so that you get the opportunity to serve them.

And now, if a person from the 95% crowd makes it this far, then they SHUT THEIR SELF DOWN AGAIN with another line of thinking that goes something like this: “I just don’t know what to do…

Well, in what way do people turn to you for help, assistance, advice, guidance, or support?

What kind of problem do people bring to you for help with?

Whatever the answer is, THAT is what you want to ramp up to a bigger scale so that you can serve even more people.

And, if nobody ever comes to you for any kind of help, then that means you need to do some personal learning, studying, and developing so that you can gain some skills and expertise that is useful to other people…and as you gain this skill and expertise, people will begin showing up asking you for help.

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© 2011 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

Wisdom And Life

Wisdom giveth life (everything that’s good) to them that have it.” Ecclesiastes 7:12

Right there is the secret to a successful life!

Either a person is applying this secret…or they are applying its corollary: “Foolishness…bad attitudes, bad choices, and bad decisions…giveth destruction and loss to them that have it.

Sometimes the consequences of not having wisdom aren’t that big of a deal…

Today, I saw an elderly lady today wandering around in the Sam’s parking lot trying to find her car. She had to be at least 75…and in all those years, she hadn’t figured out the simple strategy of taking a quick look behind her as she walked towards the store so that she would know what to look for on her way out.

So instead, she wasted who knows how much of the most precious resource of all…the ONE resource that can never be renewed or recovered…a resource that she definitely had a limited amount of…TIME…trying to find her car. And who knows how many hundreds of times she has done that through the years.

And besides, what if one of these days her old heart can’t take the stress of not knowing where her car is at? Well, I’m just sayin’!

But most of the time, the consequences of not having wisdom ARE a big deal…

Today, as I was filling up my truck with gasoline, an elderly man..65 to 70…pulled up to the pump beside me to get gas. He wobbled out of his truck, put the nozzle in his gas tank, set the lever-lock, and hurriedly jumped back in his truck so he could down a beer to settle his jittery, alcoholic nerves.

Absolutely, completely, totally, utterly SAD!

I’m sure there was a time he thought it was cool and fun to down a beer…but a lack of wisdom in his life has put him in a position where he is now a slave to something he wishes he could be free of.

I’m sure that when he was young, there was a crowd of “fun” people around him laughing along with him…but today, he was just a LONELY OLD MAN.

Now, neither of these examples may apply to you and I…but where are the attitudes, choices, and decisions we are SELECTING today taking us?

Are they taking us to life? Or, are they taking us to loss and destruction?

Of course, most people aren’t foolish in EVERY area of their life. In some areas, most of us are very wise. The problem is, there are only 4-7 important areas of life (depending upon how we section things out)…so if there are 1-3 areas that we are being foolish in, that has a SIGNIFICANT impact on our lives.

At the simplest level, the important areas of there life are:

* Spiritual
* Health
* Relationships
* Financial

So, if we are being foolish in just ONE of these areas, that means 25% of our life is headed towards destruction and loss. If we are being foolish in two of these areas, then 50% of our life is headed towards destruction and loss.

And even worse, when things aren’t working well in one area, it DOES impact all of the other areas.

It’s something to think about.

I say let’s choose wisdom in ALL areas of our life.

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© 2011 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

Poverty / Failure Mentality versus Prosperity / Success Mentality

What is the mindset…the mentality…of poverty and failure…and how can we make sure we have the mindset of prosperity and success?

Well, the first “operating characteristic” of someone with a poverty mentality is a perpetual FEAR of shortage and lack of money and other resources.

As I write this, we have an unusually high amount of snow on the ground for our area of the country…but before the snow ever came…as the newscasters were forecasting the snow…you could literally SEE and FEEL the FEAR as people thronged stores and purchased “stuff” in near hysteria…you could literally see the FEAR within them feeding off of the FEAR in other people.

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with being prepared…but these people were not just getting prepared…they were buying without any reason or rationalism…they were buying as if they would NEVER have access to supplies again.

FEAR was what was driving them. What was evidenced and manifested in response to an abnormal weather forecast is nothing more than an expression of the underlying problem…FEAR of shortage and lack. And, the FEAR response that was easily observed in these shoppers in response to the weather is the same FEAR that these people feel and operate from in the area of money.

This leads us to the next thing…

You would think that with all this FEAR, these people would SAVE and STORE UP a little something so they would have a little “breathing room” financially…so they wouldn’t have to feel that FEAR as strongly.

But they don’t!

Oddly, these people with a poverty mentality spend EVERYTHING they have…and often MORE than they actually have…on something that will give them some form of IMMEDIATE fleshly pleasure and gratification.

They are unwilling to delay even the SMALLEST immediate pleasure for a LARGER pleasure later on. They are unwilling to deny themselves ANY immediate pleasure. IF they can come up with A means by which they can obtain an IMMEDIATE pleasure, then they ARE going to do it.

This is why they live paycheck to paycheck. This IS why this week’s paycheck is gone before next week even gets here.

And actually, that is part of why they feel so much FEAR…they KNOW in their heart-of-hearts that they are NOT being WISE in the LONG-TERM. They KNOW they are not LEARNING wisely…they KNOW they are not WORKING wisely…they KNOW they are not USING RESOURCES wisely…and therefore, FEAR AND GUILT underlies everything they do…which drives them to continue using their resources unwisely so they can feel better NOW…which means their situation keeps on getting worse and worse.

Then, they look around for some person who IS learning wisely, working wisely, and using their resources wisely…and they want THAT person to “bail” them out of their ever worsening “mess” that THEY are creating for themselves.

It is a destructive, unhappy, self-esteem-destroying cycle they keep themselves in.

There’s more…

The Bible tells us, it rains on the just and on the unjust…which means good and bad things happen to EVERYBODY…no matter who you are, what you have, or where you live. But, people with a poverty / failure mentality are “able” to draw TWICE the “bad experiences” into their life as prosperous / successful people.

How do they do that?

It’s easy…they dwell upon…focus upon…and concentrate upon everything “bad” that really HAS happened…and then, they IMAGINE…they FABRICATE IN THEIR MIND…even more “bad” experiences, situations, or events happening to them…which means they get to FEEL the feelings of even more “bad experiences” happening to them…even though it has not (YET) happened in the realm of reality.

Some people are so good at this that they are even “able” to draw THREE TIMES the “bad experiences” into their life by going back into past memories of good experiences, conditions, circumstances or events…and recasting what really happened…so that (in their mind) their situation turned out badly for them instead of good…which means again, they get to FEEL the feelings of even more “bad experiences” happening to them.

What these people don’t realize is that they are literally re-mapping their future to be filled with “bad experiences”. They are “telling” God that they want all the “bad experiences” that they really do not want.

Prosperous / successful people DO NOT use their mind in these negative ways. If something bad REALLY happens in their experience, then they “take their hits” as they continue on learning wisely, working wisely, and using their resources wisely…which means they are mapping a future of greater good to enjoy.

If you are driving on a snow and ice covered road, you KNOW that once you are moving, you better not slow down or stop or you are LIKELY to get STUCK! And that’s how it is in life too…if you slow down or stop when something “bad” happens, well then, you are LIKELY to get STUCK right there where you can spend a LONG TIME dealing with that “bad” thing.

That is why prosperous / successful people keep themselves focused on moving forward, onward, upward, and creating greater good…so they maintain enough “traction” that they never end up STUCK somewhere on the side of life’s road going NOWHERE.

Prosperous / successful people DO NOT spend their money on IMMEDIATE fleshly pleasure and gratification UNLESS they can TRULY afford the luxury of doing so. Instead, they USE money for the greatest LONG-TERM increase and enjoyment — which soon enough puts them in a position where they CAN afford personal luxuries from time to time.

This is why prosperous / successful people are able to enjoy life MORE. IF they DIRECT money into something, it WILL BE money WELL DIRECTED because they KNOW it will produce a POSITIVE RETURN for them in some way that is significant, meaningful, and important to them.

Prosperous / successful people are NOT frivolous with their time, money, or resources. But, people who have the poverty / lack / failure mentality…the people who can LEAST afford it…are the MOST frivolous with their time, money, and resources.

Prosperous / successful people DO NOT operate from a place of FEAR. They KNOW that God WILL supply ALL their need…they KNOW that God WILL provide the opportunities for them to receive THEIR blessings AS THEY DO THEIR PART OF LEARNING WISELY, WORKING WISELY, AND USING THEIR RESOURCES WISELY.

This leads to the next major difference between those who have the poverty / failure mentality and those who have the prosperity / success mentality…

This could be one of the most important concepts I have ever shared with you…

Prosperous / successful people understand that there are DEEP, multi-level impacts, effects, consequences, and reverberations in relation to money and how it is used.

Allow me to illustrate…

People who research such things tell us that the typical American has between $3,000 and $8,000 of credit card debt. These are people who are ALREADY living paycheck to paycheck…they are ALREADY living to the maximum extent of their means…and yet, they have spent THOUSANDS of dollars BEYOND what they can afford.

This raises an important question; what were these THOUSANDS of dollars spent on?

Well, SOME of this money was for some “emergency”…maybe a vehicle needed some major work…or maybe some health problems cropped up…and because these people did not have a RESERVE in place for such an emergency, they were FORCED to BORROW from somebody who DID have a reserve…and they get to pay PAINFULLY for the right to borrow against somebody else’s reserve.

Now, if an unexpected / unplanned emergency arises, and you don’t have the reserve to handle it, then you just do what you’ve got to do.  But having said this, EVERYBODY “knows” that from time to time, “emergency” issues of one kind or another WILL arise in life.  So, would it not be WISE to prepare a reserve or get the insurances so that a person has the means to handle an “emergency” should one arise?

You may not be able to change your position during an emergency — but you certainly can before and after one.  The interesting thing is, the MORE prepared you are for an emergency, the LESS likely they are to happen to you.

But, here is the part that’s most important: MUCH of these thousands of dollars were not needed for some emergency. Rather, they were just spent on “stuff”. Most of these people could NOT give you an account of how the money was SPENT even if their life depended upon it. (In contrast, prosperous / successful people CAN give you an account of how they USED their money.)

They ate out…they bought something that was “on sale”…they took a little trip they couldn’t afford…they bought a relative a gift…and then a friend a gift…they found a special “deal” or “knick-knack” they just had to have…and the next thing they know, they have THOUSANDS of dollars racked up on their credit card.

And now, for the most part, the “stuff” is UNUSED or long gone. The clothes are collecting dust in a closet somewhere…or they have been given away to a charity. The toys are crammed in a box somewhere…or they have already been broken and trashed. For MOST everything that those THOUSANDS of dollars were SPENT on, there is NOTHING left that provides any meaningful value, joy, or satisfaction.

It was money spent for a fleeting moment’s pleasure and gratification…and the moment of pleasure is long gone…but the pain of debt grows worse with each passing month.

Now, if the story ended here, then this would not be such a big deal…but it doesn’t end here. THERE ARE ONGOING REVERBERATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES.

Let’s say a person has $5,000 of debt on their credit card:

  1. Their quality of living is going to go DOWN because now a portion of their “living” money MUST be diverted to covering the INTEREST cost of their $5,000 debt.
  2. The OLD $5,000 is long gone and now a NEW $5,000 must be generated in order repay the OLD $5,000 that is long gone.
  3. Because the NEW $5,000 MUST be used to repay the OLD $5,000 that is long gone, the NEW $5,000 CANNOT be used to create a better, more enjoyable, richer present or future.
  4. And, because the NEW $5,000 dollars could not be used to create a positive return of some kind, the person then loses out on THAT benefit and/or money as well.

I could go on…but I’m sure you get the point…HOW YOU USE EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR THAT COMES INTO YOUR POSSESSION WILL RESULT IN FINANCIAL REVERBATIONS THAT WILL AFFECT YOU FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.

A dollar spent on a moment’s worth of gratification can end up costing a person two, three, four, or more dollars by the time the effects, consequences, and reverberations are over with from spending that one dollar.

To illustrate in a simplistic, generalized way, that old $5,000 of credit card debt needed a new $5,000 to pay it off — and we are now at $10,000 — and because that new $5,000 could not be invested in some way to produce a return, we lost out on an additional $5,000 of gain — and what was a mere $5,000 has now become $15,000.  And, it doesn’t end here.  There ARE reverberations that extend well beyond these three levels.

People with a poverty / lack / failure mentality don’t understand this…they aren’t aware of it…and they don’t care to know any differently…they aren’t interested in knowing the consequences of their choices and actions.  They just want to make “feel-good-now” choices and they don’t want to have to deal with consequences.

In contrast, people who have a prosperity / success mentality CLEARLY understand the ongoing effects, consequences, and reverberations of using money and they operate and make decisions accordingly.

This is why the rich keep on getting richer and the poor keep on getting poorer.

The poverty / failure mentality says, “It’s ONLY a dollar! What’s the big deal? Lighten up and live a little! Have some fun in life! You only get to live once!

The prosperity / success mentality says, “It’s a dollar…and dollars add up quickly. How I use this IS important because if I use it for ‘A’, then that means I cannot use it for ‘B’ or ‘C’. If I use it for ‘B’ that means I can’t use it for ‘A’ or ‘C’. If I use it for ‘C’, that means I can’t use it for ‘A’ or ‘B’. And, if I use it for ‘A’, what is the long-term cost or gain likely to be? If I use it for ‘B’, what is the long-term cost or gain likely to be? If I use it for ‘C’, what is the long-term cost or gain likely to be?

And, because people with the prosperity / success mentality think this way, they are actually able to experience a much more enjoyable, pleasurable, and satisfying life.

Why?

It’s because they have REALLY thought through how they are going to use their money, time, and resources…and the effects, consequences, and reverberations of using their money, time, and resources…which means when they USE their money, time, and resources, it IS going to be in a meaningful, significant, valuable, and important way that REALLY matters over the long-term.

There is plenty more that can be said about what a prosperity / success mentality is and how to have it.  I encourage you to share your thoughts about having a prosperity / success mentality by submitting a comment below.

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© 2011 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

God Will UNFAILINGLY Bless Your Future Too!

There is a lot to like about you. There is a lot about you that is impressive.

For instance, the way you live your life by the words that Christ repeated again and again…”Fear not!”

The way you do not let fear overtake or consume you…the way you give no place to fear…the way you reject fear when unwanted news, conditions, or circumstance come your way.

The way you stay relaxed and calm about the few things that are missing in your life…or that are in your life that you don’t want.

The way you just seem to continue working forward…doing your part…while trusting God for His very best blessings in your life.

And, the way you do this really has worked well for you because as you look back at certain times in your life, God has UNDENIABLY blessed you.

Even right now, there are UNDENIABLE blessings in your life…things you can look at and rejoice about.

It may be that you think of your life as a large number of “parking spots” that encircle you…

The Lord is right there in the middle with you…

There are a few “spots” that are “empty” that you would sure like for the Lord to fill up with certain blessings…

There are a few “spots” that have something in them that you don’t want in your life experience…

But, as you broaden your perspective…

As you look beyond those FEW “spots” in your life that are not as you want them to be at this time…

Then, it becomes EASY for you to notice, appreciate, and enjoy the MANY, MANY other “spots” in your life that are already filled up with God’s blessings.

Well, that must be why you don’t let fear overtake you or get you down.

That must be why you seem to always just “know” that God will UNFAILINGLY bless you in your future too.

Yes, there is a lot to like about you. Yes, you are impressive.

Past, present, and future, God’s blessings are always connected to you and your life.

God sees you every day and smiles.

He particularly likes the way you strive to live your life in a way that pleases and honors Him…and as He sees that, He can’t just smile anymore…He breaks out in Hearty laughter!

Can you imagine that? God looking down at you and laughing with pure joy over you…by the way you live your life holy, pleasing, and fearlessly before Him…by the way you maintain full faith in Him?

My friend, all I can say is that you must be some kind of wonderful…you really are amazing and incredible…the kind of person who can easily expect wonderful blessings to CONTINUE flowing into your life in a greater and greater measure.

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© 2011 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

The Failure Mentality vs The Success Mentality

Do you still remember how exciting it is to read through the Bible in search of the hidden success principles that God has specifically and purposely put in there for you to find?

For example, there are multiple key principles “hidden” away right in the midst of a story that EVERYBODY has heard of and knows about…the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15).  I’ll give you one of these principles right now…

A certain man had two sons:  And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.”  Luke 15:12

This younger son had the mentality of failure…and in two words he revealed his failure mentality to the world for all to know…

Give me.  Give me.  Give me.  Give me.  Give me.  Give me.  Give me.

Perhaps as you’ve listened to people who aren’t very successful in life, you’ve noticed that they sound like a broken record as their speech keeps on repeating…”give me, give me, give me…I want somebody to give me…”

That mentality leads a person to poverty, want, and lack…that mentality leads a person to the unhappy muck and mire of the “pig-pen” of life…just as it did for the Prodigal Son.

Sadly, many people live their entire life in the “pig-pen”.  What makes it especially sad is that when they are young and able, they WANT others to “give me” out of foolishness and/or laziness.  But that WANT is a mentality that is so unhealthy that it quickly degenerates a person into a decrepit, broken-down, old person who NEEDS others to “give me” in order to survive.

You have seen it yourself…drive down the streets of any town or city and you CAN see it all around you…that 40-50 year old person who “looks” like they are 80 years old…that 40-50 year old person who should be generating the highest income of their life thus far…but instead, their foolishness and/or laziness has brought them to dependency.

But thankfully, you and I can avoid all of that misery because we have the success mentality…the mentality that the Prodigal Son FINALLY woke up to…

And when he came to himself…Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.” Luke 15:17-19

Now, we can hear the mentality of success speaking…

Make me.

Lord, help me as I put forth the effort to develop and grow in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

Let me SERVE.

Let me WORK.

Let me EARN the money and the good that I receive.

I no longer think that I am “entitled”.

I no longer care about status or position…that’s not important.  What’s important to me is that I want to BE a person who benefits others in a meaningful way that somehow generates good and generates money for both them and me.

This mentality led the Prodigal Son to a place where he was clothed with the BEST clothes and wore the FINEST ring…but with his newly-gained success mentality, what he “had” was no longer his focus…what he “had” was just God’s side-benefits…and what was REALLY important was what he was BEING and what he was DOING in God’s Kingdom.

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© 2011 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

How To Become Great

God has a certain wisdom that’s been stirring in your heart for a while…

Allow me to confirm that wisdom for you…

It’s NOT how much you have that makes you happy. And yet, so many people spend huge amounts of time and energy wishing they had more.

It’s NOT how much you get that satisfies. And yet, so many people spend huge amounts of time and energy wishing they could get more.

It’s NOT status and notoriety that fulfills. And yet, so many people spend huge amounts of time and energy wishing they were at a higher level and that more people’s attention was upon them.

It’s NOT having people look up to you with envy that brings joy. And yet, so many people spend huge amounts of time and energy wishing they were in a place of success that other people would envy.

And,  God’s wisdom stirring in your heart tells you plainly that all this “wishing” does you no good…and is in fact a block to you receiving your good.

So you ask: “What is it that does delight my soul?

And again, God’s wisdom in your heart reveals the answer…

It’s what you DO…that in some way makes the world a better place for certain people…and that in some way points those people to Jesus Christ.

You “know” all of this…because it’s God’s wisdom that’s stirring in your heart.

And in your desire to do good, you create much frustration for yourself that really is unnecessary.  Your carnal self rises up…overriding your spiritual self…

…and wants to do your good at a HUGE level…at a level where you have much…where you get much…where you have much status and notoriety…where people look at you with envy…

…and because you are at a level that seems to you to be rather humble and perhaps even meager…you feel very unhappy and frustrated.

But God, in His love and care for you…stirs again His wisdom in your heart…and reminds you…

All is well and all grows better.

Everything is right on time and right on pace with God’s perfect plan for YOUR life.

While it may be true that certain things don’t “feel” all that great right now…”faith” lets you know that God is creating and orchestrating great good RIGHT NOW out of your PRESENT circumstances and conditions.  Time will inevitably prove that your “faith” was the REAL truth.

God’s wisdom in your heart reminds you of Christ’s words in Matthew 25:  “thou hast been faithful over a FEW things,  I WILL MAKE THEE ruler over many things“.

And as you think about these words from Christ to you…you can realize that there’s nothing for you to be fretting about…there’s nothing to be worried about…there’s nothing to be upset or frustrated about.

All you have to do is this: DO whatever you can…right where you are at…with whatever resources you have…to make the world a better place for just one person…and while you are doing that, find some way point to point that person to Jesus Christ…and then do that again for another person…and another…

Soon enough, you WILL look around and find that GOD HAS MADE THEE a RULER over MANY THINGS!

Isn’t it a RELIEF to know that God will do the “heavy lifting” of “making” you great in His Kingdom?

And so, you can just relax now into this new year with complete peace in your heart, total faith and trust in God, and the full confidence to go DO your part.

As you do your part, God WILL do His part.

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© 2010 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

A Core Belief Of Great Men And Women

There’s a quote (generally attributed to Robert Schuller) that success coaches like to use to challenge people:

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

It’s a good quote because it inspires people to operate at a higher level. However, there is a problem with this quote’s line of thinking…man’s ability, strength, and knowledge is limited.

So, given this limitation, let’s consider a much more powerful quote:

I am holy“.

This is a quote from David in Psalms 86:2. Now, let’s be clear on what David is saying in this quote…he’s NOT saying that he’s holy like God is Holy. So, let’s recast this quote into what David IS saying:

I am one who God favors“.

Permit me to say that again…except this time, I want you to read it as if it were true for you:

I am one who God favors“.

How does that feel?

I’m wondering…would it bring tears to your eyes and extreme gratitude to your heart if you were to find out that God favors YOU?

I’m wondering…what would your life be like IF you REALLY BELIEVED that God favored you?

How would you think? How would you operate? How would you interact with other people?

What great and wonderful things would you achieve and accomplish…all because God’s favor was upon you?

The trouble is…FEW of God’s people BELIEVE God’s favor is upon them.

Now, IF we are NOT in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then we KNOW we are not going to have God’s favor in our life. There are many verses throughout the Bible that tell us this and as an example, Proverbs 3:33 tells us, “The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

But, assuming you are living, doing, acting, and thinking right before the Lord, then here is what you should know:

Thou [Lord] hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.” Job 10:12

As you live your life in Christ, here’s what you should know:

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12

among the righteous there IS favour” Proverbs 14:9

However, there’s another aspect to having God’s favor in our lives…

In every aspect of life, there are ALWAYS two parts…there’s God’s part…and there is OUR part.

For example…

For whoso findeth [wisdom] findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against [wisdom] wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate [wisdom] love death.” Proverbs 8:35

Good understanding giveth favour” Proverbs 13:5

From verses like the previous two, we realize it is OUR responsibility to learn, to grow, to develop, to turn learning and knowledge into understanding and wisdom.

And for some, as they look back over the last few years, there hasn’t been much growth in the area of understanding and wisdom…there’s been a lot of complaining and blaming…but not much growth.

And the thing is, IF we fail to do our part, THEN we HINDER God from doing his part.

There’s another part that WE are responsible for…

A good man showeth favour” Psalm 112:5

Too often, people are so focused on GETTING favor from someone “above” them that they fail to GIVE favor to those “around” them. But, that man or woman who habitually puts effort into SHOWING FAVOR to others cannot help but experience a favor-filled life.

Bottom line, make whatever shifts and changes you need to make…so that you become fully persuaded that “I am one who God favors“…and your life will go through such an incredible transformation it’s beyond your current comprehension.

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© 2010 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

Success According To God’s Design…

I’m wondering, has it become the case that you so want things to be a certain way that you’re starting to become impatient and frustrated?

Even worse, is your over-anxiousness starting to move you towards wrong choices and decisions…in an effort to MAKE the good you want come to you faster?

My friend, you don’t “make” good come to you. Rather, you DO the right things that LET good MATERIALIZE in your life.

Maybe, after you finish reading this article, it would be a good time for you to open up your Bible to the story of Abraham and Sara and the mistakes they made…the pain they cost themselves…the trouble they caused themselves and others…trouble that’s still going on today…all because they were over-anxious to have the child God had told them He would give them.

Now, permit me to remind you of something…

God’s primary mode of operation is the Law of Sowing and Reaping…the Law of Seasons…the Law of Process…

YOUR business is sowing right thoughts and right actions so that you reap the good you desire.

And here’s the deal…there is ALWAYS an interval of time between the sowing and reaping. No person has ever planted something good and immediately harvested the fruits and rewards…never!

What is that period in the middle between planting and harvesting?

It’s the period of GROWTH, right?

It’s YOUR time for growth…it’s YOUR time to increase your capacity to provide value to mankind and your ability to bring glory to God.

So, when you ACCEPT God’s design of sowing…GROWTH…reaping, THEN life becomes much easier, happier, and enjoyable. There’s far less stress and frustration. You can just relax into knowing that your good is on its way…that it is materializing.

And besides…right now…during this period when YOU GET TO GROW…everything really is ok. Is it perfect and ideal? Probably not…but overall, you really are ok.

Now, let me make a slight shift…the sooner a person gets focused on sowing their OWN good, the sooner they can start reaping their OWN good.

Why am I saying this?

There are those people who both sow “bad stuff” in their own garden of life and they neglect taking care of it. But, when harvest time comes, they don’t want the LACK that their “LACK of good sowing” has produced.

So then, they look around and want some “neighbor” who has sowed “goodness and blessings”…one who harnessed and directed his/her mind and activities for goodness and blessings…one who put a lot of hard work into taking care of his/her garden of life…to give of his/her good harvest to them…even though they’ve done nothing to deserve or earn the good that the “neighbor” has worked so hard to produce.

In Matthew 25 we read about 10 virgins…all of them were good people…but five of them were wise ones who took care of their OWN good…and the other five were foolish because they “wanted” the wise ones to give them of their “good”…and they were instructed to go get their own good for themselves.

We each have to take care of our own harvest by first sowing and then growing into the harvest we want.

That’s the model the Bible gives us.

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© 2010 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

The “Something” That’s Behind Blessings, Success, And Significance

There’s a particular “something” that all truly blessed, successful, and significant people have…

Because of the inherent desire that’s in all of us to be blessed, successful, and significant there are many who have studied, researched, and sought to find out what exactly it is in those rare people who are truly blessed, successful, and significant. People have spent years trying to find out…and when they are done, they come back and tell us about traits, characteristics, and behaviors such as:

  • Vision
  • Courage
  • Confidence
  • Action
  • Skills
  • Knowledge
  • Wisdom
  • Etc.

These all sound good…these are all important…but, where does a person get these at?

Where do these come from?

How does one acquire these so that they can gain blessings, success, and significance?

Well, I’ve got good news for you…there IS a “something” that’s deeper than all of these traits, characteristics and behaviors…there is a “something” that’s behind all of these and when a person has this “something” all of these other traits, characteristics, and behaviors automatically and naturally flow out of it.

Because you’re here reading this, you get to find out what it is…

The “something” that truly blessed, successful, and significant people have is an unshakeable belief in the goodness, nearness, friendliness, and supportiveness of the Lord to them. They are fully persuaded that God has good plans, intentions, and desires for them and they can’t wait to do something so that goodness can begin to materialize and manifest in their life.

When you are in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ and you have THIS belief resonating at the very core of who you are, THEN, vision, courage, confidence, action, etc. just naturally and automatically flow through you.

Stated differently, when you genuinely believe that the Spirit of the Living God wants to flow to and through you for good, and operate accordingly, then you will naturally and automatically exhibit the characteristics that bring about blessings, success, and significance.

King David…the killer of Goliath…the man after God’s own heart…had this. We can see it in scriptures like this one:

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalms 27:13

But, here’s the kicker…many people believe that God is good…but just not to them. Many people believe that God is near…to others.There are those who believe that God is friendly and supportive…of somebody else.

And with this belief, they BLOCK God’s goodness in their own lives.

You’ll hear these people complaining about the economy…about lack of opportunity…about limited resources…and they deny the power of God in their lives.

You don’t believe me?

Well, what are you going to do with God’s Word that says:

the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.” Psalms 33:5

And…

the goodness of God endureth continually.” Psalms 52:1

And…

we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy [God’s] house” Psalms 65:4

You know what I think?

I think you’re better than the way you’ve been thinking and believing up until now. I think it’s time for you to look at the following verse in a new way:

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness ofGod leadeth thee to repentance?” Romans 2:4

Are you guilty of not believing that God’s goodness applies to you?

If so, I encourage you to repent…to ask the Lord to forgive you for your unbelief (Mark 9:24) and begin to REALLY believe in the goodness of God towards YOU!

Your blessings, success, and significance depends upon it.

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© 2010 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

God’s Gift That Gives You Everything You Want

Are you aware that God has given you a special gift that has unfathomable potential?

Do you realize this gift God has given you is everything you need to get and enjoy all that you want to get and enjoy…this gift is everything you need to be able to help the people God wants you to help?

Did you know that when you accept and embrace this gift it brings you unending joy, happiness, and satisfaction?

Oddly enough, there are some people who have not accepted this gift from God…some have even went so far as to refuse this gift.

What is this gift I’m speaking of?

The gift of work…the gift of achieving and accomplishing…the gift of producing and providing.

Now, consider this…

Anything that a wealthy person does to create wealth a non-wealthy person can do too.

Anything that a person with money is doing to create money…well, a person without money could do the same thing to create money too.

But, they don’t.

It has to do with their perspective, their focus, their attention…and their willingness.

For example, wealthy people are concerned about being valuable…about creating and delivering value to other people.

That’s something that anyone can do.

But, non-wealthy people aren’t concerned about value…they’re concerned about just getting by. Or, they’re concerned about WHO is going to GIVE them what they want…and those are the people who are really suffering financially.

Wealthy people TALK to other people to FIND OUT what they would pay money for.

That’s something that anyone can do.

Wealthy people take what they LEARN from people and they creatively come up with a way to PROVIDE people with what they will pay for.

That’s something that anyone can do.

Wealthy people MARKET and SELL whatever it is that they’ve come up with that people want and will pay for.

That’s something that anyone can do.

Really, it is!

Right now, if you really put your mind to it, you could begin doing all of these things that wealthy people do. And, if you wanted to be smart about it, you could go to your local library, check out an armload of books and in a week or two, you’d have enough knowledge on these subjects to get started.

Literally, one to two weeks of study and research is all you need…the rest of what you need to learn you can learn AFTER you GET STARTED.

Getting started…that too is something that anyone can do.

But only successful, wealthy people actually do.

It’s interesting…successful, wealthy people became that way because they were willing to get started right where they were at with whatever resources they had. And, if you track back to the roots of MOST successful, wealthy people you’ll invariably find that that “where they were at” wasn’t exactly the greatest of circumstances…and the “resources they had” were quite limited…and THEY STARTED ANYWAY.

They started SMALL and through the GIFT OF WORK, their circumstances improved and their resources increased.

But strangely, non-wealthy people don’t want to start small. They want somebody to GIVE them several million dollars so they can start BIG!

Non-wealthy people want to go from a non-existent enterprise to an internationally recognized enterprise…they want to go from no resources to unlimited resources…and they want this to happen almost instantly…without any pain, embarrassment, or abasement on their part.

Thousands and thousands of people have told me that God called them to a ministry…and even though God “called” them, they are ready to give up and abandon their calling because they don’t know how to go from nothing to international…they don’t know how to go from nothing to unlimited resources…so they do little to nothing…except complain to people and God about how God called them but He won’t give them the resources they need…

But, He did! He already gave you what you needed. He gave you…

The gift of work!

STARTING HUGE is NOT God’s model of ministry or business. Go read your Bible…you’ll find that God’s model is ALWAYS about starting SMALL.

God’s model is always about YOU starting small…humbling yourself down…abasing yourself…so that God can make you great.

It’s in your Bible…from front to back!

We could use any great person from the Bible but let’s use King David. God “called” him to be King of Israel…David was literally anointed by God’s prophet to be the King of Israel and yet it was years before he actually reached that position. And, before he reached that position, the Bible recounts what a lowly, humble, and in several cases humiliating and embarrassing lifestyle David lived.

How many people do you know that are willing to humble themselves down to a small and lowly lifestyle so that God can bless and exalt them?

What about you?

There’s more…

In the case of David, the whole time he was small and lowly, he was busy WORKING, doing the best that he knew how to do before God and man.

This mindset that David had is revealed to us by his son in Ecclesiastes 2:14… “The wise man’s eyes are in his head“.

In other words, a wise person…a successful person isn’t looking around at what’s OUTSIDE of them and letting what’s OUTSIDE of them dictate what they can or cannot do. Rather, they are using their IMAGINATION to “see” good things and then they WORK accordingly to the best of their ability.

Maybe, that’s a shift in perspective that you need to make?

The gift of God…

Everything you want is dependent upon YOU embracing this gift.

All your hopes and dreams…

Ecclesiastes 5:3 says, “For a dream cometh through the multitude of business [much work]

Notice, the Bible doesn’t say your dreams will come to you through some person giving you a gift out of their bounty.

A person can continue to want someone else to give them their good…a person can keep looping on that strategy…but I don’t advise that approach because it only serves to keep your good pushed away from you. What brings your good to you is WORK.

But, don’t take my advice…take God’s…

Ecclesiastes 3:13 tells us… “that every man should…enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

What “good” is your labor producing?

Consider that question carefully because all the good that which you wish to enjoy is dependent upon YOUR labor.

Work…it’s God’s gift…it’s God’s design…it’s God’s model…

Ecclesiastes 2:24 says, “There is nothing better for a man, than…that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

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© 2010 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

Would you like for someone to give you money?

There was a certain man who was asking for money.

He really was in a difficult predicament. Circumstances and conditions were hard for him.

They had been for a long, long time.

No relief was in site.

And right now, all he wanted was for some one to give him some money.

THAT would make his situation better, he believed.

You can read more about this man in Acts Chapter 3 and what you’ll find out is that…

Money WAS NOT what he needed.

Oh sure, he could have easily found a way to spend and dispose of whatever money was given to him – but money wasn’t what he needed the most.

What he needed was a HEALING.

If you’ll receive it…

If you really want help…

If you genuinely want to turn your affairs around for the better…

You don’t need money either. What you need is a healing…a healing in the area of money beliefs and perspectives…a healing in your mindset about money…a healing in the way you want to “get” money.

You need a healing from that socialistic mindset that wants someone else to “give” you money…to “bail” you out of your problems…your troubles…your conditions and circumstances…

Which is the same thing as saying you want someone to RELIEVE you from the CONSEQUENCES of your choices…your perspectives…your beliefs…your attitude…your actions and inactions…ALL OF WHICH WOULD PUT YOU RIGHT BACK INTO THE SAME SITUATION YOU ARE IN RIGHT NOW EVEN IF SOMEONE DID “GIVE” YOU MONEY.

In fact, it’s not at all unusual for people who have been “gifted” bailout money to end up in conditions and circumstances that are WORSE than the ones they are in right now.

Here is your healing if you really want it…

Money is compensation for value and service rendered.

Provide little value or service and receive little money.

Provide much value or service and receive much money.

But, the money isn’t what’s important.

What’s important is the benefit that your value and service brings to people’s lives.

In providing value and service, you’re HELPING people.

By helping people, you FIT IN with God’s design and plan for mankind.

Yesterday, a friend reminded me of when we were boys…

The widow women we knew didn’t sit around down and out and poor.

Instead, they WORKED!

One of them made handmade quilts that were of such excellent craftsmanship and design that they were SOLD before she could finish them…and in fact, she had a back-list of requests that constantly kept her several months “behind”.

Another one made and delivered mouthwatering homemade pies, cakes, and desserts for families that didn’t have time to make their own. And, they sure beat the stale, bland, chemical-laden options that were available at the grocery store.

Yet another one took the little bit of money her deceased husband left her and built a greenhouse which she soon leveraged into a booming year-around business of providing families with FRESH, HEALTHY vegetables that were of better quality than what a person could get at any local grocery store.

I guess you could say that people did give these widow-women money…and people were happy to give it to them…because they were getting something of value back.

These widow-women didn’t lack for money. In fact, they hired young men and women in the church so that even more money was flowing to and through them.

What about you?

What do you have to give to people for money besides a bunch of empty, windy promises of “I’ll pay you back when…”

You may be way “upside down”…you may be way in debt…with huge bills staring you in the face.

It doesn’t matter.

All that matters is that you find some way to provide value and service to people…

And, that you find a way PRONTO!

Ask God in prayer what’s the best way for you right now.

It may be something that you only do for a while. It may be something you do for the rest of your life. Just keep your focus on providing value and service and you’ll end up doing the right things. God will lead you in the right direction if you’ll let him (Isaiah 49:18).

Tell those that you owe what you’re doing to turn things around for yourself…so that you can both pay them off plus accrued interest AND create a better life for yourself and your family.

They’ll work with you. If they see that you’re genuinely working at doing something to provide value and service they’ll carry you.

It’s when they see you sitting around wanting something for nothing that they become unwilling to work with you.

Quit wanting money.

Be a searcher, seeker, and implementer of ways to provide value or service.

Provide it in whatever way you can.

Provide it in such a way that there’s something REMARKABLE, SPETACULAR, INCREDIBLE, or AMAZING about it.

It really is as simple as this. The “hard” part is actually doing the WORK. The “hard” part is overcoming your “fear of failure” and your “fear of people”. The “hard” part overcoming your “fear of rejection” and going ahead and stepping out into the world of people and offering your value to them.

Now, it may take some time.

That’s ok. The time was going to pass anyway.

Undoubtedly, there are certain hardships, mishaps, or “disadvantages” in your past. Maybe, you’ve brought them forward with you into your present.

That’s good. Those “disadvantages” contain your unique advantage so that you can provide value in a way that’s remarkable and special. Besides, every other person who’s ever “made it” had their own set of “disadvantages” that they got past just like you can.

There will be failures and setbacks along the way.

That’s ok. Don’t worry about them. They don’t define you. They aren’t the “end”. They are merely “educational devices” so that you learn what you need to learn. This is God’s way of directing you into providing the precise, specific value that people really want.

There will be times when it “seems” like nothing is working.

That’s when you maintain your Faith in God and REFINE your ideas about serving and providing value to people. As you continue doing the WORK of your “part”, God will do His part behind the scenes. If you don’t quit and give up, you’ll soon enough see that is true.

Your life will never be the same.

You’ll never “want” money again.

One more really important thing…

Watch out for the people who take it upon themselves to tell you this won’t work for you. Oh, they’ll have their “proof”. They’ll have all these “horror” stories where “someone” they know tried to step out and be a provider of value and “lost” everything. (Notice how it’s usually someone else as most of these nay-sayers have never had the courage, faith, and trust in God to actually try anything for themselves.)

Watch out for these kinds of people lest you join their ranks of those who are AFRAID to go do the WORK and you waste your life away having never accomplished or achieved anything meaningful.

But, you ask, who’s really right? Me or “them”?

Look to your Bible for your answer.

Can you find anywhere in the Bible where it tells you that you’ll “lose everything” if you strive to provide greater value (LOVE) to people?

No?

Is there any place in your Bible that tells you God will forsake you and abandon you if you’re genuinely serving Him and loving (SERVING) people?

No?

Well, there’s your answer.

But of course, if your FAITH is that you’ll fail and lose all…well, then you have obligated God to give you that.

But, if your FAITH is that you’ll do your best to provide value and God will take care of everything else…well, God will do that for you too.

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© 2010 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

When God Gets To Know YOU

Today’s message is unusual.

It’s what the Lord has laid on my heart to share with you today.

I trust that you’ll gain strength from it.

Forewarned is forearmed.

Let’s start with a few scriptures…

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” 1 Corinthians 3:13

“for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.” Psalm 7:9

“O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart” Jeremiah 11:20

“I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:10

“and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” Revelation 2:23

Now, with these scriptures in mind, here’s the message…

Anyone can stand tall and “think” they are strong when nobody is withstanding them or resisting them.

It’s easy to feel righteous, holy, and “powerful” when your spouse, children, family, friends, church, colleagues, etc are passively LETTING you be the “Big Boss”.

But, when these people begin to resist you…

When they begin to go against you…

When they begin to defy you…

When they begin to go away from you and away from what you want…

When they begin to let you down and fail you…

When they begin to turn on you…

When they begin to try to tear you down…

When they begin to find fault with you…

When they begin to criticize and belittle you…

When they begin to defame your name…

When they laugh and make fun of you…

That’s when you can really see of “what sort” you are.

That’s when you “learn” how your reins lie.

That’s when you find out what’s really in your heart.

And, while you’re battling with all this resistance and opposition…while you’re struggling to keep a smile on your face in spite of all the hurt and pain you feel, that’s USUALLY when others who “think” they are “standing tall” start JUDGING you.

While you’re being withstood, they start comparing how good things are for them and how “messed up” you and your situation is…and they judge themselves as better than you…they judge themselves as righteous and you as a sinner…they judge themselves as blessed of God and you cursed of God.

And, I CAN PROMISE YOU, if you wish to be a child of God, there WILL come a time in your life when this happens!

When that time comes, when you’re facing that pressure, LET nothing but LOVE AND THE LIGHT OF CHRIST come out of you.

When your carnal flesh wants to be angry and to hate, go ahead and just forgive them – just like Christ did.

And, for YOUR sake, I want you to do this too…

Come out of the experience more loving towards God and people than ever before!

Would you do that for YOU?

Now, I wish I could tell you that was all there was to God trying your reins and heart.

But, unfortunately, that was the EASY test. If you make it through that one, then comes the HARD test…

WHEN YOU’RE ASKING GOD FOR SOMETHING GOOD AND YOU’RE NOT GETTING IT – BUT OTHERS AROUND YOU ARE!

THAT’S when God REALLY finds out whether or not you love Him above all else.

THIS is when God gives YOU the chance to PROVE that you WILL have FAITH in Him, His love, His providence, and His desire to do YOU good NO MATTER WHAT.

And, it’s during this time that the devil talks the loudest in your ear. It’s during this time that the devil is telling you that God doesn’t care about you because if He did, He wouldn’t be letting this happen to you…that a “loving” God wouldn’t do this to you.

As this is going on, I want YOU to proclaim God’s certain blessings in YOUR life.

I want you to testify of God’s sure answers to YOUR prayers.

I want you to TELL YOURSELF about the inevitable fulfillment of God’s Word and promises FOR YOU.

I want you to WORSHIP and PRAISE God with your loving, positive thoughts and words towards Him and others.

And, know that you’re NOT the only person that this has happened to. It has happened to EVERY true child of God. In fact, we have the Biblical account of this happening to the man who introduced Christ to the world…

“Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Matthew 11:2-6

My friend, don’t be OFFENDED in Christ when your time of testing comes. Instead, be CONFIDENT that after the time of testing God will raise you up, God will exalt you. You will be made triumphant and victorious and you will HAVE a POWERFUL testimony that comes from your heart that touches the heart of those you’ll tell it to.

Brother and Sister in Christ, be encouraged. Be strengthened in the Lord. He really does want to do you good. He just wants to know that you value your relationship with Him, that you will be faithful, loving, and true to Him regardless of circumstances and conditions.

And, once you’ve proven that, WATCH OUT! The blessings WILL FLOW into your life beyond your wildest imagination.

And, here’s scripture to prove the truth of what I just said…

For I [The Lord] KNOW him [Abraham], that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shallkeep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment;that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Genesis 18:19

Bottom line…

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But REJOICE…” 1 Peter 4:12-13

When the things I’m talking about come your way, don’t think it strange or bad. Rather, think of it this way: God is showing special attention to YOU because He wants to get to KNOW the REAL YOU.

Now, gain strength for your journey with this POWERFUL prayer…

I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21

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© 2010 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire