RISK more than others think is safe...Dr. King said, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."...in Hebrews 11 it says that Abraham was called out of a familiar place (his comfort zone) and sent somewhere NOT KNOWING WHERE HE WAS GOING...if you're going to take the road less travelled, you're going to have to remember that God has not given you a spirit of fear (intimidation), but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind...recklessness can lead to destruction, but risk-taking is what faith is all about...stop worrying about what others think is safe...

CARE more than others think is wise...love never fails, and one reason that it doesn't is that it's not confined to the limits of logic...go back and read Paul's description of the God-kind of love in I Corinthians 13 (read it in several translations to get the full effect), and tell me that anything about what he said there is logical...love and care and compassion and empathy and understanding are all illogical...Jesus talked about a whole new way to love, and said that the validity of all the law and the prophets was based entirely on how that love is expressed...stop being bound by what others think is wise...

DREAM more than others think is practical... George Bernard Shaw said, “Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say 'Why not?”...if you're a dreamer who expects to see his or her dreams manifested in this lifetime, you're going to have to become accustomed to people telling you that your dreams are nonsense...you also have to develop the skill to completely ignore them...the Scriptures tell us that there is safety in the multitude of counselors, but dreamers don't live in the safety zone...God wants to do even more through you than you can ask or think...why settle for what others think is practical?...

EXPECT more than others think is possible...I posted about this a few days ago, but again I say that whatever is going on in your mind is what you are attracting to yourself...we are like magnets...like attracts like...you become AND attract what you think...every thought has a frequency, and sends out a magnetic energy...yesterday at Body Builders and last night at church there was a lot of revelation flowing about the power of agreement...more is coming Sunday on that subject...when you connect with a community of other risk-taking, caring dreamers who have a spirit of expectancy (like CITN), you enter a whole new field of possibility...it makes it much easier to stop being preoccupied with what some others think is impossible...walk in an attitude of expectancy today...anything can happen!

What You Know/What You've Been Taught to Believe

There's somewhat of a minor dispute over who actually said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results", but it's generally attributed to Albert Einstein...certainly sounds like something old Al would have said...regardless of who said it first, it's definitely the truth...

There's a very good reason why Paul in his writings used phrases like "be transformed by the renewing of your mind", and "be renewed in the spirit of your mind"...transformation definitely happens when thought patterns change...

Want new results in your life? Take control of your thinking, and direct it to whatever end you choose (God has granted you that ability)...you can create your own best life (with props to Oprah and Joel Osteen)...

"For life is the mirror of king and slave.
'Tis just what you are and do;
Then give to the world the best you have,
And the best will come back to you."
- MADLINE BRIDGES

I've been talking about this here on the blog for the last several days, but let me say again that you attract to yourself whatever is the substance of the predominant thoughts that you're holding in your awareness, whether those thoughts are conscious or unconscious...the whole 'Laws of Attraction' thing is not a new concept...in fact, it's quite ancient...eternal, really...the knowledge of the Lord fills all the earth as the waters cover the sea...

Emerson said, "The good news is that the moment you decide that what you know is more important than what you have been taught to believe, you will have shifted gears in your quest for abundance. Success comes from within, not from without."...but long before that, the Apostle John said things like "you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things", and "let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning", and "you have no need that any man should teach you"...

"Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable."
R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER

Perhaps the greatest discovery of modern times is that every person has within himself/herself a particle of the creative force that birthed the universe...knowing that, if you can develop a mental attitude in which you are constantly expecting good, you exercise your fundamental right to good...Jesus said, "to them that have will more be given"...

"Most everybody is thinking so many kinds of thoughts, which pass each other and lack harmony. It is no wonder they are getting such results in their lives. If a gardener plants a thousand kinds of seeds, he has a thousand kinds of plants. You plant the seed of thought." - ERNEST HOLMES...James said it this way: "A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways..."

Thought is creative...it's as simple as that...you are constantly in the process of creating your entire life with your thoughts...what you are now is the result of what you have previously thought and said...what you are thinking and saying now will determine what and who you will eventually become...

I don't want to over-quote Emerson...I know he was coming from a very different frame of reference...but allow me this one more: "Cause and effect, means and end, seed and fruit, cannot be severed, for the effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, the fruit in the seed."...to use a Scriptural phrase: Selah!

One more thing...Job talked about being tried in the fire, and coming forth as pure gold...allow the present circumstances, whatever they may be, to reveal the creative power that is already in you...things don't have to stay the way they are...you can change them because you can change your mind...

Don't like the way today is going? Do something about it...


"Circumstances do not make the man; they merely reveal him to himself."
EPICTETUS

The Possibilities of Abundance, Part 2

The truth is there is more than enough love, creative ideas, power, joy, happiness to go around...David said, "My cup runs over"...Paul talked about the concept of blessings coming back "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over"...one of God's covenant names (a name by which He reveals a certain aspect of Himself) is 'El Shaddai', the God who is more than enough...the meaning of the name in Hebrew is actually closer to something like "the God who is just too much"...

All of this abundance begins to shine through a mind that is aware of its own infinite nature...there's enough for everyone...see it...believe it...in time it will inevitably show up for you...

Write your own script for your life...yes, God has a plan for you, and you should always submit to that first, but He also has empowered you to create your own world...as I said earlier, the ultimate act of creativity is that the Creator created creators...

When you see things you don't want, don't think about them, write about them, talk about them, push against them, or join groups that focus on the 'don't wants'... remove your attention from 'don't wants', and place them on 'do wants'...for example, if you're constantly praying for a financial miracle, or to get out of debt, in reality you're focusing your energy on lack and debt...that's why it's important to call those things which are not as thought they are...you have to create a different reality and begin to energize that...

Jesus didn't focus on the apparent lack of food to feed the multitudes...instead, He asked the disciples, "What do we have?"...then he took what little the boy with the lunch had, and blessed it, and multiplied it...stop obsessing over what you don't have right now (or what you perceive that you don't have)...instead, be thankful for and bless what you do have...

We all know that His first miracle was turning the water into wine, but are you aware of how much He made?

Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants, "Fill the pots with water." And they filled them to the brim. (John 2:6, 7 - The Message)

We're talking possibly 180 gallons of wine, at the end of a party where people had already been drinking...if someone provided that much wine today at a party where people had already been drinking, one might say that they were irresponsible...certainly, Jesus wasn't being irresponsible...He was just showing that there's always more than enough...

Ask yourself, are your thoughts worthy of you? Are they fixated on what you don't have? If so - NOW is the time to change them...you can begin right were you are right now...repentance is a very powerful thing...just changing one little thought can make a world of difference...

Nothing matters but this moment, and the things on which you are focusing your attention.

There's always more than enough available to you...

Don't Worry About the "HOW"

"What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists."
- Alexander Graham Bell

Your job is not to worry about the "How"...Mary asked the angel "How can these things be, seeing that I have not been with a man?"...but his explanation to her was still above and beyond anything that she could ASK or THINK...so she simply responded with "Be it done to your servant according to your word"...the "How" will show up out of the commitment and belief in the "What"...

The Hows are the domain of the universe, and of the Creator/God Who spoke it into existence...the limitless heavens declare the glory of God...the universe always knows the quickest, fastest, most harmonious way between you and your dream...

If you turn it over to the universe, you will be surprised and dazzled by what is delivered...this is where miracles happen...take it outside the limits of the thought realm...let go and let God...

Turn it over to the universe (the "one song") daily..."casting all your care upon Him"...believing/seeing/expecting should never be a chore...

Feel exhilarated by the whole process...high...happy...in tune...Abraham "waxed strong" (became virile again in his old age) by giving glory to God, even though it was a while before he saw the full manifestation of the promise...in other words, it's very important to simply enjoy the journey...

The only difference between people who are really living this way is they have habituated ways of being..."be not conformed to the world (the natural), but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"...

They remember to do it all the time..."give us this day our DAILY bread"...

Create pictures of what you want to attract (a Vision Board, a list of things, a transcript of prophecies spoken over your life, etc.)...Jacob used spotted and speckled rods to create a visual image in front of cows...he made Joseph a coat of many colors so that his son could get a picture of his best self-image, and ultimately internalize his dreams...

Every day look at your picture(s) and get into the feeling state of already having acquired these wants...some people call that "fake it 'til you make it"...God calls it faith, and faith involves visualization...to Joshua He said, "See! I have given you the city", when, in the natural realm, nothing could have been further from the truth...

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming
attractions."
- Albert Einstein

Decide what you want...nothing is more potent than the power of a decision...believe you can have it...believe you deserve it (this is the deal-breaker for most people because of a self-imposed sense of unworthiness)...Paul said, "Do not be alienated from God IN YOUR MIND"...believe it's possible for you...

Close your eyes and visualize having what you already want..."your old men will dream dreams, you young men will see visions"...embrace the feeling of having it already...

Focus on being grateful for what you do have already..."in everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known"...enjoy it! Then
release it into the universe...the universe will manifest it...

"Whatever the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve"
- W. Clement Stone

Rehearse Your Future

Whatever is going on in your mind is what you are attracting to yourself...the Scripture "...as a man thinks in his heart, so is he" is pretty much always taken out of context from what the verse was originally saying, but the spirit of the truth of it is undeniable...we are like magnets...like attracts like..."deep calleth unto deep"...you become AND attract what you think...

Because the universe was created by a thought from God that was released through a word ("Let there be light"), our every thought has a frequency because we are created in His image...the ultimate act of creativity is that the Creator created creators...our thoughts send out a magnetic energy...

People even think about what they don't want, and attract more of the same...Job said, "The thing I greatly feared came upon me"...

Thought = creation...if these thoughts are attached to powerful emotions (good or bad) that can even speed up the creation ("I set before you life AND death, blessing AND cursing, therefore choose life...")

You attract the objects of your dominant thoughts...

Those who speak most of illness have a tendency to have illness...those who speak most of prosperity have it, as well...David said, "Let the words of my mouth AND the meditation of my heart be acceptable"...Jesus also made the heart/mouth connection in Mark 11:23 when He said to speak to the mountain, and do not doubt in your heart, but believe that you have what you say...He also said "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"...

Choose your thoughts carefully...you are a masterpiece of your life...your thoughts cause your feelings...we don't need to complicate all the "reasons" behind our emotions...it's much simpler than that...two categories...good feelings/bad
feelings...in conventional faith teaching we emphasized the fact that we are not to be moved by what we feel, but I think that concept needs some balance...

Typically, thoughts that bring about good feelings mean you are on the right track...thoughts that bring about bad feelings means you are not on the right track...

For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. (Philippians 4:8 - AMP)

Generally, whatever it is you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming...it's what we sometimes call "the witness of the Spirit/spirit"...you get exactly what you are FEELING...Jesus said, "to them that have more will be given"...I prefer to exalt joy over happiness, but the truth is that happy feelings will attract more happy circumstances...

You can begin feeling whatever you want (even if it's not there)...David understood this ("Bless the Lord, O my soul"..."Why are you cast down, O my soul?")...David encouraged HIMSELF in the Lord...the universe (uni-verse literally means "one song") will correspond to the nature of your personal song...there's power in your praise...

What you focus on with your thought and feeling is what you attract into your experience...Isaiah talked about "declaring the end from the beginning"...Paul said that God "calls those things which are not as though they were"...What you think and what you feel and what actually manifests is ALWAYS a match...in that sense, you are the most accurate prophet in your own life...

Shift your awareness...

Winston Churchill said, "You create your own universe as you go along"...

It's important to feel good...the joy of the Lord is your strength...

You can change your emotion immediately...by thinking of something joyful, or singing a song, or remembering a happy experience...Jesus said that Holy Spirit will bring all things to your remembrance...it's why we have testimonies (old school: "You don't know like I know what He's done for me!")...

Life can and should be phenomenal, and it will be when you consciously apply these spiritual principles...your universe will re-arrange itself accordingly...God created His worlds with His words...you create your world with your words...He upholds all things by the word of His power...you uphold the things in your life by the word of your power...

In Job it says, "You shall decree a thing and it will be established unto you"...you can attract everything you require - money, people, connections...PAY ATTENTION to what's being set in front of you...Jeus said,"Behold, I have set before you an open door..."...

You can start with nothing but your faith...and out of nothing or no way, a WAY will be provided..."streams in the desert and ways in in the wilderness"...you can turn your own water into wine, and multiply your own loaves and fishes into enough food to feed thousands...

HOW LONG? No rules on time..."one day with the Lord is as a thousand years"...but, as a rule, the more aligned you are with positive feelings, the quicker things happen...

Size is nothing to the universe (unlimited abundance if that's what
you prefer to call it)...and size is nothing to the God who created it all...we are the ones who make the rules on size and time...Jesus said,"Believe you receive WHEN YOU PRAY"...

No rules according to the universe...He does more than we can ask or think ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKS IN US...you provide the feelings of having it now, and the universe will respond...

Most people offer the majority of their thought in response to what they are observing with the natural eye (bills in the mail, being late, having "bad luck", etc)...you have to find a different approach to what is through a different vantage point...Faith is the evidence of things NOT SEEN..."for we look to the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal"..."we walk by faith and not by sight...

"All that we are is a result of what we have thought" - Buddha

What can you do right now to turn your life around? Gratitude...

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God...(Philippians 4:6 - NKJV)

Gratitude will bring more into our lives immediately...God is good (all the time)...can I get a witness?

What we think about and THANK about is what we bring about...

What are the things for which you are grateful? Feel the gratitude...count your blessings...focus on what you have right now...("Moses, what do you have IN YOUR HAND?")

Play the picture in your mind - focus on the end result...

VISUALIZE, as Jacob did so many times...rehearse your future...

VISUALIZE!!! See it...feel it! This is the day that the Lord (and you) have made...rejoice and be glad in it!