I hope and trust this post finds you having a great day on this glorious Sunday afternoon. Additionally, I sincerely hope you and your families remain healthy and well during this pandemic.
This weeks Happy Friday would fall into the category of, "I wish someone had told me that!" I am going to start off by sharing several excerpts from I Declare War: 4 Keys to Winning the Battle with Yourself by Levi Lusko. The excerpts I am going to share come from Chapter 2 which it titled, (+) or (-)?
"Here's the takeaway lesson: bad things happen when you put a negative where there is supposed to be a positive. This isn't just good car battery advice; the same is true when it comes to your mind. If you put a negative thought where there should be a positive one, you won't blow up, but you won't grow up into the version of yourself that you want to be."
"Don't misunderstand me: I don't believe in positive thinking as a replacement for God but as a response to God. My goal isn't that you would see your metaphorical cup as half full; I want you to see it as constantly overflowing! What is faith if not a filter that allows you to process your experiences through the goodness of God, choosing to reject what you see and clinging to what you trust he is doing? Faith allows you to believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts."
"Billy wasn't alone in swinging between the highs of optimism and the lows of pessimism. Throughout Scripture, we see need for the wolf to rise in the battle against negativity - a battle that seems to be particularly prevalent among those, like Reverend Graham, are eminently gifted and used in extraordinary ways."
"If you think, I can't wait until I mature so this won't be an issue anymore, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. There is truth to the expression "new levels, new devils." If anything, the battle grows more complex as you progress in your spiritual journey, because the more you do, the more the enemy will try to stop you."
"Listen to me carefully: negative thoughts can't lead to a positive life."
"People will oppose you if you are on the right track. We tend to ask, what did I do wrong? But the better question should be, what did I do right?
Victor Hugo wrote, "You have enemies? Why, it is the glory of every man who has done a great deed or created a new idea." No one gets to live his or her dream without other people trying to turn it into a nightmare. Opposition is table stakes for living the life you were born to live. Of course, there is an easy way to make the critics go away: do nothing, contribute nothing, stand for nothing, be nothing. When you live out your calling, you will always face potshots from people who have given up on theirs."
"Anticipating obstacles and being prepared for them helps you reframe the story you write in your head in the midst of challenging seasons."
"But the way to use the word good that will cause the wolf to rise in your heart isn't to say that the bad thing is good - but to believe that goodness will be the end result. Your pain is just a scene; it's not the entire movie."
"The ultimate goodness of God's plan is what was on Paul's heart when he instructed the Thessalonians, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5: 16 - 18).
Did you catch that? He didn't say to be thankful for everything. You aren't supposed to be thankful for death or divorce or unemployment. Those things aren't good. You can, however, be thankful in those things - or any other thing hell can throw at you - because God has a plan to produce good from what you are facing."
So powerful! I wish I knew these things many years ago and I am most grateful that I have learned them now! Like most great things we learn, I have to share this information with all of you as it could encourage, empower and/or equip you to become all that you were created to become. :)
The things I wish I knew:
1. Difficulties - people, situations and/or circumstances - don't mean you are on the wrong track. In fact history - secular and Biblical - seems to show that difficulties are a great indicator that you are on the right track. Great things, ideas and purposes are usually opposed, much like a purifying process. If you have a goal, dream or vision in your heart, please persevere and pursue it thought the difficulties. And, as history would suggest, the greater the goal, dream or vision, the greater the opposition you will face. Know it, don't be surprised by it, and thrive through - because of!!! - it!
2. What is most critical, is how we view the opposition. It is not there to stop you, it is there to help you grow to all you are capable of becoming. What you believe in the moment of opposition is the deal breaker: do you believe good will come from it? If so, if you are willing to believe in the greatness and goodness of God, in the calling and purpose He has on and for your life, you will fully understand Philippians 4:13 and you will grow to become all that He has called and created you to become.
3. And the clarity around Thessalonians 5:16 - 18! Thank you Pastor Lusko for helping me fully understand that scripture. No, I can't be thankful "for" everything but I certainly can be thankful "in" everything, knowing that God has plans to produce good from what we are facing. One little word, one colossal difference!
I hope this has opened your eyes and purified your thoughts around difficulties, challenges and opposition. I hope you will study it yourself, pray about it and learn to live a courageous life, relentlessly pursuing your calling. Will we face opposition? Most assuredly! Will we learn, grow and become all that we are capable of becoming because of it? Without question! I want to beg you Friends, please do not view the difficulties, challenges and opposition you face as stop signs or think they mean you have missed your calling or that you are doing the wrong thing...all things I have told myself at different times in my life. They are in fact simply guideposts along this beautiful journey of life. Expect them, learn from them and trust that God will bring great good from each and every one.
I want to close with a few quotes.
"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict." - William Ellery Channing
"When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure." - Peter Marshall
"Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles." - Brian Tracy
"Difficulties increase the nearer we get to the goal." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, enjoy the rest of your weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
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