The Blessing of Friends

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

-ANAis NIN
Angels aren't our only constant reminders of Divinity's devotion to our emotional, physical, and psychological well-being. So are our friends.

Angels bestow grace and perform miracles; so do our friends. Angels are Divine messengers; so are friends.

God speaks to us through all those inti­mate chats, conversations, and confessions. Probably because, if we'll listen to anyone it's to a pal who loves us unconditionally and is committed to our happiness.

Our friends are the jewels in our crown of contentment. We need to treat them as preciously as we truly hold them in our hearts. There are many ways to do this. Rituals of friendship are especially meaningful. Take each other out for festive birthday lunches.

Share your favorite books. Read one simultaneously, then get together once a month for afternoon tea or cof­fee just to discuss it.

Be on the lookout for newspaper and magazine articles, recipes, and cartoons you can clip or photocopy and drop them in the mail. Remember friends with cards and thank-you notes.

Brief, encouraging notes when tough times hit will be treasured, even more than phone calls. Share res­olutions or aspirations with a friend on New Year's Eve. Go on walks togeth­er. Make annual outings a tradition: antiquing, flea marketing, or thrifting together in the summer; holiday shopping together in the winter.

Once a year, have a swap meet of clothes and accessories. When a friend's sick, deliver a get-well "indulgence basket" filled with bedside comforts: something irre­sistible to read, cough drops, tissues, assorted fruit teas, homemade soup, a small, flowering plant.

Send or give friends flowers: spur-of-the-moment bou­quets from a street vendor before you meet for lunch or  to bring a smile dur­ing dark days.

When there's a death in a friend's family, instead of making a contribution in the deceased's name or sending flowers to the funeral (others will do that), wait a couple of days and send her a beautiful plant or bouquet.

It will comfort her more than you can imagine. During tough times, put her name on a prayer list.

Sometimes our prayers for our friends are the greatest gifts we can give them. Start or continue collections for a friend, adding a new collectible each birthday or at holiday time.

When giving a cherished pal a gift, always give her something she'd never give herself, an indulgence. Cook for your friends.

During trying times-while a friend is sick or under tremen­dous stress-double a recipe and deliver a casserole to her home.

Above all, let your friends know how much you love them. Tell them fre­quently how much you treasure the gift of their friendship.

Sadly, signifi­cant others come and go. Children grow up. Parents die. Siblings are sepa­rated by distance.

But our friends are the continuous threads that help hold our lives together. Cherish your friends, not only in thought but in action. "friends are people who help you be more yourself," Merle Shain reminds us, "more the person you are intended to be."

Riding The Big Kahuna

Ask yourself whether you are happy and you cease to be so. - J. S. MILL

Go with the flow. Catch the wave. Ride the big Kahuna. Wouldn't I just love to! How about you?

But real life these days rarely includes a stop at Surf City unless you live in Malibu.

Whenever we experience the Flow, we experience a luminous liftoff: we're alert, soaring, unselfconscious, authentic, moving at the peak of our abilities.

We forget food, drink, sex, sleep. Why?

We're fueled by high-octane Love. Calling forth our gifts at the top of our lungs to a celestial "Bravo!" Reveling in our passion.

We don't need positive-thinking  mantras to moti­vate us; happiness propels us at Warp 9 toward our aspirations. Obstacles dissolve in the Flow. Toxic emotions, anxieties, and depression disappear. We're in this world, but certainly not of it. Here we experience a profound pleasure not found in the erogenous or erroneous zones, a peace that surpasses our puny understanding.

Exhilaration. Joy. Transformative transcen­dence.

What you're really looking for when you ask the doctor for Prozac.

What you thought sex was when you were sixteen.

The  bad news is that we don't ride the big Kahuna often enough. The good news is that the Flow can be invoked and induced; it's even expected to become one of the most productive specialties of psychological research in the next decade.

For the last twenty years Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has been pioneering the scientific study of joy, scrutinizing altered states of "optimal experience," those moments when we feel deeply connected with Real Life, which he labels "flow."

He believes that exhilaration can be part of everyday life, and I'm a believer. Reading his incredible book Flow: The Psychologyoif Optimal Experience might make a believer out of you.

What’s  more, going with the Flow is most often attained with simple pleasures, even work, when we bring the right attitude and attention to our tasks.

Complete consciousness-focusing our psychic energy on what we're doing-induces the Flow. As we learn to shut out chaos, concentrat­ing our creative energies within, our attention fuels our ability to acceler­ate beyond our normal capacities.

When working, playing, or creating, ritual plays an important role in preparing our minds, bodies, and souls to tap into the mother lode. The par­ticular way you arrange your desk at the beginning of the day, the soft pen­cil you prefer, the music you listen to when you write in your discovery journal is an invocation to the Flow.

Small moments-reading, gardening, cooking, arts, and, crafts-take on new meaning when we honor them as waves on which to catch the Flow.

Exploring your family's heritage, com­memorating special moments or  people in your life by collecting and dis­playing talismans, can invite the Flow by linking the past with the present.

Varying the routines of your daily round can induce the Flow because novelty increases the frequency of the waves; thinking of lovemaking in new ways can fan waves of desire previously doused with familiarity.

Memorizing favorite quotes, poetry, songs, and facts and enlivening our conversation with them, evokes the Flow.

Mastering a game, sport, or new skill activates the Flow process. But so does solitude and daydreaming.

Indulging your imagination brings the big Kahuna within reach, because your imagination is your soul's way of communicating with your conscious mind.

"How we feel about ourselves, the joy we get from living, ultimately depends directly on how the mind filters and interprets everyday experi­ences," Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi reminds us. "Whether we are happy depends on inner harmony, not on the controls we are able to exert over the great forces of the universe."

Use Your Words To Bless Others

By Bo Sanchez

One day, I was preaching about expressing our love more.

After the talk, two grey-haired gentlemen walked up to me.

The first man said, “Brother Bo, in all the years that I’ve been married, not once have I have ever told my wife that I loved her. I was never trained to be expressive.”

The other man added, “Bo, I don’t feel a need to say ‘I love you’ to my wife. What other proof does she need? I’m still here married to her, am I not? I guess I want my actions to speak more than my words.”

I studied the men in front of me. And I understood them.

Because I realized what epoch they came from. Let me give you an idea of how old they were: I was wondering if they were classmates of  Franklin Delano Roosevelt or MacArthur.

Just kidding.

They were as old as my father.

And that’s why I understood them.

Because I understood my father.

Dad’s Favorite Word

I loved my father.

And I know that he loved me so much.

Everyday, he would spend time with me. He filled my heart with love.

But he wasn’t perfect.

Like those two older men, I remember how Dad didn’t speak much.

His favorite word was a grunt.

He had this special grunt language that I learned to decipher through the years.

Here’s a typical conversation I had with him as a boy…

Little Bo: “Hi Dad!”

Dad: “Mmm.” (Blank stare.)

Little Bo: “Where’s Mom, Dad?”

Dad: “Mmm.” (Slightly jerks his head towards the kitchen.)

Little Bo: “Can we go to the toy store this Saturday?”

Dad: “Mmm.” (Shrugs his shoulders.)

Little Bo: “Will you buy me a Voltes V robot?”

Dad: “Mmm.” (Frowns.)

Little Bo: “Can you explain the theory of Relativity?”

Dad: “Mmm.” (Blank stare.)

Little Bo: “Wow Dad, everything makes sense to me now.”

Dad: “Mmm.” (Blank stare again.)

Did They Teach This in Fatherhood 101?

I think fathers of that generation were trained in this special “grunt” language. When they took up Fatherhood 101, they were taught how to be strong, aloof, and stoic as a grey wall.

Don’t get me wrong. I repeat: My Dad loved me. Very much.

But he just wasn’t good with his words.

In my entire life, I don’t remember my father telling me, “I love you”. Not once did he tell me, “I’m proud of you” or “I’m happy that you’re my son.”

Looking back, I wish he said these words to me. My spirit hungered to receive that blessing from him.

If you’re a parent, don’t hold back simply because you’ve never done it before.

You might be saying, “But Bo, my kids are now adults. I guess it’s too late.”

No, it’s not. It’s never too late.

You can pick up the phone and tell them how much they mean to you. Honor them and give them the blessing.

Remember: You’re the only one who can do it. You’re the only one who can give them this special blessing.

As a parent. As a spouse. As a friend.

I know this from personal experience…

In His Strange Way, He Honored Me

I was eighteen and already preaching.

But I was receiving so many invitations to preach, I was turning them down.

So one day, Dad scolded me. He said, “Bo, you have a gift to preach! I don’t have that gift. I wish I had it. But I don’t. You do. If I were you, I’d say yes to every single invitation. Because you need to use your gift. If you won’t use it, God may take it away from you!”

There was anger in his voice. But in the process, words of honor slipped out of his lips. In a tangential way, he was praising me. And my spirit was rejoicing. Though he didn’t say it, I got an inkling of how proud my father was for me. Those words meant so much to me, because I still remember them today—after 20+ years!

A Deep Desire In Every Human Heart

There I was, getting applause from everyone in the planet.

My audience admired me. People were praising me.

But all that wasn’t enough. Deep inside, I still wanted my own father to praise me. I wanted my Dad to honor me.

I believe that in every human heart is a deep need to be honored by one’s parents. All of us want to hear these words: “I’m proud and happy that you’re my child.”

Friend, honor your loved ones today with your words!

Don’t say, “Oh Bo, I’m too old to learn.”

Don’t be stuck in your old ways. For the sake of the children, you can change. Use your words to bless others.

Remember: When you honor a person with your words, you’re not just making that person feel good. Because words have power. God has imbued our words with immense creative power. Your words can create life. Your words can perform miracles. Your words can heal wounds. Your words can refresh the spirit.

But I know some people do the very opposite: They use they’re incredible power to curse.

You Have The Power To Bless Or Curse

One day, a woman came up to me and asked for prayers. She said a witch cursed her. She’s been sick for a year, suffering terrible pains in her body, but doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with her.

It was probably true. Because when our prayer team prayed for her, the healing was instant. She never suffered pains again.

Witches are feared by everyone. Because these witches have the power to kill or harm simply by cursing their enemies.

Scary, right?

I’ve got news for you: You don’t have to be a witch to have this power. All of us have this power.

When Parents say to a child, "You’re worthless, You’re dumb!", they’re cursing their kids. They’re prophesying doom to their children. They’re acting exactly like voodoo witches.

Yesterday, I was reading about J. Paul Getty. He was a billionaire. He owned 200+ companies. He was a total success in business but a total failure in family.

He was married five times and divorced five times. He had six sons. But he was so busy building his empire, he never really spent time with his children. He was also very critical.

For example, his son Paul Jr. would write letters to his father. The letters would come back with the spelling and grammatical errors corrected—but there was no reply from the father. Paul later became a heroin addict.

His other son, Gordon, dealt with his father only through the court, fighting over money.

His other son Ronald went into filmmaking, and his father ridiculed him.

Another son worked with the father in the family business. But he took his life, stabbing himself in the stomach and taking an overdose of pills.

In one sense, J. Paul Getty cursed his kids.

You too have the power to bless and curse people with the use of your words. The Bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue.

Let me share a very weird story from the Bible.

A Very Weird Story

Isaac had twin sons—Jacob and Esau.


Isaac and his wife Rebecca played favorites. With disastrous results. Daddy Isaac favored Esau while Mommy Rebecca favored Jacob. (Parents, don’t play favorites. The Esau-Jacob conflict continues to this day in the Middle East, about 3000+ years later!)

When Isaac was old and blind, he called his son Esau and said, “I’m going to die soon. I want to give you my blessing. Go and hunt a wild animal for me, cook it the way I want it and serve it to me. Then I’ll give you my blessing.”

But Rebecca was outside the tent, eavesdropping.

Quickly, she cooked a goat from their flocks. She then told Jacob to bring the meal to his father and pretend that he was Esau, so he could get the blessing.

Isaac, being blind, was fooled. He thought Jacob was Esau and gave him his blessing. He said, “May you have abundance, may the nations serve you, may all those who bless you be blessed, and may all those who curse you be cursed.”

When Jacob left, his brother Esau came in. Isaac was so surprised. And he said, “Sorry Esau, I gave the blessing to Jacob. I can’t take it back anymore.”

What Were These Guys Fighting For?


What’s weird? The brothers weren’t fighting for their father’s gold, or their father’s cattle, or their father’s land.

They were fighting for their father’s words.

They were fighting for an old man’s blessing.

Why?

Because in Bible thinking, words aren’t just meaningless sounds. Words aren’t just noise. Words have creative power. Words define our reality.

When I tell my son, “I’m so happy that you’re my son. I know you’ll be very successful in all areas of life and everything you touch will prosper,” I’m not only honoring my son, I’m also giving him a supernatural blessing.

When I tell my wife, “I love you. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” I’m not only honoring her, I’m also giving her a supernatural blessing.

Part of this supernatural blessing is a prophecy…

People Will Rise To The Level Of  What You Prophesy

You’re a prophet.

You can shape the destiny of your children, of your friends, of your loved ones by your words.

Here’s what I learned: People will rise to the level of what you prophesy. People will adjust to your prophecy.

Remember, if you don’t tell your kids who they are and what their destiny is, someone else will. The television will tell them. The internet will tell them. Bullies in school will tell them.

Don’t let that happen. Honor your kids!

This is the story of my life.

Once upon a time, I was 13 years old who was a poor student in school. I didn’t know what to do with my life.

But one day, this woman came up to me, prophesied to me and said, “Bo, you’ll receive the gift of wisdom. I believe in you. You’ll preach God’s Word to many people.” She then asked me to give a talk to our prayer group. She did it again and again.

From a nobody, I rose up to her prophecy.

“But Bo, My Parents Didn’t Honor Me!”

Perhaps your parents failed to give you the blessing.

Then here’s what you do.

Go to God and receive that blessing directly from Him.

When the Father introduced Jesus to the world, He said, “This is my son with whom I am well pleased.” What was the Father doing? He was honoring and blessing the Son.

I believe God says these same words to you. “This is my child whom I am well pleased!”
You may have a difficult time swallowing that. “No Bo, I’m a big sinner. I’ve failed God. I’m sure He won’t say that about me.”

But that’s Grace. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see your mistakes. He sees the goodness He created in you.

Last Thursday, I listened to Fr. Cantalamesa preach.

Who is he? Fr. Cantalamesa is the Retreat Master of the Pope. Whenever the Pope goes on retreat, he’s the guy who gives it. For 30 years, he’s been the Preacher to the Papal Household.

Fr. Cantalamesa said something that blew me away. He said he likes saying to God, “Father, look at me… and rejoice!”

Wow.

Friend, God delights in you.

He doesn’t only love you, He rejoices over you. When God sees you, I believe He’s so happy, He sings, jumps, and dances for joy.

What Do You See In The People Around You?

Once upon a time, I was a “negative” spiritual leader.

My most predominant question was, “What is wrong with my flock?” I focused on their faults. I looked at their weaknesses. I’d say, “They lack commitment,” and “They’re so hard headed…”

So I preached fear, hoping that people will get scared enough to change their lives. I looked down at my listeners. I told them to shape up or else…

But one day, my leadership changed.

Because I changed.

I believe I changed when I became a father.

Because I learned that focusing on my children’s weaknesses only multiplied them. I learned to focus on their strengths, and by doing so, their strengths increased. The good news? Their strengths spontaneously pushed out their weaknesses!

So I became a “positive” spiritual leader.

Now, when I look at my flock, I ask, “What’s wonderful about them?” Today, I’m amazed at how committed, generous, and loving they are. I can’t ask for a better spiritual family!

Today, I preach love. I can’t help it. God has filled my heart with so much love, it overflows.

Let me tell you my last story …

You Are My Sunshine

I love this story so much.

One day, 3-year old Michael wished for a baby sister.

So when his mother got pregnant with a baby girl, the little tyke was delighted. Everyday, he’d rub his mother’s tummy and sing to his baby sister, You are my sunshine, You are my sunshine, You make me happy, when stars are grey…

But when the baby was born, there were complications. The baby was in critical condition.

Little Michael waited at home, wondering why his mother and his baby sister weren’t coming home yet.

A few days later, the doctor told the mother that the baby may not last long. The mother decided to bring Michael to the ICU and see his baby sister before she died.

She knew it was against the ICU rules, but she knew she had to do it. She brought in little Michael and let him stand beside his very sick baby sister.

That was when the Head Nurse saw Michael and shouted, “Children are not allowed here!”

But before they could pull him out of the room, little Michael sang to his baby sister, 'You are my sunshine, You are my sunshine. You make me happy, when stars are grey, You never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away…'

Immediately, the baby grew calm. Her heart rate, which was abnormally fast, slowed down.

The Head Nurse noticed what was happening and said, “Little boy, whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. Something is happening to the baby!”

Michael kept singing to his sister. And everyday, she got better. Until she got totally well.

Because little Michael used words of honor to bless his sister.

Friend, you too can heal others.

You have the power of God in your tongue.


Use your words to bless others.

May your dreams come true.

How To Use Your Words To Create Your Reality

By Bo Sanchez

Do you want to know your future?

So many people are awed by Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, Jean Dixon, and even astrologers and tarot card readers (yes, them!) because they claim to predict the future.

Friend, I have a big announcement to make: You can predict the future.

You don’t have to look for a prophet, a seer, or a fortune-teller to know your future. You don’t have to consult the horoscope, the crystal ball, your palm, tea leaves, or fortune cookies to know your future.

You can predict your future.

How? All you have to do is listen to your words.

By examining the words that come out of your mouth, you’ll know your future. Guaranteed.

Let me share with you three people…

Where Do You Want To Go?

       Nineteen years ago, I had a friend who was always miserable.

Constantly, I heard “Glenda” say, “Life sucks,” and “Life is terrible,” and “I’m doomed,” and “I’m a loser.” I heard her always sigh with heaviness, “Life is like a knife…”

We lost touch for 11 years.

But I met Glenda recently

Guess what. Her life is still miserable.

Her words created her reality.

       My other friend, “Marcel”, liked talking negatively about his health. Ever since I can remember, he kept saying, “I’ll die when I reach fifty.”
       I would tell him, “Fifty? My gosh. Don’t say that!”
       He’d say, “My father died in his fifties. My grandfather died in his fifties, too. So I’m sure I’ll die when I reach fifty.”
       True enough, at the exact age of fifty years old, Marcel was walking in the sidewalk. All of a sudden, he fell like a log. Wham. He died of a heart attack.
       His words created his reality.

The Bible says that your tongue is like a rudder of a big ship. Like a rudder, your tongue directs your life.

       So let me ask you: What kind of future do you want to have?

Don’t use your words to describe your reality. Use your words to create your desired reality.

Another way of putting it: Don’t just talk about where you are. Talk about where you want to go.

Use Your Words To Direct Your Future

My third example is my 84-year old mother.

Last Sunday, Mom was limping.

By Monday, she couldn’t get out of bed. She said her leg was so painful, she couldn’t move it. She couldn’t even walk to the bathroom by herself.

By Tuesday, she was so depressed because we had to put her on a wheelchair. She hated the idea. “I don’t want to be paralyzed!” she said. The entire time, she was moaning and groaning, complaining about the pain and her condition.

That day, I visited her and spoke words of faith. I said, “Mom, this is temporary. You’ll get better.” I prayed for her and taught her a simple healing exercise.  I also told her, “Mom, you’ve got to change your words. I know you’re discouraged, but you’ve got to say, “I’m getting better and better everyday.”

She laughed. She asked, “How could I say those words when she had so much pain and could barely move her leg?”

“You’ve got to try!” I said.

But I called her Wednesday and she was better.

I called her Thursday and she began walking.

I called her Friday and she went down the stairs already.

And Sunday? She was at the Feast, walking around like nothing happened.

Perhaps you’re sick like my mother today.

Say, “I feel better and better everyday.” 

Echo Joel 3:10, where it says, “Let the weak say I am strong…” So even if you feel weak, believe that God will heal you.

       Let me tell you how this works…

Why Faith Words Work

I can explain it in many ways:

·        Faith Words affect your emotions in a positive way.

·        Faith Words—repeated again and again—create new neural pathways in your brain.

·        Faith Words also train your Reticular Activating System (RAS) to be attentive to see the blessings you desire.

All that is true.

But here’s my favorite explanation: Faith Words aren’t just mere positive affirmations; They open your life up to the supernatural power of God.

In Biblical thinking, words aren’t just sounds or noise.

Words are imbued with God’s creative power.

In Genesis, God created the world by His words. He didn’t create light by mixing up stuff with His hands. He simply said, “Let there be light” and there was light.

       The Bible also says that death and life are in the power of our tongue. Pretty awesome, right?

God Will Provide

       In 2009, my friend Rey Ortega felt God was calling him to rescue babies from abortion. He discussed this with me and passed this dream to my heart. I told him, “Let’s start a ministry.”
       Rey then told me, “But I have a problem. How can we raise money for this new work? I’ve exhausted all my friends already for our other work. They all now donate to our Tahanan (Home) orphanage and Pagasa (Hope) scholarship for poor children.” 
       That’s when I told Rey my Faith Words. Just three words. I said, “God will provide.” 

He said, “Wow, I’m impressed by your faith!”

       Actually, I was hiding my fear. I was actually scared! In my mind, I said, “Oh no, here I go again, getting myself into another ministry…”

When I said, “God will provide,” we had nothing. Zero. But soon, blessings began to flow like a waterfall.

       That month, out of the blue, My Ninang (Godmother) called up my office because she needed a speaker for her little prayer group. Specifically, she wanted a speaker to share about the topic, “The Sanctity of Life”. 

Obviously, the best speaker on the topic was Rey Ortega. He was the one who had this dream of rescuing babies from abortion in his heart. So I told Rey, “Give the talk. And share our dream to my Ninang. She’s rich!”

And that night, he did.

       My Ninang heard Rey’s story and invited him for lunch the next day. When they met, my Ninang said, “You can use my building for your ministry. You have 300 square meters for your halfway house.” Not only that, she spent two million pesos of her own money to remodel it for our use.

We didn’t even call her. She called us.

Was that coincidence? 

No. That’s synchronicity of grace. That’s the universe conspiring to bless us. We were no longer chasing after blessings. The blessings were chasing after us. Resources were rolling at our feet, begging that we take them.

“God will provide,” is a powerful Faith Word.

In May 2009, we began Grace To Be Born, a halfway house for pregnant womenin crisis and an orphanage for babies. In 6 months, we’ve rescued 15 babies from abortion.

Friend, are you praying for God to provide for you?

Here’s my belief: Sooner or later, your outside world will match your inside world. What’s does your inside world say?

       Remember, your faith is more powerful than your sight.

Your sight can only describe your situation, your faith can direct your situation.

       Let me tell you the story of Elijah…

I Hear The Sound Of Heavy Rain

Even When There Is No Rain

I love this incredible story.

For 3 years, there was a drought in Israel. Absolutely no rain in the whole land. In our language, a very bad El Nino.

But one day, the prophet Elijah told King Ahab, “Your problems are over. Go, eat and drink, for I hear the sound of heavy rain.” King Ahab was relieved and followed Elijah’s orders.

But was there actually rain? 

None. Not a drop.

In fact, there was not a single cloud in the sky.

That was when Elijah prayed very hard. The Bible says he went up to Mount Carmel, bent over, and placed his head between his knees. If you pray in that posture, that means Elijah was desperate. I should know. That was how I prayed when I was courting my wife. (It worked!)

Elijah then told his servant, “Look towards the sea and check for clouds.”

The servant looked and said, “No clouds.”

You can imagine how worried Elijah must have felt.

So Elijah prayed one more time and told his servant, “Check again.” The servant looked and shook his head, “Nope, no clouds.”

The Bible says this scene was repeated 7 times.

By the seventh time, I can imagine what the poor servant was thinking. I bet he wanted to say, “Elijah, I told you 6 times already, the sky is empty.  Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilcho. When are you going to quit? When are you going to tell King Ahab that you made a big booboo?”

But Elijah didn’t quit. He asked him, “Check again.”

Big Clouds Come From Little Clouds

When the servant looked a seventh time, he said, “I saw a little cloud no bigger than a man’s hand, coming up from the sea.”

In other words, he was saying, “Uh, there’s a tiny cloud. But don’t get your hopes up too much. It’s so itsy bitsy tiny, I can cover it with my hand. See? I don’t see it no more.”

But that little cloud was enough for Elijah. He said, “Tell King Ahab to hurry home as he might be caught by the downpour.”

Wow. That’s faith.

And the Bible says the wind began to blow and the heavy rain began to fall.

       Friend, it’s your turn to create your miracles.
       Do you see an empty sky or a little cloud?
       When you focus on emptiness, more emptiness will come. But when you focus on the blessings—no matter how small—more blessings will come.

Speak Blessing Into Your Future

Here’s my message: There’s a connection between what you say and what will happen.

You have a choice: You can say, “There’s not a cloud in the sky” or you can say, “I hear the sound of heavy rain.”

Perhaps today, you don’t see the healing happening yet in your body. But you can confess, “I’m being healed by God right now. Health and healing are flowing into my body. I’m getting better and better everyday.”

Perhaps today, you don’t see your child changing yet. He’s still making bad choices. He’s still hanging out with bad company. He’s still taking drugs. But you can confess, “My child is coming closer to God. As I speak, God is working in his life.”

Perhaps today, you don’t see your financial situation getting better. But you can confess, “I’m getting rich and richer everyday. God is prospering the work of my hands.”

Perhaps today, you don’t see yourself free from addictions yet. But you can confess, “I may have had addictions in the past, but God is starting a new chapter in my life. I may feel weak right now but I declare that God is making me strong.”

Like Elijah, you need to hear the sound of heavy rain even when there’s not a cloud in the sky. You need to hear the heavy rain of blessings into your life even when you don’t see anything yet.

Start speaking words of faith into your future.

Because your words create your reality.

       Let me tell you my last story.

Use Your Words To Direct Your Future

Last year, one of my small businesses collapsed.

In a snap, it simply sunk.

       Circumstances beyond my control pulled the rug beneath it and it came crashing down.
       My small business was almost one year old. All of a sudden, in one day, I lost all my customers.

I wish I could tell you that because I’m a preacher, I smiled and sang, “Give thanks with a grateful heart…”

That’s not true. At least, not right away.

Believe me, I was so discouraged. I was so frustrated, I wanted to say, “This business is dead,” and “I’m a failure,” and “Why did I let this happen? I’m so foolish.”

       But I didn’t say those words. 
       Because I knew words have power.
       Instead of using my words to describe my reality, I decided to use my words to create my desired reality.
       Every time I wanted to say those negative words, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and proclaimed with faith, “My business will rise up stronger than ever. This failure is temporary. This failure will make my business even better.”
       For three months, I tried to resurrect my business. And I couldn’t do it. I felt like I was hitting my head on a brick wall. But no matter how discouraged I felt, I kept saying these faith statements, “My business will rise up stronger than ever.” And I didn’t stop trying to fix it.
       And soon, I discovered the blessing within the problem. Because I had to start from scratch, I was able to change my business model. 

Today, that small business is doing so much better. Today, I have more customers, more sales, and more profits!

You know what? Today, I thank God my business collapsed. Because it gave me the chance to transform it and make it better.

What happened?

My words—my Faith Words—created my desired reality.

Proclaim Those Faith Words

Look, I’m not saying that speaking Faith Words is all that you need to do to succeed in life. This isn’t magic.

To succeed in life, you need love, wisdom, mentors, action…

But speaking words of faith is incredibly important too!

May I suggest something?

I want you to take five minutes everyday declaring Faith Words.   I guarantee that it can change your life. Five minutes in the morning, declare God’s word, including your positive beliefs about your life.

Here’s why. In Mark 11:23, Jesus said something incredible. He said, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 

Friend, what is your mountain? 

It may be sickness. It may be a troublesome relationship. It may be a lack of money.

Don’t just pray about the mountain. Don’t just talk about the mountain. Instead, speak to the mountain.

That’s what I did to my failed business. I told it to resurrect.

       My message again: Don’t use your words to describe your reality. Use your words to create your reality.

Below, you’ll find God’s Word combined with my own positive words. I wrote these Faith Words so that you can speak them everyday. In fact, depending on your particular “mountain”, I want you to say these Faith Words not just once, but many times during the day.

Talk to the mountain of sickness:

“With long life, He satisfies me and shows me His salvation. I’m getting better and better everyday. I am getting stronger and stronger everyday. The power of healing is flowing through my body, mind, and spirit. New health, new joy, new peace, new hope is increasing within me.”

Talk to the mountain of a loved one going astray:

“My child (husband, brother, etc.) is growing closer to God. Deep inside his heart, the Holy Spirit is busy working, changing, and transforming him. He is set free from all his addictions. He will fulfill God’s purpose for his life. I declare that as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Talk to the mountain of addictions:

“I may have had addictions in the past, but God is starting a new chapter in my life. I may feel weak now but I declare that God is making me strong. God is setting me free.”

Talk to the mountain of relationship conflicts:

“God is blessing my relationships. Love is increasing. Service for one another is growing. Forgiveness, humility, and understanding flow like a river in my relationships. Old wounds are being healed. Bonds between us are getting stronger and deeper.”

Talk to the mountain of confusion in decision-making:

“The steps of the good person are ordered by the Lord. God directs my steps. God helps me to distinguish what is right from wrong. God shows me the paths to abundance.”

Talk to the mountain of financial difficulty:

“I’m rich and getting richer. I’m generous and getting more generous. God’s abundance is supplying my every need. Everything I touch prospers and succeeds. New doors will open before me. The right people will walk into my life. God will prosper the work of my hands. As I use my core gifts to serve others, I will be richly rewarded.”

Friend, there’s a miracle in your mouth waiting to be released. 

Release it today.

Source

Blessing our Abundance

After accepting our present circumstances, no matter what they are, we must learn to bless them. Right. Bless misery? Through your gritted teeth if necessary. Usually we don't know why something has occurred and we won't until there's enough distance to take a backward glance. However, blessing whatever annoys us is the spiritual surrender that can change even troublesome situations for the better. Blessing the circumstances in our lives also teaches us to trust.

Over the years my easiest and most joyous lessons have been learned through blessing. If you're sick and tired of learning life's lessons through pain and struggle, blessing your difficulties will show you there's a better way.

A powerful set of blessings that I read from the teachings of Stella Terrill Mann, a Unity minister who wrote during the 1940s, encourages us to greet the morning with the affirmation "Blessed be the morning for me and my loved ones," At noon declare, "Blessed be the day for me and mine," and in the evening, invoke this prayer: "Blessed be the night for me and mine." As you go about your work at home or in the office, affirm, "My work is a prayer for good for me and mine." These affirmations of good will bring many blessings into your daily life, as they have in mine.

Then start to count your blessings. Start today. Make a spiritual inventory of all your blessings. See if you can't get to one hundred. So much good happens to us but in the rush of daily life we fail even to notice or acknowledge it. Writing it down focuses our attention on the abundance already within our grasp and makes it real.

Source: Simple Daily Abundance