THE EFFORTLESS WAY

 

My Mother always talked about “the effortless way” to living your life and getting what you want. She would always say “when you put God in charge of your life you have no worries, no stress and everything becomes effortless. All you have to do is put everything in God’s hands and he will take care of it for you”. 

The effortless way that my mother always talked about meant that you put everything to God in prayer. Prayer is conversing and communicating with God. When we pray, we can talk to God aloud or within our thoughts. 

Prayer is an earnest desire that we take to God.  Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, it is our heart’s desire. But even sincere desire is not enough by itself. There must be BELIEF, too. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24 NIV). You must realize God’s ability to give you every good thing in life. You must believe in his readiness to do it. Model your thoughts after the Psalmists of old. They first asked for that which they wanted, then eliminated all doubts and fears by affirming God’s power and his willingness to grant their prayers. For prayer to be effective Faith is required. Without faith, prayer accomplishes virtually nothing…but with faith, anything is possible! 

Try to make prayer your first response instead of your last resort when facing a new challenge or an old temptation.

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. (1 John 5: 14-15)

Even when we are praying for or about things other than our own spiritual needs and growth, conversing with God cannot fail to have a pervasive and spiritually strengthening effect on all aspects of our personality. That conversation makes an indelible impression on our minds, and our consciousness of him remains vivid as we go through our day.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.  You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.  (Matthew 7:7-11)

Is there something you are believing God for today? Does it seem like it’s taking a long time to come to pass? Be encouraged because the Bible says that …through faith and patience you will inherit His promises (Hebrews 6:12 NLT). If you’ll stay in faith, if you’ll keep on seeking Him, it won’t be long until you see that breakthrough!

The problem is that most people give up just before they get their prayers answered. They stop when things get hard or when they don’t get the answer they want the first time. But the verse encourages us to continually ask and continually seek. That doesn’t mean that we seek Him one time and then stop. No, we must seek Him until we have his promise!

Asking is the golden key to receiving! Asking is admitting that we have a lack or limitation. Ask not and you will receive not. Fear is a hindrance which the enemy uses to cripple us so that we refrain from asking. Fear tells you, 'It doesn't make sense to ask, there is a global recession going on, so why bother to ask?”

We have to make known our needs to God in prayer, ask His help, and then we have to BELIEVE he will give us what we need. Prayer alone is not enough. We may pray incessantly, yet, if we do not BELIEVE that God will give us what we need, we have no reason to expect that we shall receive what we have asked for. 

So why do so many fail to receive that for which they ask? Because they are not persistent enough. They do not convince the God in them that their prayer is something they MUST have. They ask and knock once or twice, and because the door is not immediately opened, they give up in despair. Remember “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, No, he is being patient for your sake…"(2 Peter 3:9, NLT) 

Successful prayer requires three basic steps: 

1. Acknowledge or admit the problem
2. Turn the problem over to God, who alone knows the most effective solution or way out.
3. Rest with a sense of deep conviction that God will grant what you ask for. 

Doubts and hesitations only weaken your prayer. Do not say to yourself, “I wish I could be healed” or “I hope this works.” Your feeling about the work to be done sets the tone. Believe and know that whatever you ask for is yours. 

Today, submit your prayers to the Lord and keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking on the door, and it will be opened to you. Know that God is working behind the scenes. He is perfecting whatever concerns you. Don’t give up! Instead, start thanking Him for His faithfulness in your life. Thank Him for His promise that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek after Him!

Till the next time

Bruce

WHAT IS FAITH?

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase before you take the first step”. Martin Luther King

There are two ways to approach life, one is to live by sight and reason and base everything on what you see, this is how most people live. The other way is to live by FAITH, which is to base everything on what you can’t see. Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen, it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. All faith begins in belief, and the reward of faith is to see what one has believed.

So the question is, what must you believe in order to have faith?

Consider the following quote, “Whatever you are seeking is also seeking you. Whenever you act in complete faith and confidence, everything will unfold when and as it should.”

The method by which one develops faith, where is does not already exist, is extremely difficult to describe. Almost as difficult as it would be to describe the colour red to a blind person. Making repeated affirmations to your subconscious mind is the only known method of developing the emotion of faith voluntarily. Any impulse of thought which is repeatedly passed on to the subconscious mind will eventually be accepted and acted upon. All thoughts which have been emotionalized (given feeling) and mixed with faith begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent or counterpart. You will become as small as your controlling desires or as great as your dominant aspiration.

In it’s simplest terms, Faith requires action. It is the application of faith in yourself, your faith in your fellow man, your faith in opportunities that are available, and your faith in God under any circumstance.

If you have no faith then it is possible to induce it through Persistence. Persistence is the sustained effort necessary to induce faith. Since persistence is a state of mind it can be cultivated, and like all states of mind, the basis of persistence is the Power of will. When you mix willpower with persistence then you will achieve your objective.

In the book “Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill states that there are four simple steps that will lead to the habit of persistence. They call for no great amount of intelligence, no particular amount of education, and little time or effort.

The necessary steps are:

1. A definite purpose backed by a burning desire for its fulfillment. Knowing what you want is the first and perhaps, the most important step toward the development of persistence. A strong motive forces you to surmount many difficulties.

2. A definite plan, expressed in continuous action. Organized plans, even though they may be weak and entirely impractical, encourage persistence.

3. A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends and acquaintances.

4. A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage you to follow through with both plan and purpose. Get a mentor, someone who believes in you who can help guide you towards your goals.

H.L. “Bunker” Hunt, the Texas oil billionaire when asked in an interview about the secret of his success replied, that he believed there were only two things necessary to succeed. The first is that you have to decide on exactly what it is you want. This is the starting point and, in his estimation, this is where most people fail. They never decide what it is they really want. He observed that most people wander through life wanting a great many things but not wanting any one thing more than all the rest. They end up settling for far less than what could be theirs. Once you decide on what you want, he continued, the second thing you must do is determine the price you must pay to get it, then resolve to pay that price. However, many who get past the first step never get past the second. They never realize there is a price you must pay for success, and they are not willing to pay it.

Only a big challenging goal can provide meaning and purpose to your life. It gives you something to aim at, to work toward and to look forward to. Without a goal, you will wander around like a chicken without a head, with no direction attached to your efforts. Since you cannot measure any progress, you cannot feel any sense of accomplishment. Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States once said “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "Press On" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

So whenever you are facing challenges in achieving your goals or dreams remember to repeat to yourself, I will persist without exception, I am a person of great faith.

Till the next time

Bruce

Believe in yourself! You’re divinely designed

And perfectly made for the work of mankind.

This truth you must cling to through danger and pain

The heights man has reached you can also attain.

Believe to the very last hour, for it’s true

That whatever you will you’ve been gifted to do.

Believe in yourself and step out unafraid

By misgivings and doubt be not easily swayed.

You’ve the right to succeed, the precision of skill

Which betokens the great, you can earn if you will!

The wisdom of ages is yours if you’ll read

But you’ve got to believe in yourself to succeed.   Anon

Secrets from the Universe

At some point, we probably all reach a stage in our lives where we ask the questions: What is "My Destiny" and am I following "God’s Plan"?. Well, one day while flying to Dallas Texas I started reading a book called “The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die” by John Izzo. It was about interviews the author had with over 200 people between the ages of 60 -106 in an attempt to discover why some people find meaning to life and die happy.

The five secrets he discovered are:

• To thine own self be true
• Have no regrets
• Give back more than you take
• Live in the moment/present
• Be a loving person and spend time with people who lift your spirit

I know that many of us may have heard of these “secrets” before, but I was so intrigued by what I read that when I got back from my trip I started researching and trying to read everything I could on the subject. I discovered that they were called the Universal Laws. These are common truths that lay at the core of the most powerful philosophies, teachings and religions in the world. Without exception, every human being has the ability to transform any weakness or suffering into strength, power, perfect peace, health, and abundance. By applying the knowledge of these laws, you can change every aspect of your life. This is the secret to prosperity, health, relationships and happiness. This is what life is all about.


One of the best books that explains the Universal Laws and how to apply them is by James Arthur Ray called The Science of Success. Below is a synopsis of some of the key principles I learned from that book.

1. Success is a science governed by specific, unchangeable laws of the universe. You can put that science to work for you, if you are willing to:

• Change your thoughts and attitudes
• Realize that the past is not the future
• Think and act wisely
• Open yourself to your own worthiness

2. You don’t need to understand all the details of the laws and principles. You just need to put them into action, much like flipping on a light switch without understanding, the details of electricity.

3. In order to succeed, you must be clear on what you want in life - not what you don’t want — and connect that worthy ideal to a higher purpose.

4. Your mindset is the sum of all your beliefs, values, identity, expectations, attitudes, habits, decisions, opinions and thought patterns about yourself, others and how life works. Many of our mindsets, are handed down from our families, society, religious authorities and teachers, but we can change our thoughts and mindsets to attract more of whatever it is we want.

5. The mind is composed of body, conscious mind and subconscious mind. The conscious mind gives the order and the sub-conscious mind carries it out through the body. To choose your new path create a clear mental picture of your new mindset and give all your attention and energy to those new thoughts, attitudes and beliefs. The old thoughts will wither and die.

6. If you have faith and belief in your ability to succeed, you will be grateful in advance. Your subconscious mind begins creating exactly what you ask and expect. We always manifest our greatest desire through gratitude or our worst fear through the lack of it. Your controlling idea will always manifest into physical reality.

7. Challenges are our greatest teachers and make us stronger. We find our greatest strengths when we really commit to a certain course of action and stick to it. We will discover new courage in overcoming challenges and learning the lessons that they offer us.

I am no expert, but I have written a booklet that summarizes a small portion of many of the different “secrets” that I have learnt to date. Surprisingly many of these were taught to me by my mother when I was growing up, and who today in her seventies still shares with me words of wisdom and encouragement.

I hope that you will use this booklet to draw inspiration and to be reminded of things you may have forgotten as you go through your Journey of Life.

Regards

Bruce

Click here to download the booklet.


P.S. I would love to hear your feedback on what you think of the booklet