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Habits, That Thing You Do Repeatedly!

“Habits, that thing you do repeatedly because you gain or lose something in return for the action or non-action you decided you wanted or needed to be,    do, or have”.   DLCSr

 

 

Habits by definition;

Habits are routine behaviors done on a regular basis. They are recurrent and often unconscious patterns of behavior and are acquired through frequent repetition. Many of these are unconscious as we don’t even realize we are doing them.

Do you notice that the word behavior is, frequently used in the explanations above? Behaviors are tied to habits.

Habits are the way in which one acts or conducts oneself. The way in which a person acts in response to a particular situation or stimulus.

So behavior is the way in which we act or our actions as we saw in week 5. Our thoughts become our words, which becomes our actions, which become our “habits”. Our behavior changes as we manage those thoughts that helps to shape our words, that leads to our action’s, that become our habits. Ultimaly leading to the way we behave!

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines habits as:

  • an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary. “It is an acquired behavior”
  • the prevailing disposition or character of a person’s thoughts and feelings.

“A persons dominant thoughts and feelings”

  • a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior.

“A chosen behavior”

  •  a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance.

It comes with frequent repetition that becomes you performing the chosen behavior.

So we can see that habits define our character, our thoughts and feelings and our ‘usual’ behaviors. We can also see that habits are behaviors that are nearly or completely involuntary and because they are repeated frequently, we become ‘better’ at them (increased facility of performance).

Psychology definition

A habit can also be thought of as a link between a stimulus and a response. It serves as a mental connection between a trigger thought or event (stimulus) and our response to that trigger (the response). Repeating this connection time and again forms a habit and affects all subsequent decisions and actions. If repeated often enough, this connection becomes near permanent unless we take conscious action to change it.

So lets rap this up by simply saying how you behave is a result of your habits. What you think leads to what you say, that leads to what you do, and the actions you take repeated over time becomes a habit, that ultimately changes your behavior,  and becomes your character. “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.” Which brings us to our reason and purpose of living our L.I.F.E,

See you next week we will talk about character on our way to fulfilling our destiny!

 

 

“It’s just words”.

Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

 

 

 

The Blessing 2019

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you  and give you peace.

May you reach the purpose for which you were created.

May you have courage above your pears.

May you have more passion for the things of God than others think is necessary.

May you dream more than others think is practical.

May you expect more than others think is possible.

May you choose wisely without earthly biases.

You have people to in influence you have not yet not met.

You are strategically placed where ever God takes you by His grand design. Just so you can become everything He made you to be.

That place is the place you can grow best,

That place is a place you can be most fruitful.

The place where the future is changed because of your presence and His.

May you see vistas that others don’t even know exist.

May you see God in every petal or every flower and every blade of grass. For each of them are designed by His hand.

May you bless your children and they become giants in the Faith under The Mighty Hand of God.

You won’t fail, you were made by God to be hear, for such a time as this.

“Selah stop and think of this.”

May God bless your life as you pursue him! May Gods love and kindness direct you as we are renewed and strengthened as he does a new thing in our lives, the journey to our new life is on foot, led by the Spirit and Gods Word, to serve Him, and others.

“It’s just words”.
Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

Week 5 “actions”, The Dressed Rehearsal Before Opening Night.

Dwight L.Carter Sr.

If our thoughts are our actions in rehearsal then words are our actions in dressed rehearsal before opening night.  Webster defines Action as: an act of will, the manner or method of performing.

Life is a performance, all of life is lived and in essence choreographed by our thoughts, by what we say and then played out by our actions. To further our path in life these foundational behaviors result in the habits we maintain and then the character we build culminating in our all-encompassing destiny. 

Dwight L. Carter Sr.  My path to action!

  • Cultivate a desire to make a difference. It starts with purpose, that inner need to contribute. It’s actually in all of us, by design.
  • Produce an environment that supports you and your vision. Let go of those people places and things that do not support you. You already know who and what’s on that list. It been nagging at you for years now is the time to break free.
  • Provide information for yourself in regards to getting results. The greatest source of action and influence in your life is the books you  read and the people you meet.
  • Get involved with people & organizations who support&create the environment, vision, & result you are committed to. Like-minded people support and drive each other. Enough is enough being social doesn’t always support “YOU”. Following the same old crowd is debilitating to your calling and your personal vision.
  • Structure your thought life to your vision.  I cant express this enough, your thoughts and what you do with them shapes your day, your week, your month, your year, your L.I.F.E.
  • Speak your vision. Stand up and step forward, there is no one just like you. All of us need to hear your voice and your expression of encouragement and leadership for the rest of us. No one person has all of the pieces of the plan. Each of us have our part to share and teach to others.
  • Take action in faith. Never see the small steps as unimportant. If only for today tell yourself you can do this. Trust that knowing-ness given to you at birth. That still small voice that teaches you and instructs you. Listen to it you know the masters voice.

Dr. Enaka Yembe is a Physician, and the founder of American Stat-Care centers who was able to open her first clinic from her sick bed in 2006 and grow it to a 7-figure company.

5 steps to taking action:

1.Have faith in your abilities. Each of us was born with the God-given ability to be successful. Hold fast to this thought, especially during moments of indecision.

2. Face your fears. What’s holding you back? Examine your fears closely and work on overcoming them. Is the fear rational, in reaction to real danger? Or, is it based on emotion?

3. Step out of your comfort zone. Stretching ourselves a little takes courage and requires us to take action. Stepping out of our comfort zone will give us new confidence and hence the courage to reach new heights.

4.Accept failure. Failure will come. It’s a part of life. Use your failures as stepping-stones to success. Learn from failures and move on. Don’t wait to take action because of the fear of failure.

5. Be independent. Learn to stand on your own and have confidence in the decisions that you make. Avoid relying on the support or approval of those around who will prevent you from taking action.

Next-week Habits:

Habits are routine behaviors done on a regular basis. They are recurrent and often unconscious patterns of behavior and are acquired through frequent repetition. Many of these are unconscious as we don’t even realize we are doing them.

“It’s just words”.

Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com



Week 2  “Thoughts The Beginning of Our Destiny”

Week 2  Watch Your Thoughts

“Truth”

Sometime around 6th or 7th grade I began to have difficulty concentrating. It showed up in my school work and specifically my grades. I was pulled out of class one morning and taken to the principal’s office. That particular event is still not clear to me even to this day. I do remember being asked lots of questions and taking several tests. In the end apparently they determined and told my parents in essence I was not applying myself. To make this even worse my complexion began to show the signs of being a teenager. Personal appearance and grades, the end all be all of teenage life.

I will tell you the next 5 years until way after high school graduation were difficult for me. The truth is I don’t remember much of it. I guess in my mind it was just too painful so I set it aside to move on. The embarrassment of struggling to concentrate and study along with the shame of thinking not only was I not very smart but physically flawed as well. Don’t get me wrong I fought to keep up a good front and did the best I could. Those who knew me then may have just thought I was just another struggling teenager. A nice guy but really nothing special. The truth is how I saw myself and the world around me in hindsight was distorted as a result of wanting to be what others seemed to be to me.  Better.

In my thinking at the age of 14, as a result of looking at those around me, I decided that to be successful, I needed to be more than I was. I came to the conclusion that to be successful in life, and by successful I mean that the girls wanted, pursued, or made a fuss over me, the guys respected me, and people in general admired me. So with that bit of false wisdom I decided (1) I needed to be tall, (2) I needed to be handsome, (3) I needed to have great hair. That seemed to be the key for others why not me. Now that may very well be the roadmap for success at 14 but quite the disaster for lasting success in the real world. Yet in my thinking it made perfect since. Truth was I was not really any of those what I believed to be necessity’s for success.

It has been lots of years since then yet in many ways how I allowed my mind to run me then has to be managed, even today. I have had lots of life experiences, lived in numerous cities and states as a result of my work, been places and have had the opportunity to do things not everyone gets the opportunity to do. I have been kidnapped at gun point while sitting in my car at a mall in Houston Texas, I have ridden in a helicopters taking me to work on numerous offshore drilling rigs, as well as being in some of the most sophisticated manufacturing plants, petro chemical, food and beverage facility’s, as well as ridden on a giant tunneling machine while it was boring and setting the concrete walls as it moved along an underground train track 50 yards below ground in downtown San Antonio Tx. Not to mention the people I have met.

Ok let me just mention a couple LOL Boomer Isaisan, Vernon Jordan Bill Clintons lawyer, Mrs. America Debra Downs, General Brannon US Air Force, Pat Robertson, Actress Stockard Channing, The CEO and his wife of Exxon mobile, and many more. I unexpectedly was offered a job during an interview for sales position that required me to work as a corporate Chauffer for 12 months after a layoff. Their importance and success had nothing to do with me or changed how I saw myself for the better. I did learn a valuable lesson “work is about service not about self”. More on that later.

 

So what’s your point Dwight? It’s this, that even though my forward progress in life was going well, in my thinking more often than not, I was still that insecure teenager especially in what I wanted or thought I needed in life. So for many years I struggled, failed, got back up and failed again, got back up and so on. As I continued as most of us do to make my way along what I refer to as the Broken Road I realized in a rather dramatic encounter that there was actually a very simple yet difficult answer to my ongoing problem.  “Change”

“It’s just words”.
Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

“Life is like a 1000 piece puzzle”

Life is like a 1000 piece puzzle for which you have no picture. You are given one piece at a time, and you are to figure out where it fits. At first there is no clear vision of what you are putting together, It becomes confusing, Frustrating, and sometimes seems impossible.

Through diligence,  determination, commitment you begin to see. To see is inspiring, you feel as if there is a pattern,  and overwhelming plan. You begin to be willing  to take each piece you are given  and figure out where it fits.
The challenge becomes,  a desire  to be a part of the bigger picture. You have a sense that  there is a purpose,  a reason, for all that you do. You become a willing participant,  an enthusiastic creator. Waiting,  watching,  anticipating,  that next piece  that encourages  inspires and moves you to discover just where you fit.

It’s an awesome discovery to see that all you do is a part of a beautiful, moving, and fulfilling piece in the puzzle. Be grateful,  thankful, and excited  that you are part  of creating  a one of a kind, masterpiece.  Planned by the Master from its very beginning, to truly be work of L.I.F.E

L. Live in confidence that who you are and what you do make a difference.

I. Invest in others daily.

F. Faith in God, your purpose and in others.

E. Elevate your thinking.

1996

“Its Just Words!”
Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
dwightspeaks@gmail.com
www.tellthemyourstory .org

 

 

 

Week 1″Thoughts the Beginning of a Destiny”

Week 1

                                        “THOUGHTS”

If failure were money I would be a millionaire.

If uncertainty was an educational degree I would have a masters.

If disappointments were rewarded I would be the guest of honor.

If anxiety was a temperature mine would at least be 103. Not enough to kill me but enough to really keep me down.

 

In spite of these ongoing challenges in life I have managed to earn my living over the years in several capacity’s that from the outside some would say I was not necessarily qualified for. I have been granted access in manufacturing facility’s pitching products or services that were beyond my expertise. I have been trusted with and been on dangerous assignments on offshore and land based drilling rigs where a simple mistake or a moment of indecision could be fatal. I have asked for and been granted appointments with business leaders way above my socio, educational and economic level. I have provided advice, and expertise in areas where some would say I was not qualified for. I have been given guidance and direction from individuals who had nothing to gain from me, and yet were compelled to do just that.

The commonality in all was and is my “thinking”. I am convinced I just didn’t realize I wasn’t qualified, and drive and ambition blindly pushed me forward toward what I wanted to be, do, or have. Given some thought could be that true for you as well?

I know it’s not just that simple, to think and it will be. Yet in 1937 Napoleon Hill wrote a bestselling training and motivational book entitled “Think and Grow Rich”. Maxwell Malts in 1960 wrote “Psycho-Cybernetics”. His work defines the mind-body connection as the core in succeeding in attaining personal goals.  My favorite Zig Ziegler wrote “See You at The Top”  “The how to book that gives you a checkup from the neck up to eliminate stinkin thinkin and avoid hardening of the attitudes” in 1982 and many others until his passing in 2012.

All of these men studied, researched, and provided instruction as to the importance of what we think. Eastern philosophies touted the benefits and importance of our thoughts. The Bible in addressing maters of the heart or spirit addresses the challenges of what we think and allow into our minds: Simply put, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he” Proverbs 23 vs 7.

It has been said we only have control over three things in our life:

The thoughts we think.

The images we visualize.

The actions we take.

I have found that to be true in my life have you?

So what do I do, if how I manage my thoughts and how and what I think is so very important, how do I go about managing what I think?  Or can we?

see you next week!

“It’s just words”.Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

A letter to my Mom. Charice’s story

 

A letter to my Mom “ Rosemary Caldwell”,

I wanted you to see the power of what I call “generational living by example”. What I have learned from you and Dad and what Vilma learned from her Mom and Dad is bearing fruit, “growing”. Sometimes it seems what has been planted is not blooming as expected. Has what’s been sown not taken root, have we failed in our efforts to teach, and direct, by example.

No, it has been gaining strength, just below the surface, until its time. Encouragement, determination, acceptance, direction, and often intervention win out over the challenges of life. An overwhelming garden of beauty, so many wonderful and different flowers “our children and grandchildren” spring up and show their beauty. It is a reminder to me and I wanted to share Charice’s story with you
( there were more than 82 likes and comments to her post. Clearly her heart and actions touched others) .

Vilma and I will never let our garden go unattended. These treasures “children and grandchildren” strengthen my heart and give wings to my purpose in life. Thank you for loving me so I could understand and love those who follow in your steps and ours.
Dwight Sr.

Charice Thoman
11 hrs
I was reminded again, tonight, what it means to be a nurse. To give love and compassion to each individual in their most trying times.

While suctioning the trach (airway) of a young man, only 8 years older than my son, I gently rubbed his arm and reassured him he will be ok, as he was very anxious. After he motioned to me that his airway was clear, he reached out his arm, grabbed my hand and squeezed it as tears rolled down his face. He can’t speak due to the tracheotomy, but ‘lipped’ “Thank you”. Most times it just takes a little extra TLC and comforting to let people not only know, but *feel* you care about them.

Charice, I could not be more proud of you. Your strength and compassion commitment and determination are the cornerstones of our family. Your heart encourages me your actions inspire me. Never stop growing always trust your heart. Love Dad.

“It’s just words”.

Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
dwightspeaks@gmail.com
www.tellthemyourstory .org

 

Breaking Through: Monster Trucks and Spiritual Dreams

breaking through thCA2XYDXZ

Dreams, I am amazed how often I have them and especially the ones I remember. For me they often seem to be meant to encourage, direct or break through. I have no scientific documentation, to base my assertion on but I do have friends and family that have had similar experiences. I remembered John Travolta played in a movie several years ago where a bright light in the night sky projected on to him, knocked him down in the street, and when he woke up he was significantly smarter and able to suggest solutions to significant problems. Just to be clear ( LOL) I have not been struck by a bright light in the night sky and my family and friends have not indicated they have seen any change in my intelligence. I do however hope that my experience just like the character in the move will help you to break through what’s been holding you back.

Recently I dreamed I was running away from something or someone and I was very agitated. I was in what seemed to be a monster truck. You know the ones that are so high you need a ladder to get in. Large tires, cramped seating space, flashy exterior, and above it all. Its all about power, brut force, and able to over power and muscle through anything. I was driving, up high, in what seemed to be a warehouse. I could see tools and materials on the ground below me. I was looking for a way out of the warehouse. I saw many open doors/exits but because I was up so high I could not get through the doors.

I saw two men outside of the truck door on the drivers side. One was large the other was small. The larger one reached inside the cab of the monster truck and grab the GPS off of the dash. I took the keys from the ignition and began hitting him on the head with them. As this was happening something with numerous legs or tentacles attached to my head. Something like a centipede but with a hard shell. The smaller man told me to dismantle the legs and pull them off one by one from the grip they had on my head. As I began doing so I noticed it did not hurt like I had expected. As I thought about this dream when I woke up I came to the conclusion this is how it applies to me.

The monster truck represented my self will and desire for significance. I had been determining my own way and direction ( the GPS) and not totally depending on Him. I desperately wanted to get out of the warehouse (where my way of doing things had taken me) where I felt trapped and frustrated and be able to use the tools that were clearly available to me. There were numerous open doors or exits but being up so high ( my own self imposed need for importance) I could not escape. To do so would require steeping down from the drivers seat and not in control of the course or direction.

The large man is my Heavenly Father reaching in to my life to take way what I had been using for my direction and purpose ( the GPS). I stubbornly attempted to hang on to the keys (control) and used them to assert my will. The smaller man is the Holy Spirit and directed me to began dismantling those thoughts, and ways of being that had become so attached to my mind. In doing so I experienced freedom and relief, not pain.

I am amazed at how this simple yet detailed dream speaks to me. I needed to understand how I arrived at my current destination and how to correct my course. Proverbs 3 : 5-7 instructs us to Lean on trust in and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight and understanding. In all your ways know, recognize and acknowledge Him and He will direct and make straight and plain your path. Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn entirely away from evil.

I hope you will be challenged and encouraged to join me in letting go, surrendering self and following Christ. Courage and obedience produce great rewards.

May God bless your life as you pursue Him. May Gods love and kindness direct you as we are renewed and strengthened as he does a new thing in our lives, the journey to our new life is on foot, led by the Spirit and Gods Word, to serve Him, and others.

Dwight L. Carter Sr.

“A trust broken cannot be repaired, but does provide a new beginning.”

 

A simple yet profound phone call changed my life. Little did I know I was about to experience a betrayal I could not have ever imagined.  An offer to resolve a problem, a need fulfilled at an opportunity of vulnerability, words from a trusted source.

Words are powerful, they have influence, especially coming from someone in authority or someone who fills a respected role.  An experience that changed my thinking, willingness, and how I process information before I allow someone into my circle of trust. A change that has made its way to the roots of my mental, physical, and spiritual way of life.

Growing up it was easy to trust the people around me. My Father, Mother, Sister, Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles. My well being was at the heart of their concern, evidenced by what they did or didn’t do, or said, or didn’t say. The clarity of their actions matched the words they expressed. If I was told an action was going to be taken it happened? Whether it was punishment, reward, instruction, or support, I could count on it. No manipulation, half-truths, or blatant lying. Just the truth, truth you could count on, and most of all trust

I have experienced 3 layoffs, and let go without cause twice in my work life. The layoffs were over a 22 year period as a sales rep in the ever cyclical oilfield. I loved that line of work. The other 2, one by a sales manager that took my efforts and applied them to her boyfriend, my coworker to boost his sales. They did marry after I was let go but I also learned they were both fired not to long after that. Him for code of conduct violations namely paying someone to inflate his sales numbers and her after being demoted for participating in the scheme, decided to retire and become a minister. I didn’t see that coming.  The second was either my age, or my salary, my performance, or maybe she just didn’t like me. I had been top perform the 5 years prior to joining her team. After 40 years as a professional in the workforce, numerous life experiences, and conversations with other professionals, I guess that’s just about par for the course.

Oh I have also been kidnapped at gun point in my own car, survived a major Automobile accident, had a 10,000 lb. blowout preventer underneath a drilling rig, being held by a hydraulic support system slip 6 inches (another few and I would have been a spot in the mud), survived a brain tumor after 9/1/2 hour of surgery and back at work in 6 weeks. My point in all of that is, at this point in my life as they say, I am a seasoned veteran.  The people, places, and things in life, the good, the bad and the really bad at times have broken me. Yet provided an opportunity to rebuild, and thankfully, made me stronger.

So I have some experience in the difficulty’s of life, and let me just say it’s worth remembering, who our Heavenly Father is and the purpose He has for our lives. Luke 4:18:says,  “He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, He has sent me to announce release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth delivered those who are oppressed, who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity. ”

Encourage others as a way of L. I. F. E. this is my purpose, and opportunity’s to fulfill that purpose are presented daily. Transforming the past, present, and future by the renewing of the mind through stories, true story’s that challenge the heart and engage the mind.

Start today to let go of the past, but don’t forget the lessons.  A greater vision of ones purpose is available through Gods word and prayer, in spite of what ones day, to day circumstances in life may be. Look for those opportunity’s to set self aside and surrender to Gods perfect will for your life. Manage your thoughts and focus on His will and plan for your life. Opportunity’s to serve and “trust” Him and others will show up unexpectedly with purpose. Those divine appointments that minister to you and encourage others.

“Eyes and heart open, there is no better way to live”.dlc

May God bless your life as you pursue Him! May Gods love and kindness direct you as we are renewed and strengthened as He does a new thing in our lives, the journey to our new lives is on foot, led by the Spirit, to serve Him, and others.

Dwight

And We Are Changed

In Priscilla Shirers book” And We Are Changed Encounters with a Transforming God’ ( Moody Publishers 2003) she asks the reader to remember when God performs a “Lazarus miracle in our lives, we should be changed and drastically different”. She asks the reader to remember when;

He:
Resurrected my hope -2006
Resurrected my marriage -2/18/09
Resurrected my finances -09/ 2006
Resurrected my children’s spiritual life -2008
Resurrected my career -01/2006
Resurrected my health -03/2002
Resurrected my heart for him -2002

I wrote in my copy the dates above when those important needs became answered prayers. Encounters with our Heavenly Father are often dramatic life changing events. Yet more time than not a result of an unexpected opportunity to minister to serve to stand in for someone in need. I am always amazed at those divine appointments that show up unannounced yet with an impact as I travel on business. It often happens when my self is tired, or struggling with my own challenge.

I had the opportunity to share this with a housekeeper at the hotel I was staying at several months ago. I had been staying in the same room for several days on business.  I was early getting back to the hotel and she was just coming out of the room. She had tears in her eyes and quickly wiped them away as if embarrassed and explained she was leaving me a note. I am sure she saw my bible open in the room each day while I was out and as she was going about her work. She told me the note just said “would you pray for me”. I don’t recall a time that has ever happened.

I talked with her a moment and found that she had something stolen from her and was not sure how she was going to resolve it. It was clear to me that many things had been stolen from her; it was evident in her expression. I have seen that expression in my own mirror, on several occasions.

I started to say “I will keep you in my prayers” yet found my self saying “would you mind if I prayed for you”. Her surprise gave way to tears, both she and I, and standing in the hallway, I said a simple prayer for guidance, direction, and a resolution to her trouble.

She had lost $80.00 as a result of trusting a co worker to borrow something out of her locker. The co worker took the $80.00 she found in the locker and then left and quit. I asked her to pray about it for 24 hours and then leave me a note and I would leave $80.00 at the front desk in an envelope if it was not resolved. She thanked me.

I did not hear from her and did not see her again before I left a couple of days later. I choose to believe that God answered her prayer in a way only He can. That missing $80.00 affected three people that day. One who trusted and then was in need ( her), one who deceived and stole from another ( the coworker), and one who had, but needed to give ( my self).

“There is much to learn that will take a willingness to not know.”
It has been 18 years ago those words came into my thoughts while laying face down on the carpet in my small apartment. Praying and crying uncontrollably for something, someone had stolen from me. I was angry when those words registered to my mind. I stopped my crying to yell out “what does that mean”. I have learned that not always knowing the why, but always obeying is sometimes the better choice. I left a note for the housekeeper at the front desk on the day of my departure and is attached below.

Dear Carole,
David was just a Sheppard boy and yet God used him greatly as a result of his heart. The bible says he was a man after Gods own heart. As I see it, he had an openness to Gods will and a willingness to set aside self. He became king and yet made mistakes that cost him dearly. We are all human with all that comes with that. My mistakes have been many. I have had numerous challenges where someone, something or even my self has caused great pain or insurmountable challenges in my life.

Forgiveness of self, others, and our sins is a part of a greater closeness to our Heavenly Father. There is a peace that comes with surrendering self to Gods will and not our own that is miraculous. Even when things do not look any different at the moment, there is a knowingness in your heart. Sometimes the challenges in our life are Gods way of binging us closer to him. We sometimes have to fall flat on our face with no where to go or turn within ourselves. Abraham Lincoln was quoted as saying “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day”. At that point our heart becomes willing to surrender to God and his perfect plan for our lives.

The Christian Life is not an easy road but then life is not easy. 2nd Corinthians 18:9 We were under great pressure far beyond our abilities to endure. So that we despaired even of life. In our hearts we felt death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

1 Peter 5:7 says casting the whole of your care, all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all, on Him; for He cares for you affectionately and cares about “you” watchfully.

May God bless your life as you pursue him! May Gods love and kindness direct you as we are renewed and strengthened as he does a new thing in our lives, the journey to our new lives is on foot, led by the Spirit, to serve Him, and others.

Dwight