Tag: wisdom

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The Listening Tragedy

The Listening Tragedy

Photo by Malte Wingen on Unsplash

The listening tragedy describes the catastrophe at the beginning of time. It was a total disaster, a misstep of epic proportions in the history of humanity. It happened because people listened to the wrong voice.

The second of God’s first recorded questions in Genesis.

Here it is in Genesis chapter three, verse eleven: “And He, [God] said, ‘who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?’ (NKJV) (My emphasis)

The listening tragedy happened when people lent their ears to listen to the wrong voice.

This question, “Who told you” is relevant in our modern society as it was at the beginning of time.

The original question God asked records how sin entered humanity. God’s first question; “where are you?” deals with our emotions. His second question; “who told you?” deals with our reasoning ability. We still deal with these two soul issues today.

Mohammad-metri – Unsplash
How do we avoid the staggering outcome of the listening tragedy happening in our lives today? 

Confusion rules our lives when we listen to the wrong people giving unsound advice.    

Facebook and Youtube confirm our listening addiction.

Listening, yes a listening avalanche is engulfing us! Over one hundred hours of video are watched on FaceBook every day. On YouTube people watch five times what is on Facebook! No wonder we are not listening to each other. Check out this infographic here

There is a lot to hear, most is just ‘noise,’ so choosing what we listen to is of utmost importance.

So, how do we control this addiction? Adverting the listening tragedy from happening in my life, I’ve practiced these three steps. First my disclaimer; I have not always been successful adhering to these three.

  1. Getting rid of the noise must be an intentional pursuit.
  2. Keep conversations within the limits of my spiritual perspective.

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 NKJV

3.  Practice solitude. My reasoning mind covets silence to cleanse the soul.

A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel… Proverbs 1:5 NKJV

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” Roy Disney

  • So, who has your listening ear?
  • Are you concerned enough to avoid the listening tragedy?
  • Who are you listening to when considering decisions you need to make?

God’s question; “who told you” is a simple question with profound implications when considering the choices we make.

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Surrounded By Storm Clouds of Defeat

Are most of your thoughts clouded by negative thinking?

Surrounded by storm clouds of defeat, is what this biblical Old Testament young man thought. When this servant of Elisha pulled back his tent door as the sun rose he saw they were surrounded by a large enemy army. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. II Kings 6:14 – 17 

I have been through a few ‘gloom and doom’ days. In 2001 a heart attack seized my chest with severe tight threating pain. Was my life over? At the hospital, the surgeons placed two stents in my arteries and I was good to go. But, I must admit, at least for some moments gloom tried its best to grip my soul. However, my faith in God and my family surrounding me opened my eyes to a brighter future.

When surrounded by storm clouds of defeat, it is easy to fall prey to negative thinking patterns. 

The young servant in the biblical story saw they were surrounded by defeat, but the man of God saw defeat surrounded by victory. Three ‘takeaways’ we can deposit in our lives today from this biblical account. When surrounded by defeat, anxiety builds in our mind and gloom purveys our thoughts, instead let us sharpen our focus on these three insights from this story.

  1. We should always be open to the supernatural. God still cares about us today.
  2. When defeat circles our space, look for the rim of victory beyond the doubt clouding our mind.
  3. The enemy in this story was blinded to what God had in store for His prophet. First blinded spiritually, then later blinded physically. See beyond the negativity into God’s positive hand directing us to victory.

Additionally, let us keep hope alive, working towards our success. Read my post on hope here.

For some real encouragement in overcoming adversity, Read Bill’s blog at Unshakable Hope

Queen Victoria, the second longest reigning Queen of England said:

“We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat.”

Winston Churchill had this to say about defeat:

“There is only one answer to defeat and that is victory.”

The possibilities of overcoming storm clouds of defeat are tremendous when we focus on God’s word. Here are two of the many scriptures on overcoming defeat and negativity in our lives:

“I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him.” Psalms 62:1

 “… despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Are you surrounded by storm clouds of defeat?

Is your life driven by negative thoughts?

Take heart today, since God has given us eyes to see His victorious armies surrounding the enemies of defeat.

Blessings to you today,

Richard

I invite you to leave a comment, question or insights you have on this post in the comment section of this post. Thank you.

Victory photo: Jepheth Mast – Unsplash

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Three secrets to keeping hope alive

 

Three Secrets to keeping hope alive

Why is having hope so crucial to a healthy outlook on life?

ron-smith – Unsplash

Three secrets to keeping hope alive in my life are in my concluding eleven statements for a better life. These eleven statements I wrote several years ago to refocus my energies towards a better life for myself. Having an optimistic outlook on life requires us to invest in hope. Have you lost all expectation for a better tomorrow in your life?

I am an optimist by nature. Even though optimism is natural to me, I must hone it to a sharper edge to guide my steps.

My last three statements of the eleven contain the three secrets to keeping hope alive in me.

9.  Aspire to reach beyond what I think of as unreachable. Hope directs my ambition toward achieving something initially thought not possible. My aspirations have played out exceptionally in my life. Fran, my wife, and I have taught the word of God in over 14 nations of the world. We kept hope alive, and the improbable became a reality!

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp~or what’s a heaven for?” Robert Browning.

10. Achieve a secure and firm foundation in what I believe and know why I think my belief is real.  A daily Bible reading and prayer time will help me in making and keeping my belief system unshakable.

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” – Thomas Edison

11.  Arrest my fears, subjugating my anxieties to the belief that God is more significant than all the complexities of life. Anxiety captured me with fear when I walked to the podium in India to present Bible truth to the assembled students. But the tension drained from me when I reminded myself that God had not given me a spirit of fear but of a sound mind to deliver my lesson on the first day of classes. Wow, God is good.

“The last of all human freedoms is the ability to choose one’s own attitude in any set of circumstances.” – Victor Frankl, Nazi Concentration Camp Survivor

Why is having hope so crucial to a healthy outlook on life? Here is why.

These three statements, 9, 10 and 11 have guided me to experiences beyond my expectations.

I’ll quickly explain, just keep reading.

Hope is, the expectation of something good happening in our life. In this life, without good health, we are sick; lacking money, we are broke; no friends, we are lonely; but without hope, we’rd done. Keeping hope alive in us brightens even the dreariest of days.

We read in Proverbs 13:12; Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. When we keep putting off reaching for something hoped for, it leads to heartbreak.

Here is the good news, when we reach beyond our present abilities it leads to fulfillment! 

To those having a personal relationship with Jesus, it gets even better.

“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:5

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”– Albert Einstein

I suppose we are all wise enough to make changes, am I correct on that?

Are you ready to build hope? Use my three secrets to keeping hope alive to guide you to unexpected heights in your life.

Thank you for reading. Leave a comment; I want to hear from you with observations, questions, and insights.

Be sure to sign up to keep receiving my posts.

Richard

 

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3 Life lessons for Emotional Stability

3 Life Lessons for Emotional Stability

Can greater emotional stability in your life be achieved?
My 3 life lessons for emotional stability brought a greater focus on how I interact with my spouse, family, and friends.

I’m sure most of us desire stronger relationships with others; correct?

Improving stronger bonds with others begins with how we control our emotions. These three steps towards emotional stability provided a path for me to a more composed response when in troubled waters. I am sure it can do the same for you. There is an assessment tool I have used and it is free which provides a good overview of the five factors pointing to better emotional stability. Click here for the free online assessment for insight into the makeup of your personality. I desire to be of a sound mind, able to face adverse circumstances with my dignity in check.
You can read my last post on this subject here.

 

This post is a continuation of the eleven statements I wrote several years ago to improve my outlook on life.

Read on for my 3 life lessons for emotional stability that I continue to work out in my life.

6. Alternatives; which means that I should always be open to other choices. I will make better decisions when I do my research on what choice I should make in any given situation. I should not pretend to ‘know it all’ but be open to counsel.
7. Adjust to my present stresses
. When I’m in a stressful situation I must evaluate my habits, my attitude, and my behaviors, perhaps the pressure I’m feeling is self-inflicted.
8. Analyze by putting in careful thought
 before taking action. I should question if my thought patterns are determined by my upbringing, and by my social connections? Part of analyzing my current position understands past relationships may not play an important role where I am today.

It is so important to realize our emotions can be governed by keeping an open mind to different choices. Choosing to recognize where my stress originates and knowing the current season of life I now am living.

“Two natures beat within my breast. The one is foul; the one is blessed. The one I love, the one I hate. The one I feed will dominate.” Anonymous

john-mark-kuznietsov- Unsplash

The above quote and the scripture works in harmony to keep my emotions in check.
“A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.” (Proverbs 29:11 NKJV)

My quest continues for emotional stability even in adverse situations. How about you?

Did you find this article helpful? Please leave a comment in the comment box provided below.

Be sure to give your name and e-mail address in the opt-in box. That way you will not miss my next post.

Thank you,

Richard

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Two Statements for Lifestyle Improvement

Two statements for lifestyle improvement

Colin Maynard – Unsplash

I do not want to keep living on circle street by just going round and round in circles. I’m sure, most of us want to plot a more sure road toward fulfillment.

Am I correct on that?

You see I wanted to move forward with my life, having more purpose for growth continues to be my goal. Several years ago I developed a list of eleven statements making me more intentional in pursuit of a life with meaning. Herewith I’m detailing two more of my assertions for lifestyle improvement.

In the last post, I wrote about my ‘three questions for lifestyle improvement,’ of my eleven statements, the first three were the three prerequisites prompting me into action.You can check out the first three of my eleven here.

To a person, we want to stop going in circles, I believe, forever ending up the same place we started, but to go forward is our goal in life. Am I correct in this assumption? These two statements I’m detailing here are about my journey for improvement. Just maybe opening up my walk will help you who read this to make changes needed for your development.

I call these two statements for lifestyle improvement:  The Influencers

These are two of my original eleven statements I penned for my life to get off of “circle street.”

I look at these two statements for lifestyle improvement as having the most influence on improving my distinctive personality. These two declarations are where I bring stability to my character and strength to my walk as a Christian man.

4. Apprehend a passion for life.

Apprehended passion lifts my level of enthusiasm for life. I must stop the drifting! Replace it with an intentional, deliberate plan to reach new goals. The key word is; intentional! Pastor David Jeremiah said; “no one drifts towards holiness.” I agree whole heartily, but this statement is correct in my personal life as well. If I want to become a better person, I must stop the drift, and get intentional about what I desire to accomplish with my life. I must lift the lid on my passion and discover what causes me to continue to act the way I do. That is not an easy project to pursue, but pursue it I must. 

Ben White – Unsplash

5. Assure others of my trust.

Assure trust with the reliability of actions that line up with my words. What builds trust is stable relationships. The higher the confidence, the more engaged the connection. Coner Neill, a blogger I follow, wrote an interesting post on building trust.  The equation he sights is Trust = Credibility – Reliability – Intimacy over Self-orientation. Take a look at it here.

My trust I have built with others is a highly valued asset. Therefore I must guard it appropriately.

I have made my choice always to be a learner. I take my cue from this Bible verse and accompanying quote.

A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, (Proverbs 1:5 NKJV)

“The future belongs to the learners—not the knowers.” – Eric Hoffer

My aim with disclosing the two above statements is to add value to your life. I wrote my eleven statements for me because I needed to evaluate where I was and where I would receive the most satisfaction for my life moving forward.

What change do you need to make in your life for improvement? Has my material interested you in attaining a more fulfilled lifestyle?

I invite you to write a comment or a question in the comment box. Don’t forget to sign up to continue receiving my posts.

Thank you,

Richard

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Three questions for Lifestyle improvement

 Three decisions I made for a better life.

We all want to live better. 

Am I correct in that assumption?

However, the thinking that occupies our mind is we cannot let go of the past. It is possible to release ourselves from the grip our history has on us. I looked at these three questions for lifestyle improvement, and I want you to know them. Making three choices for a positive turnaround freed me from my past mistakes. However, it continues as an intentional persistence on my part, but the journey produced a tremendously rewarding future. This life journey going from recent missteps into the present and to a brighter future was and is a spiritual and mental challenge for me. When I know what to do and do not do what I should do it puts me in a losing situation.

“Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.’ James 4:17

I’m sure we all desire to go from drifting through life to a more fulfilling lifestyle, am I right on that?

Toa Heftibe – Unsplash

Then, stay with me on this, keep reading.

Three questions for Lifestyle improvement

A couple of years ago I wrote out eleven choices I wanted to incorporate into my life for growth. I made this list for myself because it is in these eleven areas I needed the most help. Today I am sharing the first three decisions I made for a better life. To know more about me, click here.

 “When you’re through changing, you’re through.”  Bruce Barth
I do not want to be through at this stage of my life, but a continual work in progress!

A look at the first three of my eleven decisions I made to improve my life.

 

1. Admit my mistakes

2. Accept reality as my friend     

Nathan Lemon – Unsplash

3. Acquire margin in my life

Here is more insight on each of my three questions for lifestyle improvement 

1.  Admit mistakes and correct as soon as reasonable. If not admitted, they will tie me to my past. I must take time to understand why I made mistakes, but I do not continue to live there. Not admitting errors might be a ‘man thing’ but should not be my excuse for admitting I am wrong.

2.  Accept reality as my friend. The sooner I realize where I am at this stage of life, the quicker my problem will be resolved.

“Face reality as it is, not as you wish it to be.” Peter Koestenbaum

3.  Acquiring margin in my life breathes freshness into each day. A book without margins is unreadable, so my existence without margin is unlivable. The margin I need is quiet time alone, money in the bank, time spent with my family and friends. There is a tendency to crowd my schedule with appointments and meetings, but I need some alone time. I’m not talking about ‘loneliness,’ no this is not idle time, but something very different and necessary for me to develop margin in my life. In Richard J. Foster’s book, ‘Celebration of Discipline,’ he writes; “Loneliness is inner emptiness, solitude in inner fulfillment.” It will be necessary for me to withdraw a few times a year to experience an inner peace that only solitude can deliver. 

My hope for anyone reading this is for you to enhance your insights about lifestyle improvements by me sharing the three questions I faced on my journey in life. I will share more from my eleven questions in posts to come.

Write a comment on this post. I’d love to hear from you. What have you discovered about moving into a different season of life? Write your questions; this will help me in determining future posts. Please sign up to keep receiving these posts. I’ll appreciate that very much.

Thank you,

Richard