Encouragement

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What are you willing to do to punch through and get what's rightfully yours? Have you set your mind to live a mediocre life? What do you do with your free time? Get high? Get drunk after doing your 70 hours a week at a concentration type factory job? Is that your future? Do you watch from the sidelines as your goals and dreams are lived by others?

That's not me. That's not what I want out my life. Don't get me wrong, folks. There's no substitution for hard work, dedication, persistence and outright sagaciousness. You have to make up your mind to be stubborn and bullish to make your God given dreams a reality. All it takes is the belief in God, the chutzpah to stand alone when no one else cares if you live or die and the will to do what it takes. Facing murderous mutiny among his men, King David had to encourage himself in the Lord while standing alone (1 Samuel 30:6).

Family and friends do not understand why I spend so many hours in front of this ragged thing called my laptop. But that's ok. They don't need to understand. God and I understand. That's all that matters. It takes stepping out in faith to climb out of the pits of mediocrity and shine like a light for His Glory. I can sleep and eat dirt all my life or I can use my time wisely and effectively on my way to my God-given destiny.

Don't ever let anyone cheat YOU out of YOUR life. It was given to you for a reason and it is OK to enjoy it to the fullest. You will always find someone who will tell you "Don't do this. You will not make it. You'll never amount to anything. That idea is stupid." They will tell you that you are being selfish. They will tell you that loving yourself is wrong. Those are pathetic lies. It is absolutely not true. There is nothing wrong with loving yourself as long as the end result is positive and glorifies God. Remember this is not about anyone else but you. You have to be happy with yourself. And if you are not, then maybe you are hanging out with the wrong people. Tell them to get lost! This may seem harsh. There comes a time when enough is enough and it's time to clean house.

Never, ever let anyone convince you to settle for less than your full potential. Don't you dare settle! If you have settled, it's not too late to rectify it.

You may lose friends. Your family may come against you. In all likelihood they will. It doesn't matter. This is your life were talking about. It's not your husband's life. It's not your wife's life. It's not your mother or father's life, or anyone else you can think of. You should expect the best for yourself. God does. He sent His only begotten Son to die in your place (John 3:16). If it takes stepping on some toes, then step on them and make it count!

Remember this, when you go to your grave, (and that night will come for us all), you will be the only one that's going in that hole. No one else is going in with you. Why should you live life by someone else's terms? Live by God's terms. He wants the best for us. He has incredible plans for His Children (Jeremiah 29:11). He believes in YOU.

When you wake in the morning, what is the first thought that comes to mind? Are you happy you are alive? Or do you bemoan the thought of another miserable day? When you look in the mirror, are you happy with what you see? I am not talking about physical attributes. I am talking about the real you. Let me ask again. Do you like what you see?

If your answer is a resounding "NO!" then it's time for a radical make over. You do not have to live another miserable day. Your outlook about yourself can change for the better. However, you need to make a decision. Do you want to change? Do you want have joy? Do you want to smile again? It's not an impossible dream. It can be yours. Today. Right now. The choice is yours.

Most people do not like to be honest, even if brutal honesty would save their lives. Shakespeare once wrote, This above all: to thine own self be true. No more honest and accurate words have been written apart from the Bible. If we cannot be true to ourselves, how can we be open to groundbreaking, earth shattering wonder in our lives? The sad reality is that most people settle and accept garbage into their lives because they are not true to themselves. They accept whatever or whoever comes their way because they do not believe in themselves, in their talents and the possibility that they too can be accomplished and happy.

The Bible is full of people who were “in it to win it”. The story of Christ Himself is motivation enough to get up and get out there. Defying the odds, no matter what obstacle was thrown at Him, Jesus did not give up! He came to the earth with a divine purpose and He let nothing stand in His Way. And He did not return to Heaven until the job was done!

No matter where you are at in your life, no matter what your situation, as long as there is life within your body, you can be the very person you've dreamed. Finally, that secret list of goals you've had tucked away for so long can be achieved!

The Secret, my attractive and powerful friends, lies within us (Luke 17:20).


Johnny Rivera © 2009

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