Money or the Box?

Money makes the world go round - so it's been said. The level of collective attention towards wealth creation is astounding, yet only about 3% of people control 97% of the money in the world. The love of money, as the Bible says, is the root of evil. Wars are being fought as I write this over control of oil reserves and diamond fields. Money to many represents security. So why would God want us to give of our money?

1. God wants to be your source.

In reality, God is the source of our income. Businesses and bosses are only channels by which the money gets to us. God wants us to realise and acknowledge him as our source so that he can give us more.

2. You're not ready for something if you can't give it away.

This is true for more than just money. If you clutch on to anything other than Christ with dear life and fear losing it, you're not ready for it. When you have the confidence that you deserve it and you can get it again should you give it away, then you have gained the mastery over it. You trust that God who provided the first time will provide again as long as you are operating within the boundaries of his will; in love and by faith.

3. God wants you to be a blessing

God’s method of meeting the needs of people is through other people. When you participate in the cycle of giving, you are participating in God's blessing agenda and you become a recipient of more because you are an effective channel.

4. God wants you to experience true joy

The highest level of joy is in meeting the deep needs of other people. You may enjoy buying a new car or house, but the joy of having alleviated the pain of someone else, doing something totally life changing for them is indescribable. When you are significant to someone and they absolutely cannot and will not pay you back and you know it from the onset, you experience the true meaning of giving. God wants you to experience that.

5. God wants you to be like him

God is a giver. He loved the world and GAVE his only son to die for us that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Every good and perfect gift comes from him. He wants you to be like that, to share in the grace of giving.

Try it out and see if you will not be fulfilled. It is completely refreshing and liberating. This is what's in the box. I'd say go for the box!

Have a great week.

5 Things You Need To Know About Your Thoughts

Most of us by now have come across the saying, "You become what you think about." If you haven't, I encourage you to take interest in personal growth material. You may be asking how your thoughts are constructed. I'm glad you did! Input.

1. You think the most about the things you see the most.

When you watch a lot of television, your thoughts are greatly influenced by the programs that you watch. Your thoughts are often driven by the kind of programs you watch, even your dreams. Watch what you watch!

2. You think along the music you listen to.

Music is powerful. You may find yourself speaking to yourself and others using song lyrics that you have been listening to.  You may even feel depressed or excited because of the music you're listening to. Be careful what you listen to.

3. You're the average of the people you socialise with the most.

Spending time with people gives them access to your thought pool. They can have positive or negative influence. It's better to stay away from negative friends. You may think that you will influence them to be positive but very few people are able to do that. In most instances we only find ourselves already sunk into the negative thoughts and wondering why we feel so low.

4. Reading positive material gives you a positive attitude.

Make a habit of reading. I don't mean those mind corrupting books full of erotic scenes. Positive self actualisation books and of course, The Bible. That will give you clear positive thoughts.

5. Your self-talk determines what you believe.

After all is said and done, we only do the things we believe we can. What we believe we can't, we either avoid or sabotage. Our beliefs are shaped by what we consistently say to ourselves. That is shaped by all the above listed factors.

As you can see, what you put into your mind through the eye and ear gates determines who you become. Make a deliberate choice to make the right input.

3 Peace Robbing Myths Exposed

#1. I need to clean up my act before I can get born again

You can never clean up your act enough to deserve salvation. It's salvation that will clean you up. The sin nature is replaced by the new creation in Christ the moment you accept Christ.

Romans 5:6-8 MSG

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

#2. God shuts me out when I do bad things

God doesn't act like we do, how we give a cold shoulder to people who make us mad. He commands us to forgive those who trespass against us. He doesn't request a higher standard from us than He lives by. He is perfection.

Hebrews 4:14-16 MSG

Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

#3. I need a special man of God to set me free from my weaknesses

The one you need is Jesus. He already paid the price for everything that might take away our peace. You need to surrender to him and accept that he paid for all your sins. It is his GRACE that makes us able to overcome and gain the mastery over the things that easily entangle us. As long as we're trying by our own strength we will not succeed.
Look at Paul's experience:

2 Corinthians 12:10, 7-9 MSG

Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

4 Ingredients For Achievement

1. Attitude
If you want to be ahead of the pack, you need to consciously decide to master your attitude. You achieve what you secretly believe you can. Self sabotage is not a myth. It is the major culprit well camouflaged in excuses and avoidance that brings everything crumbling down. Choose a "can do" attitude and pretty soon the sky will be the limit.

2. Execution
It doesn't matter how great your idea is if it never comes to execution. Good intentions truly never earn. Only things actually DONE make a difference. Quit spending all the time by the drawing board. Planning is good, but don't end there. Procrastination is the thief of execution. Choose to stop procrastination today, NOT TOMORROW! Be systematic in your execution, not haphazard. So yes, do take time to plan how everything pans out, but don't get stuck there.

3. Industriousness
Successful people work hard, and so should you. I know someone is thinking, "no, I'd rather work smart." Good! After setting up your smart idea, you still need to work hard at it. You may not break a sweat at it, or you may enjoy it. All the same, you still get to work hard at it. Whether it's real estate, multi level marketing, or any other passive or aggressive income stream, if you neglect it you will be surprised one day to find NOTHING!

4. Order
Choose to be orderly in all you do. When you begin with the end in mind, you are better positioned to put your plan in an orderly fashion. You avoid leaving important steps to chance. Don't be too rigid, but when you have the process of your goal firmly set in your mind, you know when it's ok to adjust and adapt.