#❝ discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability ❞ — words

[divinationsanctuary19]

What does your soul desire? Pick a picture reading

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1. Ace of cups

You find yourself at a pivotal moment, where the whispers of your heart beckon you to open up and embrace a new wave of emotions. There is a profound desire within you to connect deeply, to share the essence of who you are with others, and to receive the same in return. You yearn for experiences that are rich with love and compassion, moments that fill you with warmth and inspire you to see beauty in the mundane. It’s as if your spirit is awakening from a long slumber, urging you to let go of past hurts and insecurities that have held you back. You long for an emotional rebirth, a chance to explore the depths of your feelings and allow them to flow freely. This surge of vulnerability can be both exhilarating and frightening, yet you are ready to embrace it, to dive into the depths of your own heart and experience life in its fullest form. You crave meaningful relationships that resonate with your soul, connections that nourish you and allow you to express your truest self without fear. The idea of love—whether it be romantic, platonic, or a deeper connection to your own self—calls to you like a siren song, inviting you to take the plunge into an ocean of possibility. In this journey, you seek not just to love, but to be loved in return, to feel seen and understood in a way that transcends words. This is a quest for a profound emotional experience, one that nurtures your spirit and fills your heart with a sense of belonging and purpose. As you stand on the threshold of this emotional awakening, you feel a sense of hope and excitement coursing through you, ready to embrace all that love has to offer.

2. The magician

You stand on the precipice of transformation, feeling the exhilarating energy of potential coursing through your veins. There is a growing awareness within you of the immense power you hold to shape your reality. You are ready to harness your skills, talents, and resources, understanding that everything you need is already at your disposal. This is a moment of profound clarity; you recognize that the universe is not merely a series of events that happen to you but rather a canvas upon which you can paint your life. Each thought, each intention, becomes a tool in your hands, empowering you to manifest your desires. You feel a surge of confidence as you consider the possibilities before you, realizing that you are not just a passive observer but an active participant in your own story. The realization that you possess the ability to influence your surroundings ignites a fire within you, fueling your ambition to create something remarkable.

As you delve deeper into this sense of empowerment, you find yourself reflecting on the importance of clarity and focus in your endeavors. The magic lies not just in your capabilities but in your ability to direct your energy with intention. You understand that true creation requires not only talent but also the discipline to refine your skills and the courage to pursue your visions despite challenges. This journey demands that you align your thoughts, beliefs, and actions, forging a path that resonates with your true purpose. In this quest, you become both the architect and the builder of your life, capable of transforming abstract ideas into tangible outcomes. You embrace the responsibility that comes with this power, knowing that your choices shape your reality, and you are committed to making decisions that honor your highest self.

However, with this newfound power comes a reminder of the balance that is essential for genuine mastery. You must remain aware of the potential distractions and illusions that can arise as you navigate this creative landscape. The thrill of your abilities may tempt you to rush forward without contemplation, but you know that patience and reflection are equally vital. You are called to remain grounded, ensuring that your ambitions align with your values and your authentic self. As you explore the depths of your capabilities, you recognize the importance of integrity in your pursuits. Your soul seeks not only to manifest your desires but also to create with purpose and meaning. In this way, you cultivate a profound sense of fulfillment, realizing that true magic lies in the harmonious interplay of your inner vision and the world around you, inviting you to create a life that resonates deeply with your essence.

3. The devil

You find yourself wrestling with an inner tension that is both exhilarating and confining, a powerful force that pulls you toward desires that seem irresistible yet leave you feeling trapped. There is a seductive allure in what you crave, whether it be material success, intoxicating relationships, or the thrill of indulgence. You are drawn to experiences that awaken your senses and challenge your limits, yet you also recognize that this same pull can lead you down a path of obsession or dependency. Your soul seeks to understand this duality—the fine line between enjoying life's pleasures and being consumed by them. This internal struggle prompts you to question what truly fulfills you, as the things you desire might bring immediate gratification but often leave a lingering emptiness once the initial excitement fades.

In this exploration of your desires, you are confronted with the shadows of your own psyche, the parts of yourself that you may have suppressed or ignored. You sense that beneath the surface of your cravings lies a deeper need for freedom and authenticity, a longing to break free from societal expectations and self-imposed limitations. This journey compels you to confront your fears and insecurities, those chains that bind you to patterns of behavior that no longer serve your highest good. You begin to realize that true liberation comes from facing these darker aspects of yourself rather than avoiding them. Embracing this shadow side allows you to reclaim your power, transforming fear into understanding and obsession into passion. Your soul seeks to navigate this complex landscape, inviting you to explore the richness of your emotions without being defined by them.

Ultimately, you long for a balance between the allure of temptation and the wisdom of restraint. You seek to transcend the immediate thrill of desire, finding deeper meaning in your pursuits that resonates with your true self. This journey challenges you to redefine what fulfillment means, shifting your focus from fleeting pleasures to enduring satisfaction. You are learning to cultivate a sense of awareness that enables you to make choices rooted in self-love and growth, rather than those driven by fear or scarcity. Your soul yearns to transform this inner conflict into a journey of empowerment, where you can embrace your desires while remaining anchored in your values. Through this process, you seek to uncover a profound sense of freedom, one that allows you to dance with your passions without becoming enslaved by them, ultimately guiding you toward a more authentic and fulfilling existence.

[drugs-and-deadlines]

she & her

You are haunted by the manic female NYC writer trope. Not a trope, really, because that feels like a reduction of her wiles, her slipperiness, her popularity, her perseverance, and her sex. It is a certain kind of ghost, progressive and beguiling, her kink as boundary pushing as the prose lifting up her personal narrative. She sculpts meaning-making out of every lived moment in her life, but most especially the young ones, because those are more thrilling for her audience, wherein she oscillated from a teetering cocktail of stimulants and alcohol, between egotist self-aggrandizing and pure self-flagellation. 

You know exactly who she is, because her definition and her very body is composed of the resistance to definition, most especially the questions and expectations of femininity. She is by turns lithe, waifish, possibly sick; by turns defying categorization with a smirk and a firm muscular body; by turns unafraid of her fatness in brain and body to take up space. When she generally speaks of her body, it is to make a philosophical point about the world at large and the place of female-bodied people in it; she skewers her feelings about her own corporal form with analysis. You know her because you have flirted with her in a literal sense, but also a figurative one -- you have let your body, fashion, and being explore each of the categories but none of them ever stuck. And a big part of you has feared why that is -- perhaps you don’t know yourself, perhaps your indecisiveness outstrips your ambition, a thoroughly un-manic trait. Perhaps, most horrifyingly, you fall too cleanly into a Freudian ball of neuroses to allow yourself to ever be you and thus will always be chasing the best way to present yourself. And meanwhile, while you’re asking yourself all these questions, she is writing.

She is not just writing. She is staying up late, refining the same sentence with rigor, stripping it further down to its essentials while you stare up at the ceiling, wondering at the opportunities you’ve missed. She is a ghost because she is able to slip through all the cracks of the house that is your life. She creates a mythos of every doorway she’s passed through. Even in her floundering, even in her telling of her own failures, there is a sort of certitude that each bumbling embarrassment served the narrative purpose of bringing her right to this moment: a moment of fame, of byline, of acknowledged brimming talent. 

If you had little money or privilege growing up, she had all of it, spending summers on a family boat in Greek waters, inviting friends from your liberal arts college to come along and therefore fall in love with her for years. She deliberately chose not to apply to the Ivies because she wanted a less conventional path; you chose not to apply because you never thought you could get in. She ends up dating the women from your past and you watch the thirst traps and inside jokes filter their way through Instagram and Twitter, a life you might have lived but weren’t brave enough or wealthy enough to attract. You cannot offer anyone a good time consistently because it exhausts you along with the other trappings of the class you were born into. You eventually grow out of resenting that which you never had, but the injustice of how the rich always have extra time still stings. Time seems to be everything a writer needs. 

If you did grow up with privilege or money, the ghost shapeshifts. She worked her way through undergrad as a server, or possibly a dominatrix or a stripper, a woman aware of the power of her own body and the ability to turn society’s preying into a currency she could use. She is always embodied, all her couplings and couplets enviable because of the bravery that surrounds them. When she is tired in her classes the next morning, it is only because she worked a double the night before. Her voice still leads your class’s intellectual thought, she openly confesses that she fell asleep in her work uniform with Plato’s Republic two pages away from the end of the reading assignment sometime around 2am. She does this in your 8am class. You’d hope to catch her for lunch, but she always has work to do, is always begging off invitations, and you hope desperately that it’s true and not because you’re not cool enough. And on the weekends, she always seems to have friends from work and beyond inviting her out. They have nothing to do with your age group or with the school you both attend. She is rapacious in her discipline but still somehow has time to try all the drugs you haven’t tried and are too afraid to. How is she so unafraid? Her fortitude and coolness with hard work is a currency too, making up for all the things she didn’t grow up with. Every privilege you’ve ever had only seems to undercut your sense of whether you earned anything. She is raw, willing to say the first absurd thing that comes in her head. Her poetry takes risks yours cannot. 

And you are pissed. Because regardless of where you come from, you are confronted with all these Instagram realities (that only make larger the actual realities), which is mostly that the rules are still the same. You avoided trying to be a cool girl as a child and a teenager because you knew you could not accomplish it, and so you strove to satisfy yourself with being an intellectual. You decided to give up on being an actor or a singer or a dancer and plunge yourself into letters because you thought it would be a refuge from constant performance. Constant performance required constant realigning to the changing modes of cool, and so you thought writing would suit you better. How wrong you were. 

Writing in itself is a more complete performance: if you are serious about it, you must be an intellectual builder of words in every moment of self-narrative, whether spoken, written, or posted. You listen to tales of “dressing for the muse” and showing up at the writing desk at 6am. You also listen to tales of complete slobbishness, writing on the floor with crayons, unafraid to make mistakes while creating in underwear and a tank top. Sex and danger, especially when both can be intertwined, are palpable in every sentence and interaction the manic girl has. It is part of her attraction. No knows if she’s going to want to fuck or fight, or, best of all, floatingly let you know she thinks you are full of your own light. The latter ideal scenario happens right before she leaves you to stride home, empowered enough to tromp through the late night New York City streetlamps dappling through the trees, deciding to walk with your now ever-aggrandizing thoughts rather than take the MTA. She is most thrilling when she leaves you wanting more, which is always. Your thoughts ping around your head with a velocity borrowed from her own. 

Once home, you look up all the writers she mentioned and see them all connected by several nodes: one MFA program or a particular residency, publishing house, or theater company. You become determined that this node is the epicenter, which will be true for a time until you’ve penetrated it and find another node of hot writers beyond your reach. 

There are always conversations happening without you. There are always people fucking without you. There will always have been a better time to be in New York, some time well before you were here, when it would’ve been easy to meet these intellectuals and be friends with them and the real estate was cheaper therefore making the creation of art and myth more accessible. You will always have missed the boat by five years or more, something you curse your age or attachment to another city before this one for. They took time away from the pulsing magnetism of your true love for this city, and you resent that, because now you are less attractive, less energetic, less manic than you were when you were younger. You cannot stay out for so long without chemical dependence & when you do, you bemoan that you should’ve been writing. But when you stay home to write, you invariably miss the moment when you would’ve met the right person who would’ve fallen in love with you & asked to read you.

You alternate with being obsessed with her, wanting in some way to possess her as a friend or ally or lover, to actually being possessed by her. The need to write what you know are brilliant fucking things infecting every moment -- prose pooling into an appetizing puddle at the bar, waiting for you to mop it up, poetry lingering on the steering wheel, electrifying your hands when you touch it to go go go go go fly to paper, even in those moments when you are fully possessed by her and become her, it is not enough, there is a time when you were more brilliant, more boundary pushing, more consumed by the manic need for a narrative that you simultaneously sculpted in your own life and committed opulently to paper. The poetry monster is always hungry. There is always a better-worded performance of the myth of your own making and you begin practicing by interviewing yourself. The graphomania can always, always, always increase its acceleration. But better that than a pandemic-inspired staring at the ceiling, this moment when you are certain you missed your chance and it will never come again, that there will never be a doing coke in the Village with some rich folks you barely know, the bumps wrapping you in cynicism and excitement for your new friend group all at once. No, in your pandemic reality, and perhaps before, clout is only gained via social media and you seem to be especially bad at that. The manic NYC female writer is better at it. She is genderbending her own performance of herself, twisting her depression and isolation somewhere in Connecticut or New Hampshire or her Manhattan fire escape as something to be envied.

How, you wonder, how how how how how

And then it becomes obvious

Her performance of self is nimble like white supremacy, resilient like the virus itself, always finding a new way to shapeshift her experience into something artful. You should be using this moment, because she certainly is. Because what the manic NYC female writer has is an obsession and possession of talent, a haunting that allows her to keep working at the problem into the late hours, when hers is the only light left on. And then there are moments when she obsesses instead of possesses, moments when the light is off but she is still awake, questioning this ceiling, her choices, and the fact that she’s chosen a stable partner beside her in bed instead of an ever-shifting existence that allows for new narratives to come in. She questions her life with the same rigor she does her stories, every choice that does not suit the performance and pursuit of her potential.

And, to that end, all of her/your characters become you/her or are versions of you/her -- and that is the only constant. The feedback she/you get(s) in workshops is that your/her main characters are too similar and that is precisely the point -- you are her and she is you and you both see one another on every street corner and every passage, only a few centimeters to the left in an alternate universe. The Quantumness of it all exhausts you and haunts the many yearning yous, the whole network of them, so overwhelming that then you must return to the facts of your autobiography to find stable ground before your own architecting of your autobiography shifts it again.

[bookpublisher1]

From Writer to Author: How Book Publishing Can Elevate Your Work

Introduction:

Every writer dreams of making the leap from being a writer to becoming an author—a published author whose work reaches readers far and wide. Book publishing holds the key to realizing this aspiration and elevating your work to new heights. It offers not only the opportunity to share your stories with the world but also the potential to transform your writing journey. 

The journey of writing is a remarkable and transformative experience, taking us from the initial spark of an idea to the fulfillment of completing a manuscript. It is a process that stretches our imagination, challenges our creativity, and immerses us in a world of words and emotions.

It all begins with that flash of inspiration, a moment when an idea takes root within us. It might come from a fleeting thought, an observation, a dream, or a personal experience. That initial spark ignites a fire within us, compelling us to explore and give life to the story brewing in our minds.

As we embark on the writing journey, we delve deep into the realms of imagination, weaving together characters, settings, and plots. We become explorers, navigating uncharted territories and discovering the intricacies of our own storytelling abilities. With each word we write, we breathe life into our creations, watching as they grow and evolve on the page.

Yet, the path of writing is not without its challenges. There are moments of doubt when the blank page mocks us, and the words refuse to flow. We question our abilities, wondering if our story is worth telling. But it is during these moments of struggle that we find strength and resilience. We persevere, pushing through the obstacles, knowing that the journey is as much about self-discovery as it is about the final destination.

Writing demands discipline and dedication. It requires us to carve out time from our busy lives, to sit down and commit to the craft. We form routines, rituals, and habits that nurture our creativity and keep us connected to our stories. It is through this commitment that we find ourselves in the flow of writing, where the words pour forth effortlessly, and the story unfolds before our eyes.

The journey of writing is also one of self-reflection and introspection. As we craft our stories, we tap into our own emotions, drawing from our joys, sorrows, and experiences. We learn about ourselves through the characters we create, discovering hidden facets of our own psyche and gaining insights into the human condition.

And finally, after countless hours of writing, revising, and editing, we reach the moment of completion—the manuscript is finished. It is a culmination of our efforts, a testament to our perseverance and dedication. Holding that final manuscript in our hands fills us with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. We have brought our story to life, capturing the essence of our initial inspiration and translating it into a tangible creation. If You are new author, don’t forget to check out Common Mistakes New Authors Make When Trying to Get Published and them.

The journey of writing, from the spark of an idea to the completion of a manuscript, is a profound and transformative experience. It shapes us as individuals, allowing us to explore the depths of our creativity and to share our unique voice with the world. So, embrace the journey, relish in the process, and let your words illuminate the world with the power of storytelling.

We will now explore how book publishing can propel your work forward, granting you the title of author and opening doors to a world of possibilities.

1. Validation and Credibility:

Publishing your book establishes credibility and validates your work as an author. It signifies that your writing has undergone a rigorous process of refinement, editing, and selection, making it worthy of sharing with readers. As a published author, you gain recognition for your talent, which can attract a wider audience and capture the attention of literary professionals, such as agents and publishers.

2. Amplified Reach and Exposure:

Book publishing expands your reach beyond your immediate circle of influence. It introduces your work to a global audience, enabling readers from different backgrounds and cultures to discover and engage with your stories. Through distribution channels, both physical and digital, your book can find its way into bookstores, libraries, online platforms, and the hands of readers who may have otherwise never encountered your writing.

3. Opportunities for Growth:

The process of book publishing offers immense opportunities for personal and professional growth as a writer. Working with editors and publishing professionals can sharpen your writing skills, pushing you to refine your craft and develop a deeper understanding of storytelling techniques; Or you will have to Hire an Editor. The feedback and guidance you receive throughout the publishing journey can propel your work to new levels of excellence.

4. Building an Author Platform:

Book publishing provides a platform to build your author brand and establish a presence in the literary world. Through marketing and promotion efforts, you can create an author platform that includes an engaging author website, active social media presence, and connections with readers and other industry professionals. This platform not only helps you connect with your existing readership but also attracts new fans and potential opportunities for collaboration and speaking engagements.

5. Opening Doors to Opportunities:

Being a published author opens doors to a myriad of opportunities. It can lead to invitations for book signings, author events, and speaking engagements, where you can interact with readers, connect with fellow authors, and gain exposure to industry professionals. Additionally, publishing success can pave the way for future book deals, translation rights, adaptations for film or television, and other exciting ventures that expand the reach and impact of your work.

Conclusion:

The journey from writer to author is a significant milestone in any writer's career. Book publishing offers the means to elevate your work, establish your credibility, and reach a wider audience. By embracing the publishing process, you can validate your talent, amplify your reach, and open doors to a world of opportunities. So, take that leap of faith, polish your manuscript, and embark on the exhilarating journey of book publishing. Your stories deserve to be shared, and the world eagerly awaits the voice of the author within you.

[pooma-bible]

Sister. Savita Manwani

Praise the Lord! Greetings to you in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Welcome to this time of word ministration.

Let us Pray: Gracious heavenly Father, we come boldly to thy throne of Grace thanking you for this day and this opportunity you gave us to hear from your word. I pray Lord that you give us an understanding mind, a receptive heart and enable us to receive your word with gladness and be changed and renewed for thy Glory. In Jesus Name… AMEN

TOPIC - INTIMACY WITH GOD

SCRIPTURE TEXT - Revelation 3:14-20

Throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament times, the Bible has presented God as one who desires with all his heart to have an intimate relationship with his creation. But time and again the creation has stiff armed Him and refuses to go to the level of intimacy God desires and wants us to have. We simply maintain a polite, casual and respectful relation but are not intimate in our relationship to God.

The Bible presents God as the loving Father who waits for His son to return to Him just like the story in the Prodigal son. The Father waits and waits for his son to come back. He never gives up. God is also presented in the Bible as a Shepherd whose sheep have decided to go and do their own things and it breaks the Shepherd’s heart. God is seen in the Garden of Eden wandering and wondering where His created ones are.

Our Heavenly Father desires a relationship with us. Not a relationship that is casual, distant and respectful, not based on situations and circumstances. God wants a relationship that is characterized by intimacy.

Revelation 3:15 – “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot, I could wish you were cold or hot”

Now these are the church people whom God says that I have seen what you have and you are pretty good but not great. And you believe but you are not really living out your beliefs but rather you have abandoned your beliefs.

He says, I wish you were either one or the other. I wish you were either red hot, passionately in love with me, more fervent in spirit, zealously serving God’s kingdom with their whole hearts; or I wish you were “cold,” that is, abandoned the faith altogether, showing themselves to be what they really are—unbelievers.

Laodicea was the wealthiest of the seven cities known for its banking industry, textile industry that manufactured wool, and a medical school that produced eye salve. The city’s major weakness was lack of adequate water. At one time, an aqueduct was built to bring water to the city from hot springs. But by the time the water reached the city, it was neither hot nor refreshingly cool – it was only lukewarm. The church was neither hot nor cold: neither out and out for God, nor out and out for the Devil. The church had become as bland as the tepid water that came into the city.

Rev. 3:16 – “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth”.

Something cold is always refreshing and something hot refers to hot medicinal waters of near Heirapolis hot springs. The church of Laodicea supplied to neither the healing of the spiritually sick nor provided refreshment to the spiritually weary. The church had become distasteful and repugnant similar to a lukewarm drink that makes a disgustful drink. The believers did not take a stand for anything. Indifference had led to idleness. By neglecting to do anything for Christ, the church had become hardened and self-satisfied and was destroying itself. Do not settle for following God halfway. Let Christ fire up your faith and get you into action.

God is saying, and because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. And God says to them…You are good people, a good church but it is not what I originally desired and it’s not what I longed for.

Remember a lukewarm life is a displeasure to God. If they are not hot or cold, of course, He says that He will spit them out of His mouth (v. 16). This is a warning. God will not abide a lukewarm Christianity or a heart that is only partially His. No, God demands our whole lives. Why shouldn’t He? He is the God of the universe, the very Creator of our hearts. But more than that, He gave us His whole life in Jesus Christ. So, yes, lukewarmness is bad, and Christ wants us to be wholeheartedly dedicated to Him and His kingdom.

Rev. 3:17 – Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked’

Some believers assume that numerous material possessions are a sign of God’s spiritual blessings. Laodicea was a wealthy city and the church also was wealthy. But what the Laodiceans could see and buy had become more valuable to them than what is unseen and eternal. Wealth, luxury and ease can make people feel confident, satisfied and complacent. But no matter how much you possess or how much money you make you have nothing if you don’t have a vital relationship with Christ. Instead of centering your life primarily on comfort and luxury, find your true riches in Christ.

Rev. 3:18 – I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

The Laodiceans took pride in 3 things: Financial wealth, an extensive textile industry and a famous eye salve.

The city has its pride in its wealth and Christ told them to buy gold from him (the real spiritual treasures). The city was proud of its cloth and dyeing industries, Christ told them to buy white garments from him (the garments of righteousness). Laodicea prided itself on its precious eye salve that healed many eye problems. Christ told them to buy salve for their eyes so that they could see the truth.

Christ was showing them that true value was not in material possessions but in a right relationship with God. Their possessions and achievements were valueless compared with the everlasting future of Christ’s Kingdom.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, never put your trust in earthly riches but heavenly.

Rev. 3:19 – As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

As God’s redeemed children we are disciplined. Just as a human father disciplines his child, heavenly Father also disciplines us so that we might repent of our sins and grow in grace.

God would discipline this lukewarm church unless it turned from its indifference towards him. God’s purpose in discipline is not to punish us but to bring us back to him. God uses only loving discipline to help us out of our uncaring attitude. We can draw near to him again through confession, service, worship and by studying his word. Just allow the Holy Spirit re-ignite our zeal for God. Allow Him to work in our hearts.

Rev.3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.

And then he says, Here I am! Here I am!

In other words, you are church people, you are religious people, you got some good deeds and some bad deeds, some church activities are going on but I want you to know contrast – Here I am!

I know you are busy, I know you are religious but Here I am! And I stand at the door of you group of Christian people. I stand outside the door and I knock. Now, if he is God, He can just get inside or huff and puff and blow the house down. If he is God, then, why is he knocking? I mean just go in. It’s your church. These are your people – just go in and have your way with them. And Jesus says, No! I am just going to knock.

And throughout scripture we find God searching but he is not searching like you know where did they go? where did they go?. He is searching for the very thing He paid such a huge price to provide for us. He is searching for the nature of relationship we had in the beginning and that He will have in the end and it’s a relationship characterized by intimacy.

Here is Jesus pictured outside a church of religious people saying, I want in. I don’t want you to just talk about me, believe in me, I want a relationship that only you can allow me to have with you because I can’t force you to love me and so we sometimes as Christians and like other world religions, instead of an intimate relationship we opt for religion. You see, religion is a response to God that allows you to treat God respectfully but not intimately. Religion makes God a kind of formula or it’s a deal you make with God. Religion teaches you to get God do things for you. It makes you self-centered. It’s all about me, my and myself.

Religion makes you judgmental, it kills you, alienates you from people and ultimately religion will make God a stranger to you and you to Him. And one day God will say, “I don’t Know You”.

To be intimate with God

1. We need to give Him time – unrushed and unstructured. Give God private time. Without giving anybody time we cannot have intimacy. Therefore, spend quality time with God – praising, worshipping, praying, reading His word, studying and meditating His word and hearing from Him.

2. It requires transparency – If there is not going to be transparency, there is no intimacy which means you need to be honest with god. If you are tired, frustrated, a little mad at something, tell it to God. Even when your heart is full of jealousy or lust you go and tell him. When there is intimacy there is transparency. You get all of me, the good and the bad. If you accept the good and bad in me and I accept the good and the bad in you, then we got a relationship that is enviable. And that is intimacy.

Learn to pour out your heart. God doesn’t want you to be polite but honest. He sent His son to die for you and me so that He may have intimacy with us.

3. There has to be submission: Submission is the most powerful relational dynamic in the world. It says this, I am going to harness all my abilities and talents and you are going to harness all your abilities and talents in love or whatever in my best interest. When both are in mutual submission, there is intimacy - whether it is a relation between you and God, husband and wife, or between you and your parents or between employer and employee.

The Laodiceans were self- satisfied. They didn’t have Christ’s presence among them. Christ knocked at the door of their hearts but they were so busy enjoying worldly pleasures that they didn’t notice that He was trying to enter. The pleasure of this world – money, security, material possessions can be dangerous because their temporary satisfaction makes us indifferent to God’s offer of lasting satisfaction.

If you find yourself feeling indifferent to church, to God or to the Bible, you have begun to shut God out of your life. Leave the door of your heart constantly open to God and you won’t need to worry about hearing His knock. Letting Him in is your only hope for lasting fulfillment.

Jesus knocks at the door of your heart because he wants to save you, have fellowship with you. He is patient and persistent in trying to get through to us, not breaking and entering but knocking. He allows us to decide whether or not to open our life to Him.

Do you intentionally keep His life changing presence and power on the other side of the door?

Jesus says, “Here I am!” It’s our move now to say, Yes Lord, I want intimacy with you. When you will do this, it will change your life. You will be unreligiously freed up person. Your life will never be the same and when that relationship becomes intimate, God will never leave you and you will never leave God.

Allow me to end here. Hope you are all blessed by this message.

[jayantharde]

10-TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

Successful people have a few common characteristics that make them great. Not every successful person can be a master of all these but awareness of them can help in increasing these qualities in ourselves.

Following are the 10 common traits exhibited by successful people that I have observed across various fields including sports, business, and arts.

1. Self-Discipline

I put this at the top of the list simply because without self-discipline nothing is possible. Self-discipline is a quality that can be developed by having a clear idea on what we want and then ensuring the desire to succeed is greater than the consequences of not doing it. If we want to exercise 5 times a week then we can imagine the enormous benefits of exercise and visualize that while trying to keep the end goal in mind. If we want to achieve all the things we want then self-discipline is the best place to start and we have 100% control on this. It is resolving to do what we have set out to accomplish in both our personal and official lives. Napoleon Hill said “Self-discipline is the Master Key to Riches.” Nido Qubein said “The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret.”

2. Belief

Roger Federer won his eighth Wimbledon. It is amazing considering the fact that most critics had written him off. You know what he said after his victory. He said “I kept believing and dreaming.” The key is to believe in yourself when no one else does. If you listen to your critics you can’t achieve what you want. Be relentless in the pursuit of your goals and never listen to your critics. “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”

3. Resilience

Angela Lee Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania says that grit is the single quality that guarantees success, based on her ground breaking studies. As Napoleon Hill famously observed “Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit.” For example a sickness might seem horrible but maybe that time away may have helped you redefine what is important and given the time needed to make a change. There are going to be setbacks like we may not get the promotion we wanted but having patience and perseverance never goes out of fashion. Talent will not take the place of persistence and resilience. Steve Jobs is a great example of this. He was fired from the company he started but in his wilderness he started another company NeXT and bought Pixar. Then he patiently waited for his second coming to Apple and as they say the rest is history. You can be down but never out. As the Japanese proverb says “Fall down seven times, Get up eight times.”

4. Passion and Practice

Passion is the fuel behind the success engine. We can look no further than Roger Federer or Tiger Woods to understand the value of passion. To sight one example at the top of his career Tiger Woods who had already reached the apex of sporting achievement actually changed his style of swing because he wanted to get the extra edge. This was after winning the Masters tournament by a record 12 strokes in 1997. He said “You can have a wonderful week…even when your swing isn’t sound. But can you still contend in tournaments with that swing when your timing isn’t good? Will it hold up over a long period of time? The answer to these questions, with the swing I had, was no. And I wanted to change that.” Passion can ignite reservoirs of resilience that may lay latent. Tiger Woods didn’t play golf for the money though that helped, he played it for the love. Passion can happen when we do something we love but as a beginning we should start loving what we do and giving our very best every single day. Research has confirmed that all prodigies including Mozart, Woods, Bill Gates, The Beatles had practiced for 10,000 hours before they were crowned for their achievement. Mozart didn’t produce his first master piece till he was 21 by which time he had put in more than 10,000 hours of effort. My simple formula is Passion+Deliberate Practice+Time+Consistency= Success.

As documented in the wonderful book Mastery by Robert Greene Bill Bradley became great in basketball because of his absolute passion to practice more than anyone else. In other words he moved towards resistance. Bill Bradley used to practice three and a half hours after school and on Sundays, eight hours every Saturday, and three hours a day during the summer. He kept practicing well beyond any feeling of boredom or pain. “The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.” Richard Marcinko

5. Curiosity

One of the best kept secrets of the highly successful people is the ability to keep learning something new every day in their field or related fields. The hallmark of learning is curiosity. Peter Drucker the father of modern management is an excellent example of someone who kept learning till the end of his life. He was always learning something new. When we learn something every day it keeps our mind sharp and it also gives a sense of accomplishment as we are using our time wisely. There is no end to this journey of continuous learning.

One great example of creativity and curiosity is Jony Ive of Apple. I recently read about how he masterminded Apple’s new headquarters. Norman Foster, whose architecture firm was hired by Apple to build the headquarters at a reported cost of $5 billion, calls him “a poet.” Here is what he said about Jony Ive in this WSJ piece WSJ article on Jony Ive. He said ‘‘Jony works tirelessly at the detail, evolving, improving, refining. For me, that makes him a poet.’’

Peter Drucker said “The only thing that will not be obsolete is learning new skills.” “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mahatma Gandhi

6. Risk Taking

All successful people have taken calculated risks to reach where they are. Risks need not be things like bungee jumping or sky diving; in fact it need not even be physical in nature. It goes with your intuition. It may require taking up an assignment which everyone has refused. This then helps you stand apart and has potential to propel your career. There is no guarantee in life so before taking a risk analyze the risk and see if you are already prepared for it to fail, then it is worth taking that risk. While taking risks it is important to remember that we don’t put our families into distress. “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” ― T.S. Eliot.

7. Prioritization

Everyone has a list of tasks to be completed. Sometimes we don’t have enough time to get through everything. The way to overcome that is the key to success. We need to prioritize the relevant from the irrelevant. From a list of items pick the item which has the biggest impact from your stakeholder, business sponsor and your immediate boss. Work on the worst first and get it out of the way. Handle the big rocks first and the pebbles can be taken care later. Make peace with the fact that there will be always things left undone and it is also imperative to learn to say no to time wasters and activities which are not aligned with your goals. We should also learn to say no when needed so that we are not over committed and this gives better control over our time. One example is Jack Welch who decided that GE will only participate in businesses where they can be Number one or Number two in that market. This vision led to closure of many other business units and worked big time for GE. “One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that need not be done at all.”

8. Communication

Most of our waking time is spent communicating both written and verbal. We need to be clear on what to communicate and we should learn what the best mode of communication is. One of the ways to improve communication is to become a better listener and understand the other person’s point of view. As Stephen Covey said “Seek first to understand then be understood.” Keep reading, writing continuously to improve communication skills. Ronald Reagan was known as the great communicator. Irrespective of which side of the political isle you sit we have to admire his simple communication strategy. His answer to everything was simple “smaller government.” Clarity is the key to communicating effectively. “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” Peter Drucker

9. Personal Care

I have noticed that a lot of successful people take care of themselves better. They ensure that there is proper rest and balance in life. If you want to achieve all you want out of your life you need to ensure that you are at your best most of the time. Energy is required to go forward towards your closely cherished dreams. Exercise, yoga, meditation are all helpful in the enhancement of health. One often neglected part of health is adequate sleep. I don’t think lack of sleep is something to wear a badge and brag about. In fact you can be at your best only with 7-8 hours of sleep. Taking some time off from work actually improves your creativity and research has proven that people get their most innovative ideas not at work but during a vacation or when they are in a relaxed state of mind. “Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” Eleanor Brownn

Positive Mental Attitude.

It is impossible to imagine a really well rounded successful person who is negative and complaining all the time. All successful people generally have a positive attitude. They don’t complain when things don’t go their way as they know that in the long run most of the things take care of themselves. We should look at the sunny side of life. Being grateful for what we have while striving for more is actually a great way to stay positive. When you are positive about the day you just get on with the accomplishment of your tasks with even more vigor.

Finally a positive mental attitude eventually helps performance at work and home. Nothing is more important than your inner peace and overall happiness. “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Sir Winston Churchill

10. Self Esteem

Self-esteem is the cornerstone of a healthy personality. It is important to be comfortable in your own skin. Self-esteem is defined as your reputation with yourself. You are unique and have talents that can help you succeed. The key to self-esteem is to write down the qualities you admire in yourself. Maybe you have passion or discipline, in which case acknowledging your positive traits enhances your self-esteem. When setbacks occur while you may feel bad it doesn’t reduce your self-esteem. Write down all your successes till now and keep track of your accomplishments. This surely enhances self-esteem. The true hindrance to high self-esteem is comparing ourselves with others. There are not two persons who are alike. So no matter how much we try we cannot be like anyone else. So be totally comfortable with yourself and who you are. When you have high self-esteem you generally feel more positive about life and do better at work. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” Norman Vincent Peale

There you have it the 10 traits of highly successful people. An awareness of them increases our chances of success as well. Thanks for reading this post.

To know more about 10-TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE, kindly contact Jayant Harde on 9373284136 or +91 7122282029. You can also visit our website: www.jayantharde.com

Source: https://hardejayant.blogspot.com/2020/12/10-traits-of-successful-people.html

[zodiac-enthusiasts]

Libra Personality | 15 Fact About Libra Libra Personality Undoubtedly Libra Personality is based on balance. If in any case Libra looses control they will immediately try to get the grip on the situation. Venus rules the zodiac sign of Libra and has a considerable impact on them. Libra are usually gentle, loving, calm and charming people. Most of the time until the scale unbalances when the need to adjust is calling. Libra will do anything to place situation back to balance as they once were. However, making a Libra angry is like throwing fuel on the fire. If otherwise done then the result would be an explosion that one wouldn’t certainly expect from an angelic face suddenly transformed into a devil just out of hell.   Life Partnership Libra is the ideal partner because they tend to be honest and live their life with integrity. Through honesty, they always try to build trust among family, friends and work colleagues. Libra chooses to be honest with their partner because they know that dishonesty will confuse their way of life. As a result, Libra can't twist things around, though when they do they mess up everything. Libra knows how to be loyal and to speak the truth because this who they really are. True Libra work hard to earn deserved respect and trust, so they don’t want to destroy what they try to build. Libra has natural human senses and chooses to live in a legalistic world. Choosing to live a different path than that of natural it could be destructive which could also affect those who Libra is connected with. The strong partnership is what Libra values and fight to keep intact otherwise the impact on their partnership could be critical. A good partnership combined with positive reactions would make Libra valuable among those who understand Libra very well.   Romantic Relationship Love and be loved is what Libra believes in. Love to Libra is the clean breathing air which keeps them alive. Libra seeks longevity through a romantic relationship with the right partner. Once Libra finds the suitable partner, life for Libra will have a different meaning. Libra would live a life as they've never dreamed of before. For Libra, a romantic relationship is the most essential component of their life, providing a source of profound spiritual fulfillment.   Idealist Libra has a rare natural intelligence. Their mind is continuously producing remarkable ideas of high importance. Libra tends to be very creative, imaginative individuals who embrace new frontiers and look for new ways to live their life. Through ideas, Libra express his/her extraordinary inner spirit in many different ways which is something that runs naturally in their veins. Libra is known for their great imagination and also have countless ideas beneficial to themselves and whoever seen those ideas as a valuable asset.   Share Opinion Libra believe in the freedom of thought and expressing themselves is reasonable. Having an opinion to Libra means to talk out their mind and let other people make a judgment of it. Libra doesn’t have a complex character so expressing his/her thoughts is a must as they tend to speak out the truth instead of hiding it from the world. For some, Libra’s freedom of expression may not be acceptable, but Libra doesn’t care at all because they want to live a free life. Libra will always be revolutionary of an open mind and will always follow the freedom of presenting opinions in their own way.   Being In Politics It doesn’t matter with which political party or side Libra may be with. Most important is that they want to be active in social politics. Libra is talented to make grand speeches so joining a political cause is just expect to do sometime in their lifetime. Libra doesn't have to be politically involved to talk about politics. They would talk about politics with friends or family frequently even they aren't part of any political party. Libra likes to startle into sudden activity political activism to a level of passion which they can’t resist.   Diplomatic Tact Don’t be surprised when you hear that Libra has diplomatic capabilities. Libra is able to demonstrate their natural communication skills with few powerful words. Libra is born diplomats who are capable of getting the message across and persuade other people to think differently without causing any misunderstanding. Typical Libra will reason will opponent with some excellent communicative style, altruism, sympathy, and gentleness. Libra will display utmost respect when doing diplomacy. Diplomatic communication requires sincere speech and honesty most of all, which Libra has in the first place.   Music Lovers Libra is the best melophile in the zodiac. Without music, Libra will feel a vast emptiness inside them. Libra must have an alternative way to cheer and boost their soul with great happiness. Apart from the adrenaline and the instant inspirational mood that music gives, Libra also will reveal hidden talents, express themselves in art better, express their ideas in more straightforward way, will be more passionate about life in general, will make a better judgment, be more creative and most of all will be more open-minded to the world. Without music, Libra would feel lost.   Harmonious Let Libra live peacefully, and the world will be a better place. Typical Libra is pure and real. Libra is a very peaceful person with known and unknown people regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, religion or political belief. Libra decides to live in harmony and in the most peaceful way with anyone. People who know Libra very well will understand the value of a harmonious life. Libra should have tons of patience and undoubtedly self-balance because they often have to deal with people who don't respect anything. Libra tends to have his own attitude and habits as he doesn’t like to copy others. Also Libra wants to stay original in everything he does.   Keeping Balance Keeping the balance is what Libra does best. Libra must put everything to weigh before he decides when to take a step forward or even speak. Libra has the skill to see things differently by distinguishing what is right and wrong. Typical Libra will be able to apply balance to about everything when he needs to analyze complex problems. Balance is a neutral virtue for Libra and also the equal state of stability of being able to maintain a personal balance. Libra sees the importance of having a well-balanced life from a different point of view, especially when becoming parents. To achieve the desired balance in his lives, Libra will also be able to aid his children in attaining balance as well, which will help him be as good as their parent when kids grow up.   Being Argumentative Libra does feel he is being personally attacked. Therefore he will self-defend with logical arguments to protect themselves. Also Libra will argue to try to prove that his viewpoint is what he says it is. Is not that Libra likes to disagree or be against everyone, but he wants to try to show that his opinion is better than that of others. If Libra is attacked, he or she will immediately start defending personality with a cogent argument and demonstrate that their case is right. Being too argumentative has its own downside, and Libra has to know this and learn how to let go sometime.   Self-discipline Libra is to keep the balance and doesn’t like to lose control of his behavior. With his ability, Libra will try to keep in power his thoughts, emotions, and habits Libra will also be able to control his focus on his goals and succeed in life and overcome any problematic situation that he may face.   Good Manners Many Libra knows how to gain influence. Having good quality manners helps Libra create potential connections with people who have some sort of power. For any Libra manners are the gateway to success by getting to know more people in his life and be socially acceptable and respectful. Useful methods like managing perilous situations are essential for Libra. Libra must keep improving his balancing techniques to avoid being involved in nasty issues usually created by others. Libra knows that being polite with friends, family, and colleagues is always a good start to be able keeping doors open.   Refinement Refined Libra is known for his charm, nobility, purity and social, diplomatic tact. Libra also knows that by being refined he shouldn’t act like an upper-class person, but should treat people with respect while showing who he really is. Libra tends to avoid bad habits, such as being loud when in public. He also should not talk about other people behind his back, or any other rude behavior while in the company of close friends.   Sophisticated Sophisticated Libra is more than confident. Libra tends to be in charge of the situation, and most of all they should be calm. Libra makes sure you're never acting out of order, wildly running in front of other people, or at least misbehaving in a way that makes others think of them oddly. Also, sophisticated Libra knows how to control their overall body movements and will never give the impression of an unstable person.   Rational Thoughts Libra can be a creative thinker who think critically and who is able to come up with some common sense quality thought about different situations and arrive at a balanced analytical decision. Libra also prefers to think outside of the box to make a conclusive rational thought. Sometimes he questions everything, and this makes him curious about the world. Very often Libra asks the "why" question just to have a reason to start thinking about different ideas and make the full decision.

[minnamarie1983-blog]

Quotes for Friday July 28,2017

Ability quotes Ability hits the mark where presumption overshoots and diffidence falls short.--John Henry Newman Ability is of little account without opportunity.--Napoleon Bonaparte Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.--Lou Holtz Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.–-John Wooden Ability without honor is useless.--Marcus Tullius Cicero All of us are, to some extent, victims of what we are. We are not limited by our imaginations, but by our ability to do what we imagine. We are not too often limited by our abilities as much as by circumstances. And we are not as often limited by our circumstances as much as by the lack of the will to respond.--Dee Bowman (That's Life!) Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.--Norman Vincent Peale Creativity is essentially a lonely art. An even lonelier struggle. To some a blessing. To others a curse. It is in reality the ability to reach inside yourself and drag forth from your very soul an idea.--Lou Dorfsman Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.--Roy L. Smith Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.--John Wooden Every man is born with the ability to do something well. This is what the Lord intended him to do. Using that ability - what life is all about.--Gracie Allen ~~~~~~ Beauty quotes Beauty I have learned from the ugly, charity from the unkind, and peace from the turmoil of the world.--Frederick Ward Kates Beauty is at once the ultimate principle and the highest aim of art.--Goethe Beauty is at the heart of God, and the beauty that we see — and even create — is like the trailing wake from God's hand across the ocean of the universe. This is why, in attending to beauty, we become open to the mystery of God.--Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki Beauty is everywhere to he or she who would behold it. When God reigns supreme in the consciousness of man, the tiniest blade of grass speaks of God's beauty.--Frater Achad Beauty is God's handwriting.--Charles Kingsley Beauty is in the heart of the beholder.--Al Bernstein Beauty is no quality in things themselves: it exists merely in the mind which contemplates them.--David Hume ("Of the Standard of Taste" Four Dissertations) Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.--Khalil Gibran Beauty is one of the rare things that do not lead to doubt of God.--Jean Anouilh (Becket) ~~~~~ Christianity quotes In a world full of people who couldn't care less, be someone who cares more. ~Author Unknown ~ Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud. ~Maya Angelou~ Don’t let those who take advantage of your generosity stop you from being generous. ~Author Unknown ~ The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.~Edmund Burke~ "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." - -John Wooden We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. ~Epictetus~ Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out. ~Frank A. Clark~ By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach. ~Winston Churchill You cannot do a kindness too soon for you never know how soon it will be too late. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~ You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. ~John Wooden~ ~~~~~~ Encouragemennt quotes The pessimist borrows trouble; the optimists lend encouragement.--William Arthur Ward Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.--John C. Maxwell Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way.--Eileen Caddy Shout praise, whisper blame. Sow encouragement, reap enthusiasm.--Michael Rawls Sometimes the best helping hand you can give is a good, firm push.--Joann Thomas Taking an interest in what others are thinking and doing is often a much more powerful form of encouragement than praise.--Robert Martin That's what's wrong with the world--people don't compliment other people enough. They would change the world if they did.--Sister Gervase (in What is a Calling? by Novak) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kindness quotes kindness and love are the best parts of a person's life. Seneca Wherever there is a human being, there is a chance for a kindness. James M. Barrie Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves. Harold Kushner When you carry out acts of kindness you get a wonderful feeling inside. It is as though something inside your body responds and says, yes, this is how I ought to feel. Barbara De Angelis Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. William Wordsworth That best portion of a good man's life; his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. George Sand Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness. Cicero There is no duty more obligatory than the repayment of kindness. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Zig Ziglar quotes Every choice you make has an end result. Don't become a wandering generality. Be a meaningful specific. Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win. Remember that failure is an event, not a person. People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner. It's not what you've got, it's what you use that makes a difference. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.

[findanswers4life-blog]

This Week's Q&A

Are you hot or cold toward God?

Do you think about God? How important is He to you? Where would you measure your love for Him on a scale of 1 to10? The first step toward appreciating God is recognizing that He created you. You would not even exist if not for His gift of life.

Think about this. What did you do to earn or deserve your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual life? All you are was God's gift when you were born. In fact, your life began at the moment of conception. At that moment, all your abilities were contained in the union of the cells of your mother and father. You became you through God and through your parents.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:13-16)

Life is a gift for which we are indebted to God. We have no room for any pride. In fact, if we act as if we are the source of our abilities, we are not giving God the proper credit for His amazing decision to give life and talents and abilities to us. Our schools are teaching with total conviction that human beings are not the product of God. According the them, evolution is the answer for why we are who we are.

Take God out of the picture and we become gods. Bottom line, that is the definition of secular humanism. We think we are so great that we shove God out of our consciousness. What a tragedy. This mindset keeps us from appreciating God for creating our roots or trusting Him for our future. If there is no God, there is no life after death . . . no heaven . . . no hope beyond this world. Quite a negative world if this is all there is.

The truth is that God intervened to save us through the coming and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When we place their faith in Him, our spirit is born again. God forgives our sins and gives us eternal life. He places supernatural gifts in us in the second birth just as He gave us natural gifts in our first birth. However, if we do not believe in God, we miss this opportunity to know Him and love Him and live forever with Him in heaven. The only people who can truly be "hot" with gratitude toward God are those who have come to the cross and have received full pardon and reconciliation with Him.

God loves you and wants you to love Him with all your heart, mind, and soul. He stands at your door and knocks. Will you open your heart to Him today?

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16)

If we miss the fact that we were created by God for God, we miss the very reason for our existence. Even a lukewarm attitude toward God is dangerous.

"These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." (Revelation 3:14-20)

[minnamarie1983-blog]

Quotes for Friday July 14,2017

Ability quotes Ability hits the mark where presumption overshoots and diffidence falls short.--John Henry Newman Ability is of little account without opportunity.--Napoleon Bonaparte Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.--Lou Holtz Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.–-John Wooden Ability without honor is useless.--Marcus Tullius Cicero Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.--Norman Vincent Peale Creativity is essentially a lonely art. An even lonelier struggle. To some a blessing. To others a curse. It is in reality the ability to reach inside yourself and drag forth from your very soul an idea.--Lou Dorfsman Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.--Roy L. Smith Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.--John Wooden Every man is born with the ability to do something well. This is what the Lord intended him to do. Using that ability - what life is all about.--Gracie Allen New!  Every person is responsible for all the good within the scope of his abilities, and for no more.--Gail Hamilton ----- Appreciation quotes The aim of life is appreciation; there is no sense in not appreciating things; and there is no sense in having more of them if you have less appreciation of them.--G. K. Chesterton (Autobiography) Appreciate what you have, accept the blessings waiting for you to need them, and above all - realize that Source from which it all comes.--Michael Rawls Appreciation can make a day--even change a life, Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.--Margaret Cousins Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.--Voltaire Appreciation, not possession, makes a thing ours.--Marty Rubin A basic rule for managers is "Pass the pride down." People like to create when they can earn recognition for their ideas. When a good idea surfaces, the creator's immediate superiors should show prompt appreciation.--James L. Hayes ------- Character quotes Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.--John Wooden Because everything we say and do is the length and shadow of our own souls, our influence is determined by the quality of our being.--Dale Turner (Seattle Times, 4/24/99) The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back.--Abigail van Buren Character builds slowly, but it can be torn down within incredible swiftness.--Faith Baldwin ("July" Harvest of Hope) Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.--Helen Keller Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.--James A. Michener (Chesapeake) Character contributes to beauty. It fortifies a woman as her youth fades. A mode of conduct, a standard of courage, discipline, fortitude, and integrity can do a great deal to make a woman beautiful.--Jacqueline Bisset ---- Goal quotes Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. ~Henry Ford Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. ~Les Brown The important thing is to strive towards a goal which is not immediately visible. That goal is not the concern of the mind, but of the spirit. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Flight to Arras, 1942, translated from French by Lewis Galantière One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it. ~Sidney Howard If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. ~Lawrence J. Peter ------ Hope quotes Where there's hope, there's life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again. -Anne Frank Every time you stand up for an ideal, you send forth a tiny ripple of hope. -Robert Kennedy Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. -Albert Einstein Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible. -Helen Keller We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. -Martin Luther King, Jr. The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination. -Marian Zimmer Bradley All it takes is one bloom of hope to make a spiritual garden. -Terri Guillemets Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. -Martin Luther King, Jr. ------ Life quotes Life is simple, it's just not easy. ~Author Unknown A life without cause is a life without effect. ~Barbarella Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you're alive, it isn't. ~Richard Bach Life is not always fair. Sometimes you get a splinter sliding down a rainbow. ~Terri Guillemets As we struggle to make sense of things, life looks on in repose. ~Author Unknown I think I've discovered the secret of life — you just hang around until you get used to it. ~Charles Schulz