GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY!

Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it:

Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power
to create conditions in your life.

What you speak about, you can bring about. If you keep
saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job.

If you keep saying you can't stand your body,
your body can become sick.

If you keep saying you can't stand your car,
your car could be stolen or just stop operating.

If you keep saying you're always broke, guess what?
You'll always be broke.

If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a
woman, you will always find someone in your life to
hurt and betray you.

If you keep saying you can't find a job,
you will remain unemployed.

If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you
or believe in you, your very thoughts will attract
more experiences to confirm your beliefs.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be
more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love
and action.

Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you
want and deserve.

Watch your "Thoughts," they become words.
Watch your "Words," they become actions.
Watch your "Actions," they become habits.
Watch your "Habits," they become character.
Watch your "Character," for it becomes your "Destiny."

GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY!

Author Unknown

Haters

What Exactly is a "Hater"? Some of us really don't know the true
definition of this!

A hater is someone who is jealous and envious and spends all
their time trying to make you look small so they can look tall. They are
very negative people to say the least. Nothing is ever good enough! When
you make your mark, you will always attract some haters. . . That's why
you have to be careful with whom you share your blessings and your
dreams with because some folk can't handle seeing you blessed... It's
dangerous to be like somebody else... If God wanted you to be like
somebody else, He would have given you what He gave them! Right?

You never know what people have gone through to get what they
have... The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory, but
they don't know my story... If the grass looks greener on the other side
of the fence, you can rest assured that the water bill is higher there
too!

We've all got some h aters among us! Some people envy you because
you can:
* Have a relationship with God
* Light up a room when you walk in
* Start your own business
* Tell a man / woman to hit that curb (if he / she isn't about
the right thing)
* Have an education
* Raise your children without both parents being in the home
* Haters can't stand to see you happy
* Haters will never want to see you succeed
* Haters never want you to get the victory
* Haters cant stand to hear how well your woman/man treats you

Most of our haters are people who are supposed to be on our
side. How do you handle your undercover haters?
You can handle these haters by:
1. *Knowing who you are and who your true friends are *(VERY
IMPORTANT!!)
2. *Having a purpose to your life
3. * Purpose does not mean having a job. You can have a job and
still be unfulfilled. A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has
called you to be. Your purpose is not defined by w hat others think about
you.
4. *By remembering what you have is by divine prerogative and
not human manipulation.

Fulfill your dreams! You only have one life to live...when its
your time to leave this earth, you "want" to be able to say, "I've lived
my life and fulfilled "my" dreams,... Now I'm ready to go HOME! When God
gives you favor, you can tell your haters, "Don't look at me...Look at
Who is in charge of me..."

Pass this to all of your family and friends who you know are not
hating on you including the person who sent it to you. If you don't get
it back, maybe you called somebody out! Don't worry about it, it's not
your problem, it's theirs. Just pray for them, that their life can be as
fulfilled as yours!

Keep your Haters in your daily Prayer!!!


"The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose"

When Your Hut Is On Fire

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?' Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island!

It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.


The Moral of This Story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

Unfolding the Rose

A young, new preacher was walking with an older, more seasoned preacher in the garden one day. Feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was asking the older preacher for some advice. The older preacher walked up to a rose bush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing any of the petals.


The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was
trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his
wanting to know the will of God for his life and ministry. But, because of his great respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try and unfold the rosebud while keeping every petal intact.
It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was to do. Noticing the young preacher's inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it, the older preacher began to recite the following poem:

It is only a tiny rosebud
A flower of God's design;

But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flower,

Is not known to such as I.

GOD opens this flower so sweetly,

Then, in my hands, they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,

The flower of God's design,

Then how can I have the wisdom

To unfold this life of mine?

So, I'll trust in Him for leading

Each moment of my day.

I will look to Him for His guidance

Each step of the Pilgrim's way

Only my Heavenly Father knows.

I'll trust him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, and an entire lifetime to forget them. Send this message to the people you will never forget. It's a short message to let them know that you'll never forget them. If you don't send it to anyone, it means you're in too much of a hurry. Take the time to LIVE!!! Distance and time may separate us, but friendship
and memories won't.

Does God Dance on Your Potato Chips?

Author Unknown

Recently, I had "one of those days". I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner.

Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed a Tupperware from the fridge, popped the seal, took a Look and groaned.

My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars. Really frustrated, now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bad didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. . .Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty. It was The final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!"

My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing a the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips Into my linoleum in the process!

I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced.

Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.

So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess I've made of things.

What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all.

Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all.

Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way He did.

There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond.

Do I trust Him? Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Even when he's dancing and stomping, instead of sweeping and mopping? Can I embrace what He's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance He's dancing' with my needs in mind?

I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him. Even when the chips are down.

The Dart Test

Authorn Unknown

A young lady named Sally related the following experience that she had in a seminary class.

Dr. Smith, her professor, was known for his elaborate object lessons. One particular day, Sally walked into her seminary class and knew that the class was in for an interesting day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they really disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture.

Sally's friend drew a picture of who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats. As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any darts at her target. Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall.

Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced. Dr. Smith said only these words... "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me." Matthew 25:40.

No other words were necessary; the tear-filled eyes of the students focused only on the picture of Christ.