Monday, November 30, 2009

Be bold in your encouragement!

Be encouraged! No matter where you are and what you are doing right now, be encouraged. Victory is on its way! Don’t allow the breath of your imagination blow out the flame of your reality. Human beings are not puppets or computers. We were not programmed at the factory and stored only with data inputted by some unknown master programmer. We are children of the Living God! Be encouraged!

Are you down and out? Depressed? Caught up in addiction? Feeling as though no one cares? Be encouraged! God did not create you to be down trodden. Get up! Don’t you dare throw in the towel in the third round of a fifteen round fight. Keep ducking and dodging and keep swinging. Take the standing eight count, get up off the canvas. No weapon formed against you can prosper. Get a fight in your spirit. Be encouraged!

Don’t get mad with the results, be truthful with your decision making process. Lean not onto your own understanding. And for the love of God, who loved you from the start of time, stop wavering in even the weakest wind. Stand on His word and promises contained within. Be encouraged!

David looked up at that giant and you best believe he had some doubt. Daniel was surrounded by lions and you best believe he had some fear. Moses wandered the land for forty years and you best believe he got wary. But all three had a spirit that did not quit. They prayed and believed. Their faith was strong, even in the weakness of their physical being. And in the end, all three experienced victory. Be encouraged!

Surrounded by negative nouns—people, places or things. Remove yourself. In a dead-end job that barely pays the bills. Stop settling. You are greater right now than you have ever been. While you’re dwelling on the outside, God is living on the inside. And inside of you is abundant life. A seed of greatness was planted in you at birth. Over the course of your life it has started to blossom and right now—today—it is ready to bloom. That seed of greatness that God planted in you is now a full-fledged fruit. Of what kind, is between you and Him. But it’s there. It could be an apple of doctoring, an orange of engineering, or a banana of bank management. I don’t know. Only you and God know the identity of your fruit. Don’t leave this earth with that fruit still inside of you to rot in the ground. It has been said that the graveyard holds the most talent because of all the people that died without releasing theirs. As of today, you won’t be one of them. Your victory is at hand and your faith, belief and trust in God was not in vain.

No matter what you’re going through, what you have been through, the time is NOW. You have passed through. Claim it, shout it from the rooftop. Even in the eye of the storm and you can’t see your way out, proclaim that you have passed through. We serve a supernatural God. Don't give up, don't give in and don't quit. BE ENCOURAGED!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Defeat the bully...even if it's within.

Recently in my Life Coaching Practice I worked with an individual that was dealing with some lingering effects of a childhood issue. This particular issue had led to a set of behaviors in adulthood that was hindering this person's ability to stand up for themselves in even the simplest matters of their life. Because of that there were missed opportunities professionally, socially and even in relationships. The issue...being the victim of a bully.

Since the beginning of mankind and maybe even further back than that, since it's reported that Lucifer was kicked out of heaven, there have been bullies. People that feel the need to physically, emotionally or verbally put others down in an attempt to lift themselves up. Prior to Cane actually killing Abel he demonstrated a tendency to be a bully. It's very possible that at some point in your life you may have encountered a bully. (I know I have) It could have come wrapped up in the form of a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a boss or a co-worker. Great for you if you haven't and shame on you if you have been or are currently that bully.

Bullying isn't a good thing. It doesn't show strength or even demonstrate toughness. It's a weakness that reveals the coward in that person's character. What exactly is a bully? It's someone that's habitually cruel or overbearing (to the negative), especially to those they may perceive to be smaller or weaker. I would even go further to say, even those the bully may feel is beneath them because of race, social or economic positioning or education. What does a bully do to others? They hurt, persecute or intimidate. How do they bully? By being discouraging and frightening with threats or a domineering manner.

There are things that can happen to a person that sticks with them way past the time that it occurred. A chance encounter on a crowded bus could lead to a change in someones life. There's really no telling or knowing. So when someone is bullied by another, even at a young age, it can leave a lasting affect on that person. As it had for my client.

Life Coaching isn't therapy. It doesn't deal with emotional or psychological issues, it confronts mindsets, paradigms and behavioral patterns that can hinder a person from living the life they truly want to lead. So in assisting my client, we didn't concentrate on the past, we dealt with the present and concentrated on the future.

Bullies come in different shapes and sizes, but when confronted and their power base (fear) is removed, they're nothing more than cowards, pure and simple. Become a victor, not a victim. God did not give us the spirit of fear and no weapon formed against us can prosper. Not even a bully.