The names and identifying details of some individuals mentioned in this book have been changed.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright  1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.

HEAVENS PRESSGmbH

Flüelistrasse 13, P.O. Box 245

CH-6072 Sachseln

www.HeavensPress.ch

Copyright  2011 by Serge Roux-Levrat

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar conditions being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The illustrations contained in this book have been designed by Heavens PressGmbH based on images bought at www.iStockphoto.com and www.shutterstock.com.

First HEAVENS PRESSGmbH Kindle ebook edition August 2011

ISBN 978-3-906001-07-4

DEDICATIONS

I dedicate this book to the following VIPs:

Jesus. You are an example of faithfulness, forgiveness, leadership, love, obedience, resilience, and strength for me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for having made it possible for me to be born again and for renewing my faith on multiple occasions.

My parents. You have sacrificed so much for my sister and me. Thank you for believing in me and for providing for my needs. You have taught me the value of a good education and the importance of being honest, doing one’s best in everything, and working hard. Mom, thank you for loving me so much while you were alive. Dad, thank you for being so respectful, caring, and supportive during our long wilderness retreat. I know that I can always count on you.

Barbara, my wife. I am so grateful that you let God use you to bring me to Jesus. I would certainly not be where I am now today without your godly obedience. Thank you for having given me two precious children, putting up with me for almost 15 years now (and counting), as well as for being a loving and submissive wife. You have been an incredible companion and tower of strength during the seven years we spent in the desert. I joyfully look forward to the years we still have together.

Christophe, my son. I am proud of the person that you are becoming. It is a pleasure to see you growing. When you were born, God gave me the desires of my heart. You are intelligent, multi-talented, strong, persevering, full of wisdom, humorous, a leader, and a conqueror. You will achieve greater things than I for the kingdom of heaven. Nothing will ever separate you from my love. I am your number one fan.

Annabelle, my daughter. I thank God often for having given me the daughter of my dreams. You are gorgeous, strong, smart, patient, and full of kindness as well as compassion. You are going to impact significantly our world too and set many people free. Jesus will give you great ambassadorial duties and responsibilities. You are an achiever. I will always love you and be there for you.

My mother-in-law. Thank you for making me feel so welcome in your family and for treating me like one of your children. It feels wonderful to have a mother-in-law like you. You inspire me and I hope that I will be as full of life and joy as you are when I will be your age.

With lots of love from me,

Serge

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

Who is this book for?

What is abundance?

Is the abundant life only spiritual?

Did Jesus have an abundant life?

How can I have an abundant life?

Do I expect you to take all “my” claims upon faith?

What qualified me to write this book?

Why did God choose me?

Why has this book the power to transform your life for the better?

Decide today to claim your abundance

PART TWO: GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT

Overcoming our greatest enemy: fear

The fear of intimacy

The fear of failure

Conquering fear by exercising our faith

Choosing our thoughts

The Christian advantage to triumphing over fear

The greatest law: the law of belief

Understanding the law of belief

Enlarging our vision of what is possible

Activating the law of belief

What is then the difference between Christians and those who just rely on the power of positive thinking?

Breaking the impossible barrier

PART THREE:

THE KEY ABUNDANCE CREATION FACTORS

Creation factor 1: renewing our minds daily

Detoxification

1. Loving ourselves

2. Monitoring our self-talks

3. Activating the power of forgiveness

4. Overcoming guilt

5. Focusing on higher things

6. Drinking plenty of living water

7. Closing all back doors

Concluding thoughts

Creation factor 2: activating the law of harvest

Which seeds can we plant?

Our emotions can make us plant seeds that can backfire

Planting good seeds with our talents

Planting good seeds with our time

Are we letting our time be stolen?

Planting good seeds with our wealth and possessions

Planting good seeds with our acts

We can’t reach the abundance land without patience

Our attitude while we wait is critical

Unless we use our seeds, we risk losing them all!

To harvest abundantly, we must sow abundantly!

To get our harvest, we must keep doing our work until the due season arrives!

Concluding thoughts

Creation factor 3: regularly repotting ourselves

Re-potting ourselves is all about growing

When do we know that we are ready to move to a larger pot?

How do we change pots?

The perseverance test

How can we develop perseverance or mental toughness?

The humility test

The temptation test

New pot, new tests!

What happens if we fail our tests?

Do we really want to unlock more abundance in our lives?

Concluding thoughts

Life point: what is the worst thing that we can do for our children?

Creation factor 4: expressing gratitude

Why did God command us to be thankful?

Who can best have an attitude of gratitude?

Do we always have a strong faith in the law of belief?

How should we express our gratitude?

Is it possible to be grateful when we feel discontent about our jobs or have a “bad” boss?

Can we be frustrated, yet grateful?

How the world tricks us into ingratitude (and misery)

Concluding thoughts

Summary of part three and action points

PART FOUR:

THE KEY ABUNDANCE DESTRUCTION FACTORS

Destruction factor 1: doubting God’s love

Do you believe that God loves you?

Why is it so difficult for many people to accept the fact that God loves them?

1. Sin

2. The wrong image of God

3. Adversity, trials and tribulations

4. Not feeling loved

5. Believing we are insignificant

Developing the fruit of the Spirit

Doubt and faith go hand in hand

Is faith the opposite of doubt?

Do not be afraid of asking, seeking, and knocking!

Destruction factor 2: not living in the present

Living in the past

Which excess baggage do we carry with us?

Symptoms that reveal the existence of excess baggage in our life

Getting rid of our past: forgiveness

Can we forgive everything?

A practical guideline to releasing our excess baggage

Living in the future: ambition as a root cause

Living in the future: covetousness as a root cause

Living in the future: fear as a root cause

Living in the future: lack of contentment as a root cause

Concluding thoughts

Destruction factor 3: not fearing God

Why we should fear God

Who usually fears God?

Why would anybody choose hell over heaven?

If hell was prepared for Satan and his angels, why do we have to be concerned about it?

Living in the presence of God

Experiencing heaven on earth

Never take God’s presence for granted

Characteristics of Christians who enjoy God’s presence in their lives

How can we experience God’s presence in our lives more?

Concluding thoughts

When are we more likely to have the fear of the Lord?

Do you have the fear of the Lord?

Destruction factor 4: not doing God’s will

New birth; new mission, duties, and privileges

Do we have to be perfect to be ambassadors of Jesus?

What can impede us from fulfilling our diplomatic role?

To succeed, we must carry out God’s plan for our life His way and with His timing!

What happens when we attempt to do God’s will our way?

When disobedience makes us assume duties that are not ours!

What can save us from falling permanently?

The trap of the devil: to make us believe that our sacrifices and works are more valued by God than our obedience

When we are one step away from falling permanently!

Remember this: without repentance, we cannot be re-established in our ambassadorial role

How the devil renders “baby” Christians ineffective ambassadors

Our sanctification is key to our ambassadorial success

A secret we must know: God leads us one step at a time

Is suffering part of God’s plan?

Isn’t it true that suffering is a matter of perspective and faith?

The 3Fs of a successful Christian ambassador

Do not suffer unnecessarily to impress Jesus!

Doing God’s will is a choice, not an obligation!

Summary of part four and action points

PART FIVE: CONCLUSION - CLAIM YOUR ABUNDANCE, BUT DO NOT BECOME A VICTIM OF IT

Challenge No 1: What should we do with our material abundance?

Principle 1: be shrewd

Principle 2: have the right motives

Principle 3: respect God’s priorities

Principle 4: share our abundance with others

Principle 5: save

Principle 6: avoid becoming a slave to debt

Principle 7: spend on Godly causes

Principle 8: maintain integrity and honor

Summary

Challenge No 2: to continue to trust God, as opposed to our newly found abundance

Final words

PART SIX: EPILOGUE

My personal journey

The transformative power of a wilderness retreat

Entering the Promised Land

Summary of the key lessons we learned

Looking forward

PART SEVEN: MOVING TO ACTION!

YOUR TESTIMONY MATTERS

INTRODUCTION

Who is this book for? Close your eyes and imagine how different your life would be if you would always have more than enough... Can you imagine a life where you could have love, peace and joy always in your heart? Can you picture feeling great about your work? What about being proud of who you are? What about having an awesome marriage? A worry-free life?

If you answered “yes” to all these questions, then this book is definitely for you, since it will show you how to unlock this level of abundance in your life. If you answered “no” to at least one question, then this book is also for you. It will challenge you to change your perspectives about your entire life and to embrace the beliefs, attitudes, and actions that can enable you to activate the spiritual laws that open the taps of abundance.

Do you feel that you have an average life? Are you tired of this situation? Then, I have good news for you: this book is also intended for you, since it will help you to unlock fully your God-given potential and lead you to an extraordinary life.

But above all, this book is primarily for all those (Christians and unbelievers) who believe that there must be more to life; that life cannot be this feeling of pain, these ups and downs, this dissatisfaction, this mediocrity, this lack of joy, this burden.

This book, then, is for all those who want to live the abundant life!

What is abundance? At this very point, I must clarify what abundance means, since most people tend to associate it exclusively with material wealth. For a large part of my life, I was one of them. I thought that the larger my stock market portfolio was, the bigger my house was, the faster my car was, the prettier my wife looked, the more people I had under me at work... the better I would feel, the happier I would be. However, I found out that this could not be further from the truth. What I discovered is that these things gave me a momentary feeling of pride and joy - only to be quickly washed away by feelings of worry, inadequacy, and fear.

Instead, I have learned that a great life, an abundant life, is one where the following three conditions are met:

• We live with constant joy and peace (despite adverse circumstances);

•  We have so much love, that we are even able to love our enemies (including our spouses, when he/she acts like our enemy);

•  We experience growth and prosperity in every area of our lives (although not necessarily at the same time or to the same degree): our characters, our work situations, our relationships, our marriages, our finances, our health, etc.

But how can we have constant love, joy, and peace in our lives when our circumstances change all the time? You might say: "how can I have joy when my child is terminally ill?" Or "how can I have peace when my spouse is divorcing me?"

The key is to realize that our well-being, our happiness, always depends on "something." This means that this "something" has a great deal of power over us. In fact, we will be willing to do a lot for this "something,” since we all want to be happy. This "something” then, will take first place in our lives. Do you know what the Bible calls what is number one in our lives? Our “god!”

What happens next is obvious. If, for example, money is my god, then I will lose my joy and peace if someone steals 5,000 Euros from me; and I will be in a terrible mood if I lose money on the stock market (even if it's just a notional loss). If, on the other hand, my well-being depends on my children, I will feel terrible if they get sick. There are mothers who lose their sleep when their children get a cough. Perhaps you are depending on other people to approve of you. Then, at the slightest faux pas, you will want the earth to swallow you alive! Or perhaps you are emotionally dependent on your spouse, which means that if he is in a good mood, you are on top of the world; but if he is feeling foul, your day has been ruined.

I think we all agree that such a life is not abundant; rather, it is quite miserable. No wonder so many people are so depressed. No wonder so many people depend on alcohol or anti-depressants just to make it through the day. Without those crutches, they would be helpless. By making materialism, youth, beauty, or work their gods, they exchange love, peace, contentment, and joy for selfishness, worry, discontentment, unhappiness, and sorrow. The result is divorce, depression, suicide, workaholism, gluttony, pornography, anxiety, stress, and fear.

The wonderful news is that if we make God our god, then our well-being will depend on Him. Let us analyze this: God is never in a bad mood, He never wakes up on the wrong foot, He never loses value, He is never depressed, He never loses His peace, He is never outdated, He never gets sick, He never forgets about us, He never divorces us, and He never gives up on us.

In fact, the Bible says He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, which means that He is absolutely and definitely, 100 percent constant. So, if we depend on Him, we will also be constant; we won't slip, we won't budge, we won't fall, and we won't be on an emotional rollercoaster! Instead, we will be like a solid oak. To use the words of the Bible, “we will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever we do will prosper." (Psalm 1:3)

Is the abundant life only spiritual? Is material wealth incompatible with depending on God? For a great deal of time, we have understood that we need to be poor in order to please God. We interpreted humility as renouncing all worldly wealth. We were impacted by people like Francis of Assisi who gave up all his wealth and led a celibate and poor life.

Let us think about this for a minute. Does God really expect all of us to lead such a life? Did He not command us to be fruitful, to multiply, and to rule over the earth? (Genesis, Chapter 1) Celibacy is a choice. Being married is the only other choice we have. One is not more valued by God than the other. What truly matters is that we fulfill the plan that God has for our lives.

Abundance is also a choice. Jesus asked us to be humble and meek, but He never asked us to be poor. The truth is that God wants to bless us and to prosper us in an abundant way, including in the material realm, but only if we make Him our God. In fact, as long as prosperity is a by-product of our spiritual lives, then it is a blessing; the minute that we make it our goal (i.e. our god), it becomes a curse.

How do I know this is true? Because the Bible is very clear on this. There are quite a few passages that speak about prosperity and abundance, and they all mention it as a result of our dependency and obedience to God. Let us look at some of them:

• “If they obey and serve Him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment." (Job 36:11) In other words, the Lord clearly promises us prosperity; but there is a caveat: it comes after obeying and serving God.

•  "Our barns will be filled to overflowing, and our vats will brim over with new wine, if we honor the Lord with our wealth, the firstfruits of all our crops." (Proverbs 3:10) Again, the Lord promises us overflowing abundance, but only if we honor him.

•  “[…] Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord had blessed his people, and this great amount is left over.” (2 Chronicles 31) Did you notice how much was left over? A great amount, an abundance! But only after the people brought their contributions to God.

Naturally, some people think that this was God's will only in the Old Testament. Often, they base themselves on the following scripture: “[…] If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me,” Matthew 19:21. What these people fail to see is that these words were person-specific: Jesus was trying to open the rich young man’s eyes to what was currently preventing him personally from inheriting eternal life: money had become his god.

On the same subject, in Matthew 19:24, Jesus says: “[…] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Again, Jesus speaks of how easy it is for us to make money our god.

As we can see, then, God is firmly against making money our God, but He never forbids us to acquire material wealth. A New Testament verse speaks clearly about this: "Command those who are rich […] not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." (1 Timothy 6:17) In other words, the verse doesn't command people to get rid of all their material wealth; instead, it tells them not to depend on it, not to make it their god.

Did Jesus have an abundant life?

Most certainly. If you look at His material possessions in Earth, you will conclude that He was poor, but in real terms, He was immensely rich! In fact, He had exactly what He needed when He needed it - even in abundance, for He was able to feed 5,000 men! How? Simply because whenever He needed something, His Father in heaven always provided it for Him. Many rich people cannot say this. They want peace of mind, but money (their god) cannot buy it. They want security, but money cannot buy it. They want true love, but money cannot buy that either. The list could go on and on. In short, they have money, but lack everything of value.

Be reassured, we can have the same abundant spirit that Jesus had. He told us in John 15:7, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.”

Did you know that in God’s world, the word “lack” does not exist. When He created the Earth, He filled it with abundance. How can we not see this reality? When He sent Jesus to Earth, it was to redeem us from every curse - and poverty, lack, sickness, and being out of work are curses. God's intention, both from the very beginning and through Jesus Christ, is to have us live in His presence and partake in His abundance!

How can I have an abundant life? Having an abundant life starts when we invite Jesus to come into our hearts and to forgive us our sins. The Bible says that when we do this, we receive a new spiritual life. If you haven't already done so, then I invite you to do that right now. It just takes a few seconds, but you need to do it with your heart. After having done so, this book will take you through the following framework:

• Defeating our number one enemy: fear

•  Understanding the law of belief

•  Activating the four abundance-creating factors:

1. Renewing our minds daily

2. Activating the law of harvest

3. Regularly repotting ourselves

4. Expressing gratitude

•  Disarming the four abundance-destroying factors:

1. Doubting God’s love

2. Not living in the present

3. Not fearing God

4. Not doing God’s will

Going through this framework will be a great adventure. Beware of a proud, unbelieving, or critical spirit, as it will hinder your ability to see things with your spiritual eyes or to use your faith muscles. This will lead you to misery, not abundance. Resist the need to judge, find-fault, criticize, or understand everything intellectually. Instead, look for what you can take, act upon your findings, and expect great things to happen to you.

Additionally, remain patient. It has taken you many years to reach the state you are in, so do not expect the new "you" to mature immediately! Concentrate on substituting your old habits for the new ones... and persevere. In due season, your life will be radically transformed. You will be tearing down many strongholds, overcoming temptations that you always yielded to before and breaking free from destructive thought patterns. As you reap good fruits in one area, begin to address the next one. Sooner or later, outflows of abundance will emanate from you and impact the lives of many other people. You will then be a source of blessings to others, and will be able to enjoy a vibrant, joyful, peaceful, and meaningful life!

Do I expect you to take all “my” claims upon faith? No. However, you will have to exercise your faith muscles at times; i.e. believe with strong conviction before you can see tangible proof that it works! Why? Because unless you are willing to do so, you will never know whether the underlying spiritual laws that impact the level of abundance that we can unlock in our lives work or not. In the natural world, we only believe in what we can see or in what can be scientifically proven. This serves us well in many instances. However, in the spiritual world, we must believe in things not yet seeable in order to open the taps of abundance.

Having said this, we do not have to take huge risks. We can start small and increase the weights we train our faith muscles with. The worst mistake that we can make is to try to understand everything with our mind before we move into action. Why? Because, we will never be able to comprehend everything, as God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and neither are His ways our ways. (Isaiah 55:8)

What qualified me to write this book? Nothing, if God had not called me to do it. I do not hold a PhD in theology. I could never have written this book without the help of the Holy Spirit who acted as ghostwriter and doctrine proofreader. As Jesus reminded me: “God does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called.” Although I wanted to study theology at a university, the Holy Spirit convinced me otherwise, because God wanted me to hear directly from Him what His views are on many important topics.

As I accepted His invitation to get to know Him more, God enrolled me in a highly customized course that lasted seven years and that culminated in the writing of this book. In a way, it is my PhD dissertation, and it is accessible, pragmatic, and transformative. It reveals, in a new yet accurate way, the secrets to releasing abundance that are contained in the Bible. God wanted them to be clarified for the people of the 21st century.

Why did God choose me? I do not have the answer to this question. All I know is that I never once imagined that I would one day be preaching the Word of God or writing Christian books. In truth, I am no better than anybody else. For several decades, God was not my god: money was. The old Serge was proud, arrogant, and manipulative. He spent years trying to move up the corporate ladder, living in the future, and not appreciating what he had. He blindly followed the ways of the world. However, God was always in control.

In fact, God revealed to me one day that without the old Serge, the new Serge could never have been qualified to accomplish the mission that God had in mind for him long before he was born. But in order for the new Serge to be born, God had to send me to a spiritual detoxification clinic (or the “desert,” to use a Bible term). There, I received a personalized treatment from Him, with the food and water that the new Serge needed to grow spiritually; and the medicine to flush out the toxins in my body, mind, and spirit. Additionally, the new Serge was trained extensively to be increasingly led by the Holy Spirit and not by his flesh.

During the seven years in the desert, I personally went through all the steps that are presented in this book. I therefore know from first-hand experience that you will get results and experience miracles in your life if you implement them.

I was a slave to Satan; now, I am free. I was spiritually poor, now I am rich. I was sick in my body, mind, and soul; now my health has been restored. I had a miserable life; now, I have an abundant life. Were those seven years in the desert easy? No, my wife and I suffered tremendously at times. However, month after month, our faith muscles grew stronger and stronger and enabled us to tame our flesh.

Today, we are blessed financially as much as we were during our best years under the dominion of Satan, but we have none of the disadvantages, such as fear, worry, anxiety, and emotional instability. We now lead very satisfying and meaningful lives. Are we perfect? No, we still sin each day. However, we work on our progressive sanctification with the fear of the Lord in mind. This gives us the peace we need to do our ambassadorial duties to the best of our abilities.

Am I qualified because I successfully went through a seven-year-long detoxification process? Absolutely not! I am qualified for the simple reason that focusing on the abundance-releasing ministry was the plan of God for my life. This ministry is not becoming successful because of me, but because of the work of the Holy Spirit. Even when I am preaching and liberating people from demons and the chains of Satan, these miracles are not happening because of my power, but because of the power of the Holy Spirit that is flowing through me. Remove the power of the Holy Spirit from me, and I am nothing. I cannot do any miracles on my own strength. I do not even decide when I can use God’s power to work in the lives of others; God does. And He chooses if He works through me or through another ambassador of Christ.

Why has this book the power to transform your life for the better? First and foremost, because it is inspired by God. Secondly, because the abundance-releasing framework detailed in this book rests on timeless spiritual laws that have been proven to work time and again. Many of these laws will bless you whether you are Christian or not. This is why God says He blesses both believers and unbelievers while they are on earth. (see Matthew 5:45) Thus, if you follow the framework steps, you cannot avoid experiencing miracles in your life. You may have to wait before you see tangible outcomes, but if you persevere and do not give up, I guarantee you that you will reap a harvest.

At this point, you may be wondering if you also have to spend seven years in the desert (i.e. God’s detoxification clinic) before you can live in your “Promised Land,” the land of abundance. No, you do not have to.

While we all need to go through a period of purification and detoxification, the amount of time we spend in the desert depends largely on the specific plan of God for our lives. Of course, it also depends on us; i.e. on how fast we strengthen our faith muscles, overcome our flesh, have the right attitudes, and move into action.

Decide today to claim your abundance. As you read the different steps in this book, quickly put to your benefit the timeless secrets and spiritual laws that you will (re)discover. Also, complement your reading with the Bible and ask Jesus to help you become a new you. The Holy Spirit will then show you what you need to focus on. Always have in mind that there is absolutely no limit to the amount of abundance that you can release in your life if you seek first the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness.

I wish you much success in your quest to live an abundant life. Remember that God will meet you at your expectancy level. Whatever you believe in faith is what you will ultimately get; no more, no less. If you have one opponent to conquer, it is not Satan (for he has already been defeated by Jesus), but yourself.

As I once heard Dr. Creflo A. Dollar rightly say: “We cannot rise above our limitations.” I therefore pray that, as you read this book, you renew your mind, release the self-sabotaging beliefs that limit yourself, and take action to claim your abundance.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

PART TWO: GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT

1. OVERCOMING OUR GREATEST ENEMY: FEAR

If we want to unlock our full potential and lead an abundant life, we will need to conquer our fears. We all harbor some. There are thousands of them. Here are just a few examples:

• The fear of the unknown,

• The fear of success or of failure,

• The fear of being criticized,

• The fear of change,

• The fear of intimacy,

• The fear of standing out,

• The fear of telling the truth,

• The fear of displeasing men,

• The fear of commitment,

• The fear of solitude,

• The fear of lack.

As we can see, fears come in all shapes and sizes. What we must recognize is that feeling fearful is healthy, and a completely natural human reaction. What is not natural is when we allow our fears to control and paralyze us. When this happens, fear destroys our confidence, glues us in place, and leaves us powerless.

The fear of intimacy

Let’s examine, for example, the fear of intimacy. What does it involve? The inability or reluctance of a person to open up and reveal his or her true self to another one. The person is building emotional walls and hiding behind them in order to feel secure (at least from her point of view). However, by refusing to open the door of her “prison”, she is unable to enjoy close and meaningful relationships with people. This inevitably deprives her of leading a fulfilling life.

It’s clear that the person who subjects herself to the fear of intimacy usually has strong reasons to build emotional walls. She may have been hurt or betrayed by loved ones in the past, or grown up in an emotionally and socially closed environment. She may be introverted or depressed. Whatever the reason, she is determined not to be hurt again, and purposefully imprisons herself. By allowing her fear to remain in the darkness, by not confronting it, she actually ends up surrendering herself to it; it now has full power over her.

The fear of failure

Let's look closely at one more fear, one of the most damaging fears of all: the fear of failure. Some people will not pursue their dreams or an interesting project if the probability of failure is more than 1%. Hence, they could be 94% sure that their project will work out favorably, but the 6% missing will stop them from taking any action. What’s happening is that the 6% probability of failure (and therefore of incurring some pain,) weights a lot more emotionally in their mind than the 94% chance of success. In other words, emotions win the battle over logic.

Of course, the person subject to the fear of failure usually has strong reasons for bowing down. He may have been hit hard in the past by a parent, a teacher or a previous manager who made him feel like a complete failure when he failed at something. Additionally, we live in a world that has put in place grading systems everywhere (e.g. at schools, in companies, in politics) to measure performance, and we constantly receive the message that failure is something to be avoided at all costs. Worse yet, we are told that we, ourselves, are failures when we experience failure. Consequently, we develop a tremendous fear of failure, and at the slightest encounter with it, our self-confidence nose-dives. We then enter into negative self-talks, becoming our worst enemy and blocking our mind from perceiving future possibilities.

However, the reality is that failure is a normal part of life. We have all heard of Michael Jordan who won five Most Valuable Basketball Player awards and helped his team win six NBA championship titles. What many of us do not know is that he missed over 9,000 shots in his career and lost almost 300 games. Do you know what he said to a reporter who asked him once if he had ever been frightened by the fear of failure? “26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s why I succeed.”

Charles Kettering said it beautifully: “Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” Great achievers do not feel that they are a failure because they happened to fail. On the contrary, they know that they are now closer to the victory. They do not quit, but persevere until the victory that they pursued with faith - months or years ago – comes to pass. Thomas Edison, one of the most prolific inventors of all times, understood this; when his 10,000th experiment failed, he told a journalist, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

In fact, the worse thing that can therefore happen to a person is that he never fails big in something early on. He will then live for years in a “fear of failing” prison, never taking any risk, thus unlocking only a fraction of his potential. What a shame! Too few people have learned to see failure as a teaching tool, but failing is extremely beneficial to us. Specifically, it can:

• Help us learn and discover new ways of doing things,

• Enrich our portfolio of experiences and of lessons-learned,

• Strengthen us,

• Raise our creativity to a new level,

• Increase our joy when the victory comes,

• Liberate us (we realize that failing is not such a big deal).

Henry Ford, an extremely successful man, said it this way: "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." Failure, then, is a matter of perception and timeframe. It only exists when we cannot see beyond the “now” or when we give up on our goals. In fact, if quitting is not an option for us, then there cannot be any failure; i.e. we will ultimately emerge victorious!

Conquering fear by exercising our faith

The key is to realize that successful people are no less subject to fear than others. How did Abraham Lincoln face his fears and the significant criticisms he was subject to while he was trying to abolish slavery and reunite his Northern and Southern fellow countrymen? Very wisely, he said to a journalist: “if I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how, the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what’s said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.” We cannot prevent others from attacking and criticizing us. However, we can decide not to become paralyzed by the fear of failure, of criticism, or of standing out. We must therefore learn not to bow to fear, but instead to press through. To use a phrase by Joyce Meyer, we need “to do it afraid.” How can we do that? To find the answer, we must look at the opposite force: faith.

Faith is a spiritual force that functions like fear. When you operate in faith, you expect positive things to happen to you and you imagine the best. When you operate in fear, you expect negative things to happen to you and tend to imagine the worse. What my personal experience has shown me is that what you expect and believe in your heart will eventually happen. Successful people know this law (the law of belief), and choose the path that brings them to victory: the path of faith. The Bible says it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:7: "We must therefore live, not by sight or by what we hear, but by faith."

Successful people exercise their faith muscles in order to control their doubts and negative thoughts. It helps them not be paralyzed by their fears. When confronted with a fear, successful people ask themselves what the worst thing that could happen to them is. What they often discover is that the worst-case scenario is not that bad; they may have to incur some pain, have to discipline themselves, or sacrifice a few things, but they know they can survive if it happens.

To do this, successful people exercise their faith muscles regularly, much in the same way that we exercise our physical muscles. How do we grow our physical muscles? By increasing the weights we use, eating a proper diet, and ensuring that we get enough rest. The amazing thing is that the same principle applies to our faith muscles: we must gradually increase the “weights” we use, eat the right type of spiritual food, and rest continually in the Lord.

What are the "weights" we can use to develop our faith muscles? These are the challenges, trials and setbacks that we are confronted with. Instead of complaining about them, we must use them to exercise our faith muscles. How? We must look for the opportunity to grow or the lesson to be learned (there is always one). We can do this if we firmly believe in Romans 8:28, which says: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Actually, without difficulties or setbacks, we would never be able to grow our faith. What happens when a person does not exercise her physical muscles for a long time? They atrophy and become increasingly weak. It is the same with our faith muscles; unless we exercise them regularly, they will atrophy too, and we will easily be overcome by fear. From this perspective, we should be happy when adversity strikes us, because it gives us an opportunity to strengthen our faith muscles. Horace said, “adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” This is true, not just for our talents, but also for our faith.

The second part of our faith regime is to eat the right food. By this, I mean to consume, to feed ourselves with, and only with, positive, uplifting, truthful, and righteous words. Do you know where the most positive and truthful words are? In the Bible. It is with these words that we will be able to starve all doubt, and resist the temptation to let negativity take control of our mind.

For instance, let's imagine we are going through a tough economic situation. All sorts of thoughts flood our mind, telling us that we will not have enough money to pay the rent, to pay for the kids' school, or to buy new clothes. Paying attention to these thoughts can make us feel miserable, desperate, and angry towards God. If, however, instead of entertaining these thoughts in our minds, we repeat to ourselves; "the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," (Psalm 23:1) we will begin to feel differently: lifted up, light, and full of hope. Not only will this make us feel better, but since words have the power to actually change our circumstances, the result is that we will have the resources to cover all of our needs.

The third and last part of our regime is to rest. What does resting in the Lord mean? It is simply not allowing the circumstances of our lives to weight us down, and to burden us. We are not meant to carry them. We are supposed to "surrender" them into the Lord's hands, knowing that He is infinitely more capable than we are to carry them, to manage them, and to resolve them. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Leaving our problems in His hands allows us to experience rest.

Choosing our thoughts

Fear, like our emotions, is a result of the thoughts (and therefore of the words and images) that we allow to enter our minds. This is so real, that we could be wealthy, yet abhor the fear of lack. By the same token, we could have a great life (i.e. strong marriage, healthy kids, and an excellent economic situation), but still find ourselves feeling miserable. Why? It all boils down to our thoughts. If we're thinking that our kids could have an accident any day, that our husband could lose his job tomorrow, that we are wasting our life and not doing anything productive, that no one loves us, that we are not appreciated enough, etc., there's no way on earth that we are going to feel good.

On the other hand, we may be going through an extremely difficult situation and still feel great and have faith. My sister-in-law knows a lady who lost her child to leukemia. She met up with her a few months after her son's death and asked her how she was feeling. Her friend told her that she was thankful and joyful. She was thankful to the Lord for allowing her to be next to her son throughout his entire sickness and for having the privilege of knowing that he was now in a much better place. She was also thankful that her son had not had the same fate as others less fortunate, who are kidnapped by pedophiles, sexually abused, and then murdered. Even after having gone through one of the saddest experiences a person can go through, she could still feel joy!

Needless to say, we have to be always on the alert, extremely careful with the fearful thoughts that we entertain and that we allow to take root in our mind; the longer they take up residence, the more difficult it will be to uproot them, and the more harm they will cause. Therefore, we must develop the habit of quickly eliminating the fearful thoughts and negative emotions that arise in us, and focus immediately on faith-filled and positive thoughts.

The Bible calls this “renewing our mind” and exhorts us to do so every single day. (Romans 12:2) We are to replace every thought of failure with one of victory, every thought of fear with one of faith because our thoughts determine our life. Make no mistakes, allowing our mind to be dominated by fearful thoughts will lead us to:

• Build walls of separation between us and others,

• Unlock only a fraction of our potential,

• Poverty,

• Stress and worry,

• Weak mental, emotional and physical health,

• Spiritual immaturity,

• Bitterness and sadness,

• Being managed by our emotions.

On the other hand, uplifting, faith-filled thoughts will lead us to:

• Build bridges to others,

• Release more and more of our potential,

• Abundance,

• Inner peace,

• Strong mental, emotional, and physical health,

• Spiritual maturity,

• Joy,

• Being managed by principles and values.

Choosing which thought category we allow to dominate our mind is an everyday battle. We choose whether to release our faith or succumb to our fears. Truly, the more accustomed we are to harboring negative or fearful thoughts, the harder it will be to reverse the trend and become victorious. However, the war can be won one step (or battle) at a time. Today can be the day when we switch lanes and embark on the right track; it is never too late to start anew. What we must realize is that without real opposition, there would not be a real choice. Indeed, we would not need faith if there were no fear!

Furthermore, choosing is our responsibility; no one can do this for us. We are all equal here. Indeed, our past may have had a strong bearing on the path we have followed until now. However, this is not an excuse for not choosing the right path going forward. As Joyce Meyer says, "We can be pitiful or powerful, but not both." None of us could choose our starting position (where we were born, who our parents are, etc.). However, we all choose where we end up: in poverty or in abundance; in love or in hatred; in fear or in faith. Not choosing is in fact choosing: the default path is that of fear.

The Christian advantage to triumphing over fear

There is a group of people who have an advantage over others when it comes to winning the battle between faith and fear: true Christians. Why? Because a true Christian is one who lives by faith. Many people claim to be Christians, but few genuinely live by faith. What do true Christians base their faith on?

• They know in their heart that God has a good plan for them: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

•  They are aware of the fact that they receive from God through faith and from Satan through fear, and that they choose every single day from whom they receive.

•  They understand that God is all about new beginnings; “Therefore, if any person is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) What this scripture tells us is that each day, we can form new habits, and that God’s mercy is new everyday. Hence, if we have sinned, we only have to admit our sin, repent, and enjoy the grace of God who gives us a fresh new start.

•  They are wise, and acknowledge that they will not go through life without times of adversity and that they are strongly encouraged to persevere until they have crossed the finishing line (which is assured if they do not quit): “And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.” (Galatians 6:9)

•  More importantly, they also know that God will never test them beyond their capacity to bear things: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) It is critical that we understand this scripture well. What Paul is telling Christians here is that God will provide a way out when adversity strikes them, and that the way out will not consist of God removing the adversity or the circumstances so that they do not have to face it anymore. No, Paul is telling them that the way out is to go “through” the adversity. In other words, the real deliverance happens when we conquer things, not when we run away from them! A true Christian should know that there is no fear he will ever face that God has not given him the victory over!

•  Finally, true Christians recognize that they are not going to the battle alone, and that they can leverage the power of the fruit of the Holy Spirit to win: “But the fruit of the [Holy] spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) Thus, although they suffer in the flesh, they know that they will have victory if they do not quit exercising their faith muscles. This gives them an incredible strength and resilience. Faith is what ultimately keeps us from worrying, dreading the future, or losing our inner peace.

In summary, the only way a Christian can become fearful is if he starts doubting the Word of God. Very often, what has happened is that he has reached a point where he now doubts the love of God. Not believing in his heart that God loves him or doubting that God can love him - a sinner -, he lets fear-filled words and images enter his mind and quickly falls into the trap of speaking doubtful words.

It is then only a question of time before negative meditation (worrying and anxiety) becomes a habit. He then reaps the fruits: physical ailments, discouragement, despair, etc. All this does nothing but reinforce the feeling that God does not love him, or that He has forsaken him. At this point, he starts doubting God’s love even more. However, as Matthew 6:26-28 shows us, if God takes care of the birds, if He clothes the lilies, He can and will take care of us. When fear is about to enter our mind, we must spend time studying the Word of God, speak faith-filled words to ourselves, and starve any doubt about God’s love.

Do you know how many times God instructs us in the Bible to fear not? Over 300 times! Isn’t He trying to make a point here? That we should not tremble, worry, be afraid, shake, panic, run away, dread the future or what could happen if A, B or C materializes, but exercise our faith muscles, and rest in His joy which is our strength!

As Franklin Roosevelt once said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself; nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror, which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” To be victorious and lead a life of abundance, we must, through faith, overcome our fears and uproot any feelings of fear that reside in our mind. We will all experience a physical death. However, we do not have to experience a spiritual death. Instead of fearing the world (and men), we should reverentially fear God, the only one who can give us eternal life.

Do not make the mistake of believing that God speaks to us through fear. Because He does not, only Satan does. Last year, my wife was debating whether to send our kids to tennis camp in the summer. Originally, she was very sure of the idea, but suddenly, she had this tremendous fear (to the point of losing her sleep) that our son could be sexually abused while at camp. The fear made her feel terrible and she wondered whether this was a premonition, or God's way of telling her not to send the kids to camp.

After a few days of deliberation, a sister in the faith prayed for her, and without knowing any of her fears, she prayed that her descendants would never be affected by homosexuality. My wife felt a great relief and then decided to send the kids to camp. Once there, the kids were having a great time and God was actually using that opportunity to answer one of her long-standing prayers: that God would raise the self-esteem of our son. He had been named leader of one of the playing groups and his self-esteem had shot up! She then realized that God never speaks to us through fear. Only Satan uses fear to water down our faith, gain access to our thoughts and control us. Conclusion: when we entertain thoughts of fear, we invite Satan in person – the life destroyer – to invade our mind! Do we really want this?

2. THE GREATEST LAW: THE LAW OF BELIEF

Each day we choose the path that we follow: potential-unlocking (i.e. abundance) or potential-blocking (i.e. poverty and misery). What many people do not know is that the level of abundance that we reach depends only on what we can imagine and believe in. There is virtually no limit to what we can achieve. I know that many people would not endorse such a statement, but this doesn’t change the underlying reigning spiritual truth. Numerous people who were once regarded as experts have been proved terribly wrong with time. Here are a few examples:

• “Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia.” Dr. Dionysys Larder, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy, University College London, ~1845

•  “The abdomen, the chest and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon.” Sir John Eric Ericson, Surgeon to Queen Victoria, 1873

•  “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” Lord Kelvin, British mathematician and physicist, President of the British Royal Society, 1895

•  “The cinema is little more than a fad. It is canned drama. What audiences really want to see is flesh and blood on the stage.” Charlie Chaplin, 1932

•  “A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.” New York Times, 1936

•  “The world potential market for copying machines is 5,000 at most.” IBM, 1959

•  “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” Ken Olson, President, Chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

What do the above statements prove? That we have a serious tendency to limit our world of possibilities. 2,000 years ago nobody believed that the world population - which amounted then to about 200 million - would ever exceed one billion. Yet, by 1804, the world population passed this threshold. And at this time, the experts were then saying: “the world will not be able to cope with a population of two billion.” Well, it took just another 123 years to pass the two billion cap. And 47 years later (i.e. in 1974), the world population doubled again. Projections now tell us that we should see another doubling by 2025, bringing the world population to 8 billion, or more than 8 times the original limit that was supposed to be impossible to break.

What all of our ancestors did not anticipate, or could not imagine, is that significant medical advances and exponential agricultural productivity gains would make this growth possible.

Is the above example an isolated one? No. Just some 300 years ago, nobody believed that a piece of news could one day be instantaneously disseminated to all four corners of the globe. However, thanks to the invention of paper, printing (15th century), the telegraph (19th century), the radio, the television and the digital revolution (20th century), spreading a piece of news around the globe has become a piece of cake. And with wireless technology, we can be almost anywhere we want to on earth, and yet be connected to the latest news through our laptops or mobile phones. Again, with time, the impossible became possible!

These two examples also demonstrate clearly that the speed of change has accelerated dramatically over time. It now takes not millennia or centuries to break the impossible barrier, but decades and in some cases, just a few years. As a March 2, 2009 Fortune Magazine article showed, it took almost 90 years for telephone technology to win 150 million users, but just 14 years for mobile technology to do the same. Facebook? They did it in 5 years!

Understanding the law of belief

I am sure that you agree with me now that what we can imagine or envision is very often only a fraction of what is possible. Did we know or even imagine 10,000 years ago that the earth contained invaluable treasures (e.g. gold, silver, copper, diamonds and petrol) for us? No! The amazing thing is that it is the same for our potential: it already exists. We can unlock a lot of our potential if we dare to believe that there is more in store for us.

Let's now examine what faith is. According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” This shows us that we cannot have faith without hope, and that what we hope for (or expect) is what we will basically get if we keep exercising our faith muscles long enough. In other words, we will rarely, if ever, get more abundance than what we can imagine. The level of abundance that we have access to is dependent only on us, not on our initial position in life, the amount of wealth that our parents had, or the education level we reached. Do you get this? We decide the level of the abundance that we release in our lives!

To pursue this point further, let’s examine a revealing Bible story. In 2 Kings 4:1-7, the Bible depicts the story of a widow who is about to lose her two sons as slaves to the creditor of her late husband, as she does not have the money to repay his debt. The woman appeals to God’s prophet, Elisha, for help. What did the prophet do? He asked her to collect empty jars from all her neighbors, and to distribute the little oil that she had left among all the jars, one jar at a time. To her surprise, as she would pour the oil, the Lord would multiply it until she was able to fill each of the jars to the brim; not one jar was left unfilled. The prophet then told her to go and sell the oil, and with the money pay her late husbands' debts. With the residual amount of money, she and her two sons would be able to continue to live.

The interesting thing in this scripture is that the prophet never told her how many jars she should collect: in other words, God met her at her level of expectation. If she had collected 10 jars, then this is the number of jars that would have got filled. If she had gathered double, triple or quadruple that amount, then all the additional jars would also have been filled with oil. This is the beauty of the law of belief; whatever we, in our faith, expect God to be able to do, this is exactly what we shall receive; no more, no less. Jesus himself said: “According to your faith, it will be done to you.” (Matthew 9:29)

Enlarging our vision of what is possible

This is a sad fact, but even in our wildest dreams, we tend to envision only a fraction of what we could do if we saw things with our spiritual eyes. We get too easily deceived by our physical eyes that are quick to point out the limitations that will prevent us from unlocking more of our potential, or reaching a higher level of abundance. What we do not realize is that in 99 percent of the cases, we impose these limitations upon ourselves based on a poor understanding of the law of belief.

How many people are content with whatever life has given them? Too many unfortunately. They let their circumstances, previous experiences, failures, and people dictate to them what is possible. Many have given up on having hope and bold dreams. They do not really expect things to change in their favor anymore. They started life full of hope, only to settle for the average after reaching the age of 20, 30, 40, or 50. They then live the rest of their lives full of frustration, bitterness, and unhappiness. Some actually expect only the worst to happen to them.

What they do not realize is that the law of belief is in action and working for them, whether they expect good things to happen to them or bad things. I am sure that you know some people who always seem to go from one disaster to another, from problem to problem. They are quite easy to recognize; they have a pronounced negative outlook on life, tend to complain all the time, are never satisfied, and often ask themselves “why me?” types of questions. Before I became aware of the existence of the law of belief, I did not understand what was happening in their lives. Now, I do: they basically receive what their faith expects.

The good news is that we can start developing a great future for ourselves, and embrace the possibilities that await us anytime we want. We do not even need to have a huge faith to start the process. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 17:6: "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, if not the smallest, that we can find on earth. Jesus could have spoken of a grain of sand, which is the same size, but instead He spoke of a seed because a seed needs to be planted and watered. With time, it grows and is then able to bear fruit.

We all know the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. What we do not always remember is that Abraham was 75 years old when God promised to make him the father of a multitude. In Genesis 15:5 God said to him: “Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them. […] So shall your offspring be.” At the time of this promise, his wife was already barren. However, Abraham did not receive this promise with his physical eyes, but with his spiritual eyes. This enabled him to exercise his faith muscles during the 25 years that passed between the promise of God and its fulfillment.

Can you imagine what Abraham must have endured during those 25 years as he kept telling people that he was going to be the father of a multitude? Although the Bible does not tell us this, I am sure that many people mocked him. Yet Abraham remained steadfast in his faith (even though he had days when he doubted, which made him take wrong actions), and was rewarded at the time God had appointed: his descendants are indeed like the stars. Although the estimations vary from one expert to another, Abraham is now the (spiritual) father of at least several billion persons, i.e. all Jewish people and the Christians that have lived since.

The law of belief is infallible. What we believe is what we get. Jesus said in Mark 11:24: “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” I therefore encourage you to believe that each area of your life can be blessed abundantly. Do not settle for the average, or for too little. Don’t limit yourself; dare to believe boldly. Enlarge your vision of what is possible. Dare to ask God for the impossible. Break out of the self-imposed prisons that limit the level of abundance that you can have access to. Whatever your dream is, you must believe that it will come to pass. When an opportunity presents itself to you, step out boldly and believe that you will be successful. Believe in yourself as a person and in your right to live a victorious life and to enjoy abundance.

Jesus has already paid the price for you to receive these blessings. Do not let fears paralyze you and prevent you from seizing those opportunities. Your best days are ahead of you, not behind. You can change your future now by embracing the law of belief. Do not think for one minute that you are undeserving of the great things God has in store for you. He will meet you at your level of expectancy. If anybody can wreck your plan for abundance, it is only you, nobody else.

Activating the law of belief

Can anybody activate the law of belief? Yes! Like many other spiritual laws that are in operation in this world, it works for everybody, without exception, and whether we are conscious of it or not. This is why many personal development gurus alert us to the power of positive thinking. They basically tell us that we are what we think. They are absolutely right in their advice, as positivity is a sub-force that falls under the umbrella of the law of belief. Thousands of studies show that successful people have a positive attitude, and that they expect positive things to happen to them.

A critical element is that successful people remain positive, even in the midst of adversity, trials, and/or setbacks. They are prepared to go through difficult times, instead of running away from them like other people do. In fact, this is where we show true faith. It is easy to have faith when things are going fine, but our faith is truly tested when things go awry. Those who choose to run away (succumbing to fear) instead of going through the difficulty, do not enjoy much abundance, just a lot of poverty.

What is then the difference between Christians and those who just rely on the power of positive thinking? Before answering this important question, I must emphasize that many Christians do not believe that God wants them to lead an abundant life. Thus, although they believe in Jesus and know that they are “saved,” they do not believe that He also came to the earth for them to have an abundant life, despite Jesus’ words in John 10:10: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Let's now compare the differences to be found between a non-Christian who practices positive thinking, and a true Christian. On one hand, there is no doubt that a non-Christian can be very successful, in the sense that he can unlock a lot of his potential, and amass great wealth. On the other hand, however, he will experience many down sides:

• His abundance consists mostly of wealth or possessions, having severely neglected other areas of his life.

•  His achievements will be based mostly upon his own strengths, as he cannot receive any help from the Holy Spirit, who is activated only for Christians. As a result, he will find himself feeling exhausted, both physically and mentally.

•  Something will take precedence in his life, and he will depend on this for his joy and peace. Thus, if money is his god, he will feel good when the stock market is up, and terrible when the stock market is down. In fact, over time his riches will become more a source of anguish than a source of joy.

•  Greed will tend to take control of him. No matter how much he has, he will rarely feel that he has accumulated enough. He will always find somebody who has more money, power, or recognition than him, and this will frustrate him. He will be at risk of living to work instead of working to live.

•  He may be driven by the thirst to gain the approval and/or respect of key people, just to find out that he will never get it no matter the level of wealth or fame attained.

•  Last, but not least, he will not be saved, as salvation is not based on the level of prosperity that one reaches or the level of good works that one does, but solely on one’s faith in Jesus Christ.

What about a true Christian? He will only have advantages:

• The love of God will invade his heart and penetrate each one of his cells. As he keeps receiving this love, it will soon start to overflow and reach others. He will then be thirsty for more love from Jesus, ensuring that a great inflow and outflow cycle is triggered in his life.

•  Because the Holy Spirit has been activated in him, he can enjoy peace and joy at all times. Thus, in the midst of an economic crisis he will be able to have inner peace, and not be anxious. A positive side effect of this inner peace is better health.

•  He will not depend on the abundance he has to feel loved, joyful and peaceful.

•  He will be able to unload his burdens and worries onto Jesus everyday, which will make his time on earth light and joyful.

•  He knows that God has a great plan for him. This gives him a true sense of mission and purpose. Additionally, he knows that there is no adversity he will ever face that God hasn’t given him a solution to in his Word.

•  He understands that his life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions, but that God alone is the source of life. Consequently, he will not spend his life chasing after riches.

To sum up, we could use the recipes of this world to "succeed.” However, we would not live in abundance. Many people believe that the Bible is just a book of “dos and don’ts” and that one has more to lose than to gain by surrendering oneself to Jesus. However, the exact opposite is true. We become new creatures, and step by step, Jesus removes all the chains that keep us in captivity. We become freer, not less, when Jesus is our Lord!

Breaking the impossible barrier

Christians must understand that in God’s world, the word impossible does not exist.

• “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

•  “What is impossible for men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

•  “[…] I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

What does that mean? That there are no situations, problems, difficulties, or challenges that a Christian cannot overcome with God. In Philippians 4:13, we find that we can do everything though Jesus, who gives us strength. What a powerful perspective from which to live, knowing that with Jesus' strength, we can overcome our difficulties and challenges, we can find solutions to our problems, we can regain our health, we can become debt-free, we can have a great marriage, we can be great parents, and we can fulfill our destiny!

God can do things far beyond and above what we can ask, think and imagine in our boldest thoughts, hopes, or dreams.

Why limit ourselves, when God knows no limits?

PART THREE: THE KEY ABUNDANCE CREATION FACTORS

CREATION FACTOR 1: RENEWING OUR MINDS DAILY

Once we have fully embraced with our heart the law of belief and are prepared to exercise our faith muscles whenever required, we need to start removing the “toxins” that are in our minds and replace them with seeds that will give good fruits. Otherwise, little change will happen. We have an outer life and an inner life, which is comprised of the thoughts we have. If we want to change for the better, we must be aware of the law of change (another spiritual law that applies to everyone). It says that we cannot change our outer lives without changing our inner lives, and that to change our inner lives, we must renew our minds. We will then have the (new) attitudes, goals, ideals, desires, dreams and ideas to join and stay on the right track of the law of belief: the abundance path!

What we must understand is that by the time we make the law of belief ours, our minds are usually full of toxins: i.e. the negative thoughts we have about ourselves, others, life, etc. These toxins, in turn, imprison us in negativity, where fear, worry, anxiety and scarcity run rampant. What kind of future can we create for ourselves from these prisons? Nothing but a future where love, trust, peace, and abundance are absent - a future with very few victories. To buck this trend and become victorious, our objective should then be to master our thoughts (yes, we can), which will allow us to take control of our mind. This is a key battle that we must win in order to release more abundance in our life.

The Bible exhorts us “not to be conformed to the pattern of the world, but to be transformed (changed) by the renewing of our minds.” (Romans 12:2) Similarly, Ephesians 4:23 tells us to be made new in the attitude of our minds (i.e. renewing our mental and spiritual attitudes). Abraham Lincoln said that, “most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” This statement is not just true for our happiness, but for everything in our lives. If we think that we cannot do something, then we never will. If we do not think that our dreams will come to pass, they never will. We can be positive or negative, burning with fire or demotivated, active or passive, bitter or joyful, marching triumphantly ahead or being stuck in the past: the choice is truly ours!

Detoxification

Believe it or not, but the single biggest difference between us all is in our “thought life”, i.e. the thoughts we entertain each day, each hour or each minute. This is where the key barrier to releasing more abundance in our lives often resides. How can I be so sure of this fact? Because Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he”. It tells us clearly that we ultimately become what we think. Why does this hold true? Because of the underlying cycle that governs our lives and that works as follows: sow a thought and you reap a feeling or an emotion; sow a feeling and you reap an action; sow an action and you reap a habit; and finally sow a habit and you reap a character trait. Thus, how we think influences how we feel, which in turn drives our actions and ultimately our character, and who we are.

The talents that we have are gifts that we received at birth. However, what the “thought-character” cycle shows is that character is a choice. We develop our character from the choices we make each day. Our character is revealed in our motives, discipline, integrity, and convictions. It ultimately leads us to abundance or poverty. However, unless we address the root cause of our problem (i.e. our thought life) and not the fruit (our character), we will not be in victory. Our character will not change until we change our thoughts and start doing what we know is right, regardless of our feelings. The first step to victory therefore consists of removing all the toxins that pollute our mind. How can we do that? By working on the following seven areas concurrently.

1. Loving ourselves

We must love ourselves without falling into the trap of self-idolatry (i.e. not putting ourselves in place number one – that place is reserved for God). Otherwise, we will not enjoy abundance, but self-deception and ultimately misery. The Bible warns us clearly of the danger of self-idolatry; “But understand this, that in the last days will come perilous times of great stress and trouble. For people will be lovers of self and self-centered […]” (2 Timothy 3:1-2) This being said, unless we appropriately love ourselves we will encounter problems renewing our minds. Why? For the simple reason that we cannot rise above the image that we have of ourselves. Can we be in victory if we believe that we are not good enough, that nobody loves us, or that we do not deserve to have a better life? No.

Psychologists have proven that we cannot speak or behave in a way that is inconsistent with the image that we have of ourselves. I cannot be successful in the long run if I believe that I am insignificant, unworthy of being loved, incapable of achieving anything or unable to have great relationships with people. Yes, I may have a low image of myself and be a conqueror here and now. However, winning will be more the exception than the norm for me, and it will not lead me to an abundant life overall. Conversely, we all know people who have a healthy self-image, yet experience defeat from time to time. This is absolutely normal. What counts is not to let these defeats lower our self-esteem. This requires that we learn to fail with grace; i.e. without believing that we are failures!

The key is to see that if we accept lies in our lives, no detoxification of our mind will ever happen. Additionally, if we do not properly love ourselves, we will tend either to give up fairly quickly when adversity strikes, or to fall into the trap of self-pity - two paths that will lead us to defeat. We must be happy with who we are. We all have our vicissitudes. As Joyce Meyer often says, if there is one person that we will never be able to run away from, it is we. Why then beat ourselves up with constant negative self-talk? What purpose does it serve, except to bring us defeat before we have a chance to win? Instead of dwelling on our weaknesses or wishing that we were different, we should simply come to appreciate our strengths and seek to develop them further.

Those who were born in a family that loved them probably have a good level of self-love. However, others may have trouble accepting that somebody can love them. This is where reading the Bible is important for them, as they will come to understand that they are so precious to God that He sent His only begotten son to die and suffer in their place in order for them to live eternally and abundantly. Yes, we are not perfect; we all have weaknesses and we all make mistakes. However, this is not a reason to beat ourselves up. God still loves us, and wants to show us the way to abundance. He loves us unconditionally. Moreover, the good news is that we do not have to earn His love; it is His nature to love. As Christians, we should therefore have nothing but a healthy, positive self-image. After all, here is what the Bible says about us:

• “We have been chosen” (John 15:16), “justified” (Romans 5:1), “redeemed and forgiven,” (Colossians 1:14)

•  “God knows us intimately; He holds us and guides us by His hand,” (Ps 139:1-12)

•  “As a father cares for his children, so God cares for his own, his love is everlasting,” (Ps. 103:8-18)

•  “God works all things together for our good” (Romans 8:28), and “has plans to prosper us, not to harm us,” (Jeremiah 29:11)

•  “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” (Philippians 4:13)

Many people (including believers) cannot imagine that God can love them because of the “sins” they committed in the past. However, what they do not realize is that although God hates sin, He loves sinners. When we accept the love of God, we will come to see ourselves as He sees us: as conquerors, overcomers, achievers, and worthy to be loved. We will then have a sound self-love foundation upon which to build a great thought life!

2. Monitoring our self-talks

Our thoughts have a powerful effect on our bodies. This is why it is important to monitor our self-talks, i.e. what we say to ourselves mentally. Our minds translate everything we say to ourselves into images or symbols. What we are not always aware of is that to each image or symbol is attached an emotion that either releases energy into our body or drains it out. In other words, our thoughts physiologically alter our energy level. So, when I say to myself that I will fall sick, what I effectively do is lower the level of energy that my body can use to fight a sickness. The more powerfully I focus on negative topics in my mind, the more I deplete my body’s energy, and the higher the likelihood that I fall sick.

Our negative self-talk thoughts then create the conditions that will help the body turn into reality that which we have been telling ourselves. And the weaker our bodies become, the more we will believe that we are falling sick; i.e. we have found some evidence that reinforces our belief. It is then only a question of time before sickness becomes reality in our body. What we have seen here is true for any other negative thought we have. This is why it is critical not to have such self-defeating thoughts as:

• I’ll never be able to do this,

• I am not attractive, I’ll never have a great body,

• I’ll always have a weak immune system or be sick,

• I’ll catch the flu, cancer, or the Alzheimer’s disease,

• My husband will cheat on me,

• I’ll never have the house of my dreams,

• I’ll never have an inspiring and fulfilling job,

• I’ll never have enough to sustain my family,

• I’ll never be a winner,

• People will never respect me or always abuse me.

Is there any scientific proof of this thought-energy phenomenon? Actually there is. Scientists and neurologists have known for quite some time now that when we have a thought, a chemical reaction occurs in our body. This reaction leads to the creation of neuropeptides, which have been found in many parts of our body, including the stomach, kidneys, and liver. Experiments with biofeedback instruments such as Galvanic skin response (GSR), have shown that our thought life (mental activity) reaches into the extremities of our bodies. In her book, “Your body believes every word you say”, Barbara Hoberman Levine cites an interesting quote of Burl Payne’s, a renowned physicist and psychologist:

“With sensitive EMG instruments, we can show that muscles are activated when we think about anything involving action or emotion, even though there may be no visible movement. Although we do not know how thoughts are generated in the brain, it seems clear that once present, thoughts are amplified by the brain and turned into actions. Every thought we think influences millions of atoms, molecules and cells throughout the body. Besides this straightforward effect on the physical body, we know from general principles of physics that any acceleration of electrons produces some electromagnetic radiation.”

The sooner we purge our toxins (i.e. our negative self-talk thoughts) from our mind, the better. If we keep thinking about fat (or fat-related topics) all day long, it will be hard for us to lose fat and become slim. In order to be victorious, we will have to eliminate all fat-related thoughts from our minds, and focus our minds on images of people who are slim, who enjoy eating healthy foods, who are successful at losing weight, who can wear trousers or dresses of the size we want, and so on. What this means is that although we may currently be over-weight, we have to stop thinking that we are over-weight; we have to see ourselves as we want to become. If we discipline our thoughts in such a way then we will be releasing throughout our body the energy that it needs to undertake the transformation required. If we keep controlling our thought long enough, we will ultimately become what we believe we are.

The lesson for us all is that the best way to change our body is to renew our thoughts and ensure that they are in harmony with what we want to become. As long as we think of images of weak (unfit, unhealthy, or fat) persons in our mind, we will never be able to become fit, healthy, or slim. Always remember that all change originates with a thought. Are you often sick lately? If yes, could it be that you never stop thinking about sickness? If so, then all you may have to do is to start telling yourself that you are healthy, as well as thinking and acting like a healthy person. Needless to say, there are times when we all fall sick. What should we be doing then? Telling ourselves that we will quickly be healthy again. This will send the right energy waves to our body, and accelerate the healing process.

Every time we catch ourselves using negative and energy-draining thoughts, we must quickly discipline ourselves, and substitute them with the opposite. We will then be on the road to enjoying abundant health. We must therefore constantly monitor our thoughts and self-talks, and ensure that we only formulate positive ones.

3. Activating the power of forgiveness

We must activate the power of forgiveness in our life. Why? Because unless we stop dwelling on past hurts and pains, we will not break up strongholds that make it impossible for us to have the right thoughts.

Too often, we cannot forgive because we want to make those who have hurt us pay for the “pain” they have inflicted upon us at some point in our lives. In some cases, we make them pay by closing them out of our lives. In other cases, we spend a lot of time (and energy) developing revenge plans. Finally, in some other cases, we simply try to forget the hurt by burying it deep into our hearts. Unfortunately, none of these courses of action is actually a solution, because none have the ability to help us take control of our thoughts; on the contrary, they tend to give birth to new negative thought roots (i.e. toxins) in our mind.

We must therefore be quick to forgive, and to do so completely, which means:

1. To excuse a fault,

2. To absolve the “faulty” person(s) from payment.

Note that both actions are necessary. Otherwise, if we excuse the fault, but still want the person(s) to pay for the hurt they caused to us, then we will not experience the freedom and joy that comes from complete forgiveness. If we keep practicing incomplete forgiveness, layer upon layer of anger and resentment will pile up in our heart. The world tells us that we should only forgive if the person regrets what he did, repents, makes a payment for the hurt he caused, and makes a genuine attempt not to repeat the wrong again. This sounds great, but what happens when the other person is not willing to do all that? Then we are left trapped in a bitter prison. This is why the Bible advises us to forgive quickly and completely, even when the other person does not ask for forgiveness. The Bible instructs us to trust God for repayment.

Yes, we all find it difficult at times to forgive completely. However, what we should realize when this happens is that the person that is suffering the most is us, not the one who has hurt us. Hence, by forgiving completely, we are not only doing them a favor, but also ourselves. Why spend time holding grudges against someone and continue to elaborate ways to make him pay? Why should we let him steal our joy and time? As long as we do so, we cannot be in control of our thought lives. Worse, we taint our minds with new toxins. The only way out is to break this pattern and be quick to forgive. When we do not do so, there is only one loser: us!

We also need to forgive ourselves. We need to stop thinking that we deserve to be punished, otherwise, we will never be free. We will try to pay a penalty that we cannot compensate, because we do not know the amount nor when we have to pay it. The Bible shows us that many times people will do things to us with the clear intention to hurt us, but that God will ultimately turn it around for our good. It is key that we understand this spiritual reality so that we can set ourselves free!

Although we have forgiven (completely), a relationship may not be fully restored until some time has passed. In some cases, it may never be restored to the level it had once reached. However, this is perfectly okay. What is important is to no longer “hate” the implicated person and seek revenge. This sets us free, removes powerful toxins from our heart and mind, and enables us to have the right thoughts. Too often, we let minor offenses take a foothold in our heart, footholds that can quickly become strongholds if not dealt with rapidly.

How do offenses influence us? We all know the answer: they make us lose our joy, feel depressed, and feel unfairly treated. Forgiving means that we choose to be no longer concerned and affected (negatively) by the offense, and in so doing, we prevent it from taking a foothold in our heart and mind. This is a very effective course of action. Indeed, if we want to “kill” something, we just have to stop nourishing it. In the case of an offense, it simply means stop remembering it, stop holding on to it. The sooner we do this, the faster the detoxification process will do its work.

For Christians, there is another important reason why they should be quick to forgive. The Bible tells us in Mark 11:25-26, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop, in order that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings.” Did you notice that God only forgives us to the degree that we can forgive others. To put it differently, not forgiving turns down the tap of abundance, which will then flow at a reduced level in our lives.

God is our vindicator and He will bring us justice in due season, if justice must be done. With this knowledge, we should therefore be quick to forgive, as we can rely entirely on God for justice. The Bible also tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:5 that loves keeps no record of wrongs, and in 1 Peter 4:8 that love covers (i.e. overlooks) a multitude of sins. Do you need more reasons to forgive completely? Then, look at the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35. You will see how sinful it is to not forgive, and the judgment that God sends on this sin. How many times should we forgive a person? The Bible is clear on this topic: as much as is needed. (see Matthew 18:21-22 and Luke 17:3-4)

4. Overcoming guilt

What is guilt? It is an uneasiness of conscience, which makes us feel bad or even dislike ourselves. When not ignored, dismissed, or suppressed, guilt often pushes us to ask for forgiveness. As such, it is a healthy mechanism that helps purge away key toxins from our conscience. However, when feelings of guilt linger in our mind, we slow down the renewing of the mind process. Why? Because we become bitter, suffer from guilt complexes, fret and agonize continually over our feelings of guilt, not feel worthy or berate ourselves. Many people punish themselves simply because they are not as understanding about their own mistakes, flaws, or misdeeds as they would be about anyone else's.

This type of guilt often happens when people hold themselves more accountable than they would anyone else. What we must understand is that this self-inflicted guilt can produce significant damage to our mind. Some people feel guilty about something they did that was not wrong at all. People may inflict feelings of guilt on us by pointing out our mistakes or wrongs, and turning them into character flaws. Christians are not immune either from the consequences of unhealthy feelings of guilt: they may become unsure about their eternal destiny.

Thus, instead of being healthy - and bringing us to complete forgiveness - guilt can rapidly become destructive if we let it linger in our minds. It can drive us to breakdown, depression or even suicide, make us ill, unable to relate to others, and lead us to have a miserable life.

What we have basically seen is that there are two types of guilt: true guilt and false guilt. We experience the false guilt when we feel guilty for something that we did not do, or for something that we were not responsible for. In all other cases, the guilt is usually real; i.e. we know deep down that we really are guilty. As Mary Whelchel describes it: “True guilt is specific. You know why you’re feeling guilty and what you’re supposed to do about it. False guilt is a vague cloudy feeling, one that’s tough to nail down. It says, “I’m not right. I’m not what I should be.” Very often, we wish that we could travel back and undo what we did, or erase the pain that we caused. However, this is often not possible as we all know. What do we normally do then? We attempt to pay a price that we often cannot. And this imprisons us.

To find the way out, we must realize that someone has already paid the price for us. Who? Jesus. As Isaiah 53:4-6 shows us: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own ways, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus has already paid in full what we owe; we can therefore be free from any feelings of lingering guilt.

In Jesus, we have a complete and unlimited guarantee that covers all our iniquities. It can purge our conscience from all the bad things that we have done and our "dead works"; i.e. the works that we do to earn or maintain our salvation and that lead to death. (see Hebrews 6:1 and 9:14) There is therefore no need for us to struggle for months, years, or decades in an attempt to pay for something that is covered by the guarantee Jesus died for us to enjoy. When we buy a brand new television from our favorite shop, would we try to fix it if it were to breakdown when the guarantee is still valid? Of course not. It would bring us a lot of peace to exhibit the same behavior when guilt is ravaging through us: i.e. to make use of our spiritual guarantee. To do so, we must acknowledge our wrongdoing and confess it. We can then ask for forgiveness, make a repayment (if we can), and then let the matter go. Thereafter, we must stop all the self-punishment activities that we undertook until now and turn away from the things we did. Finally, we should stop trying to earn a salvation that can only be secured through faith!

The sooner we do this, the quicker we will be able to stop condemning ourselves, to renew our minds, to learn from our mistakes, to make appropriate amends and to move on. We only have to ask once for forgiveness - if we are sincere! Many of us are quick to condemn or belittle ourselves just because we did one little wrong thing, overlooking the many great things we did before. We must stop being our own worst enemies and accept the fact that God loves us unconditionally. If we do not believe this truth, then we will try in vain to win His love. And guess what will happen: when we fall short of His expectations, guilt and condemnation will devour us.

I would now like to draw your attention to a group of people who can be more prone to guilt than others: those who are judgmental. Experience shows that the more we tend to judge others, the more we will judge ourselves. Consequently, the more we will experience guilt. Why? Because judgment means that we have found someone guilty! However, the Bible commands us not to judge others. We should avoid feeling morally superior to others or holding others or ourselves to higher standards. We will then find it easier not to judge.

Overcoming the destructive aspects of guilt is possible if we accept God’s forgiveness, make use of our guilt removal guarantee, and forgive ourselves.

5. Focusing on higher things

If we listen to the media, or what the world tells us, then we will quickly develop what I call "the D syndrome:" Depression, Discouragement, Despair, Disappointment, Divorce, and Destruction. The world basically wants us to be fearful, worrisome and anxious. In this way, it successfully grabs our attention, steals our time and joy, and makes us do what it wants us to do! Most of the messages that we receive from the world are negative and seek to draw our focus onto unimportant matters.

The world loves to tell us that we are successful only if we have: wealth, possessions, youth, power, influence, fame, many sexual partners, etc. It encourages us to be self-seekers and to search for instant pleasure and gratification. The result? We fall prey to the D syndrome as time passes by. Many people are trapped in a fatal spin wheel, trying to join the "winners club" or desperately pretending to be a winner. But none of them is a winner.

Indeed, the ones who are rich, famous, or influential are often the ones that feel the worst. Many struggle with depression at one point or another (e.g. Victoria Beckham, Halle Berry, Princess Diana, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, John Lennon and Brook Shields), or commit suicide (e.g. Cliff Baxter, Vice-chairman of Enron; Alain Bernadin, founder and owner of “Le Crazy Horse Saloon” in Paris; Ernest Bornemann, famous German sexologist; Margaux Hemmingway, actress and model; Hannelore Kohl, wife of ex-chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl; Lorenz Lotmar, Swiss writer; Luis Ocaña, Tour de France winner; René Rivkin, Australian stockbroker and entrepreneur; and Getúlio Dornelles Vargas, President of Brazil). All these rich or famous people had almost everything they could possibly want according to the earthly criteria. However, the reality is that they were in poor spiritual health as they did not focus on higher things and did not regularly seek to renew their minds. How could they then not suffer from the D-syndrome?

Let’s dig a little bit further. The 2008 World Bank Development Indicators (WBDIs) reveal an amazing fact: the world’s richest 20 percent account for almost 80 percent of total worldwide private consumption. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with desiring wealth, professional success, or financial security, we must be careful not to let these desires become “gods” in our hearts. Why? Because history shows us clearly that none of these goals could satisfy our ancestors. History seems to keep repeating itself. In which countries do we find the highest divorce and suicide rates? In which countries do people say they are the unhappiest, the most anxious? In which countries has depression become the number one ailment? In the developing countries or the highly developed ones? You know the answer.

Although the ones who do not focus on higher things probably do not agree, the fact is that we are free and leading an abundant life when nothing “owns” us - not money, not our possessions, not even our achievements. Why is this true? Because the beasts of greed, self-seeking, and self-love are never full. They will always want us to have more, or to spend more on ourselves. It is a game that we can never win because there is no end - enough will never be enough! Satan loves to whisper in our ears that the bigger our house, the better our life will be. Well, millions of people have found out that this assumption is not true, that their large mansion only gave them temporary happiness, but not lasting joy. Satan sends us the message that although money may not be able to buy us happiness, it can contribute to it by enabling us to buy pleasure and security. Not surprisingly, many people end up going from one pleasure to another one, and soon act like drug-addicts; i.e. they need a higher “dose” to satisfy their insatiable instant gratification needs.

Guess what? They then spend all their time and energy working to earn more money in order to buy themselves the bigger doses that they need. Are such people living in abundance? Certainly not. They may have been happy in the first few months or years, when they started tasting the pleasures that they could afford. However, as time went by, they began to feel the weight and drain of having always to buy higher doses. It was then only a question of time before they caught the D syndrome and realized that they focused on perishable things all along, not on eternal treasures.

If we cannot turn to the world for higher things, then where can we? To Buddhism, mysticism, scientology, or human-inspired writings? No. None has the power to give us eternal life or to set us free from the prisons we closed ourselves in. Only God can quench our thirst for love and abundance. The amazing thing about the Bible is that although it has been written thousands of years ago by various authors, its wisdom has withstood the test of time; it has never been proven wrong, and never will. What critical advice does it give us? “To set our minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2)

6. Drinking plenty of living water

Much in the same way that we can purify our kidneys by drinking a lot of fresh water, we can cleanse our mind and flush out our evil thoughts by drinking what the Bible calls the living water. I imagine that you are wondering now: “what is this living water?” Well, it is both the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. (see John 4:10-15) Drinking living water is pretty easy, perhaps too easy for many of us. We can drink of it several times each day by:

• Studying and meditating upon the Word of God,

• Asking questions to Jesus and God, inquiring about the meaning of scripture passages,

• Reciting to ourselves key verses that we have memorized,

• Praying to and worshipping God,

• Fellowshipping with other Christians,

• Repenting and asking for God’s forgiveness,

• Engaging in spiritual warfare,

• Making use of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us,

• Etc.

I will tell you now a little secret: unless we are thirsty for this living water, then we will not drink of it. (John 7:37-39) And the more we drink of the living water, the more we will want to drink of it. Why? Because, we will be releasing increasing amounts of abundance in our life, and realize that the water that the world offers us – the dead water – cannot quench our souls. I can assure you that if you are truly thirsty for the living water, then you will yearn to do many of the above activities. Nobody will have to force you.

At this stage let me ask you the following question: do we always drink the “water” that we need when we are thirsty? No, we don’t: we drink what we desire the most. Thus, unless I have already tasted the living water, or seen how it can change lives for the better, I am unlikely to drink it when I am thirsty. What will I then be craving for? For the dead water, i.e. for the things of this world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

Is it possible for us to drink dead water without realizing it? Unfortunately, yes. In fact, we drink dead water whenever: a) we let non-righteous images penetrate in our hearts or minds through our eyes or b) we entertain, or are led to have unrighteous thoughts. We therefore need to be very careful about what we read, watch, or listen to. Otherwise, we can easily drink vast quantities of dead water each day. Can we then expect miracles to happen to our spiritual health? You know the answer… no!

How can we know if we are currently drinking dead water? Very simply. The Apostle Paul shows us in Galatians 5:19-21 what dead water produces in our soul: “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like.” All these symptoms show that our soul is sick and in need of living water. If you are exhibiting any of these symptoms, then you are drinking dead water, most likely without realizing it. Now, please do not beat yourself up for having drunk dead water. Just start drinking increasing amounts of living water from now on. Only the living water can cleanse and heal your soul. (see Ephesians 5:26)

A word of warning: what happens to water that stagnates? Very quickly, it becomes harmful for drinking as it provides an ideal habitat for many bacteria and parasites. Well, if the living water that we drink does not flow from us to others, then it will stagnate too. This will have some serious negative consequences for our thought lives. Firstly, without an outflow of living water in our lives, we will cease to be thirsty. Our minds will then stop being regenerated and cleansed. Secondly, the sins that we commit and for which we do not repent, will start polluting our minds again. Sooner than we think, we will become increasingly thirsty for dead water again. What will we experience afterwards? A long period of spiritual dryness, during which abundance will no longer be released in our life. This period will last until we repent and turn to Jesus again.

Where does all this lead us? To the conclusion that drinking a lot of living water is great, that renewing our mind is great, but that unless there is a constant outflow as well, the living water that we drink stagnates and starts losing its many healing, thought-detoxifying, and thought-renewing qualities. This is the reason why we must “live” the Word of God as well as often exercise our faith muscles each day, and not just drink some living water. How can we ensure that there is always an outflow of living water in our life? By:

• Being a living and practical example of the love of God,

• Refreshing others with what God has given us in abundance (proverbs 11:25),

• Speaking positive and pleasant words to all those around us,

• Not withholding good from those who deserve it when it is in our power to act (Proverbs 3:27),

• Sharing with and teaching the Word of God to others and helping them understand it, and

• Honoring our parents (see Exodus 20:12) for example.

The more we spend time meditating on the Bible and understanding the spiritual laws it contains (i.e. drinking living water), the more toxins we will be eliminating, and the more strongholds will be breaking up within our minds. What real life has shown me is that implementing any of the previous five steps becomes a lot easier if we drink plenty of living water each day. Yes, it will take discipline and conscious efforts to drink living water instead of dead water, but do we really have the choice if we want to have an abundant life?

7. Closing all back doors

This final step is obvious, but often neglected. However, if we detoxify our mind, yet let negative thoughts come into our mind through back doors, then we are working in vain. At the very least, we unnecessarily slow down the mind detoxification process. It is therefore crucial that we “consume” only the right water (and food) for our minds.

We are constantly bombarded by images, words, and thoughts that are anything but good for our minds. Thus, if we do not consciously decide to overlook and ignore them, then we will quickly come to entertain wrong thoughts and (re)inject toxins into our mind. It is therefore crucial that we pay attention to what we devour with our eyes and ears. What we ingest through these sensory organs influences substantially what we think and how we think. We can’t be passive here and expect to win the detoxification process. What does this mean in practical terms? That we must be careful of the kind of music that we listen to, of the kind of TV shows that we watch, of the kind of magazines that we read, of the internet sites that we visit, and of the kind of persons we spend our time with.

Make no mistakes: Satan is out there ready to design and implement strategies geared to taking control of your mind. The whole advertising industry has only one goal in mind: to help their clients take control of our thought life without us realizing it. They know that if they repeatedly feed our minds with carefully prepared messages, words, and images (i.e. mostly dead water), it is only a question of time before we develop the kind of thoughts that they want us to have. They know that the “thought feeling/emotion  action” cycle will come into motion, and that there is then a high probability that we will end up buying the product or services of their clients. Their only real challenge therefore is to win our minds. Well, the good news is that we can thwart their plans by refusing to drink the water (the messages) that they freely give us. As Joe Paterno said, “Publicity is like poison; it doesn’t hurt unless you swallow it.” It is good to remember that we have a choice and that we must deliberately exercise it. Otherwise, we will just let them control us.

Many people believe that they are free to choose whichever products and services they buy, but this is not true. Because they have already “drunk” the free messages prepared by the advertisers, they have handed over to them the key to their minds and thought lives a long time ago. The battle was won well before the purchase took place.

The plastic surgery industry knows very well too that if they can make a man or woman buy one service from them, there is a high likelihood that they will come back and ask for more. Now, to make people buy this first service, they will strive to feed them with messages that trigger a need for wanting to be more beautiful, or to remain “young” forever. They will also ensure that youth becomes an idol in the world. They will therefore have special “water” (i.e. messages) prepared for women that suggest that unless they enlarge their breast, eliminate their wrinkles, remove the fat tissues of their tummy, butt or thighs, and so on - they will lose their male partners. For men, they will prepare messages that inform them that they too can lose their female partners if they do not enlarge or lengthen their penis, have an impressive chest, etc. The underlying message is that you cannot satisfy your female partner otherwise.

Of course, all these messages are pure lies. However, as the world turns beauty queens (who are reworked from top to bottom) into idols, many people are slowly but surely coming to believe these lies. Many will then make the first step and get plastic surgery done. Will they become happier after this first operation? Not really. Instead of happiness, they will quickly get more worry and anxiousness, which will trigger a need for more plastic surgery. They firmly believed that they controlled their actions, but this was not true at all. The battle was lost a long time ago; when they drank the messages prepared by the advertisers.

Have you ever done the drop-in-a-glass-of-water experiment with your children? To carry out this experiment, you need a glass full of water and a bottle of strawberry syrup for instance. You then let one drop of syrup at a time fall into the glass. After each drop, you shake the glass of water. What this experience shows is that it is impossible for children to detect visibly the presence of syrup in the water for quite some time. However, suddenly the liquid turns red after a new drop is made. At this point, the water can no longer “hide” the color of the drops that have been injected. The drops have won and imposed their color into the water.

Amazingly, the same phenomenon happens with our minds. It can absorb many “bad” images and messages that come from the world, but at one point, a final drop of dead water will overcome our minds and trigger bad thoughts, which will become visible in our outer life. The world wants us to be passive and believe that we can drink its dead water and still maintain control over our thought lives. However, what it does not tell us is that when that final drop comes, it will have defeated us and taken control of our mind.

What we must also be aware of is that there are times when we are tempted to surrender our minds more than others. For example, during times of general adversity, or when we are facing tough personal or professional challenges. When difficulties enter into our lives, many of us launch such a harmful assault on our minds that we have anything but positive thoughts. We let negativity take the better of us and our thought lives. Quickly, we find ourselves discouraged, frustrated, attending a self-pity party, procrastinating, and/or ready to stop exercising our faith muscles. Can we then be victorious? No. What we have to remember is that difficult times have a purpose: to strengthen our faith muscles and to enable us to exercise our choice regarding the thoughts we have. When negative thoughts assail us, we shouldn’t succumb to the underlying fear that gave birth to these thoughts, but exercise our faith muscles. We should strive to see the opportunity in the difficulty, and realize that we have a lot to win if we do not quit.

Concluding thoughts

If we want to succeed in detoxifying our minds, we will need to leverage two great tools: discipline and self-control. We may have consciously, or more likely, unconsciously fed our mind with toxins for 10, 20, or even 30 years. Thus, we have to be honest with ourselves and not expect things to change overnight. The truckload of toxins that invaded our mind didn’t come in one day, so it may take some time before our physical eyes can see the victory in our outer life.

However, if we continue to go through the detoxification process and are increasingly able to take control of our thoughts at all times, then the victory will come. We cannot doubt this; otherwise, we are already defeated. We must get up each day expecting great things to happen to us, prepared to exercise our faith muscles, focused on higher things, and ready to maximize our inflow and outflow of living water. If we do so, we may kneel down, but we cannot be defeated. The “drop-in-a-glass-of-water” phenomenon will now work for us: at one point, a drop of living water will be enough for us to have more righteous thoughts than unrighteous ones.

I strongly encourage you to renew your mind often by working on whichever of the seven detoxification steps you need to. I assure you that your life will be radically transformed if you follow this advice. Although it will take time for people to see the new you, your inner life will be recreated and give birth to new fruits in your outer life in due time. You cannot lose by renewing your mind; you can only win. Enjoy the process; persevere until you have the ultimate victory over Satan, the creator of the dead water. Do not quit in the middle. Remember that a victory is won one step at a time.

Last, but not least, be extremely careful about the thoughts you verbalize with your tongue. Why? Because they have the power to give life or death (see Proverbs 18:21), i.e. to either build or destroy us/others. Psychologists have discovered during the 20th century this spiritual truth; they tell us that words can inflict much more damage to a person than a physical beating. They also argue that when a parent, a teacher, or a manager uses negative words, the recipient will come to behave in a way that is aligned with the words he keeps receiving. Conversely, they hold that if we use positive, encouraging words, people will tend to become what we think of them. Well, the Bible revealed these truths to us more than 2,000 years ago. We just need to put this wisdom into practice!

So, if you do not already do it, make a decision today to speak only positive, encouraging, and inspiring words, and see the blessings that you will reap. Marriages can be saved. Relationships can be restored. People or teams can start performing at higher levels. The power of our tongue is real and beyond what we can imagine.

CREATION FACTOR 2: ACTIVATING THE LAW OF HARVEST

The law of harvest is another spiritual law that automatically brings results, whether we are Christians or not. Just as a farmer cannot plant an apple seed and expect to harvest oranges, we cannot plant seeds of poverty and expect to be blessed with abundance. Every choice we make has consequences, and brings for our lives and those we interact with (e.g. our children, managers, peers, co-workers, employees and friends) either poverty or abundance. Even the absence of making a choice will have repercussions. I therefore hope that this chapter will increase your wisdom and understanding of the law of harvest, and encourage you to make the right choices so that you can be blessed abundantly.

In developing this chapter, I have drawn heavily from passages of the Bible, the only source of true wisdom that we can tap into. One of the centerpieces of the law of harvest is certainly Galatians 6:7-9, which warns us not to be deceived, as God cannot be mocked. It says. “[…] A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

What this scripture first draws our attention to is that we reap the same as we sow. What it implies is that there are ultimately only two destinations available to us: poverty or abundance. We can therefore only plant seeds of “negativity” or seeds of “positivity.” The choice is ours. We all know that this first principle of the law of harvest is true in the natural world. However, few of us are aware that it applies everywhere, to anything and everything that we sow. Indeed, we cannot sow discord and expect unity, plant a seed of worry and expect to have inner peace, sow selfishness and expect acts of generosity from others to come into our life, or bow to fear and expect our life to improve.

I cannot expect to sow a seed of work-aholicism and expect that my wife and children will be ready to spend quality time with me when I have finally reached my goal of climbing the corporate ladder and bought the vacation house that I dreamed about. Many men have planted such a seed, only to find out that when they had finally made it, all they got was a broken marriage and children who wanted nothing to do with them. Within the law of harvest, we find an important warning: we shall reap what we sow. We should not ignore this truth or seek to rely on our own wisdom, plans, strategies and tricks to get ahead in life. Making sure that we plant the right seeds should be one of our main priorities.

What we can also infer from this first principle is that unless we change the seeds that we plant, we will not get different results. Albert Einstein defined “insanity” as doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. How right he was! We cannot keep doing what we are doing and expect something new to come out. It simply does not work. As William Jennings Bryan vehemently argued: “Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.” We will ultimately arrive at the destination that we have chosen by the seeds that we planted. What we sow is what we get.

If we are unhappy, then we should stop for a moment and identify whether we are not mostly planting seeds that lead to the destination called “unhappiness.” Unless I change something and start planting new seeds, then I will remain where I am right now. As a matter of fact, I may have embarked on the train for the unhappiness destination a long time ago. Unless I get off the train at the next stop, I am deceiving myself if I believe that my situation will improve. What I must do is change my seeds, and plant them as soon as possible. Just getting new seeds will not do the job. Unless I plant them, all my hopes will remain just wishful thinking.

As long as I remain on the same train, I will continue to enjoy the fruits of my destination: unhappiness! What we see here is that the law of harvest entails that we take some action: first, we must select the right seeds, and then we must plant them. Proverbs 10:4 stresses this point: “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Decisions without action leave us on the same train, at the same place where we are now. We cannot activate the law of harvest if we are passive. We must be proactive. If a farmer prepares the ground, but never plants the seeds, then he cannot expect to have crops to harvest. The same principle applies to us. The sooner we realize it, the faster we can move to the abundance destination.

Which seeds can we plant?

Basically, we can plant seeds from one of six main sources: our thoughts, emotions, talents, time, wealth, and actions. As we saw in the previous chapter, it is critical that we have good, positive, and uplifting thoughts. Why? Because where our thoughts are, there we go. As we discussed in quite some depth the planting of thought seeds in the previous chapter, we shall now focus below on the other five main sources.

Our emotions can make us plant seeds that can backfire

The truth is that our emotions make us plant seeds. Thus, if we do not control our emotions, we will most likely be planting seeds that will produce bad fruits in our lives. Here are but five scriptures from the Bible that deal with the planting of (negative) emotional seeds:

• “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control,” (Proverbs 29:11)

•  “An angry man stirs dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins,” (Proverbs 29:22)

•  “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult,” (Proverbs 12:16)

•  “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones,” (Proverbs 17:22)

•  In your anger, do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27)

It is absolutely natural to experience negative emotions. However, we should not let them control us and make us plant seeds of negativity. Otherwise, we will reap some bad fruits in due course; we cannot escape the consequences of the law of harvest. We must therefore learn to discipline ourselves and to exercise self-control. On the one hand, venting our negative emotions is easy. However, it automatically generates the issuing of an invoice that we will have to pay later. Moreover, when that invoice finally catches up with us, we are often surprised by the amount we have to pay; we feel an enormous pain.

On the other hand, exercising self-control can initially be painful, but the good news is that it is a temporary pain. Still better, a great harvest will arrive in due season and surprise us. In other words, with self-discipline and control, we incur the pain upfront and receive the blessing at some point in the future, whereas with the venting of our emotions, the reverse happens. I am sure that you have noticed that this is exactly the same phenomenon as the one that happens all too often with our credit cards. This is not surprising as many of the purchases we make are emotional ones.

Yes, we can win the battle over our emotions and rule over them, instead of being managed by them. All it requires from us is to start somewhere and not give up until we have the victory. We can then target area after area. What we must be aware of is that this is a lifelong process.

Planting good seeds with our talents

We all have talents. But what are we doing with them? This is the important question that we should ask ourselves. Are we using them effectively or are we just busy, but not harvesting any good fruits? Too many people spend their time wishing that they had other talents than the ones they possess. This is not constructive at all, and will lead them to plant few, if any, positive seeds with their talents. What a shame and waste of time. If I have not yet discovered what my talents are, then I can use many different tools to help me find them. Instead of complaining, I should do my best to identify my talents and strive to turn them into strengths.

How do I plant seeds with my talents? I plant a seed with my talents when I involve myself in an activity that leverages them; when I develop and implement a step-by-step training and development plan; when I research how others use the talents that I possess, and find out what works for them and what doesn’t. I plant a seed with my talents when I am receptive to coaching and ask others how I could accelerate my development. Finally, I plant a seed when I put my talents to productive uses.

Planting good seeds with our time

We must begin here with the fact that we only have 24 hours each day, not one second more, not one second less. We must also acknowledge that our time on earth is fairly limited, even if we live beyond 100 years old. The most important question that we must therefore ask ourselves is: are we spending our time effectively? People, activities, hobbies, etc., are all competing for a slice of our time. In today’s world, it is extremely easy to be busy. Aren’t we often saying to ourselves, “I would like to do this, but I have no time?” In my executive coaching activities, I often find out that some of my clients suffer from the busyness syndrome; i.e. they equate being busy to being successful. When they have to invest one more hour to solve an issue, they immediately make that investment. Unlike many other workers, they do not leave work at the office when they go home in the evenings: most hook onto their blackberry or laptop to see if anything has happened since they left, or if they have received the document or status report that they expected. They all believe that they have great time management skills. All of them have a great assistant to help them manage their agendas. Yet, the fact is that they hardly have any time for themselves, let alone for their partners, children, and friends. They are basically “married” to their work.

When working with such clients, one of my first priorities is always to help them reduce their grueling hours by analyzing together with them how they allocate their time. During this process, I often have to ask them why they went to a particular meeting. In most cases, the answer I get is as follows: “But, Serge, If I didn’t go to this meeting nothing would have got done.” We then go one step deeper, and analyze why this statement holds true. More often than not the underlying reasons are: lack of trust and/or miscommunication.

However, these are not the root causes of their problem, but just the fruits of the dysfunctional seeds that they had planted many weeks, months, or sometimes years ago. What happened? They succumbed to fears and did not speak the right words to their people. Remember, people come to behave the way we expect them to. Although they didn’t consciously do it, many times they ended up sowing seeds that lowered the self-esteem and confidence of their people. Result? Their people stopped taking any initiative as time passed by. My clients were then comforted in their judgment that nothing gets done if they do not attend a meeting.

To reverse this situation, all they have to do is to plant new seeds and wait until the new harvest comes. They will know it has arrived when people start taking the initiative. At this point, they will be able to reduce their time involvement without any negative impact on the performance of their teams. In fact what usually happens is that their teams start to perform at higher levels. They therefore get a double blessing. The truth is that they never thought at the beginning of our work that this was possible. However, with some humility, they come to acknowledge that for years they had not been as successful as they had previously thought with their time. They were busy and efficient, but not fruitful and effective.

What these experiences have shown me is that, yes; time management is a great tool to help us work smarter. However, it will not work if we are not also planting the right seeds. We have therefore to be very careful as Joyce Meyer says not to equate being busy with being successful. Anyone who works on average more than 10 to 12 hours a day in the long run should ask himself if he is planting the right seeds. Only by combining effective time management with the planting of appropriate seeds can we hope to free up our agenda successfully so that we have time for work, our family, regenerating activities, friends, and social activities. We just need to be open, change the seeds that we are currently planting, and wait for the new harvest to ripen.

Are we letting our time be stolen?

Are we spending a significant amount of our time on activities that do not bear good fruit? If so, then we should stop and identify the time wasters that steal our time and make us reap harvests of bad fruits. What are the common ones?

• The telephone / telephone interruptions,

• The television,

• The internet,

• Meetings,

• Emails,

• Procrastination / indecision,

• People / unexpected visitors,

• Over-involvement in routine details,

• Lack of priorities / disorganization,

• Ineffective delegation,

• Lack of clear communication,

• Inability to say “no,”

• Perfectionism,

• Fighting battles than we cannot win,

• Leaving tasks unfinished,

• Lack of self-discipline,

• Worrying,

• Etc.

When seeking to identify our time wasters, we should remember the Pareto Principle. If we apply it here, we will realize that 20 percent of our time wasters probably account for 80 percent of the time that is being stolen from us. This should help us focus on the most important ones. Once we have identified them, we should then make sure that we remove as much as possible their impact on our life. It will take some dedicated efforts and discipline at the beginning, but with time, the removal/cleaning process will become easier if we do not relax our guards and do not give up the fight.

Worrying is a particular time waster that keeps growing in importance nowadays, and which steals a lot of our precious time. When we are tempted to worry, we should remember Matthew 6:27, which states: “And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure to his stature or to the span of his life?” Similarly, Matthew 6:34 gives us a wise piece of advice: “So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.” What these two scriptures basically imply is that if we can do something about an issue, then we should do it. Otherwise, we should not spend even one second of our time worrying, as it will bring us nothing good. Instead, we should meditate and exercise our faith muscles, which will make us plant good seeds in our life.

The good news is that if we know how to worry, we also know how to meditate; indeed, meditating is rolling the same things over and over again in our mind, but focusing on the good aspects of a situation, and not on the negative aspects. What I have personally discovered is that the difference between worrying and meditating is a matter of perspective. If I can see the positive in the negative, the opportunity in the difficulty, the chance that I have to exercise my faith muscles, then I will be able to mediate on my problems or challenges. If not, then worry will take over and control my mind.

True Christians have an advantage over non-believers as they are instructed by God to do what they can do, and to rely on him to do what they cannot. No matter how difficult or impossible the situation that we are confronted with is, if there is really nothing more that we can do, then what good does it do us to worry? In Mark 4:35-41, we are told a story in which Jesus and his disciples are attempting to cross over a lake when a furious storm arises and the waves are threatening to drown them. The disciples get worried and decide to wake up Jesus who is comfortably sleeping in the stern of the boat. They cannot understand how Jesus can sleep when the boat is about to capsize. They ask him: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus’ behavior is very telling: did he try to comfort them, to reassure them? No, the opposite; he rebuked them for being so fearful and for having so little faith. The story ends well: He stops the wind and quiets the waves; and the boat reaches the other side, just as He had said it would.

What is the lesson for us in this story? That we will all face “storms” at one point or another in our lives and that we shouldn’t worry. We must trust that God will do what we haven’t been able to do. The trick is that while we wait for Him to do so, we should not let worry steal our time and joy, but exercise our faith muscles. I must admit that I used to worry a lot before I became a Christian. However, I have now learned to do what I can do and should do, and then to rely on God for the rest. My deliverance has not been an easy one, but step by step, I have been able to exercise increasingly my faith muscles and stop worrying. What I have discovered is that the more I exercise my faith muscles, the stronger they become and the more I can resist worrying when faced with increasingly tough situations. This has taken a big burden off my shoulders.

Examples of actions that we can take to remove time wasters from our life: firstly, we must make sure that we dedicate a proper amount of time each day to important matters, and not just to the urgent ones. Secondly, if we cannot sleep one night, then we shouldn’t waste our time lying in bed. We should get up and use our time on a regenerating activity, such as praying, studying the Word of God, reading an inspiring book, exercising, or meditating. If we know that the roads are very congested between 8 and 9 in the morning, why don’t we plan to go to work before 8 or after 9 if this option is available to us? Finally, instead of going to a social event that we do not really have to go to, why don’t we go home instead to spend time with our partners or children? Do we care more about what people will think of us or about planting the right seeds? In these and many other cases, the choice is ours. All we have to remember is that our choices do have consequences as the law of harvest is always at work.

Planting good seeds with our wealth and possessions

As the Bible shows us, the more we have, the more we should give and the more we shall receive. It is the exact opposite of what the world tells us; keep your possessions or you will be in lack. Proverbs 28:27 tells us that “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them will receive many curses.” Additionally, Proverbs 11:25 shows us that, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Finally, Proverbs 15:16 contains an interesting message for all those who hoard up things: “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.”

Have you noticed that those who give generously and according to their riches, are better able to overcome the times when their wealth is reduced considerably by events they cannot control? Is it not true that those who never give freely have a tendency to become paranoid and believe that the world out there only wants to “steal” their money? What happens to them? They have no peace and always worry that somebody will steal their wealth.

Many wealthy individuals believe that the only way to have more is to hide as much of their wealth as possible in tax heavens where they can set up sophisticated tax invasion schemes that enable them to escape substantial tax payments. As the money they put into these schemes is not supposed to exist, they then cannot really use it unless they come up with a legal way to make the money reappear in the system. Today, many are afraid of being found out by the tax authorities of their country and asked to pay substantial fines.

Isn’t it sad that the more we have, the more we tend to hang onto it when we could be such a source of blessing to others? Indeed, according to the 2008 World Bank Development Indicators, 80 percent of humanity lives on less than $10 a day, 40 percent living on less than $2 a day. This shows how much we could be a blessing to millions of people if we planted the right seeds with our wealth rather than keeping it solely for ourselves.

Planting good seeds with our acts

We can be a great source of blessings with our acts, as the book of Proverbs shows us:

• “He who covers an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends,” (Proverbs 17:9)

•  “He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction,” (Proverbs 17:19)

•  “He who answers before listening – that is his folly and his shame,” (Proverbs 18:13)

•  “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free,” (Proverbs 19:5)

•  “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done,” (Proverbs 19:17)

•  “He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich,” (Proverbs 21:17)

•  “He who pursues righteousness and love finds love, prosperity and honour,” (Proverbs 21:21)

•  “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.” (Proverbs 26:4)

Do I need to say more? No. Our acts can be great seeds that bear great fruits for us and our fellow beings, or they can be bad seeds that bear terrible fruits.

We can’t reach the abundance land without patience

What Galatians 6:9 shows us clearly is that there is a lapse of time between sowing and harvesting. Farmers have been aware of this fact for thousands of years now. They know that their crops do not grow overnight, and that in some cases they have to wait for quite some time before they can see anything happening. Once again, this is not just particularly true in the natural word, but everywhere without any exception. Children are not born overnight. We do not turn our talents into strengths overnight. New businesses are not built overnight. We cannot complete the detoxification of our minds overnight. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 reminds us of the important fact that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity. The problem is that many of us do not like to wait and reap in a different season. We live in a very impatient society where the master word is: NOW (if not yesterday!) We have been used for years to getting what we want when we want it. “Why wait?” the world tells us. Do not deprive yourself of a pleasure; just use your credit card and pay latter. This seems great until you wake up one day and discover that you are falling under the weight of the debt that you have accumulated.

“[There is a time for everything, and a season

for every activity under heaven:]

A time to be born and a time to die,

A time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal,

A time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

A time to embrace and a time to refrain,

A time to search and a time to give up,

A time to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend,

A time to be silent and a time to speak,

A time to love and a time to hate,

A time for war and a time for peace.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

The world veneers instant gratification. It serves us instant coffee, food, TV programs, dating shows, news, etc. The instant bulldozer is almost everywhere and nothing seems to resist it. It is not surprising given that it serves you immediate pleasures and does not tell you anything about the pain that you will undergo later on. What the law of harvest tells us is the opposite; be prepared to incur some pain now (by making sacrifices, saving, and exercising your faith muscles for instance) and then enjoy the blessings. It is the reverse of the law of instant gratification. Planting seeds of instant gratification leads us to take short cuts, to accumulate debt, to become impatient, to never enjoy what we have as we always want more. Ultimately, it brings us to unhappiness, misery and poverty, not abundance!

When we become envious and unprepared to wait for the harvest, we often take matters into our own hands. We develop strategies to accelerate the reaping. However, in 99 percent of the cases we labor in vain. James 5:7-11 throws some interesting light on this topic: “Be patient, then brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” What this scripture commands us to do is to exercise patience and to stand firm. A farmer has no choice but to wait patiently for the seeds he planted to grow. While he exercises his faith muscles, life goes on for him: he attends to his other responsibilities, as he knows that he has no power to make his seeds sprout. We are deceiving ourselves if we think that we can bypass the waiting period that exists between sowing and reaping and build our houses on firm foundations.

Unfortunately, many people believe they can. They quickly dig out the seeds that they have planted to see what they can do to accelerate the growing process. However, they only find disappointment, as the law of harvest does not work this way. What do they do then? They either give up and throw a self-pity party, or elaborate new plans to by-pass the law. Whatever option they select, they board a train called: headed for disaster. Just as farmers have to wait, so do we. There is a very good reason for this. Indeed, the waiting period does have a purpose: to prepare us to receive the harvest, among other things. If a baby was born as soon as the “seed” had been planted, many parents would be taken by surprise and unprepared to receive their child. They would have no time to prepare the room, buy the things that they need, read books on how to raise a child during the first months of his or her life, and so on. Many parents would be disarmed and overwhelmed when the baby arrives. It’s a blessing that we have to wait nine months before the delivery; not a punishment! The same principle is at play for all the seeds that we plant. We should therefore be grateful that there is a waiting period, not resentful or frustrated.

Our attitude while we wait is critical

If we complain, procrastinate, or do not take care of our seeds, then we may be in for a major surprise: no fruits at harvest time. When God delivered the Hebrews from centuries of slavery in Egypt, He had planted in their hearts a great seed of hope. He told them that He was going to take them to the land He had promised to their forefathers. The journey was supposed to last just 11 days. However, the Hebrews did not know this fact at the time of the (seed) sowing. What happened? Instead of exercising their faith muscles and displaying the right attitude during the waiting period, they kept complaining, focusing on the negatives instead of the positives, and fretted about the obstacles that stood between them and the Promised Land. The result: their trip lasted 40 years and only two of the over 1.5 million adult Hebrews who had left Egypt entered into the promised land; all the others were born during the wilderness trip in the desert. There is therefore a big lesson for us here: our attitude during the waiting period is key.

Many people who convert to Christianity expect God to bless them abundantly with wealth and possessions. There is no doubt that God wants to bless them, but they will have to wait and be tested in order for God to prepare them to receive the increase they are asking for, and not be destroyed or overwhelmed by it. Unfortunately, after a few weeks of waiting and seeing no increase in sight, many become bitter and start complaining to God. They behave as if they had made a favor to God by making His son, Jesus, their Lord. However, they have the wrong attitude. They did not do any favor at all to God by becoming a Christian. It is God who made them a favor when He sent His only son to die in their place so that they could be saved and have eternal life. Until they change their attitude, humble themselves, and cooperate with God who is trying to free them up by breaking all the bondages that enslave them, they will not see any abundance in their lives. I know that not many Christians like to hear this truth, but this is reality.

What did the Lord tell us in Psalm 37:7-11? “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.” What is in it for us? That those who wait and exercise their faith muscles will be renewed in strength so that they can endure until the harvest time has arrived.

Too many people run from business to business, from scheme to scheme, from partner to partner, instead of allowing time for their seeds to grow and for their faith muscles to develop. They then wonder why they are unsuccessful and exhausted. But all they did was to dig out their seeds soon after they had sowed them, thereby preventing the roots from growing. How could they then expect to receive a harvest? We need to stop searching for instant gratification and start developing an enduring mindset and remain steadfast. In this respect, we should make Proverbs 21:5 ours: “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Additionally, as Proverbs 24:10 shows us clearly, if we falter in times of trouble, our strength remains small. Conclusion: we have to make sure that we have the right attitude during the waiting period. Otherwise, we may never enjoy the great blessings that we could have received.

There is an aspect of the waiting period that we must be aware of. When we sow a bad seed, we will also experience a waiting period before we reap the bad fruits. This can be a serious problem if the waiting period is long and we have planted many bad seeds. Suddenly, at harvest time, we will get a truckload of bad fruits that we do not want. Worse, we may have planted bad seeds non-stop up to the first due season, which means that we shall receive not one, but several truckloads of bad fruits. We should therefore make sure that we realize as early as possible when we have planted a bad seed so that we can avoid making the same mistake again and again.

Unless we use our seeds, we risk losing them all!

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the sower to the large crowds that had come to listen to him. What He told them can be found in Matthew 13:12: “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” We all have good seeds to plant, so what is this scripture telling us? It basically reveals to us that if we use (i.e. plant) our seeds, we shall reap abundance.

This is certainly also true in the natural world. If a farmer would only get back one seed from each seed that he plants, then he would not continue sowing seeds as he would be spending his time in utter futility. With just one apple seed, for example, a farmer can expect a harvest of more than 100 apples each year. As the law of harvest applies everywhere, what is true in the natural world is also true in all the aspects of life. Reaping more than we sow is essential, otherwise no one would activate the law of harvest. Thus, we can reasonably expect someone who keeps planting his seeds to be blessed abundantly over time.

Let’s now address the warning part of the scripture. If we all have seeds to plant, how can we then find someone who hasn’t any? The answer is not as difficult as we could imagine. We all know people who tell us day after day that they have no talents, that their dreams will never come to pass, that they will never get the job they hope for, that they wished that they were like someone else. Do you see what’s happening? They are not planting good seeds, but bad ones. Where are those seeds coming from? From their thoughts! They basically “engineered” them. Guess what? The law of harvest gets in motion and produces in their lives truckloads of bad fruits.

Moreover, the more truckloads that are delivered to them, the less they can find their good seeds. It is as if they are trying to find a needle in a haystack. As a result, it is almost impossible for them to nurture their good seeds. In essence, it is as if they had been taken away from them. They focused so much on what they did not have that they received scarcity, poverty, and misery instead of abundance. We should therefore be quick to take hold of such negative thoughts and to throw them as far away from our minds as possible.

The parable of the talents also confirms that whatever we have will be taken away from us if we do not use it. In this parable, Jesus tells the story of three servants whose master must go on a journey and who entrusts them with his property while he is away. He gave each of his servants talents according to their abilities. When he came back he asked each of them what they had done with their talents. One of the servants had received 5 talents and reported that he now had 10 talents. The second, who had received 2 talents, told his master that he had gained 2 new talents. The third servant, who had received only one talent, informed his master that he only managed to keep his talent; i.e. he did not gain any additional talent.

What did the master do in the parable? He first congratulated those who had managed to double the amount of talents that they had received, and then vehemently condemned the one who had hidden his talent and done nothing with it. Next, he took the only talent that the third servant had and gave it to the one who had 10 talents.

Jesus used the parable to stress once again in Matthew 25:29 that, “for everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” What this parable is trying to teach us is that we must make the best use of our talents and not fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with others. The servant who received only one talent must have said to himself: “What can I do with just one talent? Not much! If I had two or five, I would have a lot of options. But with one, my choices are limited. Why bother? It’s not worth the effort. What difference will it make if I use my talent or not?” When we have such an attitude, then we cannot move towards abundance. We will reap only misery and bitterness.

The truth is that it doesn’t matter how many talents we have. All we need is one talent to get onto the abundance train. When we seek to fructify this one talent, we also find joy and fulfillment. We must see our potential, not our limitations. Christians should remember that they are not alone in the potential-unlocking process. They can multiply the impact of one talent manifoldly if they leverage the power of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, He can strengthen, guide and coach them, revealing to them what they can do with the one talent they have and give them the keys to unlock their full potential. However, what we should remember is that it is not that important how many talents we have. What matters is that we use them by activating the law of harvest in our life.

To harvest abundantly, we must sow abundantly!

If I have planted only 10 seeds, each seed giving birth to 100 fruits, then I will harvest 1,000 fruits if everything goes well at the due season. If I wanted to have the possibility of reaping 10,000 fruits, then I would need to plant 100 seeds. It is as simple as this. What it means is that it is our responsibility to plant as many seeds as we want to. We cannot pass this responsibility to any other person. In order to harvest abundantly, we must sow abundantly. We therefore need to have faith, to be bold, courageous, and hard-working.

2 Corinthians 9:6 confirms this principle: “[…] whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” Needless to say, this principle applies whether we are planting many good seeds or many bad ones; i.e. whatever it is that we sow, the more we plant, the more of the same kind we will reap. In a way, this scripture illustrates the biblical principles that the more we give, the more we shall receive. Hence, if I want love, then I must give love to others. If I want blessings to pour in my life, then I must bless others abundantly. If I want to be respected, then I must show respect to others. If I want to have good friends, then I need to be a good friend first.

What does the world tell us to do if we want abundance? To become takers, people who are out there to get all they can for themselves. It advises us to hold on things. It tells us that if one takes, another one has less, and that we should therefore make sure that we are among the ones who take. It encourages us to behave in a selfish manner. In short, it pushes us to do the opposite of what the law of harvest tells us. It should therefore come as no surprise that the majority of people have no abundance in their lives and that a minority has all the riches.

However, we can break this cycle if we follow not the wisdom of the world, but the law of harvest. No matter how poor we are when we start applying the law of harvest, if we keep following it and remain patient, we will reap abundance in our lives. As Luke 6:38 reveals to us, with the measure we use, we will be measured. In other words, we reap in the manner that we have sown: sparingly, moderately, or abundantly. Proverbs 11:24-25 reinforces this point again: “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” To harvest abundantly, we must therefore sow with our seeds generously, not stingily!

We must avoid waiting for the perfect conditions before we start sowing abundantly. If we believe that we will give generously to others when we earn twice as much as we do now, then we are just deceiving ourselves. Firstly, we may never reach that point. Secondly, when we do earn double, we will start to compare ourselves to people who still earn more than ourselves, and will develop plans to acquire more riches. We will want to buy a bigger house, or buy a more expensive car, watch, television, or hi-fi system. We will then want to save as much as we can to afford these material possessions.

What is the end result? We will postpone once again our intention to give; we will wait for better conditions. Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 warns us against this human tendency:

“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, and the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”

Basically, this scripture explicitly exhorts us not to wait for the perfect conditions as they may never arrive, or to stop sowing as we do not know which seeds will give birth to a harvest and which will not. Hence, we may sow ten seeds, but reap from only one. All we should care about then is to ensure that we keep planting (good) seeds.

The Bible also makes it very clear that if we are faithful when we have little, then we will be faithful when we have a lot. When I earn 1,000 per month, I may feel that not tithing is not such a big deal, as I would only be giving 100 per month to further God’s kingdom. However, if I do not develop the habit of giving my 10 percent when I have little, then I will find it difficult to do so when I earn significantly more. When I earn 10,000 per month for example, I will probably find many great things to do or buy with the 1,000 that I should give each month as tithes. I may contemplate the great vacation trip that I always wanted to do with my family, or may consider buying the beautiful jewelry that my wife dreamed about. Will I be able to resist these temptations? Most likely no. The conclusion is simple: if there is a time to start sowing, it is now, not when the conditions will be perfect, as they never will!

How many people believe that if they give their tithe, they will lack? Many. In all honestly, I was one of them for years. I felt that if I would tithe, I would never be able to afford the things that I wanted to buy. I sometimes even felt that giving could result in my being in need at some future point. However, as my faith grew, I came to experience the opposite: that the 90 percent left produced more fruit than the 100 percent I used to have. All I needed to do was to remain faithful and patient, as we reap only in due season. We should therefore not let life’s uncertainties prevent us from sowing bountifully whenever an opportunity arises. What we need is to exercise our faith and trust God to be our provider. If we wait until we have “enough” savings to give our tithe or plant seeds generously, then we will miss many years of abundant sowing and maybe never start activating the law of harvest. What a pity it would be. We can’t wait for the conditions to be perfect or risk-free. If they always were, then we would not need to have faith and exercise our faith muscles. However, life shows us that there is no gain without risks. Yes, faith is still required in the 21st century to activate the law of harvest.

To get our harvest, we must keep doing our work until the due season arrives! If you have a garden, you have surely made that experience: that to grow great tomatoes, for example, planting seeds is far from being enough. We must nurture and regularly water them, and constantly keep the weeds out. We may also need to cover them when the nights get too cold. What is the bottom line? It takes hard work, perseverance and plenty of care to grow great tomatoes in abundance. Well, the same thing applies to all the seeds that we plant. They will require perseverance and care in order to grow and deliver an abundant harvest. As for the tomatoes, unless we take actions, “weeds” will grow and quickly come to occupy our whole garden space and prevent our seeds from giving an abundant harvest.

What is true at the natural level is also true at the spiritual level. This is why we must not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we persevere, as Galatians 6:9 tells us. Each one of our seeds will meet some opposition. We must therefore be aware of this phenomenon and do our work until the harvest time has arrived without growing weary. We must simply persevere and not let ourselves be discouraged in continually caring for our seeds. If we do this, then we will reap an abundant harvest in due time. What is important also to note is that we cannot blame God if we do not reap abundantly because we have not persevered or done our part of the work. The truth is that sometimes we will not see the fruit of our labors before years have passed, if not decades. In some cases, we may not even see the product of our work during our lifetimes. However, this is not a reason for not persevering as the harvest will come in due season. The source of our perseverance must be our faith and the knowledge that our work will not be in vain as 1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us.

Concluding thoughts

The law of harvest can be summarized in one sentence: we reap in the quality and quantity that we have sown if we persevere and do our work until the due season has arrived. What we have also seen is that we can use our thoughts, emotions, talents, time, riches, and actions as seeds, which means that we are constantly sowing seeds. Hence, seeds that I planted a year ago may produce their fruits in my life right now. This is great if the seeds were good ones, but not so good if the seeds were bad ones. I may become discouraged and fail to plant good seeds during the current year, which would have dramatic consequences for me. Indeed, until I reverse the trend and start planting many good seeds, the impact of the not-so-good seeds will be felt for months or years to come.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens in real life. When the overall harvest of the seeds that we planted in the past is not so good, most people become discouraged, frustrated, and fail to plant good seeds during the current year. They are therefore preparing themselves for another bad harvest next year, which will only exacerbate their situation and make them fall further down. In other words, we tend to do the opposite of what we should do.

Needless to say, this destructive behavior brings us nowhere close to the land of abundance. What do we need to do then to rejoin the right track? To gather our strength and reverse the trend by planting good seeds, even if we feel like giving up. Yes, we can do nothing about the seeds we planted in the past. However, we have the power to change our current seeds. This is our choice. God will not do what we can do.

The sooner we realize this reality, the better our lives will be. The problem that many people have is that they cannot let go of their past seeds, in a hopeless attempt to go back and rewrite the past. Unfortunately, this is highly destructive as it prevents us from moving forward in our lives and planting good seeds while we can: i.e. in the “now” time zone! It just prolongs our time in the misery land. Hence, to have the ultimate victory and live constantly in the land of abundance, we must let go of our past and plant more great seeds than bad ones, year after year, as we can never rest on our laurels!

CREATION FACTOR 3: REGULARLY REPOTTING OURSELVES

We all know this simple fact: a pot size determines, largely, how much a tree can grow. The larger and the deeper the pot, the taller the plant can become. This will hold true until the tree has reached its genetic limits. When buying a plant for an indoor garden, many people believe that the pot the plant came with is right for it. However, in most cases, the plant would not be able to thrive in that pot for long. This is why we are usually advised to repot the plant in order to give the roots more space to grow. Although we may not realize it, we are all planted in a pot. What do I mean by that? That in order to continue to grow and develop ourselves, we must make sure that we have not out-grown our pot, i.e. the “environment” in which we live.

Re-potting ourselves is all about growing

What happens if we spend most of our time with people who are pessimistic, bitter or full of resentment, who always criticize others, or who have basically accepted the average life that they currently have? We risk becoming just like them over time. This is why it is important to spend the majority of our time with people who are optimistic and positive. However, we should not stop trying to help negative people escape the prisons they locked themselves in. Thus, we have to decide how much time we invest in them. Actually, my rule of thumb is: If I am influencing them, then I continue to invest in them. If, on the other hand, they are influencing me, or are not receptive to my influence, then I realize that it is time to move on… to change pot. Psalm 1 speaks about this: “blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” The fact is that there will always be people that we should not associate with, copy, or take advice from. When do we walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners? When we let ourselves be influenced by people who do not focus on higher things - people who have no wisdom, who are blinded by their pride, whose priorities in life are to acquire riches, power or fame.

When do we sit in the seat of mockers? When we criticize, ridicule, and treat others with contempt, when we feel superior to others, when we become arrogant, and when we think that we are always right. In short, one way to move to another pot in our lives is to eliminate the “toxic” people of our lives, the ones that we are unable to influence positively. Of course, this does not include our spouses, our children, or our family. These are the people we cannot choose, but that God has chosen for us.

When do we know that we are ready to move to a larger pot? We are ready for repotting when we have gone through inner changes: for example, when we no longer think and/or talk as we once did, when we want to be surrounded by different types of people, when we are prepared to take on new responsibilities, to face new challenges, to go deeper in our faith; when we are ready to make further changes in our environment (e.g. joining a new club or starting a new activity). Additionally, it may make sense to move to a new pot when we keep having the same types of problems in our lives. The cause of our problems may be linked to the pot we are currently planted in: it may not have the “nutrients” that we need to consolidate our roots and experience the growth that we need to become healthier and mature spiritually.

How do we change pots?

What we must know is that before we can move to a new pot, we will always have to pass a test. Which one? It depends on our personal situation and the area(s) that God wants us to work on. However, during the course of our lives, we will have to take three major tests repeatedly. Once we move from one pot to another, the difficulty of the tests will keep increasing. As we pass them, we will be enjoying a greater level of abundance in our lives.

The perseverance test

Can we succeed in life if we cannot overcome adversity? No. This is why we will have to take some perseverance tests during our lives. However, as James 1:2-3 exhorts us, we should consider it pure joy when we face trials of any kind, because the testing of our faith will develop perseverance; and perseverance will produce maturity and completeness.

To enjoy a high level of abundance in our lives, we must be able to face opposition with confidence and without worrying or becoming anxious. Life will inevitably throw punches at us. What we must do is not become intimidated, fearful or paralyzed, but instead become counter-punchers. Regardless of the situation we face, no matter how strong and powerful our “opponent” is, we must strike the last punch. Do I mean here that we should always have the last word or take revenge? Absolutely not! By striking a punch, I mean that we should keep exercising our faith muscles, retain our peace and composure, and adopt the attitudes of a conqueror. The worst that we could do is to become weak in our mind. Why? Because if we lose the battle in our mind, we will automatically be defeated as we have already seen.

Until we can pass the perseverance tests that come with our pot, we won’t really be ready to move to a new pot. We could try, but we will quickly be overwhelmed. Would a novice boxer fight with the world champion of his weight-division? Realistically, no. This is the same thing for us. Moving to a new pot is like going into the ring and fighting against a new champion. We must be prepared before we do so, and allow time to do its work in us.

What we must realize while we are in the midst of adversity is that our situation can change overnight, when we least expect it. Too often, people give up the mental fight when they are so close to the victory, to reaching the top of the mountain, to crossing the finishing line. The Bible’s story of Joseph illustrates this reality wonderfully. He went from being poor and forgotten in prison, to being second only to Pharaoh…overnight! He reported directly to Pharaoh and was put in charge of the destiny of Egypt. All the adversity and the hardships that he had gone through for years had prepared him for the challenges that waited him in this key position. God basically used adversity to refine his character, to mature him, to teach him to depend solely on Him and to prepare him to carry out the grandiose plan He had for his life.

How many of us would say yes when asked if we would like to take a similar high profile position to the one Joseph assumed? Many! However, how many would still say yes if told that they would have to go through the hardships that Joseph had to? Very few! Too many people want to win the trophy without sacrificing their comfort. When adversity enters our lives, we should rejoice as Paul says in Romans 5:3-4: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” A life filled with easiness and instant gratification is anything but a blessed life. It does not lead to abundance, but to captivity and the D-syndromes.

The fact is that it does not matter how confident, focused, engaged and courageous we are if we have no mental toughness and patience. To be victorious, we must stand up on the inside using our mental toughness. We must never give up, but continue to fight the good fight of faith. The adversity we are going through could last longer than expected. It is precisely at such times that perseverance will be decisive.

In the world of sports, mental toughness is often what makes the difference between winning and losing. The resilience of marathon runners, for example, is tested in the last 10 kilometers, not in the first 32 kilometers! Many runners reach their stamina limits at this point, and the winner is almost always the one who can keep running at the same pace (or even accelerate) to finish the race: the “real” battle is in the mind. It is exactly the same for us. The perseverance test is first won in the mind, nowhere else! History is full of examples:

• Winston Churchill was defeated in every election for public office that he stood for until he became Prime Minister at an advanced age;

•  Henry Ford went broke 5 times before he finally succeeded;

•  A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he lacked imagination and had no good ideas; moreover, he went bankrupt several times before he went on to build his company;

•  Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime;

•  Crime novelist John Creasey apparently got 753 rejection slips before he published over 560 books;

•  John Milton wrote “Paradise Lost” 16 years after having lost his eyesight;

•  Sigmund Freud’s ideas were rejected when he first presented them to the European scientific community of the time.

Confucius said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” It takes resilience and perseverance to do that. As Washington Irving put it, we can either be tamed and subdued by misfortunes or (rise) above them; the choice is ours.

How can we develop perseverance or mental toughness?

Firstly, by performing every day small acts of courage and getting comfortable with the unfamiliar. We should purposefully decide each morning to do tasks or take on challenges during the day that will move us out of our comfort zone; that will require us to exercise our faith muscles. What can you do today that you have been afraid of doing for some time?

Secondly, by making sure that all our self-talks are positive and uplifting. We must have an unshakable belief in our ability to overcome adversity thanks to our faith. It is key that we condition and program our minds to think positively and confidently. We must turn any negative self-talks into positive ones; we can always do this. As a matter of fact, the more adversity we face, the more positive our self-talks should be. They are a source of positive energy and help us endure pain, discomfort, and/or the sacrifices we make. We must create through our self-talks positive pictures and images in our mind. It is important that we constantly renew our minds and purge the bad thoughts (and images) that we are having when we go through adversity.

What I have personally found very useful here is to create and use motivational phrases that nourish my mind when I start to feel down, discouraged or demotivated. For instance, I can repeat to myself that God is using this difficulty to produce a blessing in my life because His Word says: “to those who love Him, all things work together for good.” (see Romans 8:28)

Thirdly, by focusing on the end goal. It’s simple, winners dwell on the desired outcome, while losers focus on mistakes and failures, or on what they are fearful of. Research tells us that the winners are often those who have developed the ability to block out what is not important and switch focus on and off as needed. This requires that we can rapidly regain our psychological composure following unexpected events or distractions. If plan A does not work, we should simply go to plan B, keeping our focus on the prize.

Fourthly, by expecting the unexpected to happen from time to time. We cannot control everything. However, we can choose how we respond. If we are prepared for the unexpected, we will overcome it more easily when it shows up in our life.

Finally, by hanging out with people who have developed a great mental toughness, who have already gone successfully through adversity. We must avoid being around people who have never achieved anything in life, who throw self-pity parties, etc.

The humility test

Another test that we will have to pass to move to larger pots is the humility test. As Paul indicated in Philippians 4:12, we need to learn the secret of facing every situation with contentment, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in abundance or in want or poverty. It takes humility to do so. The truth is that pride blinds us to our weaknesses and faults. In fact, it prevents us from unlocking further our full potential. This is why the Bible contains many scriptures that warn us of the danger of a proud spirit. Here are just a few:

• “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom,” (Proverbs, 11:2)

•  “Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice,” (Proverbs, 13:10)

•  “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall,” (Proverbs, 16:18)

•  “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted,” (Matthew 23:12)

•  “[…] Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)

Pride deceives us. It can lead us to mistreat people and not be open to feedback. The proud often believe that they have nothing to learn from others. It also makes them believe that they are the key architects behind their achievements, which is not true at all. After all, who gave them their intelligence, talents, and capabilities; who helped them develop through tests, trials and tribulations, but God? A proud person tends to be judgmental, quick to be offended, slow to forgive, unable to learn from his mistakes and will rarely ask for help. A humble person will be exactly the opposite: understanding, interdependent, not easily offended, quick to forgive, able to learn from his mistakes, and quick to seek help.

Have you noticed that we are more patient and long-suffering when we are humble? Being humble helps us pass our perseverance tests with ease. It takes a lot of weight, burden, and pressure out of our life. It gives us increased inner peace. Isn’t it true that pride is very often the source of many of the arguments that people have? Pride separates people and builds walls between them; humility builds bridges between people.

Yet, despite all the benefits that humility confers, many choose to remain in their prison of “pride.” They wrongly believe that being humble is like being a doormat that everybody walks on. However, this is far from reality. A person who is humble simply thinks of himself neither more highly nor lowly than he should; i.e. he can keep a healthy balance. He can recognize the contributions of others; he is aware that many people have contributed to his growth: e.g. his parents, teachers, managers, sport coaches, his spouse and children, his peers and people at work, etc. At the same time, he also respects himself and is able to set healthy boundaries. When he allows others to “abuse” of him, it is not out of weakness, but with a clear purpose in mind.

What is sure is that we will often be tested on this dimension, as it is certainly one of the most difficult attitudes to develop. It takes time and often many failures to become humble. Believers should have an advantage, as they should know all the great things that God has done for them and how powerless they are without the help of the Holy Spirit!

The temptation test

Temptations are part of our every day life. We cannot avoid being tempted. However, we do not have to give in to temptation. What is important to understand is that a temptation only becomes toxic for us when we cannot resist it. What usually comes to our minds when we think of temptations? Sexual infidelity, drugs, alcohol, stealing, lying and cheating. Yes, these resonate a lot; but what about the following ones?

• Giving up,

• Belittling ourselves,

• Becoming impatient,

• Throwing a self-pity party,

• Procrastinating,

• Not keeping one’s words,

• Spending more than we can afford,

• Eating more than we should,

• Complaining or focusing on the negatives,

• Criticizing others,

• Betraying a confidence,

• Gossiping,

• Abusing our position,

• Watching an unhealthy program on TV,

• Etc.

In order to move to a larger pot, we will need to conquer the above temptations over time, not just the ones that immediately come to our mind. Why should we resist temptations? After all, the world tells us to do whatever pleases us. The inherent message is: we have only one life, why should we refuse ourselves any pleasure? The problem with this view is that it assumes that pleasures only bring blessings to us. However, most of us know that this is a false assumption.

The more we fall into temptation, the more we lock ourselves in prisons. Why? Firstly, because many temptations function pretty much like drugs do. Once we begin, it is hard to stop. Secondly, because we build a false sense of confidence when we succumb to some temptations. Take lying for instance. At the beginning, a person may just say “white” lies. As time passes, he will be tempted to say other lies (instead of saying what he really thinks or wants to do). He may also need to come up with new lies in order to cover up the first ones. As a result, he will live under the fear of being discovered. It is like living inside a prison, with no freedom, with no peace. Eventually, one day, he will be betrayed by a small mistake or by his body language that will contradict what he is saying, and he will be found out. This will cause him to lose the trust of many people (including perhaps those dearest to him) who will wonder for how long the lying has been going on, and in what other respects he has lied.

Standing up to temptation is a sign of spiritual maturity. When we resist a temptation, we do not do a favor to God, but to ourselves. The “dos and don’ts” prescription that He has given us does not exist to “imprison” us, but to save us from becoming slaves to sin. When we are sick and go to a doctor, do we dare to challenge the prescription that he gives us? If our sickness is not that important, we may do so. However, when we are really sick and our body truly hurts, few of us would dare to tell our doctor that he is wrong and that we want to follow our own prescription. We should have the same attitude with God’s prescription! It serves to heal us and to remove all the strongholds and toxins that prevent us from having abundance in our lives.

What we have seen so far is that temptations lead us into captivity and misery, while standing up to them sets us free. Whenever we successfully resist a temptation, we explicitly demonstrate that we are ready for a promotion. Moreover, the bigger the temptation, the bigger the promotion or the blessing that we shall reap. We should never forget that a short time after having been baptized, Jesus was led to the desert by the Spirit in order to be tempted by the devil after he had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. The devil therefore “attacked” Him at an opportune time; when he was at a weak point from a body and mind perspective. It was only after having successfully passed this test that he went on to assume his key life-saving ministry.

It is important to note here that without the Holy Spirit, Jesus would not have been able to withstand the attacks of the devil. This is why Christians have an advantage over non-believers when it comes to standing up to temptation: they are not alone. They can leverage the power of the Holy Spirit that resides within them to successfully conquer temptation. Without the Holy Spirit, a non-believer operates on his own strength and will find it very difficult, if not impossible, to resist when he is tempted at opportune times.

What we can be sure of is that God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. This should be reassuring to Christians and boost their faith and self-confidence. 1 Corinthians 13:10 makes it very clear that God will provide a way out so that we can stand up when tempted. As we have already seen, God will not remove the temptation, but help us resist it. It is critical that we understand this. The truth is that we will never know whether we are “free” - not under the dominion of a temptation - unless we are facing temptation. Thus, many times, to overcome a temptation we must stand up to it, not run away from it!

When we overcome temptation, we are then ready for a promotion, as James 1:12 alludes to: “Blessed is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.” What is the crown of life? Salvation alone? No! It also includes the abundant life that Jesus died for us to have.

What are the implications for us? Number one, we should know ourselves well and, especially, our weaknesses: i.e. the areas where we can easily fall into temptation. The truth is that we are all subject to temptations, even though they are different from one person to another. No one can escape this reality. Not acknowledging it is to deceive ourselves and make it harder for us to reach true abundance. As Luke 22:40 advises us to do, we should pray (and meditate) so that we will not succumb to temptation. What many people (including Christians) do not realize is that we are not supposed to pray that we will not be tempted. Instead, we should pray that once temptation has entered our life, that we will be able to stand up to it.

Too often, we trust ourselves far too much, believing that we can easily stand up to a temptation. However, without warning, temptation can devour us when the circumstances are right. A married man may not think of having a sexual affair, yet succumb one evening to the advances of a beautiful woman who he meets regularly at the pub after work. What happened? Week after week, he flirted with that woman. Although they did not sleep together, he felt good, knowing that she was attracted to him.

One night he had a big argument with his wife. The next day, he told that beautiful woman what had happened and how unhappy he is in his marriage. Did the woman stand still? No. She seized this opportunity to tell him again how great a man he was and how much his wife did not deserve to have him. As the discussion continued, our man started to feel closer to the woman. Although he resisted that night, he succumbed to the next opportune attack: a sexual affair started, with fatal consequences for his marriage and family. Stories like this happen all too often. We may think that we would have been stronger than the man in the story, but if we are honest with ourselves, we could have fallen just like him at a time when we are weak. We should be careful not to put ourselves in situations that are border-line, and that would subject us to a level of temptation that is beyond what we can bear.

Assuming that the unfaithful man of our story was a Christian, could he be mad at God and argue that it is Him who subjected him to the temptation that he could not resist? Absolutely not! The truth is that the sexual affair started a long time before it was consummated: during the flirtation stage. Our man continued for too long on a path that could only lead to defeat under the “right” circumstances. He has, therefore, only himself to blame. It is not God who set this temptation trap, as James 1:13-14 clearly shows us: “When tempted, no-one should say, ‘God is tempting me’. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”

Success in overcoming temptation lies in praying and meditating well ahead of time, in being constantly on our guards, and in passing tests, one at a time and in the proper order. Would King David – a man of great faith - have imagined before the affair he had with Bathsheba that he would break not just one of the laws of his Lord, but several? Most likely, no! However, after he coveted her, he committed adultery, became a murderer, and bore false witness. David’s downfall shows the deceitfulness of temptation, and just how easily we can fall if we are unprepared.

This is why Jesus tells us in Matthew 26:41 to “watch and pray so that we do not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” What this scripture says is that we can have the best intention, but cave in under temptation. We should remember that we will often be tempted at an “opportune” time, i.e. when we are at our weakest: “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13) We must therefore be even more on our guards when we are weak emotionally, physically, mentally and/or spiritually. The truth is that we rarely, if ever, succumb to temptation when we are strong. This is why Paul advises us in 1 Corinthians 16:13 to be on our guard, to stand firm in the faith, to be people of courage, and to be strong.

As with every other tool that God uses to purify us, temptations have a purpose: to help us see who or what “owns” us, and therefore to reveal to us the false gods that we need to dethrone in our lives!

New pot, new tests!

After we have passed a number of tests, we will get a promotion, i.e. move to a larger pot, and enjoy a higher level of abundance. Life, however, is in constant motion, which means that soon it will be time to leave our new pot, and thus time to pass new tests. In other words, each new pot will bring us new difficulties, trials, tribulations, and temptations. Should we fear the new tests and decide to stay in our current pot, to stagnate in life? Not at all. On the contrary, we should be enthusiastic and look forward to our new tests. Why? Because they will enable us to move to an even higher level of abundance, and thus to enjoy more freedom. These new tests will help us remove new layers of strongholds in our mind and detoxify ourselves further. We will then enjoy a greater spiritual health. We will have a higher level of self-esteem and self-confidence.

Once we have conquered one area, we should be striving to work on another. What we must realize is that this process is indefinite, as we can never become perfect while we are on earth. However, as we take and pass our tests, we purge many of the toxins that pollute our mind, we are set free from the chains that used to hold us back, and we reach new levels of abundance. Therefore, we need to develop a thirst, if not a passion, for taking tests. Whenever we are confronted with a challenge, a difficulty, or an adversity, we should be happy, not demotivated or frustrated.

What happens if we fail our tests?

We simply have to retake them until we pass them! Unlike at school, there is no spiritual test that we cannot retake as many times as is necessary. All we should know is that we will remain in the pot we are in until we have passed the tests that we must take to move to the next pot. We cannot change this law. A test always involves getting out of our comfort zone, and as we all know, this is always a painful process. We therefore need to develop the ability to withstand pain. In fact, pain is usually what stands between our average life and the abundant life that we could have. If we learn to withstand the pain of change, our spirit will be strengthened and the victory will be closer.

Do we really want to unlock more abundance in our lives?

In John 5:1-10, we are told the story of a man who had been crippled for 38 years and who spent all his days lying on a mat by a special pool. He knew that whoever entered first in this pool at appointed times would be cured of whatever disease they were afflicted with. Yet, he never made it during 38 years. When Jesus saw him, did He pity him? No. He asked him: “do you want to become well [are you really in earnest about getting well]?” Jesus knew what he was really suffering from and what could set him free. What is interesting is how the man answered Jesus’ question: he went into all sorts of excuses and in a self-pity mode: “I have no-one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” After having heard his response, Jesus simply told him to get up, pick up his sleeping pad and walk!

What key message did Jesus send him, and through him to us? That we should not just lie doing nothing, fall into the trap of self-pity and adopt an excuse mode. Rather, Jesus was telling him (and us) to do something about our conditions if we do not like them. Being crippled was not in Jesus’ eyes an excuse for not being able to enter the pool at the appointed times. After all, the man could have found a person to help him into the pool. What Jesus was telling him was to move to a bigger pot if he wanted to get well and enjoy a higher level of abundance.

How many people adopt a similar attitude to that of the crippled man of the story? Too many unfortunately. They prefer to list all their excuses, fall into self-pity and blame others for their situation rather than to do something about it. We should not be mad at God if we are unhappy or living in prisons. No matter our conditions or the circumstances that affect us, we can do something about them. Making a simple change in our mindset, such as letting go of the past or forgiving the people who have hurt us can ignite miracles in our lives. We should not be passive, but proactive. We must stand up on the inside and be serious about wanting to get well.

Time passes by quickly. We should therefore not stagnate in our pot, being enchained by excuses and feeling sorry for ourselves. Sometimes, we must move to another pot by passing the “no-longer-feeling-sorry-for-ourselves” test. What we must remember is that we determine the amount of time that we remain in a pot: we can spend 3 years, or 38 years, like the crippled man. As unbelievable as it sounds… it’s our choice.

Concluding thoughts

Moving from pot to pot should be one of our main goals in life. As we have seen, this process is endless and this is great news: it means that we can always grow and develop further. All we need is to keep our joy and enthusiastically look forward to taking and passing tests. Moreover, the more tests we pass, the more abundance we enjoy. Whether we are believers or non-believers, God will allow tests, trials and tribulations to enter our lives. He does so because: a) He loves us, b) He wants to have a deep relationship with us, and c) He wants us to enjoy true abundance in our lives. He is our spiritual Father, and as a Father, He knows that the worst thing that He could do for His children is to remove all tests, trials and tribulations from their lives. Of course, the tests have a different purpose depending on whether we are believers or not.

In the case of a non-believer, God will not hesitate to allow trials and tribulations to take place in his life if this is the only way to get his attention and to bring him onto the right path. God knows that many non-believers will not open their eyes or be able to hear His Word unless they have reached the bottom. Psalm 107:24-28 shows us clearly that God can and will use “storms” during our life to get us to acknowledge Him: “They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.” In other words, God will help us reach the stage where we need to call out to Him and start a new life with Jesus as Lord over our lives.

If we are believers, God will use tests, trials, and tribulations to:

• Detoxify us further;

• Show us what or who “owns” us; to show us what is number one in our hearts;

• Clear away any hindrance to our fellowship with Him;

• Enable our faith muscles to grow further;

• Improve our characters and make us more like Jesus;

• Help us enjoy more abundance in our lives;

• Strengthen our ability to overcome adversity;

• Turn us into a light; i.e. an example for others;

• Demonstrate His immense love for us;

• Show that He is our provider and source of life, joy, patience, love, and kindness;

• Get our attention when we are embarking on wrong paths or to discipline us (e.g. when we are disobedient);

• Encourage us to meditate further on His Word, so that we can be prepared for the tougher tests ahead.

Whether we are believers or not, some tests and storms will come our way that are simply the result of our decision not to follow the prescription that God gave us. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the prescription is at work in our lives. Thus, adversity will come our way each time we do not follow God’s prescription for our lives. We cannot change this fact. All we can do is to repent and ask for forgiveness as soon as we realize that we were disobedient. What we must know is that whatever storms come into our lives, we will have the victory if we exercise our patience and faith muscles, as His Word says clearly that He will not allow us to be tested beyond what we can handle! To have the victory, we will need to go through the storms, not run away from them.

Have you realized that in the midst of trials, our faith gets strengthened? 1 Peter 1:6-8 confirms this to us: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. They have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

It is the Word of God that gives us the ability to go through any storm that comes our way. We do not need anything else. Without meditating on God’s Word, we will have no peace and ultimately be defeated: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33) We are more than conquerors. We should therefore not be afraid of taking tests or going through storms, but rejoice as we set ourselves free and come to enjoy more abundance. Moreover, the more abundance we release in our lives, the more we become a light for others so that they too can come to have an abundant and everlasting life.

The good news is that with each repotting, our spiritual maturity increases. We can unlock our potential further if we do not stop climbing and are prepared to face challenges, trials, and/or difficulties! It is critical that we look forward to taking tests. Just as numbers are infinite, so are the tests that we can take: i.e. there is no limit to the level of abundance that we can enjoy in our lives. If we want more abundance in our lives, we simply have to pass key tests and trust God: He knows better than us the tests that we need to take in order to claim the abundance that He has already made available to us.

How can we best know what is in our hearts? By taking tests and being in the midst of trials and tribulations from time to time. Because God loves us, He will allow tests, trials, and tribulations to take place in our lives in order to build our character or invite us to change paths. When we take the wrong path, God may have no other choice than to increase our pain or level of discomfort so that we seriously consider switching lanes. He knows where all the paths we take lead and will do His best to make us understand that if we do not change direction, we will end up suffering even more and live in captivity. However, if we keep insisting on going in the wrong direction, then God will let us experience the consequences of our choice.

Nevertheless, He will never stop loving us, and will be ready to come to our rescue as soon as we call upon Him. God’s love is so big and unconditional that He is faithful to us even when we are unfaithful to Him. Those who understand how God works know that He is present in their lives whenever they are in the middle of a trial. They are also fully aware of the fact that God will never test them beyond what they can cope with. In other words, they know that if God makes them go through a test, they can successfully pass it. It gives them peace and joy. Hence, they never give up, exercise their faith muscles, and endure until they have the complete victory. Tests reveal to us that God loves us and that He wants us to develop and operate at our best. Let’s therefore use our tests, trials and tribulations to purify ourselves, to build our character, to strengthen our faith muscles, to become a better us.

LIFE POINT: What is the worst thing that we can do for our children?

To make everything easy and simple for them! It prevents them from building mental toughness and therefore winning key battles of the mind. We cannot triumph without effort, and then enjoy the fruit. It simply does not work like this. The world pushes us to avoid pain, effort, and discomfort. It claims that this is for our good, but this is a lie; we end up losing our mental toughness. Will our children be able to overcome adversity when we can no longer protect them, will they thrive on their own if they have never had to develop mental toughness before? No. They will find it extremely difficult to overcome adversity, to bounce back quickly after a setback, or to excel during stressful situations. Will they then be able to have an abundant life if they are eaten up by worries and doubts, because they cannot program their mind to submit to the law of belief and exercise their faith muscles?

CREATION FACTOR 4: EXPRESSING GRATITUDE

Once we have made the law of belief ours, started the mind renewing process, activated the law of harvest in our lives, and replanted ourselves in the right pot, every day we will need to adopt and cultivate an attitude of gratitude in order to enjoy our abundance and receive even more.

Why? For three main reasons. Firstly, we are indebted to God, who has created us and provided a way for us to enjoy eternal life and abundance through Jesus. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our past sins are forgiven; we gain a new spiritual home – heaven instead of hell – and receive the Holy Spirit in order to advance far on the abundance and fullness-of-life-track while we are on earth. We receive all these gifts thanks to the unfailing love, grace, and mercy of God. There is nothing that we could have done to earn our salvation. All that God requires after our conversion is that we be thankful always and in everything: “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) As Psalm 50:23 shows us, we honor God when we offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

Why did God command us to be thankful? Because He knows that faith is always grateful and that unbelief is always unthankful and unappreciative. Hence, if we are ungrateful, then we show that we have no faith. Moreover, without faith, we can be sure that the abundance tap will be closed in our life. What God has always known is that the best way to keep unbelief at bay is to express our gratitude. Indeed, when we have a grateful attitude, we look to the positive, demonstrate our faith, and give proper thanks to God for the things He has given us or for the personal development we are going through. What we must realize is that God will not release more abundance in our lives if we do not appreciate what we already have or what He has already done for us.

As we saw in the “activating the law of harvest” chapter, if we do not appreciate and use the seeds that God has given us, then we risk losing the ones we already have and not receiving any others. Many of us may be tempted to think that the master of the Parable of the talents over-reacted and inflicted too severe a punishment on the ungrateful servant. After all, he only had one talent to invest, and even if he had doubled it, the master would only have received one additional talent, which is not much compared to the seven extra ones he gained from the other two servants.

The problem with this reasoning is that God does not think as we do. For Him, all talents (seeds) have value and must produce a return. A pre-condition for this to happen is that we appreciate what we have been given. What we must remember is that a single seed can give birth to 50, 100, or even more fruits. If we do not esteem highly what God has given us, then we will lose what we have and stop receiving more! To have abundance, it does not matter where we start. We simply have to start with what we have, activate the law of belief in our lives and let the key abundance success factors do the rest. We will then reap abundantly and well beyond what we can imagine!

We all know the story of the Israelites who took forty years to make an eleven-day trip from Egypt to the land that had been promised to their forefather, Abraham. However, I am not sure that we all understand why it took them so long. The main reason was their ungratefulness. God had done miracle after miracle to set them free from slavery and guide them to the Promised Land (e.g. the 10 plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea and the pillars of fire and smoke). However, they kept complaining, grumbling, and doubting that God would fulfill His promise to take them to the Promised Land. They even regretted not being in Egypt (i.e. in captivity) any longer. After some time, the patience of God ran out and the sentence fell: they would wander for 40 years in the wilderness and none of the adult Israelites who left Egypt (with two exceptions) would take possession of the Promised Land.

Do you know what that means? That over two million Israelites died in the desert; they were saved, but never enjoyed the abundance that God had in store for them. What a shame! Make no mistakes: a) ungratefulness cuts off the flow of abundance from our lives and b) we can even die in the desert as a result (i.e. during our transfer between captivity and abundance). This is sad, but many Christians today are saved, but do not have abundance in their lives as they make the same mistakes that the Israelites did over 3,000 years ago!

When we are going through a “wilderness” in our lives (i.e. through a testing and learning period), we must be careful not to let our complaints and doubts develop seeds of unbelief in our heart. We must remain grateful, which will demonstrate that we have understood the purpose of our wilderness trip: to help us move to a bigger pot! It is therefore crucial that we are grateful and that we express our thankfulness.

Gratitude should be an attitude and a way of life for us. It causes us to abound in the faith: “rooted and built up in him (Jesus Christ), strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:7) Additionally, gratefulness produces the peace of God in our hearts and minds as Philippians 4:6-7 tells us: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.”

Do we have any other reasons than our salvation, forgiveness of sins, provision of a new spiritual home and the sending of the Holy Spirit to express our gratitude to God? Yes, many in fact! We should also praise God for:

• His counseling and wisdom, (Psalm 16:7, Psalm 111:10)

• His faithfulness, (Isaiah 25:1)

• Victory, (2 Chronicles 20:22, 2 Samuel 22:4, Psalm 18:3, 1 Corinthians 15:57, 2 Corinthians 2:14 and Romans 7:24-25)

• His love, kindness and mercy, (1 Chronicles 16:34, 2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalm 136, Isaiah 12, Jeremiah 33:11, 1 Timothy 4:4)

• His goodness, (1 Kings 8:66, Ezra 3:11, 1 Timothy 4:4)

• His righteousness, (Psalm 7:17, Psalm 119:62)

• His comfort, (Isaiah 51:3)

• Food and provisions, (Psalm 63:5, Mark 6:41, 2 Corinthians 9:11)

• Answered prayers, (John 11:41-42)

• Healing, (Luke 17:17-19)

• Everything, (Ephesians 5:19-20)

• Etc.

God wants us to appreciate everything that life throws at us; both the good and the not so good. Gilbert K. Chesterton understood very well this principle when he said that “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.”

Who can best have an attitude of gratitude?

The proud, the arrogant, the men with high egos? No. They can’t. They believe that everything they have or achieved is the fruit of their labor, strength, intelligence, own wisdom, etc. Where does pride and arrogance lead us to? To self-sufficiency, self-reliance, slow potential unlocking, the overlooking of correction and ultimately spiritual death. God, being a loving God, has then no choice but to allow storms into their lives so that they realize where they are heading to: spiritual death. As we have already seen, they have anything but an abundant life: they are “owned” by the riches they have accumulated and/or their achievements. In His kindness and love, God has given us the perfect antidote against pride: thanksgiving. It keeps our pride under control and ensures that the taps of abundance are always open!

Secondly, an attitude of gratitude helps us overcome adversity or “wilderness” periods more quickly. When difficulties and/or tribulations enter our life, we have basically two options to choose from: we can either fall into self-pity and complain or have an attitude of gratitude. Only one of these options shows that we exercise our faith muscles: gratefulness. And it makes a big difference. It shows that we have realized that in every test and difficulty there is an opportunity for us to enjoy more abundance and to strengthen our faith.

As Proverbs 24:10 shows, “If we falter in times of trouble, then how small is our strength and faith!” Yes, it is difficult to be grateful when nothing seems to go well in our lives - at work, in our marriage, with our children, within our relationships, when we are having financial difficulties, when we are sick, when we have just lost a person dear to us, etc. We can easily fall into the trap of dwelling on our problems (or sorrow or despair).

Moreover, the more we focus on our problems, the more miserable we become, and the less we enjoy our present life, and the less we see the way out. We then quickly enter into a negative self-reinforcing loop, and find it increasingly more difficult to extract ourselves from its powerful destructive forces. What happens next? Our hearts become hard and we start to believe that God no longer loves us or that He has “punished” us. We murmur and complain, focus on the present difficulties and fail to raise our eyes and see the abundance we can release into our lives by passing through our wilderness with gratitude.

The truth is that to a large extent we cannot control the tests and trials that life throws at us. And much of the adversity that hits us is not due to God. We may just be reaping what we sowed or be the testing field of Satan who believes that he can succeed in separating us from God by showering us with money, power, fame, or storms/crises. God may allow Satan to test us in order to show His glory. The story of Job is a great example here. The Bible introduces him as a blameless and righteous man who feared God and who always strove to please God. Yet, at one point, he lost all his riches, all his children and his health: he developed painful sores all over his body. And to make matters worse, he didn’t even understand why this adversity had come into his life.

However, he never complained against God or sinned by charging God with wrongdoing; on the contrary, he remained mostly grateful and was able to say: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21) He ultimately came to realize that this adversity had a purpose: to shame Satan and glorify God. Satan could not take control of Job or make him deny his Lord. Job overcame the attacks of Satan! God was extremely pleased with his servant Job and showered him with blessings and rewards after the tests ended: “[…] the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10)

What the book of Job also shows us is that God blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He gave him new children (seven new sons and three new daughters), and the joy of seeing his children and their children to the fourth generation. (Job 42:12;16) By remaining grateful throughout long-suffering, Job unlocked more abundance into his life and was able to give God a major victory over Satan that foreshadowed the victory of Jesus Christ.

When confronted with adversity, we must adopt the same attitude as Job did, and remember that God will never allow misfortune to enter our life, if we cannot overcome it. We must also acknowledge that accidents are unavoidable, that we are bound to fall sick at one point or another, that we may lose our job for no fault of our own, that the world economy will navigate in rough seas from time to time, that wars always have and will continue to exist, and that natural disasters pop up when we least expect them. What we must also recognize is that there is only one antidote to the negative effects of adversity: exercising our faith muscles and remaining grateful. After all, while we are in the midst of adversity, we are going through a great development program and may ultimately find out – as Job did - that God is using us mightily in the process. We must never lose hope and faith. Indeed, according to the law of harvest, whatever we pay attention to will grow; and according to the law of attraction, we attract in our lives people who focus on the same things as us. Hence, if we focus on negative aspects, then those aspects will expand in our lives and we will quickly find ourselves surrounded by pessimistic people. In the end, we will reach a destination where self-pity, victimization, misery, and despair are overflowing. We should therefore not be surprised if our lives are not abundant: the problem is not the adversity, but our response to it!

Do we always have a strong faith in the law of belief? No. Even Abraham went through periods of doubt and low faith. When Paul and James wanted to use an example of a person who had the faith that God expects in a Christian, they spoke about Abraham. Yet, in Genesis 12:11-13, we see Abraham asking his wife to lie about their relationship and pretend that she was his sister. Why? Because he was afraid for his life: he feared that the Egyptians would kill him in order to free her up from her marriage covenant. Yet, it was God who had sent him to Egypt. Should he have trusted that God knew what He was doing when He asked him to go to Egypt and that He would protect him? Absolutely! Yet, at that moment, he had a weak faith.

Let’s now look at the level of his faith at another key point in his life. As we know, God had made him the promise of giving him and his wife a son. After receiving this promise, and for the next ten years, they tried to conceive a child, but could not. Then, Abraham’s wife decided to take control of the situation, and suggested that he sleep with her maidservant to father a child. (Genesis 16:1-2) She strongly felt that she would never be able to give him a child and wanted to see the promise of God fulfilled. She basically became impatient and started to look at the situation from her own eyes, from her own land - the land of limitation, not of possibilities. Abraham agreed with her suggestion to lay with the maidservant because he also doubted that she could conceive at this old age. Technically, the solution that his wife had developed would result in him having a child of his own. However, this solution was not the solution that God had communicated to them. He should therefore have known better, turned down his wife’s suggestion and waited for the promise of God to be fulfilled in due season. Once again, Abraham’s faith was quite low.

As a matter of fact, his faith went even lower when God renewed his promise 14 years later; he was then 99 years old. What reaction did he have to God’s reiteration of the promise? Genesis 17:17 gives us a clue: “Abraham fell face down; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man one hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” He could not envisage for one second here that God could do a miracle and make what seems impossible possible!

Each of the events that we examined helped him grow his faith to a new level and prepare him for the ultimate test of faith: offering in sacrifice the son that he finally received from his wife after 25 years of waiting. And this time he passed the test with flying colors! (Genesis 22) In short, what we can learn is that keeping an attitude of gratitude during times of doubt is very healthy, enabling us to grow our faith muscles and become spiritually mature. We are not supposed to have a “blind” faith. Our faith muscles must grow through the trials, the tests, and the adversity that we go through and the moments of doubts that we experience. This is why we must remain grateful when adversity and doubt invade us. It is for our own good!

Thirdly, gratefulness enables us to enjoy everyday life, to develop the skill of appreciation and not take things for granted or become complacent. How many of us take for granted everything that we already have or enjoy, and focus on what we do not have? How many persons (including Christians) feel that in order to be content they need to have something more? For example:

• A higher salary;

• More money saved for retirement, to travel or to buy things;

• A bigger / better decorated house;

• The latest TV, mobile phone, gadget, etc.;

• A more powerful car/boat/plane or one filled with more options;

• A better relationship with their spouse, children, manager, co-workers, peers, friends;

• Less noisy, more obedient children;

• A more attractive body (face, tummy, tights, lips, chest, etc.);

• Fewer wrinkles;

• A slimmer body;

• A more challenging or prestigious job;

• Increased responsibilities, power or influence over other people;

• A more loving or attractive partner;

• More control over their lives;

• More spare time; or

• To live in a different part of the town, if not in another city or country.

We all deceive ourselves into thinking that “more” or “bigger” will make us happier. However, this is not true at all. All we reap is discontentment, discouragement and a profound dislike of our present life. We end up living in the future, and being miserable in the present. Where does that lead us? To a path where we quickly lose our attitude of gratitude and ability to appreciate what we have. We take everything for granted. We do not even appreciate that we are healthy, that we have two arms and two legs, that we can see with our two eyes, that our brain functions well, that we have a great spouse, and so on. It is not bad at all to want more. However, we cannot let our thirst for more weaken our gratefulness and appreciation of what God has already given us. Otherwise, this urge to get more will control us and lead us to the wrong destination: not abundance, but misery and poverty!

As the Bible invites us to do in Philippians 4:11-12, we must for our own good learn to be “content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” What Paul is saying here is that our joy and contentment must remain constant and unwavering, no matter the situation we face or are in. Is it easy to do so? No, not at all. We all struggle here. However, God has given us a great tip on how to win this fight: by expressing our gratitude for the things that we have. As we saw in the previous chapter, we are all planted in a pot. And in each pot, we find problems to overcome, tests to pass, difficulties to surmount, temptations to resist, etc. We cannot let them steal our joy and appreciation of what we already have.

Moreover, too many people – including Christians - are led to believe that they cannot have joy, inner peace or be content until they have resolved their current problems, fixed their relationships, lost a few pounds, had plastic surgery, completed their projects, or saved the amount of money they need to buy what they want.

What they do not realize is that if they wait until something has happened or until they have eliminated all their current problems to be content and joyful, then they never will be, as:

1. Life will always throw at us new challenges;

2. There will always be something else that we want to complete, buy, fix, etc.

All we do is lose our appreciation of the moment (the precious NOW that we can never claim back) and become entangled in worry, fear, discontentment, discouragement, and/or despair. Are we then living an abundant life? No! The truth is that we are in “slavery,” being a slave to the problems we currently face! To prevent this from happening, there is only one remedy: to practice gratefulness each and every day.

Like our faith muscles, our gratefulness grows as we practice it. Few of us have had the chance to be born as grateful people. However, we can all cultivate this attitude by:

• Choosing what we focus on: the more we look for things to be grateful for, the more we will find such things. A great practice is to keep a daily diary of the things we can be grateful for. Try it, you will be pleasantly surprised to discover that you have a lot more things to be grateful for than you may have first imagined. We all learned at school in our science classes that action and reaction are two forces of equal magnitude (i.e. nothing is lost, everything is transformed). Well, gratitude is our reaction to the actions that God takes to help us unlock more abundance in our life.

•  Constantly searching for new things to be grateful for: this helps us not to get stuck in a complacency rut and to always have new things to be grateful for. This increases our awareness of the great things that happen to us every day; things that we would not notice otherwise.

•  Remembering that things could be a lot worse than they currently are: as already mentioned, each pot that we are planted in contains its fair share of problems and difficulties. We should not ignore them as they serve a purpose and help us grow. However, we cannot let them determine our well being, by allowing them to steal our joy and contentment. We should simply rejoice as all the negative things that happen in our lives are ultimately for our own good, even if we cannot see how now. Otherwise, we would not grow and learn new skills! A good practice here is to reframe any situation we are confronted with and look at it with our eyes of faith; by searching for the good, the positive, the opportunity, etc. By choosing to be grateful, we magnify the good aspects of the situation we are confronted with. And through the law of harvest, we expand them until such time that we cannot see or remember the negatives.

•  Fully appreciating what we already have: I beg you not wait until you lose what you have to start appreciating it. I recall a young person who never appreciated what he had – his health, the wealth that he enjoyed, or his athletic body, until he lost both of his legs in a motorcycle accident. Too many people do not appreciate their “pot”; they always believe that the grass is greener elsewhere. However, this is not true: with each pot comes tests, trials, and tribulations! Do we realize that we - who live in developed countries – have the chance to enjoy clean water, great public transport systems, relatively safe towns, war-free zones, constant supply of electricity, great medical and entertainment infrastructures, liberty of the press as well as an excellent supply of food?

•  Expressing our gratitude: the Bible tells us in Colossians 3:17 that we must show our gratitude through helpful words and deeds and do everything in the name of Jesus. Gratitude starts from the heart. It requires that we change our perspective on how we perceive situations and events. We can best demonstrate our gratitude by appreciating fully the gifts and talents that God has given us and by living our lives fully, aiming to reach the highest level of abundance that we can, and always giving thanks in all circumstances. We must remember that faith is always grateful, and that if we do not appreciate what we have by expressing our gratitude, then we won’t receive more! Thanksgiving must become an integral part of our daily lives. Christians have one more reason to express their gratitude daily: it keeps them connected to God and Jesus.

Being grateful helps us realize that things are not that bad. As numerous studies have shown, gratefulness increases our enthusiasm, positiveness, optimism, endurance, determination, and energy. It also makes us feel loved. We are then better armed to overcome adversity and unlock more abundance in our lives. The result: we are less subject to catch the D-syndrome and to experience worry and stress. What extra benefit do we come to enjoy? Better health! Yes, being grateful can boost our immune system, stress resistance, and health. An increasing body of medical research acknowledges this fact. Gratefulness, a medicine available to us all and for free, can increase our health if consumed daily in large doses. What are we waiting for?

How should we express our gratitude?

Through our words and deeds. Gratitude is a heart disposition that constantly acknowledges and appreciates the gifts received and that strives to provide a return to the benefactor who gave the gifts freely, without any obligation to do so. We should therefore thank the donor, speak well of him through verbal and/or written testimonies, enjoy fully the gifts that we have received and share the blessings that come with the gifts of other people. We should never shy away from expressing our gratitude in private or in public.

Whenever we wonder whether we should pour out our gratefulness, we should remember how we felt when someone demonstrated his gratitude to us and when someone failed to thank us for the things we have done. We cannot imagine what a genuine little “thank you” can do in the heart of the receiving person. I still remember vividly the day when one of my employees thanked me for the confidence I had shown in her and the development opportunities that I had provided her with. It energized me to continue to do my best to help people reach their true potential.

Do you know the truth? So few people appreciate what we do for them. However, when one person expresses gratitude, it keeps our fire and passion alive; we forget all the others who took for granted our help. Jesus experienced that when only one of the ten people He had cured of leprosy came back to thank Him.

We can never imagine how much appreciation for a job well done can mean to a person; it often gives her a sense of self-worth and a feeling of being valued. It can make her day and help her overcome the adversity that is on her way. Hence, we should never refrain from expressing our gratitude. It enriches both our own lives and that of the person being thanked.

Christians can give thanks to Jesus through:

• Their verbal and written testimonies, making known to others His deeds, wonders and great works in their lives;

•  Their songs and prayers;

•  Their obedience and desire to live the abundant life that He died for them to have, i.e. by being a light in the darkness;

•  And by exercising their faith muscles whenever required.

Is it possible to be grateful when we feel discontent about our jobs or have a “bad” boss? The first thing that we probably have to do when confronted with either of these situations is not to change our job (or manager), but our attitude. The worst thing that we could do is to keep complaining and adopt a victim attitude. Yes, we may have a terrible manager, but this is not an excuse for not being grateful. We are probably going through a first class training of what not to do when we become managers ourselves.

The fact is that we learn more and faster when life gets tough. We should therefore be thankful that we can see firsthand the negative impact that a bad manager can have on motivation, employee engagement, potential-unlocking, and so on. We internalize and assimilate much faster the lessons-learned when we work for a bad manager than when we read a book on how to be a great manager. Reading is a great thing to do, but it can never replace first-hand experience. I can tell you how and when to exercise your faith muscles, but unless you do it when you have to, your muscles won’t grow!

I have had my fair share of bad managers during my corporate career. And what I have noticed is that each time I adopted a positive and grateful attitude, the situation changed. In some cases, my relationship with my managers changed dramatically, for the better. All it took was a change of perspective from me. I no longer expected them to be perfect. I saw them as they were: human beings who were trying to do their best, but who did not always know how. I then coached them up as best as I could and actively sought to help them become better managers. Although this strategy failed some times, in many cases it worked magnificently. And the beauty is that I gained a valuable experience handling bad managers, improved exponentially my coaching skills, enjoyed seeing the progress I was making, and got promoted faster than I would have otherwise.

With the benefit of hindsight, I am so happy that I had some bad managers along the way. If anything, I should have been even more grateful at the time. I reaped so many good fruits from these experiences. The truth is that bad managers – whether they are control freaks, micro-managers, chief negative officers, talent-wasters, manipulators, or workaholics – can be found in every company. The sooner we learn how to manage them, the better off we will be, as we are bound to work for some of them during our lifetime.

What many people have to learn is to overcome their natural tendency to spend their time being frustrated by the few attitudes of their manager that irritate them. Otherwise, the frustration will develop into an obsession that will blind them to their manager’s great qualities and attitudes. Let’s face it: even the worst manager does a few things well! The less we focus our attention on the negative aspects of a person, the more we can appreciate his great qualities and character traits. We will discover then that our manager is not as bad as we had thought all along.

Parents can easily fall into the same trap with their children; i.e. come to see only the bad habits that irritate them rather than the great many qualities that their children have. This wrong focus can ruin their relationships with their children and even make them regret having had children. All this because they could never be grateful for the great qualities that their children have. And of course, this applies to any type of relationship: towards our parents, our teachers, our friends, our co-workers, etc. Let’s make sure that we never fall into the trap of ingratitude, as it is a powerful force that can easily destroy relationships and make our lives miserable.

Needless to say, there will be times when changing our attitude or focus will not be sufficient. For whatever reason, our efforts are not appreciated and we are taken for granted. Rather than being a positive force of change, we are impacted negatively by our work environment or manager, and never seem to be able to keep our heads above the water for more than a few weeks. We are then at risk of becoming a procrastinator, of throwing permanent self-pity/complaining parties, or worse, of drowning. The time has then arrived to make a change. However, in the vast majority of the cases, we should reach this stage not after a few weeks of trying, but after a few years of having really endured some “hardship.”

After all, it is possible to find ways to be content in even the worst job or under the worst manager. Contentment usually continues as long as we have the feeling that we keep learning something; e.g. what not to do as a manager. We should also remember that our manager is not responsible for our contentment, motivation, or happiness.

By the same token, our happiness should not depend on our job. It is a choice that we must make and it begins to flow in our lives when we start being grateful for the job or manager we have. Experience will tell us when the time has arrived to make a change. If we are unsure, then we should never hesitate to ask the advice of a wise person that we respect and who knows us well.

Can we be frustrated, yet grateful? Without the shadow of a doubt, the answer is yes! It is very important that we understand why and how we can successfully overcome frustration, distress, sorrow, or despair. Otherwise, we will unlock little abundance in our life. To shed some light and wisdom on this critical topic, let’s look at Psalm 13:

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him’

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”

What do we see in this Psalm? That David is clearly frustrated, desperate, and distressed. He feels neglected by God. Four times he asked a “how long” type of question. This reveals a strong desire for deliverance, a great anguish, and a state of intense impatience. He felt lonely, as he was no longer experiencing the presence of God in his life. He was under the dominion of his feelings and believed what they were telling him. However, the reality that they projected (i.e. an absent and unloving God) was not true. This is why we have to control our feelings and not always trust them. God was at work; but David could not see it yet. It is good that we acknowledge our feelings and that we share them with God. However, we should not always take the picture that they paint to be real. Otherwise, we will not see what is really happening; that we are growing, taking a great test.

Isn’t it true that the more we think about our problems, the more frustrated, depressed or desperate we become? We often see the way out when we stop ruminating over our problems, change our perspective, put on new lenses, see the opportunity in the difficulty, change our attitude. It liberates us and a sense of peace invades us.

David reached this state in the last 3 verses. The trigger point occurred when he remembered that he could put his trust in God’s unfailing love. This helped him take hold of his feelings (rather than being victimized by them) and rejoice. His eyes were suddenly opened. As a result, he could express his gratitude to God by singing how good He had been to him until then. What a change David went through by adopting new lenses and appreciating all the great things that God had done for him before! He realized that his feelings had not faithfully given him the true picture: no matter how bad his situation appeared, he could rely on God to use it for his ultimate good.

What this Psalm teaches us is that it is good to express our frustration, despair, or sorrow, but that it is not healthy to follow the (destructive) path our emotions often want to lead us to. To master our emotions, we must take control of our feelings and express our gratitude for the great things that we have or that happened to us until now. Christians can rest on the unfailing love of God and their salvation. They should know that they will go through difficulties, tests and tribulations in their lives, but that they can overcome them as long as they are in Jesus and Him in them.

As John 16:33 tells Christians, Jesus has overcome sin and death. He gives us the strength to endure gracefully any crisis that irrupts into our life. All we have to do is see things through our eyes of faith, exercise our faith muscles, and express our gratitude for what He has done for us; i.e. He has already victoriously fought the battle for us.

We therefore have nothing to fear; we can have inner peace and rejoice. If we cannot be both distressed (or frustrated, desperate, or in sorrow) and grateful at the same time, then we will experience only the worst side of distress, and not the best: the opportunity to grow and unlock more abundance in our lives! We must not let our negative emotions ruin our lives, but rise up to the challenge through our grateful attitude and faith.

This Psalm also contains another key lesson for us. Indeed, it started in supplication and the formulation of four critical questions to God, then went to demands and ended in enlightenment and thanksgiving. Did God answer the questions that David posed Him? No. David found the way out by himself. How? By changing his heart attitude and taking control of his emotions. As we saw already, Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there is a time for sorrow and a time for joy, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to weep and a time to build. Here is the lesson for us: we are responsible for making this shift in perspective and seeing the world through the proper lenses after some time has passed by. Christians or not, with or without God, nobody else can do this for us. Overcoming frustration, despair, sorrow, or adversity starts in us!

How the world tricks us into ingratitude (and misery). From a very early age, we are encouraged or forced to compare ourselves with others; at school, in sport activities, and at work, to mention just a few examples. This practice is supposed to help us develop and learn from others. However, if we are not careful, we can quickly come to see only what we do not have or what we are not good at. Without noticing it, we start to wish that we were somebody else in order to enjoy their riches, talents, power, or popularity.

What happens next? We depreciate ourselves and only see the bad in ourselves; our weaknesses, our failures, and our fears. We are then unable to be grateful for what we possess or have achieved. Worse, as we keep comparing ourselves, we keep adding things to our “wish” list. We then feel miserable and cannot enjoy our present life. We are therefore unable to be grateful; worse we cultivate ingratitude. And the more we cultivate it, the more we depreciate ourselves. In the end we have the opposite of an abundant life. We can waste years in a state of ingratitude.

The world is not without tricks when it comes to deceiving us. It tells us that we are smart when we criticize, express our differing opinions, see 10 reasons why an initiative may not bear the expected fruits, and so on. The message it sends is that you are “dumb” if you cannot see the fallacy of an argument, when and where others are wrong in their thinking. Where does this attitude usually lead us? To see only problems or what is wrong, not what is perfect. Guess what? The more we focus on identifying problems, the more problems jump to our eyes. In the end, we live in a world full of problems, and run from problem to problem.

Result? We spend hours trying to solve problems and have no peace until all our problems are solved. As we know, when one problem is solved, another one quickly appears on our radar. It is a never-ending process. In the meantime, we do not enjoy life! We have therefore to be careful not to be just smart, but smart and wise.

How many executives spend hours solving problems for their company and not appreciating the people who work for them and/or their own family? They have a great spouse, but spend no quality time with him or her. Various statistics show that the higher an executive is on the corporate ladder, the less he spends quality time with and makes love to his spouse. It is therefore not surprising that many spouses of top executives feel unhappy, unappreciated, unloved, or depressed.

To “survive,” they seek substitutes that will give them the appreciation and love that they need. For some, the substitute becomes the children or involvement in a charitable cause. For others, it is the taking of a lover, or the adoption of a harmful habit. The advertising industry is very skilled at deceiving us into believing that “products” such as clothes, a watch, a bag, a car, or food can meet our basic need to feel loved and appreciated. However, all these sources of love are counterfeit; they work for a little while, but quickly leave us feeling empty! The sooner we realize this, the quicker we will go to the real source of love - God - through Jesus and have an abundant life.

Last, but not least, the world wants us to believe that money is the answer to discontentment. It tells us that money may not be able to give us love, but that it can buy us happiness and contentment. Well, if this was true, why is depression and divorce the number one illnesses in rich countries? Today, the people who live in the developed countries are the least grateful in the world. They have everything, but not an abundant life.

They are living proof that money or riches cannot make us happy. In fact, happiness is the result of a decision: the decision to be grateful for what we have. Christians should always have in mind Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Our most important treasure is not our wealth or possession, but our relationship with God through Jesus!

Concluding thoughts

A grateful heart always expects good things to happen and can thank God no matter what life throws at him. For a grateful person, each crisis is additive and unlocks more abundance. It is this appreciative mindset that makes all the difference between enjoying an abundant life and living in misery. Gratitude is a choice: choosing to see life and not death, to see the good in everything instead of just the bad, to believe that every event has an edifying purpose (even when we do not understand which one), and not a destructive one. A grateful person does not live in denial or refuse to acknowledge adversity, but purposefully believes that it serves a higher purpose that is good.

The truth is that the person who does not constantly express his gratitude is at high risk of losing his faith; it won’t take long before he starts to believe that God does not love him anymore, as only “bad” things seem to happen in his life! The world wants us to take for granted the things that we have, to be fearful, to worry often, and to believe that we will lack something. In short, it wants us to focus on the negatives so that we do not appreciate the positive and express our gratitude to God. The ultimate goal of Satan is to take us away from the source of abundance, Jesus.

It is therefore crucial that we cultivate a habit of gratitude. Gratitude is an attitude that triggers blessings in our life. Every time we express our gratitude, our life appreciates and expands. It works whether we are a Christian or a non-believer. With the power of appreciation and gratitude, we can all overcome adversity, release more abundance in our life, enrich the quality of our lives, ignite a second honeymoon period in our marriage, help our children blossom, unlock further the potential of the people who work with us, and so on.

We should often pray, as American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr once suggested: “God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change; the courage to change the things we can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”

The Bible instructs us to love our enemies. But who are they? When asked this question, many people think of specific nationalities or religious groups. However, our enemies are very often closer to us than we imagine. They are our spouses, children, co-workers, peers, and managers. Instead of forgiving their trespasses and/or appreciating their qualities, we give them cold love and mostly see the habits that irritate us. Or we just take them for granted.

Many times, we also assume that they know that we love or care about them. However, we rarely, if ever, verbalize our appreciation and gratitude. What do we reap then? What we have sowed: i.e. non-abundance. Our marriage reaches a plateau or sinks, our children hate us or seek (destructive) love substitutes, we hate our work or manager, and have a miserable life in which we cannot savor each moment or appreciate what we have.

However, we can reverse this trend by being thankful in everything and for everything that happens to us. Gratitude helps us overcome adversity and opens the tap of abundance in our lives. The more we express our gratitude, the more abundance flows into our lives:

• It enables us to redirect our thoughts and emotions;

• It empowers us to face our difficulties, trials, and tribulations head-on instead of running away from them;

• It gives us inner peace;

• It heals us;

• It turns what we have into enough and more;

• It saves us from destruction;

• It helps us remember what is important in life;

• It transforms the worst situation into a stepping stone;

• It opens our eyes to the great future that is in front of us;

• It gives us hope;

• And it reminds us that we are of infinite worth.

In short, gratitude can change our life completely for the better. It is so simple - perhaps too simple - that many people overlook the great power that resides in it. Let’s not be ashamed of using a simple solution. Let’s make the most out of our lives.

Finally, let’s always remember that Jesus knows how our lives will unfold and that He is the best-placed person to help us. As Hebrews 4:5 reminds us, He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin! We can therefore be grateful that He sacrificed himself and overcame the world so that we could have an abundant life.

As Epictetus said, we are wise when we do not grieve for the things which we do not have, but rejoice for those which we have! When we feel that we have nothing or that there is no more hope, then we can count on Jesus (and His unfailing love) to lift us up. His power is freely available to all who believe in Him, without exception. With Him there are no hopeless situations. If this is not grounds to be grateful, then what would be?

SUMMARY AND ACTION PLAN

In writing this book, my overriding motive is to help you unlock abundance in your life. You will therefore find below a brief summary of the steps explained in part three. Remind yourself of these powerful tools each day, and use them with every choice you make. You will then achieve true abundance, as willed by God.

RENEW YOUR MIND AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY (key scriptures: Romans 12:2, Proverbs 23:6-7, Colossians 3:2). Examine your heart and mind and cleanse it of doubt and negativity.

1. Love yourself. Never forget that we are all children of God and that there can be no doubt that He loves us, despite our shortcomings. When we accept the love of God, we will come to see ourselves as He sees us.

2. Think positive. It is only a cliché because it is so important. When you catch yourself thinking negatively, take a step back and…

3. Focus on higher things. The media is awash with tales of the rich and famous spiraling into depression. When we see that achieving our earthly goals cannot bring us the abundance we seek, we free ourselves to bask in God’s love.

4. Activate the power of forgiveness. Resenting yourself and others sows seeds of bitterness in your mind. It is for the Lord to judge. If you cleanse your mind of resentment, you increase your capacity to give and receive love.

5. Overcome guilt. Guilt is a powerful and natural emotion. It is healthy to feel guilt… when it prompts you to seek forgiveness. Having sought (and received) forgiveness, do not allow guilt to linger on in your heart and mind.

ACTIVATE THE LAW OF HARVEST (key scriptures: Proverbs 21:21, Proverbs 29:11, Galatians 6:7-9). Plant seeds of faith and positivity…and you will reap what you sow.

1. Start with emotional seeds. Emotions are the prime cause of both thought and action. By renewing your mind at every opportunity, you are planting emotional seeds that will bear fruits of abundance for yourself and others.

2. Use your talents to plant seeds. Everyone, let me repeat, everyone has innate God-given talents. Strive to identify them, and naturally, you will reap and sow abundance.

3. Use your time wisely. Identify key time-wasting activities in your life (e.g. worrying, indecision, telephone, shopping, etc.) and avoid them whenever you can. And remember, time management isn’t just about work!

4. Plant seeds with your wealth. The Bible tells us point blank that “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25) It couldn’t be clearer.

5. Follow up with action. If you follow steps one through four vigorously, you will naturally be planting fruitful seeds with your actions.

REGULARLY REPOT YOURSELF (Key Scriptures: James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 5:5, Romans 5:3-4).

This is all about growing as a person. Trials and tribulations exist so we can grow, mature, and improve. In order to enter into your abundance land, you must face adversity with valour. However, don’t try to run before you can walk! Look for the signs that you are ready to move into a bigger pot (e.g. when your challenges are too easily overcome), then seek out and persevere through greater challenges with faith and humility.

EXPRESS GRATITUDE (key scriptures: Psalm 13, Colossians 3:17, Philippians 4:11-12). Thanksgiving is the antidote to destructive pride.

1. Do not fall into the trap of constant desire. It is natural to desire things in life, but some people make the mistake of thinking that happiness lies in “more.” If we don’t appreciate what we have, we will always be seeking, and never feel contentment.

2. Never forget the story of Job. It is hard to imagine a worse barrage of hardships in life than those experienced by Job. However, through his simple faith and gratitude, our Lord gave him more than he had before.

3. Constantly search for things to be grateful for. We often dwell on the negative, but even in the deepest depths of despair, the beauty of creation is all around us - in every flower, tree, sunset, sunrise, etc.

4. Express your gratitude through words and deeds. Gratitude is one of the most powerful seeds that we can plant. If we fail to translate it into words and deeds we do ourselves (and others) a great disservice.

5. Each crisis in your life is an opportunity to strengthen your faith muscles. By facing crises with a heart filled with gratitude, our adversities ultimately lead us to abundance.

Overall, never forget that Rome wasn’t built in a day. If we want to compete in the Olympics, it isn’t enough that we understand the techniques of our sport - we must practice. And if we practice these steps to abundance, as surely as a dedicated athlete can achieve great physical feats, so too can we achieve great feats in the world, in the name of the Lord.

PART FOUR: THE KEY ABUNDANCE DESTRUCTION FACTORS

DESTRUCTION FACTOR 1: DOUBTING GOD’S LOVE

Do you believe that God loves you? If you do, then you are on the right track and should increasingly come to experience the fullness of life as you let the key abundance success factors work for you. However, if you are like the many people who do not, then you are at high risk of seeing little or no abundance flow into your life. Why? Because your doubts will inevitably corner you into unbelief as time passes by. This will prevent you from receiving God’s love and His forgiveness, as well as what He longs to do in your life. You will therefore doubt his Word as well as the spiritual laws that are at work in this world. As a result, you will not make the key abundance success factors work for you. In the end, you will have anything in your life but abundance, which will strengthen in your mind the idea that God does not love you. From there on, a destructive, self-reinforcing, and self-inflected loop will dictate how your life unfolds until you dive in and accept God’s love.

Why is it so difficult for many people to accept the fact that God loves them? There are various reasons. Let’s look here at the five most critical ones:

1) Sin. Almost everybody believes that God hates sin and that God classifies many of the things we do as sin. They are then convinced that God cannot love them because of their sins. The worse the sins they commit, the more they believe that God cannot love them. They feel that they have not done enough good in their lives to be worthy of God’s love. Many are trying to earn God’s love. They keep trying to do good works but feel that they never succeed in doing enough, as sins always pop up in their life and seem to require more good works to offset their negative effect. They are then frustrated; they either give up trying or continue this never-ending compensation process all through their lives. Either way, they never reach the abundance land and enter into fellowship with God.

What most people do not understand is that: a) although God hates sin, He loves sinners; and b) we are all sinners and unable to pay the price for our redemption. The whole of humanity inherited sin from the original sin of Adam and Eve. It is a hereditary disease and, without exception, we all get it at birth. This may seem unfair, but sin - as is the case with many other hereditary diseases - is passed from one generation to the next. As people, we have no control over this “passing” process.

However, God found a solution to this hereditary disease that separates us from Him and subjects us to death. God gave us the 10 commandments, not to punish us, but to help us see that we suffer from a hereditary sickness. Isn’t this love?

Indeed, how can we have any chance of seeking a solution for a disease we have if we do not know that we are sick? For this, we need a diagnostic tool. What is this diagnostic tool? The 10 commandments! If one is totally honest while going through the diagnostic, then one will realize that sin is present in one’s life. Without this knowledge, we would not seek the remedy. And without the remedy, we would have no way of escaping the consequences of the sickness we inherited: spiritual death. However, as Romans 5:8 shows us, God demonstrated His love for us when (while we were still sick) Christ died for us to have eternal life.

Do we fully comprehend what God did for us? He made available to us not just the diagnostic tool, but also the remedy for our disease. To be conquered, sin had to have its evil power destroyed by the death of a sinless person who would take upon him all the sins of the world and resurrect. As we are all infected at birth, no human being could fulfill this role. This is why God had to send His only son to die for us. Thanks to the actions that God took, all we have to do now to overcome our hereditary condition is to believe in Jesus. There is nothing else that we can do to be free from the power of our sickness. In fact, we are so important to Him that He did, and continues to do, everything possible to show us that we are suffering from a mortal disease and to bring us to Jesus, the solution. And the best is yet to come: we can all go through the treatment for free. If this is not love, then what is it?

What we must realize is that it doesn’t matter how much sin has progressed in our lives, we can at any time undergo the treatment and be cured. Of course, the sooner we are treated, the faster we will march on the abundance path and enjoy the presence of God in our lives. Sin is just a manifestation of our disease. The world classifies sins depending on how serious they are: a murderer, for example, usually receives a harsher sentence than a thief or a liar. However, for God a sin is a sin. The level and number of sins that we commit is just an indication of how far our hereditary disease has progressed in our lives.

When we understand that we have all inherited the disease called sin, then we will no longer feel bad about ourselves, condemned or guilty. Indeed, there was absolutely nothing that we could have done in order not to have caught this disease when we were born. Isn’t it liberating to see this reality? We can then acknowledge our sickness without being scared, worried, or traumatized. We can cure ourselves at anytime we want while we are alive. All we have to do is to accept Jesus into our lives and receive God’s love.

Many people stop loving their partner when marriage difficulties arise. However, God’s love is constant and unconditional. And He is prepared to do anything possible to save us and bring us back to the abundance track. He does not force us to undergo His treatment, but leaves it to us to choose whether we want to be cured. This is real love. Indeed, love does not force, but gives choices. If we can receive God’s love and put aside our pride, then we will be saved and enjoy an abundant life.

We should never let our inside voice tell us that we are lost and incapable of being loved and forgiven by God because of the long list of the sins that we have committed. There is power in the blood of Jesus! As Colossians 2:13-15 shows us, when we believe in Jesus, God makes us spiritually alive, forgives us, cancels our debt and disarms the powers of sin. In other words, we are no longer slaves to sin (i.e. subject to the destroying power of our hereditary sickness that had taken control of our life), but justified and redeemed. God knows that until we receive His treatment, we can do nothing but sin. How then could sin prevent Him from loving us? It can’t, because if it did, then God would love no one on earth. The truth is that God loves us because of who we are (His creations), not because of what we do or achieve. We just need to accept and receive His never-ending love for us. Let’s never forget what 1 John 4:8 says about love, “whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

2) The wrong image of God. How many people do not understand that God is a God of love, regardless of all the bad things that happen on earth? Too many, unfortunately. It is easy to look at the cruelty, misery, unfairness and injustice that is prevalent in the world and accuse God of being unloving, standing by and doing nothing to stop this from happening. Yes, billions of people starve to death. Yes, billions have no access to drinkable water. Yes, millions of children are tortured, raped, or forced to prostitute themselves each year. Yes, millions die from the consequences of their addictions every year. And yes, the ones who deliberately “sin” often seem to have a good life and riches. The list could go on and on. It is true that when we see things through our own eyes, we can quickly jump to the conclusion that God does not love the world.

However, all the “bad” things that we see are the result of the inherited sickness we suffer from, and that pushes humanity to selfishness, self-love, self-interest, and pride to name just a few. What is happening is simple: the “cancer” cells are just spreading and making their effects known. Did God want them to progress and give birth to misery, cruelty, and death? No! The truth is that He developed an effective and robust treatment more than 2,000 years ago that can cure us all. However, unless people willingly follow the treatment, our hereditary disease will continue to advance and be the cause of all evil in the world.

The fact is that it is sin that is causing the cruelty and misery in the world, not God. We cannot blame Him for this. Sin entered the world because of us, not because of God. Yet, He did not forsake us. He does everything possible to make us aware of the presence of sin in our life. And He doesn’t stop there: He also gives us the information and means to protect ourselves from the power of sin.

As a loving father, He did His part. However, we have to do ours: i.e. believe in Jesus! If we do not, then we have to assume the consequences of our decisions. As Jeremiah 15:21 shows us, “God wants to save us from the hands of the wicked and redeem us from the grasp of the cruel.” God is love, but do we love ourselves enough to take his salvation offer? This is the real question!

3) Adversity, trials, and tribulations. Many people have a wrong view of love. They believe that if God really loved them, then they would never have to go through adversity. Even Christians come to doubt the love of God when they go through storms. Just as AIDS does not disappear from the world because I wear a condom and maintain my non-infection status, sin is not removed from the world when I accept Jesus. In both cases, what happens is that the power of the disease is negated in my life. In other words, sin is still present in the world, but I do not have to be under its dominion as long as I rest in Jesus and activate the power of His blood in my life. This is why God could not promise to Christians that they would not go through tests, trials, and tribulations while they are on earth, a world where sin is present (and increasingly so nowadays). However, as we have already seen, more often than not, the purpose of the trials and tribulations that we go through is to help us claim more abundance in our life, not to hurt us.

Romans 8:28 reveals to us that God will ultimately turn around for our good the “bad” things that happen to us. The story of Joseph illustrates this best. Joseph was the favorite and eleventh son of Jacob, a key patriarch of the faith. Over a 13 year period, he experienced all sorts of wrong-doings (from jealousy and rejection to being sold as a slave by his own brothers to being put in jail for a crime he didn’t commit), before being elevated to second in command over all of Egypt. Can you imagine what would have gone through your mind if you had been in the shoes of Joseph? Why is all of this happening to me? What did I do wrong to deserve such a “bad” treatment? Why is God not intervening? When will it be over? Maybe Joseph had similar thoughts. However, he kept serving the Lord with a pure heart and exercising his faith muscles, even thought he did not fully understand where all this would lead him to.

What helped Joseph keep his faith? The plan that God had shared with him through the dreams he had had when he was a child. Joseph had hope - hope that the plan of God would be realized one day - even though he did not know when, or what exactly the plan was about. The fact is that God rarely tells us our plan from A to Z. Why? To enable us to demonstrate our faith and put our trust in Him! Indeed, if we knew our plan perfectly and in all details, there would be no place for faith!

What did Joseph say to his brothers after the plan of God had been realized? “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” With the benefit of hindsight, he could appreciate all the things that God had done to ensure that the plan for his life would be fulfilled no matter what people did to him. He then came to understand that all the years of tests and tribulations served a purpose: to prepare him for becoming the governor of Egypt. In this position, Joseph helped a family of 70 people become a nation of millions! Whenever we are navigating in rough seas, we must never lose sight of the fact that God remains in control. We must never doubt this reality, as well as His unfailing love for us.

Throughout the Bible, we see that being a Christian does not exempt us from such “bad” things as sickness, the tragic loss of a spouse or child, economic or social adversity, jealousy, abandonment, mockery, persecution, and so on. Although we often do not understand why such things happen, we must believe that they serve a good purpose. Isn’t it easy for us to start doubting that God loves us when things do not go as we wished? Doesn’t a three-year-old child cry when his father takes away from him the sharp-knife that he grabbed from the table and started to play with? Isn’t a teenager frustrated or mad when his mom tells him to study or clean his room instead of spending his time surfing the net or playing games on his latest console? Do the parents who always rescue their kids from mistakes do them a favor in the long run? No.

Whether we like it or not, we are often like three-year-old kids (or at best teenagers) for God. We believe we know everything and what is good for us, when in fact we do not even know that we are sick! Human beings believe that they are smart because of the many technological and scientific discoveries that they have made over the centuries. However, there are still millions of things about which we still have no clue.

Let’s not fall into the trap of judging God, who is the only one who has the BIG picture. If we really love our children, then sometimes the only way to save them from the bad tracks that they are following is to let them suffer the consequences of their actions. Yes, it hurts as parents to see our children going the wrong way. However, isn’t it true that, very often, the more you tell them how bad the roads they have taken are, the more determinedly they march on those roads? God is love and will do whatever it takes to bring His children back to the right track. He patiently gives us many chances along the way, and also allows for a certain margin of error. However, there will be a time when the consequences of our actions catch up to us. This is inevitable.

During the time of Noah, God saw how pervasive wickedness had become, and decided to wipe out humanity from the face of the earth. Many people believe that a loving God would not have done such a terrible act. However, what those people overlook is that God did not leave people in the dark. He told them what would happen and how they could escape the flood. He gave them not one year, not one decade, but 120 years to repent and embark on the ark that Noah was going to build. During that time, Noah preached righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), invited them to repent, and built the ark.

However, no one repented! Some persons believe that not everybody could hear the salvation message of Noah, and that God was therefore unfair or unloving. However, this is not true. At the time of Noah, everybody must have been living close-by, as God had not yet scattered human beings all over the earth; this happened much latter, at the time of the tower of Babel. (Genesis 11:1-8) Hence, everybody was close enough to where Noah was living for the news to have spread by word of mouth. Besides, who wouldn’t have heard of Noah’s huge ark, which was constructed in the middle of a dry land with no access to a waterway? If anything, people must have made fun of him. There is no doubt that everybody heard one way or another about Noah and his ark.

What did God do during the 120-year countdown? As 1 Peter 3:20 shows us, He waited patiently and hoped that people would change and repent. However, God had to make good on His promise of discipline or else He risked undermining His authority. Did He really want people to die? Do loving parents really want to enforce the consequences of the rules they have put in place for the benefit of their children? Don’t they wish that their children would switch lanes? Oh yes! God hoped that people would change their behavior once they knew the price they would have to pay for misbehaving.

God's purpose in the flood was not to kill people, but to eliminate wickedness as much as possible. When the time finally arrived, God reluctantly closed the door of the ark as Genesis 7:16 shows us. What we see here is that it is not Noah who decided when the door would be closed, but God himself, which demonstrates to us that He remained in full control of what was happening. The bare truth is that people refused to believe in Noah’s message of salvation. God tried his best to gain the attention of the people before the rain started, but they would not listen. As regrettable as it is, their unrepentant wickedness left no choice to God but to hold them accountable for their choice! The people were too proud to acknowledge that they needed God; they could not see that they were dying – they wrongly thought that they were self-sufficient and in full control of their lives. How wrong they were!

Throughout the Bible, we see that God used prophets to warn nations that He would reject or even damn them if they did not repent. Can we take this to infer that God is anything but a loving and forgiving God? No. Because behind all the displays of supposed rejection and harshness, we find a loving God that is ready to discipline His children so that He can continue to bless them (i.e. help them be cured of their inherited disease) and ensure that they have an abundant life. In Jonah 3:4, we see clearly that God told the Ninevites that He would destroy them all in 40 days because of their wickedness. The message that Jonah gave them contained no hope whatsoever.

What did the Ninevites then immediately do? They earnestly sought God, repented, and turned from their evil ways. What happened? Did God execute His death sentence? No. Jonah 3:10 tells us that when God saw their honest repentance, “He had compassion for them and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened.” What we see in this story is that God loves everyone, not just a few people, and that He is concerned when our inherited disease is developing too much in our lives and we are nearing spiritual death! He wants to save us.

Many times, God has had no choice but to get our attention by allowing trials, disasters, plagues, and tribulations to open our eyes and enable us to hear His message of deliverance and abundance. However, what the book of Jonah shows us is that even when God pronounces the worst possible sentence against a nation or an individual, there is always hope. “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.” (Jeremiah 18:7)

What we must understand is that love and discipline go hand in hand. People who do not love themselves rarely discipline themselves. Parents who do not love their children rarely discipline them. A mother who does not love her unborn child will not discipline herself to stop smoking or drinking. It is love that gives us the ability, the courage, and the willingness to discipline our children, to teach them righteousness, and to help them find the path of abundance.

God could have exercised his authority (as well as powers) to find a way to make everybody repent. By doing so, He would have enforced authoritatively and unilaterally the repentance, and would thus have violated our freewill. What would have happened? There would have been inner rebellion within many of the people who were forced to obey and repent. They would have repented, but not out of their freewill. We can tell our children, for example, not to take drugs because it is bad for them. We might be able to enforce this rule while they are in our houses. However, can we do so when they are at school or with their friends? No. Authoritarian discipline is easy to enforce, but difficult to uphold.

Had people at the time of Noah loved themselves (and God), they would have repented and would have been able to lead abundant lives. Through the great flood, God proved His love, not His hatred! This event also served a purpose, as 1 Corinthians 10:11 reveals: “these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the age has come.” We should not expect God to do the things that we are responsible for doing. Freewill is an enormous privilege, but carries with it tremendous responsibility. Let’s not underestimate it.

4) Not feeling loved. Some people feel that God cannot love them. Many feel this because they were born in a family where they were not loved. Maybe they have been verbally, physically, or sexually abused by one or both of their parents, had a father or mother who constantly put them down, experienced parents who never spent quality time with them, or who never told them that they were loved. As a result, they feel that no one really loves them, not even God. For others, nothing seriously dramatic or traumatic has happened to them, but they nevertheless feel that God does not love them for tons of different reasons (e.g. prayers that are left unanswered, unfairness of life, etc.).

Whatever the root cause, most people come to the conclusion that God cannot love them because if He did, then their lives would be very different and He would have long since intervened in their lives to change its course. When we are confronted with such feelings, it is important that we realize that we may strongly feel something (e.g. not being loved by God) that is not true at all. Indeed, feelings are known for deceiving us, for giving us the illusion of a reality that is simply not there.

• How many actresses feel ugly even though they are gorgeous and admired by millions of people?

•  How many people feel poor even though they are rich? How many teenage girls nowadays feel overweight when, in fact, they are underweight?

•  How many people felt that a person was honest with them when in fact they were being lied to?

•  How many people feel hopeless when they can have a great future with Jesus?

What these examples show us is that our feelings (or emotions) can be very deceptive and produce a distorted and inaccurate picture of reality. Conclusion: no matter how strongly we feel something, unless our feelings are aligned with the underlying facts, we are at great risk of being deceived if we do not take control of our feelings. Just as it is wrong to ignore our feelings or emotions, it is also wrong to ignore the facts of reality. We cannot dwell so much on our feelings that we lose sight of reality and do not check whether our feelings are supported by real facts. When our feelings or emotions do not agree with the facts, we must take control of them and discipline them.

Whether we feel loved or not by God does not change the underlying fact that God loves us. Accepting this reality should not be based on feelings or emotions, but on a choice that we make. In God’s world, giving or receiving love is first a choice, then an emotion. In fact, the more we get to know Him, the more our love for Him grows. And the less we receive His love, the more we try to find it in things or people who will never be able to satisfy our thirst for “unconditional” love. The fact is that God has chosen to love us; He was not forced to do so. He decided to love us when He created us and showed it when He sent His only son to die for us so that we could have an eternal and abundant life.

The Bible clearly shows us that love is a command, and as such we can either obey or disobey it. In Matthew 22:35-40, we hear the story of a Pharisee who was an expert in the law and who asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment. Jesus replied that the first and greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with our entire mind. He went on to add that the second was to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. He then concluded by saying that the whole law could be summarized by these two commandments. What this critical passage reveals to us is that unconditional love (i.e. agape love) is not an emotion or feeling, but a choice: the choice to obey or disobey God’s commandments.

As loving God is a choice, so is receiving God’s love. We must all personally decide whether we accept God’s love or reject it. God will not hold a gun to our head and force us to receive His love. He leaves it to us to decide. Without choice, there is no true love. If I base my love for God on my feelings or emotions, then I will experience highs and lows in my life. However, this is not the type of love that God wants from us; it would be a conditional and roller-coaster love, not an unreserved and assured one! Our love for God should not blossom when things are going well and nose-dive when we navigate in rough seas.

The truth is that the more storms we have in our lives, the more we need God’s love to overcome them. Otherwise, we will fall prey to worry, anger, pain, fear, depression, discouragement, and so on. Our feelings and emotions change. We change. People change. Our circumstances change. The world changes. However, God’s love for us never changes. It may be hard for us to understand this, but God loves murderers as much as He loves the most devout of saints. Why is this possible? Because we are all sick and suffering from the same disease. It is just that for some people, the sickness has not progressed as much as for others.

What we must realize is that when we do not feel loved by God, it is very often due to the fact that we do not spend enough time with Him. The bible teaches us that we cannot have two masters: “Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13) In this scripture money means more than just coins and notes; it also refers to worldly things. Would I show true love if I said to my wife that I love her 360 days a year and that the remaining days I love 20 other women? Will I feel loved if my wife spent all her time either at work or with our children?

Even if we have accepted God’s love, we will experience days when we feel His love less than others. This is natural. However, when this happens, instead of launching a self-pity party or feeling unlovable, we must just spend time with Him. How? By praying, studying His word, being grateful for the things He has already done in our lives, and by giving more room to the Holy Spirit in our heart. Let’s never forget that the fruit of the Spirit includes love! Success in our love walk with God rests on spending quality time with Him; the more we do so, the more our love for Him will grow. Additionally, let’s always remember that “we love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

Let’s not fall into the trap of defining love as the world does. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is a good guide of what love is and is not: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.”

If having love, hope, and faith is important, 1 Corinthians 13:13 makes it very clear that love is the greatest of the three. Accepting God’s unconditional love is crucial to our well-being as people and Christians. It is what makes our lives worth living. Love is what energizes and motivates us to go through life and see our glass as half-full and not half-empty. Too many people are searching for love in the wrong places when only God can quench their thirst for love. This is why millions of people end up feeling frustrated, disappointed, lonely, or worn out. Furthermore, without receiving God’s love, we will not really be able to love others; indeed, we cannot give away what we do not have. Our first desire should therefore be to fill our hearts with the unconditional love of God until it flows through us to others. We do not have to do anything to earn the love of God; He loves us as we are. Now, the question is: can you accept this simple fact and act accordingly?

5) Believing we are insignificant. The truth is that each one of us is important to God; He has no favorites. As Ephesians 1:4-5 reveals to us, God had chosen us through Jesus Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight, and He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus. Did we get this? He personally chose to adopt each one of us and to shower His love upon us. Unlike parents who sometimes did not desire their child, people who adopt a child really want him or her. Hence, the fact that we have been adopted shows us how special we are in God’s heart. We were not a mistake: our days are written in God’s book. (Psalm 139:15-16) He determined the exact time of our birth and where we would live! (Acts 17:26)

Does God have a plan for each one of us? Absolutely. Jeremiah 29:11 could not be clearer on this issue: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The Bible also shows us that nothing can separate us from His love (John 8:37-39). Matthew 6:25-30 makes it very clear that God wants to develop His children; He is the potter and we are the clay. (Jeremiah 18:5-6)

As we saw earlier on, God prepared Joseph to become governor over Egypt. (Acts 7:9-10) He chose Jeremiah to be a prophet before He formed him in the womb. (Jeremiah 1:4-5) He asked Amos - a shepherd with no particular qualifications - to prophesy to Israel. He hand-picked and prepared David to become King of Israel. He selected the Apostle Peter to be the rock upon which He would build His Church, even though he denied Jesus Christ three times! He mightily used Paul - who persecuted Christians in his earlier life - to write a large part of the New Testament and to evangelize the gentiles. What we must realize is that He can (and wants to) do the same for us; we just have to trust Him and let Him use us.

We may not feel His love at times, but it does not mean that He has stopped loving us. He is longing to have a deep personal relationship with each one of us through Jesus. (John 17:23) No one is too young or old, too rich or poor, too strong or weak, too smart or stupid, too educated or uninstructed to be loved by God. God takes pleasure in using those who are despised by the world, in order to shame it. (1 Corinthians 1:27) We should never believe that we are not good enough to be used by God.

Would a (sensible) company let go of an employee that it had spent one million to recruit and several million others to develop? No. This is the same for God. He has bought us at a huge price and is developing us without counting the costs. Having invested so much in us, He can only cherish us. We are important to Him. We may not feel loved by those who surround us (our husband/wife, children, boss, company, or friends), but to God we are of infinite value. Hence, He will never forsake us as the Bible clearly reveals. He loves us unconditionally and as any father, He rejoices when we grow, when we can assume more responsibility, and when we are opening the taps of abundance. We are not one in a billion; we are very special and unique to Him.

It is our responsibility to make sure that our self-images correspond to the one that God has for us. The two should match. Whenever they do not, we end up suffering for nothing. It is as if we had inherited $100 million, but still felt poor!

We should not live feeling unloved. If we do, then we must start to renew our minds in this area as soon as possible. How? By reading the Word of God and discovering what it says about us, by praying for a revelation about who we are in Jesus Christ, and by studying how God develops His children.

Let us not make the mistake of the Israelites who died in the desert because they did not appreciate the love of God that was protecting, feeding, preparing, and guiding them. They felt like “grasshoppers” when they should have felt like ambassadors vested with powers to overcome the impossible. (Numbers 13:33) They based their self-image not on God, – after all, we are created in His image – but on how the Egyptians viewed them (as slaves).

By not letting the love of God penetrate their hearts, they never took possession of the Promised Land. Let’s not make the same mistake again and again!

When we come to Jesus, many of us need to change our self-image and take the one God sees when He looks at us. It is not always easy to do so, but if we keep renewing our mind, then day after day our self-image will come to reflect what God says about us.

The bear truth is that God is love (1 John 4:8;16) and that we are loved by Him, whether we feel it or not. He knows each one of us individually and loves us all personally. We should not let feelings of insignificance raise doubts in our minds. Instead of feeling unloved and throwing self-pity parties, we must develop and implement strategies to increase of net worth. This is the only thing that will give us the emotional clarity and self-confidence that we need to know that God loves us. Yes, He loves me. And yes, He loves YOU.

How do we know when a person loves us? When they spend quality time with us, when they are ready to give more than they receive, when they are prepared to make sacrifices, when we know that they will stand by us no matter what happens to us or what we do. Hasn’t God demonstrated this and much more to us? Hasn’t He shown us that He has not abandoned us and is not indifferent to our fate? Throughout the Bible, we see that God has linked Himself to us in an unconditional and lasting love. Why not just accept this fact and receive His love? The truth is that we will never love ourselves as He loves us. His love for us is infinite, ever-lasting, and healing.

Developing the fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22 is an important scripture for Christians. If we want to enjoy the abundant life that Jesus died for us to have, then we must absolutely develop the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we remember how Paul defined love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, then we see that the fruit of the Spirit can be summarized in just one word: love. Is this a surprise? No. God is love, and since the Holy Spirit is God, it is only natural that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love. What we see here is that the chief purpose of the Holy Spirit is to help us develop those characteristics of love that will help us withstand pressure, navigate in rough seas, and go through stormy situations: patience, self-control, peace, joy, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness, and goodness. Do we fully understand what it means? That God the Father, knowing that we would go through tough times and adversity in this lost world, has equipped us with the tools that we need to be victors and not victims, to be conquerors and not losers. Doesn’t He show again His immense love for us here?

Let’s take the following four characteristics of love: joy, patience, peace, and self-control. Aren’t they essential if we are to cultivate the habits of long suffering, not giving up, standing up to pressure, and seeing the plan of God realized in our lives? YES, without the shadow of a doubt. Love is what propels faith - what gives it power. We should not be easily swayed by our emotions or the situations we are facing. We must stand firm on the promises of God, and fight the good fight of faith even if we do not know everything in details. All we need to know is that we are equipped to fight the toughest fights we can possibly face in life. Love and faith are our weapons and ammunition against the Devil and the world, where selfishness and lust are rampant.

Can we all receive the fruit of the Holy Spirit if we want to? Yes! How? The Apostle Paul shows us in 1 Corinthians 12:13 that we receive it the moment we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord; "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."

Romans 8:9 further declares that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, then he does not belong to Christ: "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."

What the previous two scriptures tell us clearly is that our embracing of the fruit of the Spirit occurs at the moment of our salvation. What we must understand, however, is that the filling of the Spirit is an ongoing process in our Christian lives. The more we are filled with the Spirit, the more we will feel loved and the more we will overcome successfully the attacks that Satan will launch against us and pass the tests that God has prepared for us.

As Dale Carnegie once beautifully summarized, “inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” As with faith, love is a decision that requires some actions. The minute we accept Jesus, our love bank account will receive credit after credit if we keep our heart open to Him. As the credits boost our love bank account, we will feel more confident in God’s love and become “overcomers.” A positive self-reinforcing loop will then become effective in our lives. It all starts with a decision: are you ready to accept God’s love now?

Doubt and faith go hand in hand

We can never use doubt as an excuse for adopting a sinful behavior and for not repenting and asking for forgiveness. Rather than using our doubts to sin, we should use them to grow in faith. King David or the Apostle Thomas, for example, willingly expressed their doubts and showed us that we can use them as a vehicle of faith. When we study the Bible carefully, we quickly come to the conclusion that all the men of great faith (such as Abraham, King David and the Apostles) went through some periods of doubt. It showed that they were spiritually alive. They did not deny or avoid their doubts. However, they moved past their doubts into positive actions. They asked questions and earnestly sought answers. And they found them!

The Apostle Thomas is often labeled the “doubting” Apostle as he refused to believe the second-hand reports that he was hearing about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and demanded empirical proof. (see John 20:25) How did Jesus react to such doubt? Did he reject him, and try to make him feel bad for doubting or condemn him? No, the opposite, He welcomed him: “put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27)

In Matthew 7:7, Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” God had already told His people to do the same in the Old Testament: “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29) Proverbs 8:17 also reveals to us that God loves those who love Him and that those who seek Him will find Him.

We are therefore invited to inquire, to ask questions, to seek answers, to knock at the door. We should not feel bad when we entertain doubts; we should wrestle with our doubts and move into positive action. Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 why God is asking us to do so; it is because faith comes from hearing the word of Christ. And we hear Him best when we are active - i.e. asking, seeking and knocking!

Is faith the opposite of doubt? No, because as we have already seen faith is the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) The opposite of doubt is certainty, and certainty does not go with faith. Indeed, once we are certain of a thing, then there is no place for faith. This is why Jesus said in John 20:29; “Because you have seen me, you have believed; but blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” In fact, we start to have faith when we have 50.1 percent more belief than doubt.

Doubt is a tool whose purpose is to help us move beyond the 50 percent mark and towards the maximum score of 100 percent, at which point we have complete assurance and certainty. In doing so, we will have taken huge leaps of faith. What we see is that faith is believing, despite having doubt or incomplete information! Now, we must be aware that God wants us to gain an absolute certainty about the following three critical areas as soon as possible:

• His existence,

• His unfailing and unconditional love for us, and

• Our salvation, once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior.

A Christian should ask, seek, and knock as much as he needs to gain an absolute certainty that God exists, that He loves him, and that Jesus died (and resurrected) for him to have an eternal and abundant life. These are the three pillars that enable Christians to assume their role in the kingdom of God. If there are cracks in one of these pillars, then God knows that we will be handicapped and unable to fulfill our mission.

For the reasons we saw earlier on, the second pillar of love is regrettably often missing in Christians. They are then not living in victory and make only a few development steps: the great plan that God had for them is then mostly unrealized. Thus, it is no wonder that they feel unfulfilled and in a constant need to seek love substitutes. They are saved, but operate at a fraction of their God-given potential.

Doesn’t the Word of God say it is impossible to please Him without faith? Yes. Hebrews 11:6 could not be clearer on this important topic: “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Will I then be able to please God if I have complete assurance on the three pillars? Oh yes. To obey God and do His will, we will definitively need to have faith. It is faith that will enable us to overcome our fears and do whatever God is asking us to do. The Bible shows us unequivocally that we will go during our Christian life through tests, trials, and tribulations. We will therefore have many opportunities to please God.

The traditional church told believers for centuries (and even today unfortunately) that there is no place for doubt in the life of a believer; that it is bad, evil, and even sinful to do so. As always, the theologians who advocate(ed) this doctrine are not entirely wrong. However, they are not fully right either. The truth is that faith and doubt work together, and that doubt can either pull us in the right direction or leave us in a state of unbelief. Once again, we must make a choice. Either we ask, seek, and knock and move beyond the 50 percent threshold, or remain in defeat. What is sure is that at some point, we must pass this threshold and enter into the world of faith. Otherwise, we will not reach our abundance land.

This process (from doubt to faith and faith to certainty) is called the faith process, and applies to every aspect of our Christian lives. If I am sick and believe with faith that God can heal me (even though I do not know how), then God will be able to act and take the actions needed to start the healing process.

As I recognize the signs that indicate that the healing process has started, then my faith will naturally increase. When the healing process is completed and I am no longer sick, I will now gain the knowledge and assurance that God can heal me. This will enable me to move more rapidly beyond the 50 percent threshold next time I fall sick or pass other testing times.

The more I successfully go through this faith process, the more faith I will be able to have, and the more “mountains” I will be able to move. There will never be a time on this earth when we no longer need to exercise our faith muscles. We must remember that when we have conquered the trials and tribulations that come with our pots, God will ensure that we move to other pots that will test again our faith. He knows too well that if we stop exercising our faith muscles, we can lose everything, including our salvation.

Do not be afraid of asking, seeking and knocking! God does not want us to accept everything He says at face value. He wants us to question and to inquire so that we can move beyond the 50 percent threshold. Didn’t Paul tell the Thessalonians to examine everything? Isn’t it good to challenge a preacher from time to time? Oh yes, because towards the end of times, false preachers will appear like mushrooms. God does not want His people to have a naïve and credulous faith and misplace their belief. The Apostle Thomas was not the only one who doubted the resurrection: the other Apostles did not believe Mary Magdalene either when she told them that she had seen the resurrected Jesus. They only believed it when Jesus appeared to them! Did they still have to exercise their faith muscles afterwards? Oh yes, very much so! The plan that God had for them was anything but easy; they all died a martyr’s death! So, we should not feel guilty if we doubt God’s love for us.

When in doubt, all we have to do is to ask, seek, and knock so that we too can increase our knowledge and move beyond the 50 percent threshold. Jesus invites us to inquire and discover the truth, because He knows that it will set us free. As long as we remain in the non-truth, we are prisoners and slaves to sin.

Accept this fact once and for all: nothing can separate you from the love of God. It is the love of God that gives you the strength to wait, the courage to overcome your fears and doubts, and the ability to exercise your faith muscles. Never forget that without love, your foundation as a Christian will be full of cracks.

I hope you have now overcome your doubts on this Christian pillar and that you are marching towards full certainty. Yes, God loves you unconditionally. You do not have to try to earn His love; He deeply loves you just as you are right now. Do not allow feelings of not being loved to continue to drive you into the D-syndrome land; simply receive God’s love and your need to feel loved and accepted will be completely met.

Do not look elsewhere, for you will only be disappointed and frustrated. The fact is that our inherited disease has rendered us blind. Only Jesus who has eyes that can see and ears that can hear can lead us to the true and unique source of unconditional love: God’s love! It is the only love that can do lasting miracles in our lives, that can wash away our mistakes through forgiveness, and that will give us a vision of victory for our lives, marriages, careers, wealth, and so on.

Today can be the day when you receive the healing and transformative power of God’s love. God wants you to feel special, to bring joy to your life, to shower you with blessings, to give you a new beginning, to turn your past trials into stepping stones, to connect you to new people. Receive His love by faith, fill your heart with it, and see your life changing for the better. God’s love is the answer to all your problems.

DESTRUCTION FACTOR 2: NOT LIVING IN THE PRESENT

When we have received the love of God and understood the spiritual laws that govern our lives and how to leverage them to our advantage, we are walking on the right path. However, our journey will not be without stumbling blocks and traps. A negative spiritual force will do everything possible to ensure that we do not enjoy much abundance. Why? In order to make us doubt God’s love, the power of his forgiveness, and our salvation. What strategies does Satan use to execute its plan? Very simple: it manipulates us into living either in the past or in the future, which prevents us from living in the present, the only time zone during which we can plant seeds and learn contentment.

This is a sad fact, but few people live in the present. They are either stuck in the past - reliving their disappointments, deceptions, disillusions, and defeats - or live exclusively in the future either out of fear or in the expectation that their lives will be better when a particular event has taken place. Either way, they are not enjoying the present, not planting good seeds, and not further unlocking their God-given potential. Not surprisingly, none has lasting victories in their lives. It is therefore critical that we:

• Learn to forgive and forget the past,

• Learn to leave the future in God's hands, and

• Learn the secret of contentment.

Living in the past

Too many people live with excess baggage that pollutes their lives and prevents them from being active and “alive” in the present. They live with a sinful or dreadful past, with things that shame them, with battle scars that do not seem to heal. It is as if they are virtual prisoners of their past. What are the consequences? Their past is replicated in their future. Nothing seems to change for them. Many end up stuck in a rut of misery, adopt a victim mentality, or give up having hope for a better future. They do not realize that the source of their problem resides in the way they deal with their past; they unhealthily hang onto it instead of letting it go completely. How do we do this? We need to know some important truths.

We must realize that we cannot dispose of any excess baggage if we deny that it exists. We therefore need to identify all the past wounds, scars, and hurts that have not been healed yet, give away this destructive load to Jesus, and receive in exchange His love. It is not good for any of us either to keep re-living past events that hurt us or to pretend that they did not happen. The best way to kill something is to stop feeding it. And when I keep re-living an event, I keep it alive and I empower it to affect me.

A secret that we must therefore discover is contained in Ecclesiastes 3, which tells us that there is a time for everything in life: e.g. “a time to weep and a time to laugh,” “a time to keep and a time to throw away,” and “a time for war and a time for peace.” It reveals to us that it is not good for us to stay in a state of defeat, disappointment, hurt, despair, loss, or lack forever. There must come a time when we move forward. What good does it do to berate ourselves for a mistake or a bad choice we made weeks, months, or years ago? Or what good does it do us to continue to hate the one who hurt us? None, rather it keeps us in misery and far from the abundance land. The simple truth is that:

• We all make regrettable mistakes that we wish we had not done.

• People will hurt us or cause us pain for no good apparent reason.

• We will suffer injustice during our lifetime.

• There will be times when we will feel unloved or rejected.

• We are all addicted to something (e.g. work, sadness, wrong types of people, food, shopping, perfectionism, etc.) that hurts us, or those close to us.

• We sin each day.

Do people deliberately want to hurt us? Do we purposefully seek to hurt others? Although it may look differently to the non-initiated eye, the answer to both questions is NO. To understand why this is so, we must remember that we have all inherited a disease at birth and that it progresses in our lives if we do not undergo the only therapy that can cure it: accepting Jesus in our lives.

When our disease is left untreated, we are increasingly susceptible to making destructive sinful acts that hurt people as well as ourselves. In fact, we are unable to defend ourselves successfully against the spreading of sin in our lives without Jesus. What happens then? On one hand, we inexorably end up suffering from the consequences of the progression of the disease in our lives; on the other hand, since many other people are riddled with the disease called sin, we will also be hurt by them. Thus, either through acts of our own or those of others, we will experience pain in our lives. This is a certainty, not a probability!

Which excess baggage do we carry with us?

When seeking to identify the excess baggage that we might be carrying, we often try to identify the big emotional, physical, or psychological hurts that we may have suffered in the past. If you are like me, you won’t find any, which should make you feel good. However, it would be wrong to assume that we have no excess baggage at all to get rid off. In the vast majority of the cases, it is true that we have not been sexually or psychologically abused, or suffered the loss of a parent, child, or sibling due to a tragic accident or endured extreme hardship. Nevertheless, what we often fail to see is that Satan does not need to have us carry a heavy suitcase to make us live in the past. He perfectly knows that a small handbag can do the job. What does such a small handbag usually contain? Wrong attitudes and patterns of behavior that we have developed through our lives, such as:

• A judgmental mindset that is harsh on self and others,

• A perfectionist habit that demands that everything be perfect for us to be happy,

• A fearful spirit that tells us that we will always be in lack,

• A worrying spirit,

• A feeling of not being lovable,

• A sense of abandonment or rejection,

• A belief that we will never be good enough,

• A people-pleasing mentality or an approval addiction,

• An avoidance of conflicts,

• A blaming or victim attitude,

• The belief that busyness equals success,

• A habit of acting as if love is a feeling that comes and goes or as if love if something that must be earned,

• Etc.

The list could go on and on. To gain the victory over our past, we need to become fully aware of the contents of our handbag and how it influences the choices we make each day. Without this awareness, we are blind and continue to repeat our destructive behaviors. How can we then reach the abundance land and have many victories in our life? We must be brutally honest with ourselves and be prepared to face reality. There is no shame, guilt, or condemnation to fear. We can successfully let go of the contents of whatever excess baggage we carry with us. The Bible is full of stories of people who overcame great hardship, injustice, hurts, and pains to claim victory and lead an abundant life. Let’s look at a few.

We have already studied the example of Joseph who suffered rejection, betrayal, and injustice, yet overcame all his past pains to become the person that God intended him to be. Let’s therefore look at another example that should give hope to all those who have had a really bad start in life. In Judges 11, we are told the story of Jephthah who successfully led Israel for six years and fulfilled his God-given destiny. However, his start was anything but a happy one. His past could easily have derailed him. He was fathered during an adulterous encounter with a prostitute, and for this reason his half-brothers rejected him and drove him out of the country. They also wanted to deprive him of his inheritance rights. In short, he suffered rejection, was treated unfairly, and did not receive any love at all. Can you imagine how he must have felt? Abandoned, rejected, not worthy of love, angry, bitter, and hurt.

What usually happens nowadays to the teenagers who have gone through such rejection and abandonment? They join a street gang, release their anger through violent acts, and seek to destroy themselves through various types of addictions. On the surface, it looks like all they want is to be rejected and suffer even more pain. However, the reality is different. They are prisoners of their past, and without knowing it searching deeply and desperately for (real) love. They believe that no one can or will ever love them, that they will never be able to have an abundant life. They basically believe that there is no hope whatsoever for them.

What usually comes to their mind next? To accelerate the destruction process in order to be relieved from the miserable life they are living and that they believe they cannot escape. Well, our Jephthah embarked on the same initial road that many of the deeply hurt and rejected teenagers take, and became a warrior and an outlaw as the Bible tells us.

However, the comparison stops here. What we can read in Judges 11 is that one day some Israelite elders from Gilead (his native town) asked him to be their commander and to help them fight against another nation that had declared war on Israel. At this point, he had to let go of any lingering past hurts or feelings of rejection that may have still be present in his life in order to fulfill his God-given mission to lead Israel at a crucial moment in its history. Indeed, it was the people from Gilead who had rejected him; not one of them had showed love towards him. And it was now them who were calling him to their rescue. With such baggage, he could easily have turned down the Israelite elders and sought to take revenge on them. Yet, Jephthah passed the test with flying colors; he did not let his past hurts write his present. And in doing so, he was mightily used by God. In the end, He became one of the heroes of the faith. (see Hebrews 11:31)

Jephthah is a role model for all those who have suffered similar rejections, prejudices, or hurts. The story demonstrates to us clearly that God can use any of us, no matter how bad our start was as long as we can off-load our excess baggage and cast away our burdens upon Him [i.e. let go of them]. As Psalm 55:22 shows us, God will then sustain us.

Were Joseph and Jephthah the only two personages of the Bible who went through tough times of pain? No. Many others experienced significant pains and hurts and overcame them. Job and his wife, for instance, went through an extremely painful experience as we saw previously: they first lost their wealth and possessions, and then all their children. And, as if things were not bad enough, Job lost his health as well. Basically, their whole world fell apart almost overnight.

Can you imagine how they must have felt? Well, to be honest, I am not sure we really can unless we have gone through the same pain. Isn’t it true that most of us would feel devastated and become bitter and angry at God? Actually, this is how Job’s wife responded to the hurt. She handled very well the loss of all their wealth, but could not bear the loss of her children and became bitterer when her husband lost his health.

However, her husband handled the hurt very differently; he poured his burden to the Lord in prayer and worship and ultimately became stronger and better as a result of the hurt they went through. The lesson that we must learn here is that our reaction to the hurts and pains we suffer makes all the difference: it can make us better or bitter, stronger or weaker, healthier or sicker, a victor or a victim. The choice is ours. And we exercise that choice when we decide how we react to our hurts and pains.

Symptoms that reveal the existence of excess baggage in our life. How can we know if we have excess luggage to off-load? Much more easily than we usually think. Do you have any lingering anger, feeling of guilt, depression, loneliness, unreasonable fear, anxiety, need for approval, low self-esteem, addiction, or a physical illness such as frequent headaches, nightmares, or indigestion? These are sure signs that past hurts and pains have not been healed yet. In fact, we all suffer from a lot more hurts than we realize. And each wound needs to be healed if we are to live successfully in the present and move towards the abundance land.

Internalizing our hurts is one of the surest ways to accumulate excess baggage. When the hurt is kept inside, it almost always leads with time to bitterness, resentment and unhappiness. We can pretend for years that all is well, but in fact, inside us there is a bomb that can explode at any time. What we must realize is that avoiding bringing our hurt to light will not make it disappear. The truth is that internalized hurt often turns us into complainers and judgmental persons who can never appreciate the present.

Now, externalizing our hurts through revenge is not a good option either. Firstly, it goes against the Word of God who says that revenge is His. Secondly, it makes us “sicker” as we nourish our sickness (sinful nature). It is like a boost that helps it spread even farther into our body, mind, and soul. Sinning against someone because he has sinned against us is not the solution. It may appear to satisfy us in the short term like a dose of cocaine momentarily appeases the drug-addict, but in the medium and long term we lose out completely as our “sickness” progresses in our lives and keeps us trapped in the past.

The only option that we have to heal ourselves completely is to cast our burdens to Jesus, use the power of forgiveness, and rely on Him to render us justice in due season, if justice must be done. As obvious as it is, only we can decide to make those steps, nobody else. And yes, forgiveness is difficult; it will cost us something. However, it sets us free and breaks the strongholds through which Satan has controlled and manipulated us. We become free and able to walk again towards the abundant life that Jesus died for us to have. Those who have been able to forgive others or themselves always say that the price they paid was little compared to the freedom they came to enjoy afterwards. Once they have successfully off-loaded some excess baggage, they almost always wonder why they didn't do it before.

Getting rid of our past: forgiveness

Now the question is: how can we stop carrying around our excess baggage? And the answer is: through forgiveness. We can ignore our past or remember it every day, but none of that will heal us from it. The only thing that will is to face it and then to forgive: forgive ourselves for our mistakes and forgive others for theirs.

Yes, reliving an event can be very painful indeed, but the only way out is through. We cannot pretend that something did not happen or bury it deep inside us, because one way or another, sooner or later, it will come out. Instead, we must consciously acknowledge what happened and then apply the power of forgiveness, the antidote to pain.

Just as we must detoxify our mind, so we must heal – one by one - all the perpetrators of pain in our lives, as well as ourselves for the pain we caused others, in order successfully to let go of our past, live in the present, and be able to plant seeds that will lead us into the abundance land. Step by step, we must disassociate ourselves from whatever or whoever hurt us by acknowledging what really happened (i.e. that it was Satan who was the master behind the hurt) and then making use of the power of forgiveness. This will release our excess luggage and set us free from the past.

Yes, we may have to deal with unpleasant events or things, such as death, divorce, break-up, physical or verbal abuse, or mistakes of our own. However, do we really have a choice if we want to have an abundance life? No. If we do not heal our past hurts, then we allow our past to determine our future, and our present will be anything but enjoyable and fulfilling. We may have had a terrible start in life, but we can have a great end. It is up to us. We must decide whether we want to continue to live in the past or to create a great future for ourselves by planting good seeds each day, starting today.

What we must realize is that if we are in Christ, then we are a new creation and our old selves have passed away – i.e. they have no power over us anymore. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Thus, if God tells us that we became a new creation when we accepted Christ and that our old selves have passed away, why then do we keep living in the past instead of in our new “self?” Because we keep looking back!

Genesis 19 tells us the story of Lot and his family, who God saved from death when the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. When He gave them the opportunity to flee from the catastrophe, He gave them a simple instruction: do not look back. Yet, Lot’s wife disobeyed: as she was leaving the city, she paused and looked back. What happened to her then? She was immediately turned into a pillar of salt.

Why? Because by looking back, she showed that she was still preoccupied with the past and focused on it, instead of running away as fast as possible, concentrating on her present. What happened in this story is similar to what many people try to do today when they seek to bring into their new “self” their excess luggage: they become paralyzed! Much like a statue of salt, they are unable to advance. As a result, they forfeit their future. What lesson should we learn from this passage? That if we insist on hanging onto the past and keep looking back, then we will never reach the abundance land.

The past is the past and cannot be changed; we can only learn from it. No matter how hurtful it has been, it should not discourage us or prevent us from planting good seeds today. In Philippians 3:13, Paul urges us to forget what is behind and strain towards what is ahead. Too often, however, emotional hurts linger in our heart and act as barriers to our personal growth in Christ. Let’s therefore follow and practice the command that Paul also gives us in Ephesians 4:31-32: “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.” When will we realize that if we do not off-load our excess baggage, we will sooner or later feel unlovable, guilty, condemned, unworthy, broken, and hopeless? And what is the next step we usually take? We start doubting God’s love and soon turn away from Him. We are then joining the motorway to spiritual death; our cancer cells will spread again in our body, mind, and soul at an even greater speed.

Can we forgive everything?

Yes, without the shadow of a doubt. The parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35) could not shed more light on this critical issue. In the parable, Jesus makes it clear that there is no offense, pain or hurt committed against us that we cannot forgive because He has forgiven us of many times more sins. What we must know is that God holds us responsible for all the times that we either do not extend forgiveness or refuse to receive it.

Again, we should never forget that it is not the people who really hurt us, but Satan in its effort to destroy our lives. This is why we should forgive others and ourselves as fast as we can. To help us do so, the Bible commands us to focus not on what people have done to us, but on the presence of sin in their lives, the state of advancement of their disease and their need for God’s cure. When we look at a situation through such eyes, then we quickly see that each time somebody hurts us we have a great opportunity to help that person become free from the power of sin, by showing them an example of forgiveness. Our actions can either open his eyes to the fact that he is sick or keep him blind; the choice is ours. Let's just bear in mind, however, that God is not with those who make His children sin.

When you find it hard to forgive someone, then ponder on this spiritual truth: it is not the action that keeps us in a spiritual prison, but our reaction to what was done to us. It is the anger, the resentment, the hostility, the hate, the blame, and finally the unforgiveness that hold us in bondage. How? By first taking an innocent foothold in our heart and mind. And then by transforming this foothold into a stronghold by rooting deeply into our heart and mind the anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness. How? Very simply, by allowing them to live and prosper in us. And we do that when we frequently, intensively, and durably allow our responses to linger on.

A practical guideline to releasing our excess baggage

The following is a guideline to follow for each one of those painful memories that we have.

1. Identifying each past hurt and pain that has not been healed yet and all the wrong expectations, reactions and bad habits that we have formed as a result. Be as specific as you can as to who you hate or blame for what happened or did not happen to you in the past. Go as far back as you can. Bring to the surface also all the things that you did that you sorrowfully regret or that you feel deeply ashamed of. Do not leave anything in the dark; otherwise it will fester and grow even worse with time.

2. Reliving each hurt identified in step one. This will be extremely painful but necessary to reopen our hearts. Only an open heart can receive healing. During this step, we must acknowledge that the real perpetrator of our hurt is Satan. If there is someone we need to blame for our pain it is he.

3. Verbalizing out loud our forgiveness. We do this for every person involved, every detail involved, for absolutely everything that comes into our mind, and repeating it as many times as necessary until we feel "emptied out." Naturally, we might cry while doing this, and this is exactly what we need to do. The more we cry, and the more we repeat that we forgive the perpetrators and ourselves, the more we are emptying the toxins of our system.

4. Receiving God’s unconditional love. Remaining in prayer, just receiving God's love, knowing that He will wash away all shame and guilt from our life, that He loves us with all His heart, and that He will make all things new.

5. Extracting the lesson to be learned. Each hurtful experience we go through contains a lesson for us. We must find out what it is. We must identify what has kept us looking back. Did we doubt that God loves us, that He has a great plan for us? Was it because we did not realize that Satan is our real enemy? Was it the fear of speaking the truth, of being lonely, of lacking? Did we allow ourselves to play the victim?

6. Expressing our gratitude to God for what happened to us and straining forward. This crucial step shows that we have really been able to forgive and that we understood what happened in the spiritual world: that God “allowed” the hurtful or painful events to happen in order to open our eyes, bring us to Jesus, strengthen our faith muscles, or put us back onto the abundance track. It also shows that there are no negative or destructive emotions in our heart any more. Blaming God for our problems will only hinder our healing: all it does is to lock the Holy Spirit in a small room within our heart. Unless we open the door to Him, we cannot receive His healing power. It is as simple as that.

7. Finding our God-given dream or vision so that we can look forward in our lives, and not risk looking backwards.

A word of caution: some Christians - too many in fact - believe that enduring pain is a great noble and spiritual thing to do. However, what they do not realize is that in 99 percent of the cases, they are taking upon themselves a load that God has never asked them to carry. They suffer in silence, believing that it is good to do so, that they would be weak spiritually not to. This is the biggest lie that Satan has succeeded in making them believe in. Yes, God can ask us to suffer - even to the point of death - but only if we are being persecuted because of His Name.

Living in the future: ambition as a root cause

Once we have let go of our past and are able to live in the present, we must ensure that we look forward with excitement to the unfolding of the great plan that God has developed for us. However, at the same time we must take care not to project ourselves so excessively in the future that we end up living exclusively in it. We are at a high risk of doing so when we are waiting for specific conditions to be met in our life, or for specific goals to be reached before “allowing” ourselves to relax, be happy, and content.

To succeed in unlocking our potential, we need to be goal-oriented. As a matter of fact, God wants us to be goal oriented and to have bold dreams. However, we cannot become so obsessed with achieving our goals that we keep postponing living for today. Why? Because as soon as the condition we desperately waited for has finally been realized or our goal is achieved, a new condition or goal will emerge out of nowhere which will steal our peace and joy. At this point, we will start once again to work hard on our new objective, and be more than willing to sacrifice the present in the hope of a better future.

The problem with this behavior is that most of us have a high pain tolerance and ability to endure, which can make us postpone living in the present for years. Unless we are completely exhausted both mentally and physically, or are hit by terrible news (e.g. the loss of a loved one, the diagnosis of an incurable sickness, the discovery that our child is a drug-addict, a divorce demand by our spouse) we can keep not living in the present for years. For many people, this break-up point takes 10, 15, or 20 plus years to arrive. They can therefore lead a miserable life for decades.

Could it be that setting goals and deadlines is wrong? No. Such practices are a good thing. Without aggressive (but realistic) timeframes, most of us would not feel under enough pressure to take the actions necessary to reach our goals. Visualizing ourselves being successful is also a good practice, as well as feeding our mind with affirmative thoughts. The problem arises when we become so absorbed by our desire to achieve our goals that we forget to enjoy what we have right now in our life, or the people around us. We need to learn to be content with what we have and think of the needs of the persons we love (including ourselves!).

Today is all we have to make a lasting impact on people and take care of ourselves. Tomorrow may never come. Take your favorite local newspaper and read the obituaries, paying attention to the number of people aged 45 or less who die each day: you will be surprised by the sheer number, both in absolute and relative terms. Each day is a gift. Hence, while planning and thriving to achieve our goals, we must make sure that we enjoy the precious “now.” Jesus exemplified this attitude very well. In Luke 8:40-56 we are told the story of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, who asks Jesus to come to his house and save his 12-year old (only) child who was very sick and dying. Jesus agrees to do so and sets out to Jairus’ house.

However, while on their way, a sick woman touches Jesus’ garment and experiences immediate healing. At this point, He could easily have kept the focus on the ultimate goal (to go to Jairus’ house and save his daughter) and missed the opportunity to restore the woman socially and let her know that she had not “stolen” her blessing. However, He decided to stop and live fully the present moment. Was it because He considered the goal unimportant? No, it was because He trusted that someone bigger than Him, i.e His Father, held everything in His hands and would supply Him with enough time to do everything He should.

What happened then? The situation worsened dramatically in the physical world: Jairus' daughter dies while Jesus is being sidetracked by the sick woman who got healed. From a non-spiritual perspective, the situation seemed hopeless now for Jairus. Many would have accused Jesus of being poor at prioritizing. The truth is that Jesus decided not to be sidetracked by the urgent need, but to attend to the important one. He was aware that it was not a case of either A or B; i.e. meeting both the important and the urgent needs could be done on the same day.

Isn’t it often the same for us? How many times do we think and behave as if achieving our goals and meeting our needs or those of the persons dearest to us is a mutually exclusive matter? Too often. Why? Simply because we don't have the right priorities. How many of us are convinced that reaching a CEO position is more of a priority in our lives than having an excellent marriage? How many of us act as if being able to afford luxuries is more important than spending time with our kids?

As a matter of fact, Jesus also emphasized the need to balance our priorities well in the story of Mary and Martha. (Luke 10:38-42) In the story, Martha is 100 percent dedicated to preparing a meal for Jesus and his 12 disciples who were paying them a visit, while Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet and listening to Him. As time goes by, Martha starts to feel overwhelmed and stressed. Verse 40 reveals her irritation when she asks Jesus: “don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me.” What we see here is that Martha is putting so much pressure on herself that she cannot enjoy the precious present with Jesus. How did Jesus respond to her? Did He take her side and asked Mary to help her sister? No. Through His answer, He invites us to better balance life’s priorities: “Martha, Martha, […] you are worried and upset about many things, but only one is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

With those words, Jesus lets her know that her goal can be reached later; that “now” is the time to listen to Him and to be fed with food that lasts forever! Furthermore, we need to realize that when we have the right priorities, we are able to achieve our goals with joy instead of feeling overworked, stressed or mentally exhausted, because when we put God first, we receive His strength and wisdom to do the rest.

In short, to live in the present, we must get our priorities right. Doing so takes practice, but the more we train ourselves, the more we will be able to discern when a precious moment beckons our attention to make a pause in our schedule and to enjoy it fully.

Although almost two thousand years have passed by since Jesus taught us this important lesson, many people today are more like Martha than Mary. How many fathers (and increasingly mothers nowadays) prefer to stay at work (either physically speaking or in their mind) rather than dedicating 30 little minutes to their young child, teenager, or spouse who needs their undivided attention, love or wisdom? Too many unfortunately. And to be honest, I was one of them for many years. Although I genuinely did not want it to be this way, I expected my daughter, son, and wife to express their “needs” only when the timing was right for me. However, in most cases, we must act “NOW” to have a full impact in the lives of people, not in the future when it suits us. Unless we purposefully disconnect from what we do and stop to capture the precious moments when we can share our life with others, our minds will keep focused on achieving whatever goals we are working towards.

Can you imagine that for years I could rarely detach myself completely from my work-related objectives? The truth is that even when I left the company in the evenings, “work” never left me; it followed me wherever I went! I was constantly on a problem-solving mode (a modern-day slave), and missed almost all the opportunities that life showered me with to build up my love bank account with the persons that mattered most to me. These persons knew that work was important; but they wanted to know that they were important to me as well. They were quite understanding, in fact, and not that demanding: they only wanted my undivided attention and love for short spells of time. My wife was prepared to share the price that we had to pay to enjoy a better future, but she also wanted to live in the present. Yet, because of my extreme goal orientation and selfishness, I could not even give her the little time she needed from me.

Fortunately, one day, the Holy Spirit convicted me and opened my eyes to what was happening. It was then that I realized that:

• I had shown to those who are most important to me that I basically loved my work and my goals more than them;

•  I was giving the best of myself at work, and the worst at home;

•  I was selfish and unable to discern when I had to take a few minutes “off” to meet the needs of others and when I could postpone taking this time off without making withdrawals on my love/care/friendship bank account;

•  I should not work on Sundays (after all, God took a rest on the seventh day) but dedicate this day to nurturing my relationship with God and my family;

•  I had not lived in the present for years.

The more I thought about the precious moments I had not captured and how depleted my love/care account was with many people, the worse I felt. Facing the truth was painful. I started beating myself up and being mad at myself. However, at one point Jesus raised me from the deep pit I had descended into and I found myself in tears - tears of joy and peace. Why? For two main reasons. Firstly, because I knew that I would now be free and no longer under the dominion of the past goal-orientation mindset that had enslaved me. Secondly, because I remembered that we all make mistakes and that with each mistake comes a lesson. I was then able to forgive myself, learn from my mistake, and look to the future.

Since that day, I have increasingly been able to capture precious moments and live them fully. The amazing thing that I have experienced is that each time I stop to enjoy the present, I go back to working on reaching my goals with renewed energy, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. As a result, I now achieve my work-related objectives, but also live in the present. The abundance that I have been able to unlock in my life is beyond imagination. Of course, I still fail to catch many precious moments, and Satan is quick to tell me that I am not where I am supposed to be. However, I do not let him tear me down; I apply the power of Romans 8:1 that says that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Him the law of the Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin and death.” And I do not stop here: I follow the advice of Joyce Meyer and talk back to Satan telling him that I may not yet be where I should be, but that I have gone a long way from where I used to be. I remind him of all the abundance that I have released in my life and that I am no longer blind to his plans to destroy my family through me.

What we see in all the above examples that illustrate the need to balance life’s priorities well is that it is people (us included) and their needs (ours included) who/which make us live in the present. Each day, we have opportunities to increase our love, care, or friendship bank accounts. Any opportunity missed is lost forever and leads to a withdrawal. And if we mostly (or only) make withdrawals day after day, it is easy to understand that it won’t take long before our account balance reaches zero. What we have to realize is that living in the past fills us with guilt, tendency to condemnation, and regrets, while living in the future renders us vulnerable to fear and worry. Only living in the present puts us in close contact with people and produces joy and peace in our heart.

The truth is that it takes a lot of faith to live in the “present” time zone, the faith that our future is in the hands of God and that whatever happens to us is for our own good ultimately! We should not let a single day pass by without being aware of the precious moments that we should capture and seize to plant seeds in our life and those of other people. Let’s not overlook the fact that God instructs us in the Bible to live each day as if it was our last one. Why does He gives us this instruction? Because He knows that it is the only way for us to live and appreciate life to the fullest.

Living in the future: covetousness as a root cause

Although many religious organizations tell their members that wealth, money or possessions are evil, this is not true at all. Many of the great heroes of the Bible were wealthy and possessed riches beyond what many of us can imagine; I am thinking here of Abraham, Joseph, kings David and Solomon, Nehemiah, and Job for instance. Can we find just one Bible verse that condemns them for their riches? No. Why? Because the wealth they possessed did not occupy the first place in their hearts: that place was occupied by God. And since they worshipped God, instead of their riches, they could actually enjoy them.

What’s the problem then with wealth or money? As God tells us in 1 Timothy 6:10, it is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil, not money itself. More often than not, it is covetousness that is the root cause behind murder, robbery, kidnapping, bribery, perjury, corruption, violence, prostitution, drug trade, extortion, slavery, employee dismissals, etc. Covetousness can take hold of us when we are not content with what we have, when we are envious of what others have, or when we always want to possess more; when we never have enough. It then makes us live in the future as we elaborate plans to get more rather than to enjoy what we already have and relying on God to be our provider.

When is enough enough? Every year, Fortune Magazine publishes the list of the wealthiest people in the world. Many have an estimated total wealth of $5 billion or more. Yet, many are unhappy, frustrated, and feel like complete failures because they did not manage to get the number one position on the list. The fact that over 6 billion people are much poorer than them do not make them appreciate what they have.

Similarly, many executives earn fat salaries and bonuses (over $1 million per year in total), yet are completely unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives. Through benchmarking, they get to know how much their peers are making, and inevitably find out that there are many others out there making a lot more than they do. This just makes them feel like: they don't measure up; they are not good enough; the company doesn't appreciate them enough. They therefore feel they need to prove to the world how much they are worth, by how much they earn. Without a high salary, they feel they cannot command respect from people, especially from their peers.

What is the result? They will now spend more time elaborating and executing plans designed to justify why they should earn more. Satan has succeeded in making them live in the future, not be content with what they have, and consequently treat themselves and others around them unfairly.

Is covetousness only a deadly weapon for the well off? No. We can all be destroyed by it. God is not opposed to our desire to have more, to solve more complex problems, to make a greater impact, and so on. This is growth, this is blossoming, this is healthy. We experience this growth when we move to a bigger pot. However, things go wrong when accumulating money becomes our first and foremost goal in life. Why? Because when this happens we have effectively made money our god. And whether consciously or not, we will sacrifice other areas of our lives to please our god. As we saw before, we might be pressured into neglecting our responsibilities towards our family members, employees, and friends (when in fact they have legitimate needs that only we can meet!), or be enticed into compromising our values and principles in order to get the promotion that we always wanted, to win an important business deal, or to please our manager.

Indeed, the Bible is clear that we cannot serve more than one god, and that we have to choose the one we want to serve. When we choose to serve money, then it will become a stumbling block and lead to our spiritual death, as Ezekiel 7:19 tells us: “[…] Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the Lord’s wrath. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin.”

Living in the future: fear as a root cause

Fear is easily propagated in our lives through the news. In today’s world, we have 24/7 access to news, and unfortunately it is almost exclusively bad. Apparently, bad news is good news for them. Hence, each day, they bombard us with horrific and penetrating tales, images and forecasts of invasion, war, terrorism, death, sickness, divorce, murder, epidemics, unemployment, theft, violence at school, drugs, deflation or soaring inflation, inadequate funding of pension funds, etc.

Where does that lead many people to? To worry and fear. For example, the fear of losing their child, spouse or job, the fear of being attacked or robbed, the fear of not being able to pay the rent, or the fear of losing their health, etc. In this condition, it is absolutely impossible to have a joyful life, because even if everything (the economy, our company, our marriage, etc.) is going perfectly well at the moment, we start asking ourselves “what if” type of questions. We start telling ourselves that the good times won’t last, that things can change drastically in one second, and that what will come next is going to be terrible. In reality, these thoughts are completely unfounded and irrational, yet we allow them to destroy our joy today while we focus on the possible negative scenarios that could take place in the future. Once again, we are trapped in the future.

To defeat Satan’s plan we must first realize that the media are overwhelmingly skewed toward reporting the bad news and projecting a picture that is not a true reflection of reality. The truth is that for each plane that falls of the sky, there are thousands of them that arrived safely at their destination. Each day:

• Thousands of married couples celebrate their 20, 25, 30 or even 40th wedding anniversary,

• Thousands of people get out of debt or out of destructive addictions,

• Thousands welcome children into this world,

• Thousands succeed in being entrepreneurs,

• Thousands find a next career step after being laid off or turn their hobby into a lucrative job,

• Thousands are healed of long-suffering diseases,

• Thousands are able to help others in need,

• Thousands of prostitutes succeed in starting a new life,

• Thousands of relationships get restored, and

• Thousands get to see their dreams come true,

• Etc.

To beat fear, we need to realize three important things:

1. There is more good news than bad news in the world.

2. Practically all of our fears are unfounded and irrational.

3. It is pointless to worry about things that are beyond our control.

Even if the worst were to happen, we must remember that “bad” things are not necessarily bad for us. Indeed, as the old saying goes, “every cloud has a silver lining.” Consequently, I invite you to train your eyes and ears to see the opportunities, the positive, the success stories, the victories, and the best that life has to offer. The Lord will take care of the rest!

Living in the future: lack of contentment as a root cause

Many people are not happy with who they are married to, the job they have, the wealth they have, what they look like, the city they live in, and so on. They live in a constant state of discontentment. I know, from firsthand experience that it is difficult to be satisfied with little in a society that breeds discontentment. Indeed, advertising strives to make everybody dissatisfied with what they have. Nowadays, advertising tells you that:

• A real man has a voracious sexual appetite;

• A woman needs big breasts in order to attract men;

• To be popular, especially if you are a teenager, you must have many sexual partners;

• To be happy you must drive a luxury car and wear designer clothes;

• To feel good, one must look like a model, even if this means resorting to plastic surgery;

• Love is feeling erotic passion for the other person;

• To be successful you must vacation three times a year in expensive hotels;

• You can eat junk food, chocolate, sweets, and drink champagne at will, yet still lose weight with some miracle diet;

• Happiness is impossible without the latest mobile phone, i-phone, i-pod, and so on;

• Etc.

Of course, none of the above statements is true. Absolutely none of those things can provide happiness for us. Much to the contrary, they can be very powerful in destroying our lives if we buy into them, turning us into perpetually unsatisfied slaves. Instead of attempting to buy happiness with things that can’t give it to us, we should first and foremost learn to appreciate what we have.

Appreciation is being grateful for what God has already given to us. It shows humility and meekness, qualities that are pleasing to God. 1 Peter 3:4 says: "[...] the ornament of a meek and quite spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." Meekness shows God that we trust Him, that we don't think of ourselves more highly than we ought to, and that we are subservient to Him. The opposite, lack of contentment, lack of appreciation, and lack of gratitude are ways of rebelling against God: we are basically telling Him that He has not been fair towards us, that we deserve better. How can we be content then?

In Philippians 4:10-13, Paul teaches us that contentment is not dependent on the absence of difficulties, or on what we have or don't have. It is a state we can have under any circumstance that we find ourselves in. How can we reach this state of bliss? It is easy if we truly believe in God's promises. Just a few are enough:

• God has promised to prosper us, and give us a good future.

• God has promised to be our provider.

• God has promised He will never forsake us.

• God has promised that if we love Him, everything that happens to us shall be for our own good.

When we learn to view our life through the lens of faith, it is easy not to be disturbed by periods of scarcity and adversity. Paul takes it one step further in 2 Corinthians 12:10, and urges us to “delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when we are weak, then we are strong.” Yes, strong because troubling times are only allowed in our lives by God for very specific purposes: to mold our character, to get us to depend only on Him, and to enable our light to shine brighter.

Let us never forget that people and circumstances will often disappoint us. Logically, if we are standing on them, when these times come, we will feel that the world is crumbling under our feet. But when we are standing on the "rock," Jesus Christ, our world will not be shaken when adversity comes into our lives. Why? Because He never changes, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever more.

Concluding thoughts

Throughout our lives, we will be tempted to live mostly in the past or in the future. We cannot avoid facing this temptation. Satan, the head of the negative spiritual forces that govern this world, uses many tricks, weapons and lies to ensure that we will not spend much time living in the present. When fear does not work anymore, he will seek to fill our heart with ambition, anxiety, regret, guilt, condemnation, or pain.

For example, he can also use a person’s love of money to make him waste precious time on things that do not really matter. Have you ever spent a whole week-end searching on the internet for the best deal you could get to buy the car you always wanted, or to go on your dream vacation destination?

Then you have probably experienced what I did: that the savings you pocketed did not adequately compensate for the big sacrifice you made, such as not playing with your adorable 5 year-old daughter who longed to be with you, not taking your wife to the restaurant when she was tired of cooking, or not going to gym when you needed it. Yes, the love of money can make us miss the precious moments that happen in the present time zone and prevent us from making deposits in our love, care, or friendship bank accounts.

To win the spiritual war against Satan, we must exercise our faith muscles, cast our burdens to Jesus, make use of the power of forgiveness, and put our trust fully in God, the one who knows the beginning and the end.

Did you know that you can trade worry for trust (see Matthew 6:25-34), illness for healing (Luke 8:40-48), or anxiety for peace (Philippians 4:6-7)? Let’s always remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength and that we can do everything in Christ who strengthens us. Living in the “now” is not only possible, but the only way to have an abundant life! As Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “let’s not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

We can’t reach contentment if we do not have any trust in God’s promises. Let’s stop relying on our strengths and put our trust in God. Unless we develop a relationship with God during the good times, it will be hard for us to trust Him during times of adversity and be content with little. We must live expectantly; looking forward to what God has prepared for us but live fully in the present as well. We should wake up everyday expecting to be surprised by God and have His favor. This will ensure that we do not miss the signs that He is with us.

When we have done everything that we should do, but can’t solve our problem, fix our marriage, save our children from hurting themselves, find a new job, eliminate a conflict, or be cured of a disease, we should turn to Jesus. He will give us the strength to endure and remain in contentment, as Isaiah 40:29-31 confirms to us:

“He (God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Have you worked in a building equipped with a power generator? Most likely yes, if you live in a developed country. The great thing about power generators is that when utility power is interrupted, their control unit automatically senses the loss of power and activates itself.

Today’s power generators work so well that employees rarely notice when they are in use. When utility voltage returns, their central unit automatically transfers the electric load back to the utility line and switches them back to the stand-by mode, ready for the next power outage. Power generators are basically sustaining power tools that only come into play when needed. Well, as Christians, we too have a sustainable power force in us; it is the Holy Spirit who lives in us! This force kicks in when we can no longer stand up. It renews our strength so that we can victoriously cross the finishing line.

Isn’t it, therefore, great that we grow weary at times? It allows us to experience the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit and to know that God really exists. This is why Paul was boasting about his weaknesses in 2 Corinthians 12:7, and said that when he is weak, he is strong.

Many people feel bad that they have weaknesses. But the opposite should be true; they should be happy, because when they grow weary and have no further human strength to endure, they will be sustained by a divine power! Isn’t that the best experience we can ever have?

Today can be the day that you experience Jesus and His sustaining power. You will feel so great, so empowered, and so peaceful that your present circumstances won’t have any negative impact on you anymore. You will not want to escape the present. You will want to live it to the full! Yes, yes and yes: we can count on Jesus to sustain us when we grow weary, and are about to give up. The ultimate secret of living in the present is to be in Jesus and He in us!

Do not let Satan deceive you: money, riches, and possessions cannot give us joy, peace, true security or freedom. They only make us live either in the past or in the future. Today, we can have Euro 100 million in the bank and tomorrow only Euro 10 million. Our shares or real estate investments can lose 90 percent of their value in a relatively short timeframe. Millions of people worldwide have seen their wealth disappear almost overnight and/or bitterly tasted price volatility in 2008 and 2009. Many could not take it and committed suicide. Our value as human beings should never depend on how much (material) abundance we have; it should solely be based on where we stand with God!

As Warren Wiersbe wrote in his book, On being a servant of God:

“With money we can buy entertainment, but we can’t buy joy. We can go to the drugstore and buy sleep, but we can’t buy peace. Our money will attract a lot of acquaintances, but very few real friends. Wealth gains us admiration and envy, but not love. It buys the best of medical services, but it can’t buy health. Yes, it is good to have the things that money can buy, provided we don’t lose the things that money can’t buy.”

Real security does not come from riches, but from knowing that God loves us, that He is our provider, that we shall not lack, and that He shall never forsake us.

As someone once said: ”We can remember yesterday. We can imagine the future. But we can only experience now.” Do not give to money, wealth or ambition, the power to steal your present, your precious “NOW.” Commit to living increasingly in the present, the only time zone in which we can plant seeds with the abundance that God has given us. Be prepared for the great harvest that will follow. And persevere until it comes, because it will. God will not disappoint you!

DESTRUCTION FACTOR 3: NOT FEARING GOD

Why should we fear God? Many people do not understand why they should fear the Lord if He is a loving God. To shed some light on this critical issue, let’s imagine that we are on a plane heading to our favorite vacation destination. Everything seems to be going well and we are enjoying the in-flight entertainment program. However, the plane is suddenly hit by an unexpected thunderstorm that forces the pilot to land urgently in a desert that seems to stretch for miles. Worst of all, it could take several days, if not weeks, before any search crews reach us due to the unfavorable weather conditions in the area. Now, what should we fear the most? The coldness of the nights? The extreme heat of the days? The nocturnal animals looking for easy preys? Starvation? The frequent desert dust storms? No. Our first priority should be to overcome dehydration. Why? Because it rapidly causes us to make lousy decisions and respond improperly to our environment. When we are dehydrated, we become weaker, less able to think rationally, and thus more at risk of dying from any of the other life-threatening factors. However, by fearing dehydration and taking care of that first, we will be stronger and better equipped to take care of the rest. In other words, unless we fear dehydration, we won’t take the crucial first step that has the power to save us.

Well, we may not be lost in a desert right now, but we are certainly in a similar situation. The world is like a vast desert, with many traps and pitfalls. Did you know that the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life that turns us away from the snares (or traps) of death (Proverbs 14:27) and that it adds length to our life? (Proverbs 10:27) When we have the fear of the Lord, we won’t be spiritually “dehydrated” and have our ability to make the right choices diminished. On the contrary, we will see everything more clearly than ever and have the strength to follow through with our resolutions.

Fearing the Lord should really be our first priority in this world. Jesus tells us why in Matthew 10:28: “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Unless we fear God, we stand little chance of finding the right path to salvation and abundance.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. (Proverbs, 1:7; 9:10; 15:33) Just the beginning; it does not guarantee that we will be saved. This is exactly the same as the fear of dehydration being only the beginning of our survival in the desert; it does not guarantee that we will actually survive and overcome the other risk factors. However, it maximizes our chances of success. No other track can do this. We may think otherwise, but we are just deceiving ourselves. To secure the ultimate victory - to have an eternal and abundant life - we must ensure that we continue to travel on the right track. How? By remaining in the fear of the Lord.

Where does that lead us? To the realization that fearing God is a matter of priority, not of being afraid that He will hurt us, harm us, condemn us, reject us, punish us or abandon us if we do not fear Him. He loves us, He has a good plan for us, He will not forsake us and is doing everything possible to save us from the destruction path that we have chosen to follow. He knows that we are sick, has developed the only treatment that can heal us, and has made it available to us at no cost. However, as the old saying goes, “you can take a horse to a water pond, but you cannot force it to drink;” we must want to have the treatment administered to us if we want to be saved from destruction.

In this world, we should not fear the unknown, loneliness, poverty, change, intimacy, rejection, mockery, attacks, unemployment, losing our spouse, or physical death. As we have seen in part two, these fears can only make us live a miserable life. They are destructive, as they focus our attention on the wrong thing. In fact, devoting too much attention to them will only help them materialize as per the law of harvest. Our fears can only blind us to the real tragedy that awaits us if we do not switch lanes: that we will eternally live separated from God. To find out how we can (re)join His kingdom, who we really are in Christ, what the purpose of our life is, and where we are going to, we must have the fear of the Lord. Once we have this healthy fear and the assurance of our salvation, we will be able to successfully overcome all other fears if we continue to be obedient to God’s instructions. Yes, the fear of the Lord casts out all other fears, because it opens our eyes and ears to the spiritual truths that govern the world. This is why it is the beginning of wisdom. Without it, we cannot see the world properly and where we are heading to; it is then no wonder that we fall into pits or habits of destruction.

Who usually fears God? Those who know that He is the king of kings and the creator of the universe. If we do not believe that He exists or are not ready to admit that He does, then we will not fear Him. As a result, we will never find the path to eternal abundance and communion with our creator; we will eternally live in misery. Do you know that every human being is destined to live eternally? Yes, there is no difference between the Christians and the non-Christians on this issue: we will all live eternally. Our souls may currently inhabit a physical body that is mortal, but it does not mean that they will stop “living” once our earthly bodies become dust again.

Once we know that we will all live eternally, the only critical issue that we should be concerned with is where we will be spending our eternal life. In the kingdom of God (i.e. in heaven) or outside of it (i.e. in hell)? What we can be sure of is that some of us will go to heaven and others to hell. Who decides where we end up? Our parents? Our school teachers? Our managers? Our Heads of state? Our spouses? The devil? No, us. We have the power to decide where we spend our eternal life. And to help us make our decision, God has given us ample information about what our life will be in each of the eternal places we can take residence in. In one case, we will be in the presence of God, rest in peace, and have an abundant life. In the other case, we will not live in His presence, be consumed by an eternal fire, and forever be tormented. The Bible’s descriptions of hell are often shocking and unbearable to non-believers. Why? Because God does not want even one of us to arrive at that destination and be eternally separated from His love.

Why would anybody choose hell over heaven? Well, the main reason why people will find themselves in hell is because they did not accept God’s salvation plan while they were (physically) alive. “Why would they do such a foolish thing?,” I hear you ask. For many reasons. Some may never have accepted the fact that they were sick and in need of treatment. Others will have acknowledged God’s existence during their life, but refused to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, believing that they have done nothing “wrong” to deserve to go to hell. Still others will have been prevented by their pride from accepting God’s salvation plan. Finally, some will have given themselves completely to false gods, believing that there is no life after physical death. Starting from a false assumption (that our time is limited, not eternal), they will have done everything possible to worship their earthly gods: money, recognition, social standing, beauty, laziness, selfishness, anger, self-pity, etc. They would never have stopped to think seriously about their life after physical death. Those who would not have made a conscious choice during their earthly life will in effect have elected to take residence in hell. Indeed, to go to heaven, we must specifically choose this destination; we cannot arrive there by chance or mistake.

Whatever the case, those who end up in hell are those who will have, implicitly or explicitly, knowingly or unknowingly, insisted on being personally judged by God instead of exercising their option to have Jesus stand trial in their place. They will be judged based on God’s Word and Law. (see John 12:48 and Romans 2:10) Having inherited sin at birth and never accepted God’s treatment for their disease, they can only be found sick upon God's meticulous examination. We can already guess what He will see when He scans their lives: that their cancerous cells have multiplied throughout their body, mind, and soul. At this point, He will have no choice but to separate them from those who have accepted His treatment. After all, heaven is a place where sin cannot enter, ever.

Hell is a special home that was originally reserved for Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41) as they refused to repent and turn away from their rebellion. In order to save the inhabitants of heaven from being contaminated by sin, God built a special home that would forever prevent sin from entering heaven: hell was born. What we can see here is that the creation of Hell is an act of love that emanates from a good God, not from a bad God.

Haven’t we repeatedly done more or less the same: quarantined people when a contagious and deadly disease threatened the human race? Yes, we did it with the Plague, a disease that wiped out an estimated 30% of Europe's population and a significant percentage of Asia's population, when Syphilis invaded northern Europe around 1490, when the yellow fever appeared in Spain at the beginning of the 19th century, when the Asiatic cholera showed up around 1830, and more recently with the advent of the swine (H1N1) flu.

What main objective are we pursuing when we quarantine people? To contain the spread of a disease that is considered dangerous for humanity. The only difference that exists between our human-made quarantines and that of God, is the amount of time we spend in isolation. In our case, the quarantine period is always temporary. In the case of hell, the quarantine period is always permanent. This difference is due to the nature of our souls: whereas our bodies are mortal, our souls are immortal. Thus, since sin lives in our souls, and our souls are eternal, hell is an eternal destination. Indeed, unless we have been treated for our disease, sin does not by itself disappear from our life. On the contrary, it relentlessly spreads throughout our hearts, minds, and souls; it never ebbs away.

If hell was prepared for Satan and his angels, why do we have to be concerned about it? Because sin entered the human race when Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan's temptation in the Garden of Eden. At this point, sin took residence in our human “DNA” and is passed down from one generation to the next, which is why we inherit sin at birth. Thus, unless we have accepted His treatment, God has to quarantine us. This is why we have to be concerned about hell; we can wind up there forever, simply by default!

Are we sentenced to hell because we are fundamentally “bad” and must be punished? No. God knows too well that we are sick and that our disease will manifest itself in our life if left untreated. We go to hell if we choose not to receive His treatment. On the judgment day, God will only check whether sin is present in our lives, or whether it has been washed away by Jesus' blood. If sin is detected, God will have to quarantine us.

The critical underlying issue is not one of punishment, but of preservation of life and love. The worse thing that we can do is to deceive ourselves and believe that sin is not present in our lives, because it is. Those that still doubt should read Ecclesiastes 7:20, which is crystal clear on this issue: “there is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”

As we saw in the previous chapter, God gave us His Word and Law so that we can become conscious of the presence of sin in our life, and what it means for us. The law was not created to “punish” us, but to bring us to: a) the realization that we are sick, and b) the understanding that if we do nothing about it we will eternally have to be quarantined and thus live forever separated from God. The fear of the Lord – i.e. the fear that we will forever live separated from LOVE - is the only state of mind that can save us from destruction and ourselves. Without this fear, we will not search for the treatment for our disease!

Living in the presence of God

Ok, so we've spoken a lot about being separated from God. What is it like to be with God, to be in His presence? Being in the presence of God is the most precious blessing we can ever receive, it is the greatest thing that can ever happen to us. In fact, nothing else can bring us everlasting joy, confidence, contentment, and peace. Nothing else can fully satisfy our need to be loved, and give true meaning to our lives. Why? For the simple reason that God’s presence in our lives is like the “water” in the desert. Without it, we rapidly become spiritually dehydrated and run the great risk of dying.

Moses knew this all too well. Because he had already experienced the presence of God, he knew it was incomparable to all the earthly treasures of the Promised Land. So, when God told him in Exodus 33:2 that He would honor the promise He had made to bring His people to the Promised Land, but not personally go with them, Moses did not accept this deal. He actually preferred to forgo the Promised Land, if God was not accompanying them. He didn't want to lose the most precious treasure one can ever have: living in the presence of God. He knew that all the other blessings would pass away and leave him (and the Israelites) thirsty, unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and without peace.

Indeed, without God’s presence it is impossible to distinguish a believer from a non-believer. Many Christians are outwardly blessed and enjoy great personal and professional successes, but so do many non-Christians. Most Christians give money to the Church and charities, but so do many unbelievers. Do only the Christians read the Bible and pray? No. Are only Christians kind and loving towards others? No. At the end of the day, the only difference that exists between the people of God and the others is the presence of God in their lives. This is why Moses pleaded with God not to send them away if He wouldn’t also go with them. (Exodus 33:15) He preferred to stay in the desert - in a state of little prosperity - but in the presence of the Lord, than to be in the Promised Land, enjoying financial and material abundance, but separated from God.

Make no mistakes: being in the presence of God is the critical theme of the entire Bible and what we are most longing for even though we often do not realize it. If sin had not appeared, there would have been no need to quarantine people and thus to create hell. God would also not have needed to send His son die for us and to “recreate” us. God sent Jesus Christ in order to build a way for us to go back to heaven and enjoy His presence as well as the associated blessings that come with it.

Unless we have accepted Jesus in our life, what we are tasting in this world is various degrees of hell, not of heaven. We must open our eyes and realize that the earth is the place that God has chosen to put us in quarantine. It should be obvious to us all that the world is anything but “heaven-like.” Misery reigns, the love of money is rampant, people are more than ever married to their work, almost one in two marriages end up in divorce, thousands commit suicides each year, billions do not have easy or sufficient access to drinkable water, millions are depressed and sick, and our planet is suffering like never before.

If what we are experiencing here on earth is not a facet of hell, then what is it? Yes, we are all tasting hell and this is why the Bible says that Christians are in this “world,” but not of this “world.” (John 17:16) As Christians, we can experience “heaven” even though we are currently living in hell. Granted, we are not experiencing the final version of hell (when all the lights go to heaven), but it is still a version of hell!

We had everything at the very beginning. We enjoyed God’s presence, His provision and His abundant blessings. Everything was given to us on a silver platter, even though we did nothing to deserve such love, kindness, and generosity. The problem began when Adam and Eve started to take things for granted and not appreciate what they had and what they would lose if they disobeyed God (by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). In a way, we can say that they started behaving as “spoiled” children and getting big heads, believing that they could successfully manage their lives without God. They did not really know what they were losing. Isn’t it the same for us, that we usually do not fully appreciate what we have until we have lost it? Adam and Eve learned the hard way; before they sinned, they had never before experienced being separated from God and therefore what it is like to be in hell. Now, we are in the complete opposite case. We live separated from God and are experiencing various facets of hell.

By accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord by faith, we can actually discover what it is like to be in heaven! We can then make an informed choice and choose between staying eternally in hell or rejoining heaven forever. If we elect to go to heaven, then we will have the reverential fear of the Lord; the fear that will always ensure that we rejoin the right track when we get lost or let sin (temporarily) dominate in our lives. Without this fear, we are spiritually “dehydrated” and dying.

Experiencing heaven on earth

How is it possible for Christians to experience the presence of God while they are still on earth? To answer this fundamental question, let’s go back to the book of Exodus. We saw earlier on that God had responded positively to the plea of Moses who only wanted to go to the Promised Land if God personally went with them and assured them of His presence. But how did God manifest Himself to His people? In a very real manner. God had instructed Moses to build a “portable” tabernacle (literally “dwelling place”). When the construction work was finished, Exodus 40:33-34 shows us that God descended from heaven in the form of a cloud and that its glory filled the Tabernacle. God was then able to reveal His presence in a physical manner during both the day (in the form of a cloud) and night (through the fire that was in the cloud). People could therefore see where God was. From then on, the Israelites looked to the “Tabernacle” whenever they searched for God’s presence.

And once they took possession of the Promised Land and removed their enemies who inhabited it, they - under the leadership of Solomon - built a non-portable dwelling place, the Temple, that revealed God’s presence. When the Ark of the Covenant was put in the Temple, a cloud filled the temple just as in the days of Moses. This indicated to the Israelites that God did dwell in it. So, even though they could not see God personally (He can never be in the presence of sin – and sin was and is still in the world), they saw His “manifest” presence and could come and meet Him, even if it was through a mediator – the high priest.

However, things changed radically when Jesus came to this world. Indeed, He said in a response to the Jews, who were asking Him for a miraculous sign that would prove His authority, that He would rebuild God’s Temple in three days if they destroyed it again. (John 2:19) By saying this and resurrecting after three days, He fulfilled the prophecy and showed to the world that He is the True Temple, He is God’s manifested presence in the form of a human being. That is why "Jesus" is the name above all names. (Philippians 2:9) God dwells in Jesus and Jesus in Him, and therefore inside all those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Did you pay full attention to what we have just discovered? That God lives in us if we are Christians. Want some more proof? Then see 1 Corinthians 3:16: it says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” Hence, a Christian can be sure of God’s indwelling presence in his life. However, as Jesus told us in John 15:4-5, we must remain in Him and Him in us if we want to bear much fruit. When we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit is fully activated in us; He then deposits its fruit (e.g. love, joy, peace, patience, and self-control) and equips us with many gifts. It should therefore be easy for us to know if God dwells in us: we should experience dramatic character changes and be able to do things that we couldn’t do by our own powers before. This “manifest” presence of God should make us thirstier for the real thing: His actual presence, which we will only be able to experience when we are in heaven.

When we become fully conscious of the indwelling presence of God in our lives, we cannot behave as we used to. We cannot sit at the same table as sin. We earnestly seek to detoxify our minds, heal our hearts, and change our characters. Living in the presence of God is not a conceptual theological doctrine, but a very real and tangible experience for Christians. God no longer dwells in a physical temple or in churches, but in each believer through His Holy Spirit. And if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, He is with us all the time, on a 24/7 basis. We cannot hide from Him. He sees everything that we do, goes everywhere our feet take us, is aware of all the thoughts we entertain, and feels all the joy and pain that inhabit our hearts. The same way that we experience spells of hell here on earth, so we experience different degrees of heaven when we walk with Jesus. Isn't that amazing?

Never take God’s presence for granted. The truth is that we are “luckier” than Adam and Eve as we can learn from the mistakes of our predecessors. Yes, we should have the fear of the Lord, the fear that God can take away His presence from our lives. It is the only thing that truly distinguishes us from the non-believers. Without it, we are nothing and will remain in quarantine. God can withdraw His presence if we keep rebelling and living in sin. What we have seen in the story of Moses that we studied above is that unless an “approved” mediator intercedes on our behalf, we risk losing the presence of God in our lives.

This finding is absolutely key. It shows us clearly that experiencing God’s presence does not depend on us, our works, our righteousness, or repentance. God will dwell in us if, and only if, we have a mediator who has found favor with Him and whom He knows by name. And for us who live under the covenant of the New Testament, that mediator is Jesus Christ. He is the only Mediator who can activate the presence of God in our lives; there are no others. Jesus is the only way to the Father: “[…] I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:6) 1 Timothy 2:5 confirms this uniqueness: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

As we grow in our relationship with God through Jesus, we should develop a passion for the presence of God in our lives. Our first priority should not be to find the way to the Promised Land (i.e. enjoying God’s blessings), but to get to know Him and to live in His presence.

Characteristics of Christians who enjoy God’s presence in their lives. If God’s dwelling presence in us is what ultimately distinguishes the Christians from the non-believers, how should the non-believers notice that God is present in the Christians? Very simply, unbelievers should see that Christians:

• Are filled with joy (Psalm 16:11: "you will fill me with joy in your presence.")

•  Enter into a rest that comes only from knowing God (Romans 5:1. (Matthew 11:30) The sickness we inherited at birth also brought upon us the curse of struggling to make a living. But Jesus invites all those who are weary and burdened to come to Him so that He can give them rest. (Matthew 11:28)

•  Have everlasting peace: peace concerning their future, the meaning of their life, their destiny, even every circumstance in their everyday life. They have the assurance of salvation and of going to heaven, which gives them complete peace. This is one of the main characteristics that distinguishes believers from non-believers; indeed, Isaiah 57:21 clearly states that there is no peace for the wicked (i.e. the non-believers). Isaiah 26:3-4 shows us that God gives peace to those whose minds are fixed upon Him. They also have the assurance that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him."

•  Are refreshed. Acts 3:19 shows us that when we repent and our sins are blotted out, times of refreshing come. A believer who is full of the Holy Spirit experiences revival, refreshing, and restoration. He becomes a new creature for all to see.

•  Enjoy God’s protection. Psalm 91 says that those who rest in the presence of the Lord will be protected from their enemies, disasters, deadly hazards, and pestilence. It even says that God will command His angels to guard them in all their ways. Furthermore, Deuteronomy 20:4 reveals to us that God will fight for us against our enemies and scatter them. (Psalm 68)

•  Do not live in worldly fears. 2 Timothy 1:7 is quite revealing here: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (or fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” Hebrews 13:5-6 hammers this point home further: “[…] God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’, so we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” 1 John 4:18 shows us that there is no fear in love and that “the man who fears is not made perfect in love.” God is love, so we cannot have any worldly fear when we are abiding in His presence.

•  Tread on Satan. (Luke 10:19) In other words, through prayers and words, we are able to dissolve the works of darkness. We actually have the authority to order a demon to stop oppressing a person and to go back to hell.

•  Have a loving heart. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, love flows from God (Jesus) to us and then overflows through us to others as our heart cannot contain God's love.

•  Live a fulfilled life. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a good plan for us, and the Bible shows us in several places that God’s presence is like a light that shows us the path that we need to follow in order to complete God’s plan and lead a fulfilled life. When we are not working on achieving God’s plan we are not living a fulfilled life. Instead, we will feel unsatisfied by our present life, and apprehensive about our future, always looking to the future and being overcome by fears.

•  Are successful. Joseph was successful and prosperous because God was with him. (Genesis 39:2) Similarly for David (1 Samuel 18:14), Solomon, Daniel (who victoriously overcame the lions - Daniel 6:21), and Job. Success does not necessarily mean that God is present in our life (Satan can give us "success" in order to buy us and keep us in hell), but lack of success usually means that God is not actively present in our lives. Christians are also successful because the Lord walks ahead of them and flattens their way or even makes a new way for them. (Joshua 3:15)

It is interesting to note that we can seek to possess these characteristics through other means, but will never be successful in our endeavor. We may exhibit some or even all of the above characteristics for a while, but never in an everlasting manner if God is not present in our life. Just think of the peace element. How easy do we lose our peace when we are not with God! Having stress, ubiquitous in modern society, is a clear sign of lack of internal peace.

As soon as God withdraws His presence from our lives, we will lose many of the above traits and associated blessings. The fact is that some can disappear much quicker than we think; in the spur of a moment. Today we can be rich and tomorrow poor. Today we can have peace and tomorrow be anxious and slaves to fear. Today we can experience many degrees of heaven and feel on top of the world, and tomorrow experience the depths of darkness. Today we can be joyful and tomorrow depressed. What makes such dramatic changes possible: the absence or presence of God in our lives, i.e. if we have or do not have the fear of the Lord.

Yes, yes, I know; few persons have the fear of the Lord today. In fact, millions of people live as if there is no tomorrow and no life after death. They are selfish, mistreat others and the planet, seek instant gratification, and go after the temporal pleasures that this world has to offer rather than secure their ticket to heaven where they would be able to rest in the presence of God and receive blessings of eternal value. They are so “dehydrated” that they are spiritually blind and do not realize that they are not free, but slaves: slaves to fear, slaves to riches, slaves to fame, and slaves to lust.

Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. When people become disgusted at the miserable lives they are living, when they see that their love of money and lust has brought them nowhere close to the destination they hoped for, they will turn around and look for the living water that they need to drink to retrieve their spiritual sight and experience the presence of God in their lives. It may take 20, 50, or even 100 years before some people can do that, but many will do so. And this is the good news. God knows that sometimes the best way to bring His lost children back to His kingdom is to let them experience what they are apparently craving for.

Why do people care so little about what will happen to them once they die? Simply because they lack wisdom, knowledge and understanding, and are shortsighted. Why is that? Because they did not have or have lost the fear of the Lord. It is fair to say that the “Church” has often, in the past – and even today - misbehaved and misused the doctrine of hell in order to bring people to repentance. In most cases, their efforts brought people not to seek God’s treatment, but to lose their faith and turn away from the reality of hell, which is dramatically ironic.

Today, rare are the preachers who talk about the reality of hell. And when they do, they often do it in a way that is destructive, that gives people the feeling that they will be punished by an unloving God if they do not repent and accept Jesus as their Savior. Most of them have good intentions; however, they are not led by the Holy Spirit and lack wisdom and understanding in order to successfully bring people to choose heaven over hell.

When we taste what it is like to be without God’s presence, we should be able to better appreciate life in His presence. God is demonstrating His love for us by enabling us to taste both hell and heaven before making our final choice. However, He will never force anybody to be in His presence; He simply empowers us to make an informed decision. Again, is not this real love?

How can we experience God’s presence in our lives more? This is a question that many believers often ask themselves. Why? Because for long periods of time, it seems that God is not present in their lives. They feel abandoned or even rejected in some cases. They then start to believe that God has ceased loving them and that their salvation is no longer assured. If this is your case, then know that God will never stop loving you and that only you can decide to forgo your ticket to heaven. The only things that God gives and takes are His presence and blessings; not our passport to heaven. The only way we can lose it is if we do not personally renew its validity. Are you now wondering how our passports can become invalid? Very simply: by our continuing to sin and not repenting, which only happens if… we do not have the fear of the Lord!

To continually experience God’ s manifested presence in our lives, we must therefore:

• Continually and earnestly seek His presence. (see Deuteronomy 4:29) And to do that we must not let our heart be contaminated by sin, lust or sinful desires;

• Be grateful to God for everything that happens to us;

• Have righteous thoughts and earnestly seek to detoxify our mind of all the bad thoughts that we used to have before we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior;

• Remain steadfast in faith and exercise our faith muscles no matter what we are going through;

• Continuously enjoy the fellowship of the Holy Spirit as He will guide us into all truth (John 16:13); and

• Never cease to grow spiritually; if we stagnate, we are at high risk of experiencing a withdrawal of the presence of God in our lives.

To remain mindful of the presence of God in our lives, it is also good practice to pray, meditate on God’s Word, worship, and continually remind ourselves of the reality of God’s presence in this world. We should do this daily. God is present all around us. The question is: how often are we aware of it?

Unless we devote a time each day for coming into the presence of God, we can easily lose this awareness, especially when we are being blessed and prosperous. We must build into our day-to-day schedule time alone with God. We do not have to spend one hour each day: ten minutes may do. At certain times, we will need to spend a lot more than one hour, but the key is to connect with God each day. Prayers are a great way to share the burdens of life with God. Every time we pray or mediate on biblical scriptures, we become “lighter,” stronger, and better able to overcome life's adversities. Without resting in the presence of God daily, we risk suffering from spiritual dehydration. As a result, we will run low on spiritual energy, strength, and stamina, and easily lose our peace and self-control. We are then easy preys for Satan who seeks our destruction.

Concluding thoughts

Satan knows very well that the secret behind every successful Christian is the presence of God in their lives. Thus, he will do everything possible to prevent us from taking time to be in the presence of God. And in order to succeed in his endeavor, he can and will seek to use the following major distraction weapons: the television, the radio, movies, soap-opera films, video games, drugs, advertising, worshipping of celebrities, sport stars, and business gurus, consumerism, busyness, and the love of money to name just a few.

Every day Satan can use many distractions, temptations, and interruptions to move us away from the presence of God. We therefore have to be smarter than him and set specific times during which we will be in the presence of God and disconnect all our modern gadgets (e.g. mobile phones), which can interrupt our session with God. We cannot let our time be stolen from us. When we are at work, we should be at work. But when we are with God, we should be fully with Him; not just physically present, but also with all our heart, mind and soul. Let’s never crowd out God because of an unhealthy busyness.

When we feel weak, we should remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10 and Psalm 45:7) What we must understand is that the more time we spend with God, the more we will be able to defeat the distraction plans of Satan. And vice versa: the less time we spend with God, the less we will be able to defeat Satan's plans. As always, the battle will be in our mind. Paul knew this truth so well that he urges us to focus our thoughts on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, and whatever is praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8); i.e. on higher things!

The more we detoxify our minds and nourish them with righteous thoughts, the more we will win the battle of the mind and protect our hearts from being contaminated by evil things - sexual immorality, greed, malice, deceit, envy, arrogance, and folly. (Mark 7:21-22) However, if I am letting evil things control my thought life, then I will be where these evil thoughts take me: a place where God will not show up and in which we will therefore experience His absence.

The Prophet Daniel can be a good example for us. He regularly sought God’s guidance and to be close to Him by praying three times a day and striving to understand what God was telling him. He did not bow to the pressure to conform and to worship other gods. He kept his faith, remained faithful, and entertained the right thoughts by constantly nourishing his mind with spiritual truths. He did so even though he lived at a time of great decadence and during which keeping one’s faith was a real challenge. Yet, this “sick” world did not infect Daniel. Rather, the opposite took place: Daniel changed the world around him and proved that the key to success is to have the fear of the Lord and not the fear of men. It saved him from the mouths of the Lions. (see Daniel 6:19-23)

When are we more likely to have the fear of the Lord? When things do not go well for us, when we are overwhelmed by worldly fear, when we are desperate, anxious and against the wall. Well, although it is critical for us to seek His presence as such times, we must realize that there is no reason whatsoever for us to experience such lows in the first place. The key to our continued success is to incessantly have the fear of the Lord and constantly seek God’s presence, even when things are going very well.

When we do so, we might be confronted with negative circumstances, but God will have already prepared us for those lows and given us the strength and weapons to win the “battle of the mind” war. The adverse situations will therefore not steal our joy or our peace anymore. And it is precisely the fear of the Lord that enables us to seek His presence. We should never lose this fear. We should know that without God’s presence in our lives, adverse situations become painful, overwhelming, and destabilizing. Worse of all, they are dangerous for our life with God, as we might start to doubt His love for us and believe that He has forsaken us, which could leave us without hope and keep us forever in hell.

Do you really want that to happen, to be quarantined in hell? I hope not! Then always have the fear of the Lord and continually seek His loving presence. It is what distinguishes you as a Christian and what ultimately makes you successful and a “light” for others. Remove the distractions that prevent you from spending quality time with God each day. Although you are on earth, you do not have to experience the effects of hell: you can already be “tasting” heaven. Do not lose the most precious thing you have: the dwelling of God in your life.

Quit wasting time in worthless pursuits and worshiping false gods, stop obsessing about riches and believing that you can find love in material possessions. Do not conform to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Be obedient to God’s instructions. Do not let sin separate you from the presence of God: repent quickly and ask for His forgiveness so that you can continue to cultivate your relationship with the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and understanding. It aids in avoiding spiritual dehydration. Do not take my words for granted. Test my advice and suggestions. Follow them for a while, and you will see for yourself that I am not lying to you.

Do you have the fear of the Lord?

If you had to rate your average closeness to God on a scale of 0 to 100, what score would you honestly give to yourself? Well, if you awarded yourself a score of less than 75, then it is probably fair to say that you do not have enough fear of the Lord. Wake up before you become completely dehydrated and enabled to see the deceptive plans of Satan when he attacks you. And when he does, you will not run in the right direction if you do not have a sufficiently strong fear of the Lord. Always seek to experience the fullness of His presence. If there is one area where we should constantly want to have more; it is this.

A score below 50 often means that you either doubt God’s love for you and the world, that you are living in the past or in the future, that you do not sufficiently express your gratitude to God for everything that happens to you, or that you have let sin separate you again from God since you became a Christian. If you fall into this category, then know that there is hope. When King David confessed his sin, he quickly prayed to God that He would not cast him from His presence or take His Holy Spirit from him. (Psalm 51:11) And God responded positively to his request.

You too can experience the love of God and His forgiveness. Take time now to pray to God the same prayer that David made. Act now! Otherwise you show to God that you do not really have the fear of the Lord. Nothing is more important for your life than re-establishing your relationship with God (through Jesus). Then, do as God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit instructs you. I urge you to make a plan each day to abide in God’s presence. Meditate on His Word and do everything – yes, everything – as if you were doing it for the Lord. (see Colossians 3:17; 23) Soon, you will enjoy His presence again and feel close to Him again and loved.

If you gave yourself a score of 75 or more, then congratulations: you definitively have the fear of the Lord. I pray that you will never lose it and that you will not make the mistake of believing that you can now rest on your laurels. You must continue to renew your mind, activate the law of harvest, regularly repot yourself and ceaselessly express your gratitude to God. This will ensure that you keep improving your score and having an abundant life even when you are defeated once in a while by Satan.

Did you know that our faith muscles and humility become stronger and stronger the higher our score is? Thus, when adversity strikes us, we can more easily flex our faith muscles and defeat Satan or repent if we have let Satan win. At this level, we normally live in constant abundance. If this characterizes you, then know that God is very pleased with you. Why? Because abundance is flowing through you to others, making it possible for unbelievers to be touched by God in real ways here on earth. God counts on you to increase the amount of abundance that transits through you to others. You can then help Jesus save more lives. Can your life ever be more meaningful? I do not think so!

DESTRUCTION FACTOR 4: NOT DOING GOD’S WILL

New birth; new mission, duties, and privileges. When we invite Jesus in our lives, we immediately become children of God through adoption, and this has far-reaching implications. Not only does our family status change, in that we acquire a new Father (God Almighty), and new siblings (our brothers and sisters in the faith), but our whole being begins anew! The Bible says that we are born again, we are a new person (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) with a new citizenship, and become members of the kingdom of heaven.

A question may haunt you now: why don’t we go immediately to heaven once we are saved? In other words, why do we have to stay in a deprived, suffering world, a world that is more hell than heaven once we have changed citizenship?

The answer is simple: God wants to quarantine in hell as few people as possible. As we saw in the previous chapter, the earth is an intermediary form of hell: the final version shall appear when all the “lights” have been taken to heaven. Hell will then become a really “dark” place since it will contain no “light” anymore.

Can you imagine the suffering and pain that its inhabitants will endure? This is why the Bible describes hell in terrible and frightening terms. Without any light, hell is a world without love and forgiveness, it’s an ugly and self-destructing world. But our God is a God of love. He is therefore ready to push the time limit - the time when the unsaved can no longer elect to go to heaven - to the maximum that He can. To help the unsaved find the road to heaven, God needs people to act as “lights” in the world. By observing us, experiencing Christ through us, and witnessing how abundant our lives are, the unsaved are often ready to receive Christ and be reconciled with God.

Once we have been saved, Jesus entrusts us with a critical mission: to help Him save all those who are still sick, captive, lost, confused, or deceived. He therefore appoints us as His ambassadors here on earth. As such, we have some key duties. Which ones?

• To represent Jesus faithfully. The same way that worldly ambassadors cannot say or do what they personally want, but instead transmit that which their government has instructed them to share, we cannot say or do whatever we want, but only that which the Holy Spirit has instructed us to say or do. But, how can we even hear His instructions? The only way to do that is to cultivate daily a deep personal relationship with Him. Then, we will be able to hear His voice.

•  To be in this world, but not of this world. This has major implications. On the one hand, we are to adhere to the rules and regulations enacted by the government of the country in which we live (as long as they do not contradict the laws of our true nation, the kingdom of heaven). On the other hand, we are to resist conforming to the sins of this world and be transformed by the renewing of our minds as Romans 12:2 urges us. Instead of copying the sinful ways of the world, or being "politically correct" while becoming accomplices of sin, we are to oppose and dissolve the works of Satan. We are actually to be on the offensive, being the “light” of the world and the “salt” of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14) and taking souls from the kingdom of darkness and transferring them to the kingdom of light.

•  To use God's power and authority to overcome the power of the enemy. As ambassadors, we have no authority or power of our own; they come solely from the government that we are representing, the kingdom of heaven. And, what are we to use this power and authority for? Luke 9:1-2 says: "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases.” In Luke 10:19 Jesus says, "I have given you authority to [...] overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." We must therefore use this power to heal the sick, and to liberate the captives from the strongholds of the devil. Our role is not a passive one. We are to be relentlessly taking away territory from the kingdom of darkness and transferring it to the kingdom of light.

•  To reconcile the lost and sick with God: after getting to know Jesus, one of our main missions is to preach the gospel and make disciples. Jesus himself told His disciples: "go onto the nations and make disciples." (Matthew 28:19) As Paul is telling us in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, we should not receive the grace of God in vain; i.e. we should not pass up the great opportunity that we have to be ambassadors of Christ. Additionally, this mission is time-sensitive: we can only do this while we are on earth, as there will be no need to preach the Gospel in heaven!

•  To love and serve others. (John 13:34 and 15:12) As ambassadors of Christ, we cannot be self-centered. We must lovingly seek to save others, to ensure that they have the right passport and are embarking the right eternal plane, remembering that love does not force anything upon anyone. We should not do things to seek honor, prestige, or acknowledgment, but just be ready to serve others as needed. (Matthew 20:26-28) We are called to serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13-15)

•  To carry out successfully the good works that God has already prepared for us. We should never forget that Jesus has a plan for us on how best to go about accomplishing our mission to bring the gospel to the lost. There are specific works that He has already laid out for us to do, and Jesus is the only one who can coordinate the works of all His ambassadors. We should never go about it alone, attempting to do His will our way.

•  To return to our heavenly kingdom at the appointed time. The same way an ambassador represents his country in another one, and is thus a foreigner in that country, that same way we are foreigners in this world. (Hebrew 11:13) When our diplomatic mission is completed, Jesus will take us back home.

As ambassadors, we naturally also have privileges. Many in fact! Here are but a few of them:

• We are not just adopted children of God, but co-heirs with Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:16-17) What this means is that whatever He has (e.g. talents, gifts, wisdom, and love), it is also ours. Yes, we share in all His abundance and glory and can have peace in Him. (Romans 5:1) As Christ is rich beyond imagination (see Hebrews 1:2), we are also rich beyond measure! Does your life reflect this reality or do you still feel poor?

•  We are guaranteed an indestructible inheritance. (1 Peter 1:3-5) The greater part of our inheritance is stored in a “bank” where thieves cannot break in and steal and where moth and rust do not destroy. (see Matthew 6:19-20) The remaining part is available to us while we live on earth (peace, joy, health, and prosperity for example).

•  We enjoy the great immunity that comes from belonging to the kingdom of heaven: i.e. although sin still exists in the world and in us, it has no power over us. The blood of Jesus purifies us each and every day from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

•  We can face death without any fear whatsoever. (Psalm 23:4 and 1 John 4:18) Love casts out fear. And certainty about our eternal home drives out fear too. When we die, it is because our ambassadorial time here on earth has ended as per the plan of God. He knows the best timing for our death, we don’t. If we can trust Him and accept this truth, then we can live in peace.

•  We can live in abundance in all the areas of our life (John 10:10) and lack nothing essential. (Matthew 6:26 and 10:29-30)

Do we have to be perfect to be ambassadors of Jesus? Of course not. The foundations of our success as ambassadors lie in God’s grace, the godly character we develop as we mature and the real-life testimonies we can share. Jesus can use anybody (regardless of educational level attained, natural abilities or infirmities, nationality, gender, etc.) and transform him or her into a powerful light if he/she is willing to be led by the Holy Spirit.

What we need to know is that God has left us in this world with a clear purpose (to be a light) and a personalized development plan. We should never doubt that. Fulfilling His plan for our lives must become one of our highest priorities. This is actually not complicated or out of our reach if we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us. His job is to mold us, just like a potter transforms soft clay into a clean and strong vase (2 Corinthians 4:6-7) and to equip and empower us. (Ephesians 4:11-13) Our role is to be faithful, obedient, willing, and ready to serve and use our gifts as needed. (Romans 12:6)

What can impede us from fulfilling our diplomatic role?

Five main things. Firstly, a lack of faith. The Bible says that "without faith, it is impossible to please God."

Secondly, disobedience (i.e. not doing His will or doing it our way). Being obedient to God means that we will often need to venture outside of our comfort zone. If we fully trust Jesus, then we will successfully be able to do that, and grow in stature and privileges as a result. If we don’t, fear will paralyze us and our light will slowly lose its shine and its effectiveness.

Thirdly, haughtiness. For an ambassador of Jesus, no task is too small or too low. Jesus showed us in the Last Supper episode that we must be prepared to perform the task of a lowly servant if we want to be successful in our ambassadorial role. (John 13:14) We may have an honorable title, but what matters is not our title, but what we do. Miracles can happen in the smallest or lowest tasks that Jesus asked us to perform on his behalf!

Fourthly, hatefulness. As ambassadors, we must love our enemies. Why? Because it is precisely for them that Jesus died. He wants us not to repay evil by evil, but to conquer them through the only weapon that can win their heart: love.

Finally and ironically, success. When we go from success to success in our ambassadorial role, we may be tempted to take all the credit for ourselves rather than glorify God through our humbleness, gratitude and acknowledgement of the fact that it is He who masterminded everything behind our success. If we are honest with ourselves, all we did is to let him use us; it is He who developed us, who trained us, who channeled His power through us. Without Him, we are nothing, and cannot do much. Let’s never make the mistake of putting Jesus behind us; otherwise, the Holy Spirit will flee from us, rendering us powerless as ambassadors.

To succeed, we must carry out God’s plan for our life His way and with His timing. As ambassadors, we can only do what Jesus tells us to do. Furthermore, we cannot hurry things up, slow them down or take initiatives without having obtained the prior green light from Jesus or the Holy Spirit. What we must be aware of is that the temptation to help out God or walk ahead of Him will run high at times. As we have already studied, Abraham knew that God had promised to make him the father of a multitude, but he had no idea about when that promise would be fulfilled. Thus, seeing no harvest in sight after some years of waiting, he and his wife started to develop and implement their own plan to help God's promise materialize. The result of this impatience, lack of faith and disobedience was Ishmael, whose descendants have been Israel's worst enemies until this day!

Abraham and Sarah were not the only ones who fell into this temptation: Moses did as well. God had told him very early on that he would be the one who would deliver the nation of Israel from captivity, injustice and misery. Moses was a very educated person and “powerful in speech and action.” (Acts 7:22) However, he lacked patience and understanding of God’s timing. Consequently, he acted on an impulse to deliver his people sooner than envisaged by God and in ways not conformed to what God had planned. (Acts 7:23-29) In short, upon seeing an Egyptian mistreat a Hebrew, he jumped at him and killed him with his bare hands. The result was a disaster for him: Pharaoh tried to kill him (Exodus 2:15), which prompted him to flee to Midian where he would spend the next 40 years of his life separated from the people he longed to deliver. What we can see here is that Moses had an understanding of God’s will for his life, but not of God’s timing and certainly not of the ways in which God would fulfill His plan through him.

Aren’t we also often tempted to do the same? Oh yes! What we must understand is that God purposely leaves the when, where, and how unclear so that we do not immediately run away, doing His will with our own strength. After all, before we can execute His plan successfully, we need to develop and strengthen the character traits that will help us be triumphant in our ambassadorial role. What would happen if an ambassador had been entrusted with a high-risk mission, but was someone without self-control, discretion or civility? For God to use us, our characters need to be transformed. Our part is to trust God that He knows better than we what our personal development plan is and when and how it is to be accomplished.

What happens when we attempt to do God's will our way?

We fail miserably. In the example of Moses, eager to do God’s will, he started to walk ahead of God when he was not ready yet for the D-day. When Moses saw one of his fellow Israelites being ill-treated by an Egyptian, and decided to defend and avenge him by killing the Egyptian, Acts 7:25 reveals to us what Moses was thinking: “He thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them.” Did they interpret his act this way? No, not at all, as the end of this verse shows us: “but they did not.”

Like Moses, many times we think we have come across a unique opportunity to carry out God's plan; an opportunity too good to miss in a sense. Instead, God first wants to prepare us for our future role by developing the character traits (e.g. patience, humility and obedience) that will make us successful in our ambassadorial roles. For Moses, this preparation time took 40 years! Indeed, it takes time to develop our characters - and usually a lot more than we think.

When disobedience makes us assume duties that are not ours! What we must realize is that by killing the Egyptian Moses not only sought to act in his ambassadorial role ahead of schedule, but he also came to assume in the process a duty that was not his: indeed, vengeance is not ours, but God’s. (Deuteronomy 32:35) Assuming a duty that is reserved solely for our Head of State is a serious fault and certainly one that would lead to the immediate dismissal of a country’s ambassador. However, our God is a forgiving God.

Although Moses had to bear the consequences of his acts, God did not forsake him, but lovingly and patiently continued to prepare him for the D-day. Although it is reassuring to know that our God is a forgiving and loving God, we should nevertheless refrain from assuming duties that are His. Let’s face it: without the prior go-ahead of Jesus, we can run into unnecessary and serious troubles. I therefore urge you not to walk ahead of God, but to remain in His shadow and protection by doing His will His way and on His timing! Otherwise, we are committing as big a sin as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden.

Even worse, repeated disobedience can sign our death penalty. We all know the story of Saul, the first king that led the nation of Israel. Saul was a man of faith who fervently sought to do God’s will, but who repeatedly attempted to do so his own way. The result was tragic for him. First he lost his anointing, then the Philistines (Israel’s enemies at the time) killed his sons during a fierce battle and he finally ended up being so wounded himself that he resorted to committing suicide in order not to be killed by his enemies - who nevertheless beheaded him and nailed his body on the wall of one of their cities. (1 Samuel 31:1-13) What God is telling us today through Saul’s story is that we can sin so much through our disobedience that we can forfeit our salvation, as the Holy Spirit (our anointing) will have no choice but to leave us. Indeed, the Holy Spirit cannot stay in us if we deliberately keep sinning once we have been saved. And when that happens, we will no longer be able to live in God’s presence; that is to say we will be quarantined forever in hell.

What Saul did by his repeated disobedience is commit the only sin that cannot be forgiven: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He had everything going for him: the anointing, many gifts, and a courageous spirit. However, his pride and flawed character traits (including rebellion) led to his fall, as he did not let the Holy Spirit guide and transform him. He relied too heavily on his understanding and strength rather than on God’s. He wanted to take all the glory rather than give credit to whom it is due. He had a great start, but, unlike the Apostle Paul, he never crossed the finishing line: he ended up joining hell rather than being welcomed into heaven. Let’s make sure that we learn our lesson from this story and that we always aim to remain in the presence of God. And for that to happen, we definitively need to have the fear of the Lord.

What can save us from falling permanently? David was a man of great faith too. God planned to work through him in mighty ways. However, did he make the same mistake as Moses or Saul, to attempt to do God’s will his own way? Well, to answer this question, we must first realize that David became fully aware at one point that he would become the king of Israel upon Saul's death. The Lord had shown him this by "anointing" him many years before. Indeed, after Saul lost his anointing, David was the “warrior” that God always preceded, which enabled him to be victorious against all his enemies.

However, David never thought of becoming king before the D-day, the day appointed by God, had arrived. What we often forget is that God tested David’s obedience and faith at key points during his developmental years. He allowed a situation in which David could easily have killed Saul. (1 Samuel 24:1-12) However, David knew that God would deal with Saul Himself (recognizing that he could not assume responsibilities that were not his) and that he should not seek to precipitate events or to avenge himself for the many wrongs that Saul perpetrated against him. By not seizing the opportunities he had to kill Saul, David showed that he was led by the Spirit and not by his flesh that surely wanted to take revenge.

What’s the lesson for us here? Very simple: had David not been filled with the Holy Spirit and have the fear of the Lord, he could easily have failed the tests of faith and obedience that God had prepared for his spiritual development. There is no doubt that David would then have had a very different destiny.

The trap of the devil: to make us believe that our sacrifices and works are more valued by God than our obedience. Do you know that what God wants to see the most is that we are obedient to Him regardless of whether we understand everything or not? Why? Because it takes real faith to be obedient.

Do the worldly ambassadors always know the ins and outs of all the cases that they are asked to work on? No. Yet, they cannot rebel and start to take matters into their own hands. We have to behave in a similar manner and only do and say what Jesus, our Head of State, wants us to do and say: nothing more, nothing less.

I now hear some of you saying that David was no better than Saul as he ended up committing several major sins himself once he became king. Well, you are right, David did sin on several occasions. However, his attitude was very different from that of Saul's, he showed that he really feared God: he confessed his sins (truly repenting and not seeking to hide them) and begged God not to take His Holy Spirit from him. (Psalm 51:11) He also asked God to grant him a willing spirit and to sustain him. (Psalm 51:12) God was moved by both the fear of the Lord and the faith that David displayed, which is why He did as David had asked Him.

Let’s not deceive ourselves: we will continue to sin after we have received Jesus in our lives. How could this be different given that our disease is still present in us after our salvation? Yes, it does regress continuously after our conversion, but our cancerous cells can grow again if we do not abide in God’s presence and do His will. This is why Paul said that we should work out our salvation or progressive sanctification with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12) It is the fear of the Lord that leads us to admit quickly our sins and sincerely repent.

When we are one step away from falling permanently! We can learn a lot by studying the life of Peter and Judas. Both were chosen by Jesus to be His disciples. Both started well and displayed the kind of faith that pleases God. Both heard the teaching of Jesus and spent considerable amounts of time with Him. And both committed major sins. Yet, one went on to accomplish great things for Jesus while the other ended up joining the ranks of hell.

Like Peter, Judas was a promising talent and possessed many great qualities. Additionally, he went on apostolic missions like the other disciples and accomplished great miracles while preaching the gospel. (Luke 9:1-6) However, he did not let the Word of God and Jesus’ teaching (e.g. Matthew 6:19-21; 6:24) penetrate into his heart and heal him of the greed seed that was destroying him from the inside. And this is what ultimately caused his downfall.

Jesus loved Judas as much as He loved the other disciples. In fact, Jesus went so far as to do everything possible so that Judas would not have to point him out when the armed crowd of the High Priest came to arrest Him. It should have been very easy for the arresters to know who Jesus was. But Judas still carried out his betrayal act. (Matthew 26:47-49) He did not recognize that Jesus was seeking to lower the barriers to his future potential salvation.

Once he realized what he had done (i.e. betrayed an innocent person), he became remorseful and brought back the money, but never showed any signs of true repentance. Worse, he then succumbed to his emotions, and instead of going to God and heartily ask for his forgiveness, he went out and hanged himself (Matthew 27:3-5), thereby forfeiting his chances to be saved. This is why Acts 1:15 says that he went to his own place; he let his emotions and remorse drive him to hell.

All Judas basically did was to repent to himself, but not to God. However, had he waited for only three small days, then he would have seen Jesus alive again and surely found it much easier to repent and weep as Peter did. I have absolutely no doubt that Jesus would have forgiven him and entrusted him with as great a mission as Peter received.

What is the story of Judas telling us? That we can start off well, do many great things for Jesus and even accomplish many of the steps that He is asking us to take, yet end up in hell if we do not guard our heart or let pride, guilt and condemnation prevent us from repenting!

Remember this: without repentance, we cannot be re-established in our ambassadorial role. Peter denied Jesus three times even though he had said that he would die rather than deny Him. This is no small sin. Peter’s heart problem was simple: he feared men more than God (he was basically afraid for his life if he admitted to his association with Jesus). He was also over-confident (Luke 22:33), ignoring Jesus’ warnings. However, unlike Judas, once he recognized his heart problem, he repented and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:54-62) His fall was therefore temporary, unlike that of Judas, which was permanent. Peter’s fall helped him grow in faith and godliness. Additionally, by reacting the way he did (going to Jesus for repentance) he showed that he had matured and was (increasingly) ready to fulfill the plan that Jesus had in store for him. Is this not a wonderful example of exercising one’s faith muscles, renewing one’s mind and repotting oneself?

Aren’t we all like Peter, denying our Lord and Savior Jesus from time to time? When we are with some of our friends or family members, when we are at work or in the public arena. What we must know is that we also deny Him when we do not do what He has asked us to do, or when we do not step out in faith. Yes, we are imperfect like Peter. But the good news is that Jesus can still use us mightily if we recognize as quickly as possible the times when we have denied him, repent with a sincere heart and keep pressing forward with renewed faith as Paul admonishes us to do in Philippians 3:12-14.

As we saw in the example of Peter, a fall does not have to be a step down: it can be a step up if we react promptly and appropriately (i.e. turn to Jesus). What we must be aware of is that God is comparing us, not to Abraham, Saul, David, Peter or Judas, but to Jesus, who always did the will of His Father in His Father's way: Jesus is our benchmark. No matter what we do, God will never cease loving us and will always be ready to welcome us back to His kingdom as long as we do not reject His son and refuse to trust in Him. There is always hope with Jesus if we do not give up on ourselves!

So where does the story of Peter and Judas lead us? To the fact that our disobedience impacts us as well as the plan A that God had for us, but not His overall master plan. If plan A does not work any longer, He can develop a plan B for us. However, our disobedience will hurt us only, and not impact in any way His overall master plan. It just increases significantly the probability that our heart gets hardened. It can therefore lead to a permanent fall.

When we insist on doing God’s will our way, we inevitably build walls of separation between Jesus and us. And the more walls there are, the less we can hear Jesus' voice (or that of the Holy Spirit) and therefore be obedient to Him/them. We should then not be surprised if truckloads of troubles come our way. To avoid this from happening, we need to exercise our faith muscles and repent whenever we fall. Let us be honest here: Jesus knows better than we how best to proceed forward in each of the situations we face. Why don’t we simply decide once and for all to trust Him and to complete the steps that He is asking us to take His way? Disobedience only hurts us. The sooner we understand this, the better.

What Jesus expects from us is not just verbal assents, but more importantly acts of obedience. In other words, we must walk the talk, as we say now. When we fully obey Jesus, we will be mightily used by Him and have a rich and abundant life. Aren’t we showing that He is not really the Lord over our life if we put limits on what we are prepared to do for Him?

Doing Jesus’ will will test our faith and require that we pay a price. This price will not be high much of the time, but on certain occasions, it will be. If we pass the faith and obedience test, then we will grow spiritually, become increasingly sanctified, and will unlock more abundance in our lives. If we don’t, trouble will be at our door and we will lead a miserable life. The question that we will face sooner or later is: are we prepared to offer all we have in order to obey our Lord Jesus? We can easily agree verbally as Peter did, but unless we are tested, our response does not really mean anything. Tests will reveal to us how far we are prepared to go to do God’s will. What we must know is that good intentions without actions are worth nothing!

How the devil renders “baby” Christians ineffective ambassadors. When people come to Jesus Christ, they can become so excited that they earnestly and impatiently want to share the good news with everybody. Basically, everywhere they go they preach the gospel. They are ready to share their newly found “wisdom” with those who are struggling. Having been saved themselves, they firmly believe that their sole purpose in life is now to save others and to tell them how great and loving Jesus is.

To a large extent, they are right. Jesus does want them to share the gospel. However, they often go about it their own way and forget to cultivate their own sanctification. And what the Bible shows us is that God wants us to be, first and foremost, a “light;” i.e. a living example of His Word and love. Thus, one of our first tasks after having been born again consists of ensuring that we continuously grow spiritually so that our “light” can increasingly shine in the dark world around us. This is what is meant by progressive sanctification.

By witnessing our change (for the better!), those who observe us should naturally want to know what is the secret behind our transformation, thereby opening a “natural” door for us to talk about Jesus and the eternal life they can claim if they accept Him as their savior and Lord. When we are lights, we are in effect preaching the gospel… This should not be surprising to us as actions always speak louder than words!

What many newly born Christians often do not realize is that they should not “force” the gospel on anybody. They just have to be a light and ready to talk about the love of Jesus and the abundant life He has enabled them to enjoy when a non-believer becomes “thirsty.” This is one of the most effective ways to bring others to accept God’s salvation plan. Of course, becoming a light that increasingly shines is not easy: it requires dedication, hard work, patience, and perseverance. What believers must know is that doing God's will will require us to not only share the gospel, but also work on our sanctification. Indeed, to accomplish the plan that He has for us, our light needs to become brighter and brighter as times passes by.

I have now a question for you at this stage: can we become a powerful light if our marriage goes from one crisis to another, if our character is as “faulty” as it was before we accepted Jesus, if our faith muscles remain weak, or if we have not had major victories in our lives? No. Granted, we may still be a (dim) light thanks to Jesus and the Holy Spirit that lives in us. However, we will have little “credibility” as we have not won many battles (of the mind) yet.

Yes, we can still help people find Jesus during this time, but our top priority should be to grow in faith, win spiritual battles and work on our own sanctification. This is why we should be happy when facing trials or temptations. They enable us to grow our spiritual competencies, strengthen our faith muscles, and demonstrate that we can assume larger ambassadorial responsibilities. We will then have real testimonies to share with others; testimonies that show the miraculous transformation that Jesus has operated in our life and character. He will then take all the glory, not us (He can handle it, we cannot), and be able to work through us even more powerfully. The more personal battles we win, the brighter our lights will be.

Finally, what newly born believers often do not realize is that you cannot be a Christian on Sundays and a member of the world the remainder of the week and expect people to follow you and find Jesus through you. Unless we are “consistent” throughout the week and do not live a segmented life, we risk doing more harm than good for both ourselves and the kingdom of heaven. We may even discredit the work that Jesus is trying to do in us. We cannot sit in-between two chairs and hope to be victorious in our ambassadorial role or lead an abundant life.

Our sanctification is key to our ambassadorial success. Over the last few years, I have come across numerous Christians who started out well, but who never seriously did anything to grow spiritually, who preferred to focus solely on sharing the gospel rather than simultaneously working on their own sanctification. With a few exceptions, what happened is anything but glorious for Jesus. They resisted the work of the Holy Spirit in their characters, lived a mediocre life and ended up falling hard.

Seeing no real victory in their lives and having built no solid foundation upon which to rest during testing times, they soon started to doubt the love of God and lost hope. They gave up on God as well as on themselves. They wanted to do well, but never showed that they could be obedient to Jesus in the small things. He could therefore never entrust them with bigger things. The problem was not with Jesus who did not see their God-given potential, but with them. They went into battles ill-prepared and lost deeply instead of being victorious.

We should therefore do our very best to become as sanctified as we can while we are on earth. The good news is that we can easily find out where we do not live an integrated Christian life and what our spiritual strengths and weaknesses are if we study and meditate upon God’s Word.

Furthermore, if we are finding ourselves facing the same difficulties, challenges, or temptations over and over again, then we should know that these are most likely the areas that Jesus wants us to focus on right now. All we need to find out is the priority order, i.e. which issues we should tackle first. And the best way to do so is to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Of course, we may not like what He tells us, but we should humbly accept the fact that He knows much better than us what is good for us.

Let’s therefore commit today to become powerful lights at the same time as we share the gospel. The two activities are indissociable and mutually self-reinforcing. Jesus will then be able to use us powerfully to build His kingdom and save people from spending the rest of their lives quarantined in hell. The battle being won or lost in the spiritual realm, it is therefore key that we do Jesus’ will for us as He has successfully overcome Satan. He knows how Satan works and deceives people. Would not we be stupid to go into the battle alone when we could have a powerful ally with us?

A secret we must know: God leads us one step at a time. To assume successfully our ambassadorial role, we must relentlessly continue to do the plan that Jesus has for us by submitting daily to His will. What we must also know is that God often reveals His will for us as we obey Him, that is to say one step at a time.

We clearly see this if we study the lives of Abraham, Moses, Joseph, David, and Paul for example. What this means is that we will rarely, if ever, know what God had in store for us in step 2 or 3 if we do not complete the step that He is asking us to do right now. We may want to know what step 3 is going to be before moving, but we must see things through God’s eyes: why should He trust us that we will obediently do step 2 and then step 3 (in that order) if we cannot faithfully do step 1?

Each step is a step of faith, and unless we step out in faith, we will stagnate and dangers will surround us. There is only one way for us to do the plan that Jesus has for us: His way, and one step at a time. All the other ways lead to problems. When our faith weakens, we should remember the following scriptures. They will help us flex our faith muscles again:

• “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

•  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:1-4)

•  “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

•  “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice […].” (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

•  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

•  “I can do everything through Him (i.e. Jesus) who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Is suffering part of God’s plan? Yes, we must be prepared to carry our cross and suffer if we want to be a disciple of Jesus. As co-heirs, we cannot partake in Jesus’ riches on the one hand and refuse to share in His suffering on the other hand. We either share in everything or partake in nothing! However, there is suffering and suffering! When we see things through our human eyes, we can often put more light on the suffering that we feel than on the joy that our Lord is experiencing.

What do I mean here? Let’s take the example of the Air France plane that suddenly disappeared from the radar screens and crashed into the sea with 228 passengers on board on June 1, 2009. This has surely caused much suffering and pain for the families of the passengers and members of the plane crews; they all lost their dear ones. However, from God’s perspective, the situation is very different. It is highly likely that many crew members and passengers accepted God’s salvation plan seconds before the plane crashed. They will now go to heaven. God, knowing the beginning and the end of everything, is well aware that without such a catastrophe many of the people would never have accepted Jesus in their lives. This tragic event also brought many people around the world to realize again that one day we can be alive and the next day dead; God also speaks to us through these tragedies.

So, when God considered everything, He undoubtedly found that the number of people who will join Him in heaven has increased thanks to this single event. Thus, from His perspective, this event is a joyful one, not a sad or painful one. Needless to say, He wholeheartedly extends His love to those who lost dear ones and who do not understand what really happened: that the kingdom of heaven welcomed new members. He stands ready to help them overcome successfully their trials. He knows what it is to lose dear ones; He not only gave His son for us to have eternal life, but He also loses people He loves dearly each day to hell.

Spiritually speaking, this reasoning applies to other such tragic events as wars, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and car accidents to mention just a few. Have you ever spoken to a person who felt at one point that his last minute had arrived? What do the majority of such persons think during their “supposed” last minute? Amazingly, they overwhelmingly think about death and life after death. Many give their life to Jesus and become citizens of heaven, which is great news.

If it takes such events to bring people to accept Jesus, then God will not hesitate to allow such events from happening. What we have to remember is that His goal is to save as many people as possible from being quarantined forever in hell, not to ensure that we live as long as possible here on earth. Whether we live 100 years or just 40 on this earth, does not make a difference at all at the end of the day. However, where we go after our bodily death, does matter. And God wants us to spend eternity with Him rather than be permanently quarantined in hell.

Isn’t it true that suffering is a matter of perspective and faith? Whether we are rich or poor, young or old, married or single, famous or unknown, erudite or non-educated, a Christian or an unbeliever, we all suffer in our flesh during our life here on earth. We all lose dear ones and many of us experience other traumatic events. Some people get betrayed by their best friends. Others go through the pain of a divorce. Still others are unfairly imprisoned. In all these situations and many others, pain and suffering is knocking at our door.

Not surprisingly, some people react in a positive way and others in a negative manner when such events enter into their life. Some look at their situation with a half-full glass mentality, always looking for the opportunity in the difficulty. Others are overwhelmed by their half-empty glass mentality, only seeing the negative and the difficulty. Needless to say, they end up suffering a lot more than the previous group who see life with bright glasses.

However, there is another group that finds the strength to overcome their sadness, pain or suffering with grace and joy. This group is constituted of all the “true” Christians. Members of this group are able to exercise their faith muscles and trust that everything will ultimately work out for their good. They know that God will not test them beyond what they can cope with. They also acknowledge that they must trust in the Lord with all their heart and not lean on their (limited) understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) They are thankful to the Lord for everything that happens in their lives, whether good or bad when seen from their own eyes. They realize that what they view as bad today could in fact be the best thing that ever happened to them; they just rest on the Lord and trust him fully.

What happens to the members of this group? The more adversity they overcome with joy, the less they feel the pain and suffering that comes with it. In other words, the joy that they experience in their spirit overcomes the pain that they feel in their flesh. And when they are weak in their spirit, they immediately go to Jesus who refills them with His spirit and gives them joy and strength, (see Nehemiah 8:10).

What we must remember is that pain and suffering often bring people to Jesus and therefore give joy to our Lord. We too should also rejoice when this happens as heaven is welcoming new members. As we have seen, God left us here on earth to save people from being quarantined permanently in hell, not from bodily death or loss of money, friends, or riches. When the kingdom of heaven grows in membership, we must also rejoice and not let our flesh focus us solely on the pain that it feels.

The more we have faith, rest in the presence of Jesus, and are filled with the Holy Spirit, the less we will experience the pain that our flesh feels and the more we will focus on the joy that Jesus is experiencing as His kingdom grows. Did you know that the more a Christian can overcome the suffering that his flesh inevitably feels at times, the more he can be used to show people the way to heaven! Like obedience, the amount of “suffering” in the flesh that we can cope with indicates the real level of faith that we have and therefore how strongly and powerfully Jesus can use us to save people.

Let’s become people who can increasingly suffer in the flesh for the good of the kingdom of heaven. Here again, Jesus is our example. As He prepared to be betrayed by Judas, arrested and crucified, Matthew 26:38 shows us that He was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” He knew how much He was going to have to suffer in the flesh in order to accomplish the reconciliation and salvation plan of His father. He therefore prayed to His Father that this “cup” (or mission) be taken away from Him if possible.

However, before concluding his prayer, Jesus said, “yet, not as I will, but as you [my Father] will.” (Matthew 26:39) And He did not pray this prayer once, but three times. It shows how overwhelmed He was! Yet, He went on to complete the task He had been given. How could He do this? Simply because He was filled with the Holy Spirit who strengthened Him and helped Him (re)focus, not on the fleshly pain he would soon feel, but on the joy that His Father would experience after accomplishing the mission He was sent for. Step by step, we can overcome increasing amounts of pain and suffering in the flesh too and bring joy to Jesus and renewed hope to the unsaved.

Joseph is another man who successfully accomplished the plan that God had for his life: he victoriously crossed the finishing line. Yet, he had to overcome great adversity and suffering in the flesh. As we saw in another chapter, he was hated by his brothers, who planned to kill him and who finally sold him as a slave. He then saw his fortune improve as he became the attendant of Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of his Guard.

However, the good times did not last: a new spiritual growth test came his way, which resulted in him being unfairly imprisoned following his refusal to sleep with the wife of his master. While in prison, he met two officials who had lost favor with Pharaoh. He interpreted dreams for them and asked one of them to remember him when Pharaoh would restore him to his previous position. Nonetheless, he did not, and Joseph spent another two years in jail before being asked to interpret Pharaoh’s own dream and being put in charge of Egypt (second only to Pharaoh!).

Although Joseph undoubtedly suffered in the flesh (following rejection, betrayal, unfair accusation, imprisonment, and disappointment), he always looked at the situations with bright – not dark - glasses and exercised his faith muscles. He never even once complained to God about his situation. This enabled him to experience the presence of God in his life and find favor in His eyes. Without knowing the full details, he acknowledged that God was preparing him for a key mission: to be a source of blessing to God’s people and many other nations in the process.

The 3Fs of a successful Christian ambassador

What enabled Joseph to endure the suffering and cross the finishing line? His faith and faithfulness, which prevented him from being totally discouraged and giving up. But also his humility. He knew that the plan that God had for him was not just about him, but also and more importantly about others. Joseph knew that his job was first and foremost to be a light everywhere God put him. Finally, Joseph was able to complete the whole plan that God had for him thanks to his willingness to forgive his brothers. What did he tell them? “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So, then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” (Genesis 50:20-21) Did you see what happened here? Without forgiveness, the plan of God would not have been successfully completed: a crucial step would not have been completed and the initial dream that Joseph had received from God would never have been fulfilled.

Yes, we may have to forgive people who have deeply hurt or disappointed us in order to accomplish the plan that God has for us. And we can only do this if we remember that the main goal is not about ourselves, but others, and especially those who are still unsaved. What did Jesus say on the cross? “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) The Jews had really bad intentions when they killed Jesus, but God turned this event into the greatest blessing that we can ever receive from Him: our salvation.

Many times, we will be in the same kind of position as Joseph or Jesus. And if we remain obedient to God, faithful to what He is asking us to do and forgiving, then we too can be a great source of blessing to people. God being a perfect and loving God, He accomplishes three things when we do His will His way:

• Firstly, we help people join the kingdom of heaven and be blessed;

• Secondly, we have an abundant and meaningful life;

• Thirdly, we work on our sanctification.

Do not suffer unnecessarily to impress Jesus!

As Christians, we should always ask ourselves why we are suffering. If it is because Jesus specifically asked us to, or we are being persecuted because of the gospel, then everything is okay. However, if we suffer because we feel we ought to or in order to show to others how mature a Christian we are, then we have a wrong attitude and take upon ourselves a yoke that is not ours.

Sadly, many Christians fall into this trap. They suffer all their lives and do not know how to recognize and appreciate the blessings that God wants them to enjoy personally. Pastors are not immune from this behavioral problem either. Many work extremely hard for the kingdom of heaven and make personal sacrifices that Jesus is not asking them to do. What ineluctably happens to such pastors? They cease to be a bright light. The fact is that Jesus also died for us to have an abundant life. He is not against our enjoying life on earth (or buying the house, the car, the jewel, the clothes or the vacation of our dreams). All He asks is that these things do not take precedence over God in our lives.

Life with Jesus should be more fun, fulfilling, challenging and rewarding than a life without Him. Isn’t it true that the amount of satisfaction we withdraw from an accomplishment is directly proportional to the amount of adversity and sacrifices that we have had to endure? The only thing to remember is to take Jesus’ yoke, not ours!

A word of caution: Many people are prepared to endure significant hardships and pain as well as make substantial sacrifices in order to achieve their worldly goal of becoming the CEO of a company, a top athlete, a successful actor, singer or writer; to buy the house or car of their dreams; to remain in good shape and slim; or simply to go on vacation. And it must be stated here that Jesus has nothing against such goals per se.

However, if He sees that we are prepared to suffer greatly in order to accomplish worldly goals, but not do the same for the cause of His kingdom, then He can only conclude that He is not our priority. This attitude will inevitably lower the level of abundance that we can unlock in our lives and decrease the effectiveness with which we assume our ambassadorial role. What we must remember is that Jesus will never ask us to suffer in vain; every time we willingly submit to his call to endure adversity or hardship, we can be sure that we are planting great seeds and that there will be a harvest.

Doing God’s will is a choice, not an obligation! Does God force people to do the plan He has for their life? No. He will never force us to do anything against our will. He may create situations that will impel us to make a decision, but He will not decide for us. If we sincerely accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord and understand why we did so, then we can only be excited about serving Him and helping others not be quarantined eternally in hell. The truth is that hell is really the worst place. In it, we will suffer indefinitely and our pain will only increase as time passes.

Now, let me ask you a question: would anyone who has really understood what happens after our bodily death not want to prevent his or her loved ones and those who are still blind from grossing up the ranks of hell? Of course, they would. But even to accomplish this lofty goal, we need to trust God to guide us as to how to go about it. We must also acknowledge that God has given us all free will and that, therefore, some people will not respond positively to His invitation to join Him in heaven.

All that God is asking us is that we are a light wherever we go and that we put our trust in Him. The more lights there are and the more they shine, the higher the number of people who will be saved from being quarantined permanently in hell. If we are saved and only think about ourselves, then we are at high risk of losing our salvation, as we won’t find our life meaningful or fulfilling. Only when we carry out the plan that Jesus has for us will we find true meaning and joy.

Jesus is at the antipode of selfishness; He gave himself up to save us. We are supposed to imitate him, i.e. to be prepared to lose everything we have to help people be saved. What does the second commandment instruct us to do: “to love our neighbors as ourselves.” (Matthew 22:39) Indeed, in order to accomplish successfully the plan that Jesus has for our lives, we need to develop a deep love for others. And we demonstrate that we have this love when we do our best to be a light, i.e. a living example of God’s love.

We can take nothing with us from this world when we go to heaven, so we should not be afraid of losing some of the things that God has entrusted us with. What counts is that we safeguard the Spirit of Life that God has given us. We are only here temporarily. However, our next destination is for eternity. It does make a difference, doesn’t it?

God never drives us anywhere as He never forces people to do His will. He simply leads us (see, for example, Exodus 13:21, Psalm 139:10, Isaiah 42:16, or Matthew 6:13), which means that:

• We have the choice whether to follow Him or not, to put our trust in Him or in Satan (and men),

• We will be the co-pilots of our lives, with Jesus taking the driver’s seat.

Now, when we enthusiastically and voluntarily accept His leadership, He walks ahead of us, flattening our paths and driving our enemies away. Through our experiences and failures, we should sooner or later come to the conclusion that it is stupid for us to take the driver’s seat of our destiny when Jesus could lead us to green pastures and wonderful fountains of life.

Isn’t it easier to be led than to take the driver’s seat? Are we so arrogant as to believe that we can successfully enjoy an abundant life without the leadership of the Holy Spirit? Do we think that we have enough wisdom to avoid the traps of life and know what is best for us? Does not the state of our world tell us otherwise?

When we invite Jesus into our life, we start a new profession and life, that of an ambassador. But, the truth is that we have a lot to learn. We should not feel bad about this fact; we have the best “boss” we can ever have! We do not have to prove that we can do a great job: Jesus already knows this. All we have to do is to be obedient to both Him and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We must remain faithful and loyal to our savior and not become entangled with the customs of the world. This includes repenting whenever we take detours and roads we should not have traveled on. Is this too much to ask?

SUMMARY AND ACTION PLAN

As with the summary and action plan for the four critical creation factors, the following is designed to help daily on our paths to abundance. I encourage you to meditate frequently on the key features of the four destruction factors. Awareness of these factors can act as a warning signal when we begin to veer off course, away from the path to abundance.

DOUBTING GOD’S LOVE (key scriptures: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Satan works hard to dissuade us of God's love, drawing us into a vicious spiral of unbelief. There are five major factors that can lead us to doubt God's love:

• Sin. Never forget that we are all sinners, and have been so since the Garden of Eden. It is the sins that God hates, not we the sinners. God's love for us is both constant and unconditional - if He forgives us when we repent, then who are we to withhold forgiveness from ourselves?

• The wrong image of God. When one looks at the misery that the world contains it is tempting to infer that God does not love the world (and us). Yet never forget that God made the world a perfect place, and that it was we who tainted it.

• Adversity. Remember when facing trials and tribulations that each one that comes your way offers two blessings. Indeed, adversity allows us to grow (and re-pot ourselves) and gives us the opportunity to show our faith when it counts most. God gave us the gift of free will, but with this gift comes great responsibility.

• Not feeling loved. It may be hard for us to understand this, but God loves murderers as much as He loves the most devout of saints. The point is that no matter who you are or what you have done, God's love is there for you.

• Believing we are insignificant. God personally elected to adopt each one of us and to shower us with His love. We are all equal in significance to Him. And He has endowed each of us with tools to achieve abundance and greatness if we so choose.

NOT LIVING IN THE PRESENT (key scriptures: Matthew 6:34, Philippians 3:13). Many of us are continually reliving past happiness or woe, and/or obsessing over our futures to the point where we fail to live in the present. Never forget the following:

1. We must strive to forgive and forget the past. We all err at some point in our lives. No life is without negative memories that can keep us kindling fires of anger, regret, recrimination, etc. God forgives all our sins, and we must strive to emulate Him in this.

2. Learn to leave the future in God's hands. Some of the most outwardly blessed individuals fail to enjoy the precious "now" that is God's continuous blessing. If we are always aiming at future goals, we never have time to give ourselves and those around us the attention that we/they deserve.

It takes real faith to submit our future to God and even come close to forgiving as He does, yet this is exactly what we must strive to do if we are to live, act and love in the only time that we can: NOW.

NOT FEARING GOD (key scriptures: Proverbs 10:27, Proverbs 14:27). We live in a world full of traps and pitfalls. Only with fear of God can we tread the right path to both salvation and abundance.

This may seem like an inherently negative aspect of faith. However, this couldn't be further from the truth - only by fearing God can we cast out all earthly fears, clearing the road to abundance. The Bible's descriptions of hell are unbearably shocking, however, this is only the case because God does not want even one of us to arrive at that destination. Only by first fearing God can we come to bask in His love. Without the thirst, we would never seek the water.

NOT DOING GOD’S WILL (key scriptures: Proverbs 3:5, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 12:2)

God's love is the greatest of gifts. With this gift, and the power it confers, come great responsibilities:

We must act as lights in the world. Remember Romans 12:2, which tells us to follow God's will above all others. Through Jesus, we have the power and authority to perform great deeds in the name of the Lord, to "overcome all the power of the enemy." One of the greatest pitfalls we must avoid is the temptation to do God's will in our own way. We are never too great to perform, with humility, the smallest of acts in His name, nor are we ever too lowly to carry out the grandiose plans God has for us. We must do God's will His way, with patience and humility.

PART FIVE: CONCLUSION - CLAIM YOUR ABUNDANCE, BUT DO NOT BECOME A VICTIM OF IT

Throughout this book, we have defined living abundantly as a life where:

• We live with constant joy and peace (despite adverse circumstances);

•  We have so much love, that we are even able to love our enemies (including our spouses, when he/she acts like our enemy);

•  We experience growth and prosperity in every area of our lives (although not necessarily at the same time or to the same degree): our characters, our work situations, our relationships, our marriages, our finances, our health, etc.

When abundance flows, life is definitively worth living. Do not let anybody tell you that abundance is for everybody but you. No matter where you start from, you can fill your life with abundance.

If you activate the key abundance success factors in your life and deactivate one by one all the key abundance destruction factors, then abundance will invade every area of your life as time goes by. Your life will be transformed for the better. You will have new hopes, new plans, a renewed enthusiasm, and increased energy levels. You will be able to impact greatly your world. You will be a catalyst for change, a light for all the people around you. Your life will then become very meaningful.

However, as wonderful as abundance is, if we are not careful, it can also become our ruin, especially material abundance. It would also be wrong to make peace or joy our god, but money is without a doubt our biggest challenge. This is why Jesus addressed this topic in over 50 percent of His parables! For this reason, we will focus this chapter on the two main challenges that we face once we are living with material abundance. These are:

1. Deciding for what purposes we should use the abundance that God is releasing in our lives

2. Continuing to put our trust in God, and not in our newly-found abundance or wealth

If I would not address these life-critical topics in this book, then it would not be complete. Worse, I would be guilty of not warning you of the dangers ahead.

Challenge No 1: what should we do with our material abundance? Let's start off by identifying the two main purposes for which we should not use our financial abundance: to undertake or sponsor sinful activities; or to finance, knowingly or unknowingly, the plans of Satan.

How, then, should we use “our” money? What would make us good stewards of the wealth God has placed under our care? On which broad abundance management principles should we base our decisions? Let's take a look at the eight most important ones.

Principle 1: be shrewd

In Luke 16:1-15, Jesus tells a parable in which a manager has been squandering and misusing his master’s wealth for some time. He is therefore about to lose his job, but before he is “fired,” he comes up with a plan to win the heart of his master’s debtors: he pays a visit to each one of them and cuts down their debts. None of them know that he is doing this graceful act without the blessing of his master. However, the parable makes it clear that he is displaying this sudden generosity only to gain their favors, so that once he has lost his job they will help him. (Luke 6:3-4) And what does the master do when he finds out what his manager has done? He praises him for having acted shrewdly! (Luke 16:8)

As you can imagine, this passage has left many Christians puzzled and wondering why the master is commending a person who acted dishonestly. They know that stealing and making use of deceptive means in order to gain favors are sins. Hence, it looks like the parable is contradicting God’s Word. However, we know that this is not possible. So, why then is the master commanding the manager? As we answer this question, it’s important to realize that the master is not praising the manager for his dishonesty, but for his shrewdness. And this makes all the difference. Indeed, the master did not approve of the actions of his manager, but recognized that he had acted with a keen awareness, a sharp intelligence, and a great practical sense. Why? Because the manager immediately started to plan for his future as soon as he became aware of the fact that his days were numbered.

Jesus tells us in Luke 16:8 that “the people of the world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” He then urges us to “use worldly wealth to gain friends for ourselves, so that when it is gone we will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” What did He mean here? That we should use the abundance that God gives us to win people for the kingdom of heaven, and not just to bless ourselves. What Jesus is basically revealing to us implicitly in this parable is that we are the dishonest manager and God the master. And He tells us explicitly that unless we are trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, God will not trust us with true riches. (Luke 16:11-12)

Does this shrewdness principle mean that we can steal from a shop if we don’t have enough money for food this month? Do we show shrewdness by acting like this? Of course not! We cannot steal from the abundance pot of others. We can only be “shrewd” with the abundance that God entrusted us with!

Principle 2: have the right motives

Jesus tells us in Luke 12:48 that “from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” It is therefore absolutely clear that the more abundance we have, the more we are held accountable for how we use it.

Moreover, the Bible makes it clear that each one of us will one day have to give a report to God detailing how we have used the abundance that God entrusted to us. In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, Paul shows us that everything we accomplish will be brought to the eternal light and tested in order to determine for whom our actions and accomplishments generated fruits. During the test, the true motives behind each one of our accomplishments will be revealed. Everything that was done for the wrong motives (and that sought to satisfy more our flesh than our Spirit of Life) will be burned up.

Can you guess what will be the result of this test? People who are very rich by the world’s standards will be poor citizens in heaven, and millions of Christians who are supposedly poor according to the world, will discover that they are immensely rich when they arrive in heaven. Why? Because God will not overlook their faithfulness, their great stewardship (e.g. of the time, money and love they received from God), or the number of times they overcame temptations or surrendered to His will.

Proverbs 24:12 says: "If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?"

God is a just God and can be trusted to reward each one of us according to what we have really done for the kingdom of heaven. (see also Psalm 62:12 or Romans 2:6 for further confirmation)

Principle 3: respect God's priorities

As stewards, we must seek to manage the abundance that God entrusts us with according to His priorities. In fact, we should never work on one area unless those of higher priority have been taken care of.

So, what is the order of priorities that God has instituted? At the top of the pyramid comes - without surprise - God Himself. (see Deuteronomy 6:5 or Matthew 22:36-38) Then, comes our neighbors. (see Matthew 22:39) Who is our closest neighbor if we are married? Yes, our spouse. He or she should be our second investment priority. For parents, the next neighbors that they must invest in (giving of their love, time, and wisdom for instance) are their children. We are asked to raise Godly children, thereby demonstrating that we really put God first. (see Proverbs 22:6 and Ephesians 6:4)

Who comes next? Our parents if they are still alive: we are to honor them (Deuteronomy 5:16) with our lives and abundance. As Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:2, it is the first commandment that came with a promise, and what promise: “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth.” Next, come our brothers and sisters in Christ (the body of Christ), our extended family members (see Galatians 5:13, Ephesians 4:32 and Romans 14:10) and the people of the world to whom we must bring the love of God.

What about work, should it be one of our top priorities too? God being a great God, He gives us all an occupation in order to develop the many talents that He has given us and to release more abundance in our own lives. Even when we are unemployed, we can have a meaningful ambassadorial work or activity if we use our time to support the work of a ministry or a charity. On the other hand, we must know that under no circumstances should our work become our god, our top priority, our identity, our main source of joy or the “drug” that keeps us going.

Does God expect us to do our work to the best of our abilities? Of course, yes! However, He does not want us to become workaholics in the process. Indeed, work is a meaningless pursuit for Christians if it does not support their ambassadorial duties. God has given to work a much higher purpose than simply making money for its own sake.

Additionally, too many people wrongly believe that work can be a source of lasting contentment, joy, and peace. However, Paul warned us clearly in 1 Timothy 6:8 against this dangerous belief. Our work should simply help us earn the money we need to live and enjoy our time here on earth as well as increase the number of people who will join us in Heaven. Although we should definitely share our testimony with some of our co-workers if the Holy Spirit is asking us to do so, very often it is they who will make the first step if we are a light day after day. After having observed us for some time, they will want to know the secret behind our joy, peace, goodness, kindness, self-control, patience, and abilities to forgive quickly, to live fully in the present, not to worry, etc. We will then be able to tell them all about Jesus and how He (and the Holy Spirit) changed our lives for the better.

Are priorities measured by how much time we spend on each one of them? No. One pyramid level will usually require a greater allocation of our time; for most of us, it is work. And this is okay. However, we must maintain a certain balance between the priority levels and never put anything (not even our spouse or children) ahead of God.

This delicate balance of priorities is a problem for most of us. We mistakenly neglect our spouses or children, preferring to work to further our career or the growth of the body of Christ. On the surface, this sounds like a lofty ideal, but the Bible is very clear on this topic: "If anyone does not provide for his relatives (i.e. meet all their needs and not just the financial ones), and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:8)

These are very strong words, revealing how important keeping the right priorities is for God. After all, many marriages have been destroyed and many people have lost their health because of wrong priorities. Put differently, when we violate the priority pyramid, we close the abundance taps in our lives through our disobedience!

Principle 4: share our abundance with others

We must ensure that all the abundance that God releases in our life (e.g. His love and joy, the time, blessing and wealth He gives us on earth, etc.) outflows to others. Otherwise, we are at risk of seeing "our" abundance destroy us. Indeed, we will become increasingly selfish, proud, and/or condescending.

Now, the question is: whom should we honor or bless with “our” abundance? The first recipient of our abundance outflows should be obvious to us: God himself. Under the old covenant, the Israelites honored God by giving firstlings and tithes to the Levites (i.e. the priests of God at the time). Firstlings and tithing were done up to the days of Jesus, as Luke 2:23 and Matthew 23:23 confirm to us. However, with the advent of the new covenant and the ensuing change of priesthood that it entailed, the obligation to give firstlings and tithes ceased to exist. (Hebrews 7:12)

Nevertheless, the general principle that underlined the Old Covenant law should still be at work in our lives: i.e. that of honoring God with the abundance we enjoy. (see Proverbs 3:9-10) Do you see what is happening here? Honoring God is the timeless principle that we must espouse; tithing and firstlings were simply the standards that applied under the Old Covenant. Following the introduction of the New Covenant, the standards have changed.

Why? To reflect the fact that under the New Covenant, we have access to a lot more abundance than the vast majority of the Israelites did under the Old Covenant. Here is why. Although the Holy Spirit lived in all of them, He was fully active in very few of them. This impacted them in a major way. Indeed, although their faith saved them (thereby proving the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives), most of them did not have access to the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In fact, the Old Testament books show us that the activation of the Holy Spirit was selective and often temporary. It basically gifted certain individuals in order to enable them to perform key ambassadorial roles or tasks. We know that the Spirit was active, for instance, in Joseph (Genesis 41:37-38), Moses (Numbers 11:17), Bezabel (Exodus 31:2-5), Joshua, Gideon (Judges 6:34), Saul (1 Samuel 10:10), and David (1 Samuel 16:13). This selective activation explains why theologians often say that the Old Covenant gave the Israelites condemnation, but not justification and peace with God. However, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, we can now ALL personally experience a spiritual rebirth while we are on earth, see our consciences cleansed, find peace with God, receive the fruit of the Spirit and be equipped with special gifts. This enables us to open taps of abundance that most Israelites could only dream about. This is why the new standards are inevitably higher than the old ones.

In the Old Testament times, it was the Law that set the standards for honoring God. But now, what or who decides and communicates to us what the standards are? The Pope? The Church? Our Priest or Pastor? The President of our country? Our parents? Us? No. It is the Holy Spirit. It is He who tells each one of us the standards that He wants us to live by. This necessarily means that there is no longer one universal standard that applies to everyone, but many.

What we know for sure is that God has set for each one of us a goal that we must all seek to attain while we are living on earth. What is this goal? To use 100 percent of the abundance that we enjoy for the growth of the kingdom of heaven. Under the Old Testament, the Israelites invested only 10 percent in the kingdom of God and kept the remaining 90 percent mostly for themselves. However, under the New Testament, 100 percent of what we have oversight over (e.g. our time and wealth) should be invested in the growth of the kingdom of heaven! At first sight, it looks like we got a pretty bad deal with the coming into force of the New Covenant. However, this is not true at all. In fact, God did us a big favor. Why? Because we can now store for ourselves a lot more treasures in heaven than the Israelites could.

A word of caution: please do not interpret the new standard to mean that God wants you to sell everything you possess and to give it all to the church or to the poor. This would be completely wrong, unless, of course, the Holy Spirit is personally asking that of you. What God wants is that:

1. Your heart is 100 percent in love with Him (because “where our treasure is (what you love the most or fear the most losing), there our heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

2. You are 100 percent obedient to the voice (and instructions) of the Holy Spirit.

3. You are a “light” (or an ambassador of Jesus Christ) 100 percent of the time so that you can reveal in concrete ways the kingdom of God to all the “neighbors” that you interact with each day.

Can we realistically adhere strictly to these new standards? No. I am personally not yet there. However, what matters is not that I am not perfect yet, but that I am relentlessly striving to climb the 100 percent ladders with the help of the Holy Spirit; i.e. that I am constantly working on my progressive sanctification.

I must also emphasize here that God wants us to give, not out of an obligation, out of fear, or grudgingly, but out of sincere love for Him and for what Christ did for us. (see 2 Corinthians 8:8-9) Paul is also clearly telling us not to impoverish ourselves to enrich others, yet to be willing to make sacrifices in order to help one another. (2 Corinthians 8:12-14)

What God is basically asking of us is to use our (or rather His) abundance to bless our neighbors. And to do that, we must definitively spend some of our abundance on ourselves... but not all of it! This is why Jesus warned us against selfishness, greed, and hoarding. Unless the Holy Spirit is the force that drives us, we will want to keep the greater part of our abundance for ourselves. In doing so, we would only be cursing ourselves, as we would forgo great opportunities to become rich in God's eyes, rather than in the eyes of men!

Those who are not sure what the Holy Spirit is telling them to do with their money and wealth should seek to live by the old standard and give 10 percent of their gross earnings to God (earnings before tax). This will create greater accountability than if you set no goal at all. Whenever we do not know what we should do under the New Covenant, then we should always go back to the standards that applied under the Old Testament. They are often the minimum that we should voluntarily aim at under the New Covenant.

Principle 5: save

The Bible makes it clear that we have to save for both our future needs (Proverbs 6:6-8, 21:20 and 30:24-25) and the inevitable troubled times that we will go through during our life on earth (Proverbs 22:3). How did Joseph save his family (and a whole nation) from physical death? By saving in times of plenty. (see Genesis 37-50) The Bible calls a person who saves and anticipates future needs a wise man and one who lives exclusively for today (i.e. who squanders and spends all his earnings the minute they fall into his bank account) a fool. You may never have heard this before, but by saving we honor God! Yes, we do. Why? For many reasons:

Firstly, it should be obvious that we cannot give what we do not have. Thus, without saving, we cannot share with others some of our abundance when the Holy Spirit asks us to. Secondly, we might become a burden for our family or not even be able to provide for them, which is a major sin as we have already seen. (1 Timothy 5:8) Thirdly, we may be overtaken by a minor crisis or event (such as the sudden breaking down of our car, TV set, computer, etc.). Finally, we may not be able to provide for our retirement. By constantly living on the edge, without any margin, we are not only showing that we have no self-control, but also we are in effect testing God, something that we are not allowed to do. (Deuteronomy 6:16-19 and Luke 4:12) We should always have in mind that God will rarely, if ever, do what we are able to do (or should have done) ourselves.

Nevertheless, if saving is clearly encouraged in the Bible, hoarding is definitely discouraged. Hoarding reveals that we are under the dominion of ambition, greed, fear (that God will not provide for us) or a false sense of security (i.e. we put more trust in our bank account than in God).

The truth is that we are supposed to give and save at the same time. How can we do this? By living below our means, rather than within or above them. When we do so we honor God, as we show that we have self-control (we do not yield to all our wants and desires), that we have the right priorities, and finally that we have learned the secret of contentment. Can we all live below our means? Yes, we can, because it does not depend on how much we earn or what we have. We can all do without a few things; buy generics rather than branded medicine; keep our car longer; repair or make rather than buy; sell off what we do not need; buy smart (at second hand shops, when sales are on), and so on. Living below our means should be an attitude of the heart and our way of honoring God. Nothing in the Bible prevents us from buying some luxuries. However, if doing so comes at the expense of saving and giving, then we lack wisdom and are fools.

Principle 6: avoid becoming a slave to debt

God urges us in Proverbs 22:7 not to become a slave to debt. Why? Is borrowing a sin? No. It is not, in and of itself, but it becomes a sin if we make it our master. Over the last few decades, many individuals – not to mention corporations and countries - have spent themselves into bondage. Too many of us live on credit these days. It is not sinful to dream to have a new car or a new house for instance. However, before we go and buy the object of our dream, we must ensure that we are not stretching ourselves too much.

A simple rule of thumb here is to borrow up to the point where all the capital reimbursements and interest payments we must make reaches one third of our net disposable income (after having paid our taxes and honored God with our financial abundance). If we cannot discipline ourselves and adhere to this rule, then we should not borrow at all. We must check our heart each time we are tempted to borrow and ask ourselves which god we are serving by borrowing. Is it the god of beauty, of envy, of greed, of pleasing others, or the Lord?

We must therefore guard ourselves against these gods, learn the secret of being content whether well fed or hungry (Philippians 4:12-14) and remember that if we are faithful with little, then God will entrust us with more over time. (Luke 16:10-11) It is okay to borrow to buy one’s house (which should appreciate in the long run). However, it is not wise to use our credit card(s) to buy a TV set, clothes, toys for our children or anything else that we cannot pay off immediately. All these things not only depreciate over time, but they can prevent us from giving when we need to.

Do we honor God by taking some debt on? No. In fact, we honor God when we lend. (Deuteronomy 28:12) Thus, if we are led by the Holy Spirit to borrow to buy something, then we should make sure that we can repay our debt within an appropriate timeframe so that we can be lenders rather than borrowers one day. And to do so, we will inevitably have to learn to live below our means. Thus, if you are currently falling under the weight of debt, then know that it is definitely possible to get out of bondage. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you find the way out and do as He tells you. Granted, it may take some time, but one day you will recover your financial freedom. Jesus died for you not to live under financial bondage, but rather under financial abundance. He can give you all the wisdom, self-control, and discipline you need to set yourself free.

Principle 7: spend on Godly causes

As Christians, we have a duty to ensure that our abundance outflows support only godly causes. Does that mean that we should only give to our church? No. We can and should support organizations that are not Christian, but that demonstrate the values of our God. Examples of such organizations would be the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Emmaüs. Through such organizations, we can bless the poor (which is something the Bible explicitly tells us to do) and be shrewd managers of the abundance that we enjoy.

What we must always bear in mind is that our abundance should not only bless Christians, but also non-believers. Otherwise, how could non-believers experience the love of God? Nevertheless, we should always check with the Holy Spirit before we give, because there are times when the Lord does not want us to give to someone. If we are led by the Holy Spirit, then we can have peace, knowing that we are honoring God and storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven!

One particular outflow of abundance that we must briefly address here is the payment of our taxes. As Jesus Himself told us in Luke 20:22-25, we must pay our taxes. It is perfectly acceptable to seek to minimize one’s taxes if we do so without violating the laws of our country. This is being shrewd. However, avoiding paying taxes through illegal means is not. Worse, it is a sinful act in many respects. Firstly, it shows that we have a tendency to hoard. Secondly, it reveals that we consider ourselves to be the owners of “our” abundance, when we are only stewards of it. Thirdly, we do not obey the commandments of God that tell us clearly to submit ourselves to our governing authorities. (see Romans 13:1-6)

The only valid reason that we can identify for not following a law enacted by a government is when a law asks us to violate one of the commandments or principles of God. And please do not worry ahead of time; if you are one day confronted with such a situation (as the Prophet Daniel was), then the Holy Spirit will tell you what you need to do. He may ask you, for instance, to be an example of faith by staying in the country and disobeying the law even if you are going to be persecuted as a result or to take residence in a country whose laws do not demand that you deny your Lord.

Principle 8: maintain integrity and honor

It is obvious but worth stressing here that we must ensure that we keep our integrity while we exercise our stewardship. With time, our integrity will pay off and lead to an increase in the level of abundance that God releases in our lives, while perverseness and duplicity will close the taps of abundance that we have access to. (see Proverbs 11:3 and 28:6) The best way to maintain our integrity is to keep our eyes on God and to remove any obstacles, distractions, or temptations that can make us fall into the traps of Satan or be deceived by the false promises of advertisers, false preachers and riches.

Needless to say, striking the right balance between giving, saving, and spending is a stewardship challenge that we all face. At different points in time, we may allocate different percentages of our abundance to each one of these three categories. This is fine, as long as we are obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit. The key is that we do God’s will and that we store up for ourselves a lot more treasures in heaven than on earth. The Bible stresses this over and over again. One of these passages is Matthew 6:19-20, where Jesus asks us once again to not store up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but to accumulate treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break and steal.

We should also never find ourselves in a position in which we detach ourselves from God (one of the possible consequences of hoarding or of having a poor mentality) or dishonor His name by stealing abundance from others or becoming a slave to debt. (Proverbs 30:8-9)

Summary

• Everything we have (our time, wealth, possessions, health, marriage, children, love, peace, etc.) belongs to God, not to us; (see Haggai 2:8, Psalm 50:12 and Deuteronomy 8:18)

•  We are therefore not owners, but stewards; i.e. ambassadors who administer the abundance that God generously entrusts us with;

•  We must not be just any stewards, but shrewd stewards; this includes keeping the right motives and priorities, sharing, saving, avoiding debt, and giving to godly causes;

•  The only things that we will keep with us when we go to heaven are the treasures that we have laid up there while we were on earth.

To successfully give, spend and save at the same time, we will not only need to live below our means (with joy), but also believe that we currently have more than enough to invest in the growth of the kingdom of heaven and meet the needs of our family. I hope you feel that you have enough: enough love, peace, joy, wisdom, material and financial blessings, as well as faith to share with others.

Do not delay being a cheerful giver. Our abundance outflows are voluntary under the New Covenant and should reflect both the attitude of our hearts and where we want to spend eternity: in the presence of God or in the quarantine place called hell. You make this choice by choosing which role you want to assume here on earth: that of a steward or that of an owner.

If you take the role of a faithful and shrewd steward, you will be blessed abundantly. However, if you decide to be the owner of the abundance that God has entrusted to you, then you will only reap misery and spiritual death in the end. By clinging to what you have, you will lose everything.

However, if you voluntary give everything back to God, then He will entrust you with real treasures in heaven. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 16:25; “For whoever wants to save his life (or his treasures or his abundance) will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me (i.e. gives it to the Lord) will find it.” Why should we keep what we presently have, when it is only the tip of the iceberg of that which God wants to give us? I pray that you will have the strength, courage, and faith to give everything back to God. Remember that God loves and rewards cheerful givers. (Luke 6:38 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

Challenge No 2: to continue to trust God, as opposed to our newly found abundance or wealth. There is a very telling parable in Luke 12:16-21, it is the parable of the rich fool. In it, Jesus narrates the story of a rich farmer who decides to build bigger barns in order to store up the (material) abundance that keeps flowing in his life. What we learn is that he is so blessed that he feels he has nothing to fear anymore, that he has everything under control and that he can therefore take life easy now. In other words, he is basing his sense of security and joy on his wealth. Big mistake - that same night, he dies! Isn’t it easy for all of us to fall into this trap?

Putting our trust in our riches, or our well-being, or our health is plain foolish. Why? Because, like the price of the shares of a company, our abundance can fluctuate greatly and unexpectedly. The only constant we have in life is God. Only He is unmovable. He is the rock. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. And that is why it only makes sense to put our trust in Him.

Unsurprisingly, Satan's main goal when he attacks us is often to make us lose our trust in God. To get us there, he uses a very simple strategy: to make us believe that we do not have enough, that we cannot enjoy what we have, that God took away some of our abundance to punish us, that God has stopped loving us, that God is no longer in control of events, and so on. Worry (or fear) then slowly seeps into our lives. And sooner than we think, we wonder whether God still loves us. This pushes us not to trust Him. In a way, we tell ourselves here: “Can I trust someone who does not love me?” And our answer is no. As a result, we develop a plan B, just in case God does not come through for us.

I can tell you that unless we resist this temptation, disaster will come into our lives. Why? Because God will then cease to provide for us, to protect us, to comfort us, and to heal us. Why? For the simple reason that He loves us deeply. He therefore wants to show us that if we try to be in charge of our lives, we will reap worry, misery, and anxiety, not abundance. When we trust something or somebody else above God, we are making that thing or that person an idol in our life. And those idols can only disappoint us, for they cannot give us what we need. If this is what happened to you, then all you have to do to re-open the taps of abundance is to repent and ask for God’s forgiveness. He will then help you deactivate the key abundance destruction factors that separated you from Him, His protection, and His blessings.

If you lost some of your abundance, would you still trust God? Is your trust in God so strong that you could pass with flying colors the tests that He will inevitably ask you to take? Could you go into the den of lions like Daniel and trust that God will rescue you? (see Daniel 6) Could you get off the boat and walk on the water if Jesus asked you to? (see Matthew 14:22-31) Could you lose much of your abundance like Job (e.g. wealth, health, and children) and still trust God that He knows what He is doing?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then remember that you are an ambassador of Christ on earth and that as such He will take care of you:

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?…So, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-27; 31-34)

If we consider ourselves stewards rather than owners, then it will be easier for us to cope with any changes in the level of abundance that God entrusts us with. To enable our lights to shine brighter, He may give us more abundance or take away some. In both cases, He wants us to show to others that we still put our faith in Him even though we may not understand what He is doing and why. All we need to know is that He causes (or allows) all things to work together for the ultimate good of the ambassadors of His son, Jesus Christ. Our challenge is not to understand why He does certain things, but to keep our faith intact.

God may be able to save many people by increasing or decreasing the level of abundance that He releases in our lives. What He wants from us is that we trust Him, that we do not become attached to our abundance and that we do not throw a self-pity party each time our abundance level drops. We should not fear losing much or all of our abundance. After all, it is not ours, but God’s. We must realize that:

• We may lose our health, yet be able to enlarge significantly the kingdom of heaven through our attitude and testimony,

• We may lose our wealth, yet be able to minister to others and help them embark on the right eternal destination,

• We may lose our children, yet be able to comfort other parents who have also lost a child and take them with us to heaven,

• We may lose our freedom by being imprisoned, yet be a light to other prisoners and save them from total destruction,

• We may lose our jobs, yet be able to convince others to put their destiny in the hands of God thanks to our faith,

• Etc.

Jesus sacrificed Himself for us and (temporarily) gave away all His abundance in order to save us. Could we do the same - i.e. give away part or all of “our” abundance - if the Holy Spirit asked us? I personally do not know yet if I would pass the test. All I know is that God will never put us through a trial or tribulation that we cannot overcome with Jesus. This gives me some peace, even though I know that I will suffer tremendously in the flesh depending on the abundance elements that He temporarily or permanently removes from my life. What I do not doubt for one minute is that He loves me and I know that I cannot do anything to lower the amount of love that He has for me: what He hates is sin, not us.

Final words

As we repeatedly discovered throughout this book, abundance is a choice. We can choose to live in abundance or in a constant state of “averageness,” or worse - misery. We can open (or re-open) the taps of abundance at any time we want. All we have to do is to be obedient to God and His Word. Abundance will then start to flow into our lives as plentifully and as quickly as we can imagine. Indeed, God has put no limits to the level of abundance we can release in our lives.

To remove the self-limitations that we operate under or that we have imposed onto ourselves, we have to:

1. Renew our minds daily

2. Increasingly activate the law of harvest in all the main areas of our lives

3. Regularly repot ourselves

4. Continually express our gratitude to God

5. Never doubt that God loves us

6. Live in the present

7. Have the fear of the Lord

8. Do God’s will

We will then be enjoying increasing levels of abundance. In fact, we will be so blessed that our abundance will naturally overflow to others, thereby changing lives and making this world a better place to live in. Your challenge will then consist of being a great steward of the abundance that God releases in your life.

Always remember that God may need to increase or decrease the amount of abundance that you enjoy in order to save people from being permanently quarantined in hell. Since the fall of man, this is the ultimate goal behind each one of His actions. Just keep your faith intact and realize that God does not love you more (or less) if your level of abundance increases (or decreases). His love is unconditional and constant.

The world is in the dark. It desperately needs “lights” who can show the lost and the blind the way to heaven. As Christians we cannot just preach the gospel and believe that we have done the will of God. The most effective way to convince people that they are dying is to show them that we are full of the Spirit of Life.

Stop believing that abundance is for others, but not for you. If you are a Christian, you are an ambassador of Christ. You are serving the one who knows the beginning from the end. Do not seek to understand everything He does, for it is impossible. Just trust Him. Be a canal through whom God can bless other people with His abundance.

Do you know that if we were doing the will of God, then the whole earth would be predominantly living in abundance? If each Christian could share the unlimited flow of abundance that he could be receiving from God with just 100 persons, then we would need less than 70 million Christian lights (or less than one percent of the whole population) to cover the entire earth right now!

If you want your life to be surrounded by abundance, then work for Jesus, the only person who can give you what your heart and soul is yearning for. No matter how great or bad your start in life was, you can cross the finishing line as a victor!

If you started reading this book as an unbeliever, I hope that the Holy Spirit has touched you and that you have found at least one element of the abundance-releasing framework valuable. If so, I encourage you to seek to unlock more abundance in your life. Yes, if you work on just one success or destruction factor, then your life will start to change for the better. You will then want to experience more of the presence of God in your life.

God is not a doctrine or an imaginary personage. He is real. You can experience Him in real ways. As you do, abundance will flow into your life. Do not let Satan deceive you and believe that it is not worth finding out if He really exists. Your life is at stake. Do you really want to take the risk of spending eternity being quarantined in hell when you could have taken an easy step to restore your spiritual health and join God in heaven?

Discover for yourself if Jesus really exists and the level of abundance that you could unlock in your life and use to save others. Do it for yourself and your family. Jesus loves you dearly. He wants to bless you and your family. He and His Father are looking forward to spending eternity with you in heaven. The question is: will you give them a chance to show you that they are real? I hope you do.

PART SIX: EPILOGUE

Who did Jesus come for? For the lost, the rejected, the despised, the insecure, the unpopular, the oppressed, the captives, the sick, the wrecked, the unloved, the tormented, the poor. Why did He come? To give us love, to set us free, to redeem us, to heal us, to give us true life, to enable us to (re)open the taps of abundance. With Jesus we go from darkness to light, from death to life, from evil to good, from deception to truth, from captivity to freedom, from poverty to abundance. What an exchange! What a loving God!

Can you imagine that God did everything possible to save me from destruction and eternal separation from Him? I, who committed a countless number of sins. I, who thought that God was purely an invention of man in order to imprison the majority of people within walls of moral values while a minority enjoyed “life.” I, who was selfish and proud. When I think of my past, I can tell you that I did not deserve (by any earthly standards) all the acts of love that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have accomplished in order to give me a new, abundant, and eternal life.

And what a ride it has been! I have learned so much about myself, about the Lord, about life itself. I have failed innumerable times. I have been ungrateful, arrogant, and pitiful, but I am incredibly happy that God has been so patient with me.

My personal journey

It all started in 1996. I had had an encounter with Jesus and was starting to attend church, albeit irregularly. I really wanted to get close to God, but many other things were much more important in my life. I was very ambitious and had great dreams for myself. This drove me to spend most of my waking hours on my work; I was a real workaholic. Worst of all, although I had a great wife, a great job, health, and more money than I needed, I never really felt happy. I was irritable, often depressed, and wasn't enjoying my life. Nevertheless, I was having a very hard time surrendering myself to God: my time, my resources, my money, my talents, my dreams, my ambition. Until He knew exactly which button to press...

At church, I would often hear about giving our best to the Lord, including the first fruits of our time and our money, but this was a huge struggle for me. Although I was working for a top-tier management consulting firm and earning a lot of money compared with most people, I felt I could not afford to tithe without endangering my ability to meet the “needs” of my family and satisfy my own (selfish) desires. I reasoned that if I would earn 30 percent more, this would allow me to tithe. Tithing my time was not even a consideration at this point.

Sure enough, and thanks to God’s abundant grace and love, I was offered a new job. Instead of 30%, my total earnings more than doubled! But can you guess what happened next? New “needs” grew like mushrooms (I bought myself an expensive sports car) and I decided to increase our savings substantially. Having significant savings not only gave me a false sense of security, but meant I could reach my dreams faster.

I want to stress again here that buying or saving do not constitute in themselves unrighteous acts. What was unacceptable in the eyes of God is that we spent all the increase on ourselves. Furthermore, when the time to tithe arrived, I told God that there was no way that I could do so given the new “needs” that we now had. Amazingly, I argued with God that if my earnings were to increase again by at least another 30%, then we would finally have enough to meet our needs and tithe.

I honestly meant what I said. However, I did not keep my side of the promise. Once again, I was offered a new job that paid considerably more than what I was earning. Not only that, but I was now CEO of a listed company - one of my biggest dreams had come true! I even got invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos. I felt on top of the world. However, my everyday life was joyless. I was working so hard that I was constantly sick and had no time to spend with my young family. My marriage was beginning to show signs of strain. Regarding our finances, this time was no different: new desires surfaced quickly; we moved into a larger flat, and made plans to buy a bigger house than we had first thought of, which meant we needed to save even more. Without realizing it, the new “needs” more than offset the new increase that God had generously given us. In the end, I did not tithe, not even once.

You may rightly wonder why God was so patient, lenient, and understanding with me. It is because He had a plan... He always does. In the next step of the plan, being the God of love and not of apathy that He is, He did not let me advance too far on the destruction path that I had taken. Thus, a few months after being CEO, He intervened and I lost my job (almost overnight), but in His mercy, He made sure that I received a final increase in the form of a golden parachute. I was speechless and amazed that God could love me so much, given that I had failed to keep my promises so many times.

Did I tithe on this new increase? No. And rest assured that this was not a surprise to God, who knew exactly how I would behave. The reason that He granted me this new increase is not because I deserved it, but simply because it was part of the plan He had masterminded in order to teach me a few lessons.

The transformative power of a wilderness retreat. Even though I did not see it this way at the time I lost my job, God had enrolled me (and my family) into a wilderness retreat where we would learn to be free from all bondage by becoming totally dependent on him.

How did it happen? After being laid off, I was initially tempted to go back to the corporate world, but dropped the idea after six months, since none of the employment offers I received excited me enough. In fact, God had closed key doors for me. I then decided that the time had arrived to set up my own company, a dream I had entertained for years. I strongly felt that the timing was perfect and that I was professionally ready to serve as an executive coach and headhunter. Needless to say, having significant savings eased the decision process a lot.

However, nothing was about to happen as I had anticipated. It was 2001, and a couple of months later the world was shaken up by the 9/11 attacks. The world economy, which was already suffering from the aftermath of the dot-com bubble burst, suffered a major blow. The stock markets plummeted, and so did our investment portfolio. As our company had not been launched yet and we were receiving no unemployment benefits, we had no choice but to draw from our savings to meet our expenses.

Even though nobody expected the economy to recover quickly, we decided nevertheless to set up our company; it formally saw the light about a year later, in August 2002. I honestly was prepared for our first year to be challenging. However, I never imagined what God had in store for us. No matter the time and energy I invested, the initiatives I launched, or the people I contacted, our company never took off.

This situation forced us to continue to draw on our savings and to pay attention to where each Euro was going, something we had never had to do before. Our flesh was very much hurting and our pride took a beating. However, God had started to teach us a key lesson: that there is a fundamental distinction between needs and desires. For instance, a sports car is not a need; it is a desire, and under the current circumstances, it had to go. Additionally, we learned to be very creative in how we could meet our real needs: we began, for instance, to buy less expensive foods (like plain oatmeal instead of Kellogg’s cereals) and to buy clothes for the kids at second-hand shops; and instead of the idyllic vacations we used to take at 5-star resorts in the Caribbean, we began to treasure and thank God for the possibility to spend time in my father’s house in France. Nonetheless, by far the biggest change in our lives had to do with our faith. Operating under increasingly tight budgetary constraints pushed us to turn to God: nothing else could give us hope.

What we didn't know at the time was that God was in control of the situation and was leading us to the destination that he had secretly set. Hence, after three years of spending more than we were earning, we finally reached a point where we had only enough money to survive for the next… three months! This is the destination that God wanted to take us to!

We now had to choose between succumbing to worry and trusting God. Even though our faith muscles were still weak by this time, we strongly felt that bowing to worry and despair would bring us nothing positive, but only destruction for our health, marriage, and family. In unity, my wife and I decided to put our trust in God; to trust that He knew what He was doing with us, and that He was our shepherd, and as such, He would always provide for us, even if we couldn't imagine how. It was at this point that I finally surrendered my life to Jesus and asked Him to be the Lord of my life. At this moment, my source of financial security changed from my work and my savings to God. He hasn't let me down since.

Yes, we have had to sell some of the things we had bought during our prosperity years and to find other creative ways to live with less, but to my great surprise, we did it thanks to the helping hand of God who never forsook us, and always made us feel loved; He showed us that what matters is His opinion of us, not other people's opinions. Most amazingly of all, although we were now “poor,” we were joyful and full of life, states that I could not really experience when we were “rich.”

Surprisingly, it was during this period of financial scarcity that we voluntarily started to give back to God part of what He had generously given us. Isn’t it amazing? When we were living in financial prosperity, I always felt that we could not afford to do so. However, now that we had hardly any savings left, we found the strength to honor God with our tithe. Why? Because we were learning that abundance is not a reflection of how much one has in the bank account, but how big one's God is!

Did we feel poor, miserable, and unhappy or lose our peace during all those years? In all honesty, we did initially. However, we eventually realized that if God had moved us out of “Egypt” (which symbolizes our submission to the power of sin) and into the desert (where we live on a “day by day” basis - see Exodus 16:15-26), it was because He wanted to purify us and to prepare us to enter the land that He wanted to give us, our “Promised Land”, where true abundance would flow.

And this is exactly what happened: we stopped looking at the resources that we had, and began focusing more on what God has. This made us feel immensely rich. On the one hand, we knew that if we abided in Jesus and Him in us, then we could ask whatever we wanted and it would be given to us. (John 15:7) On the other hand, we were aware of the fact that, as God’s children, we would receive an inheritance in due season. With hindsight, I call tell you that it was during our time in the desert that we started to activate the key abundance success factors and deactivate many of the key abundance destruction factors in our lives.

Our experience taught us another great lesson: that living in abundance is about having whatever you need, whenever you need it. Abundance is not having ten million dollars in the bank. It is having a fifty-cent coin for the parking meter exactly at the moment you need it. It is knowing that when our financial commitments fall due, we will have exactly what we need to meet them, independently of the circumstances, of our work, even of the global economy! Abundance is a frame of mind, a choice, and a matter of trusting God, not our capacity, abilities, or the world.

Did our transformation happen easily? No! Many times, our flesh wanted to quit following God. If we didn't, it was because we realized that no one else could help us. Our faith developed slowly through those trials, seeing God's hand come to our rescue over and over again. Without those trials, I can genuinely tell you that we would never have developed our present level of faith.

Furthermore, timing was undoubtedly a key element of the learning process. Had God delivered us too early from the challenges we faced (or answered our prayers the minute we pronounced them), then we would never have had the chance to develop our faith. It was during those waiting times that we got to know Him well, by spending precious time in His presence and drinking of the living water. What we have experienced is that the better we know Him, the easier it is for us to trust Him and therefore to submit to Him. How wonderful the day when we can confidently say: "Although you slay me, yet I will hope [trust] in you.” (Job 13:15)

Entering the Promised Land

It is crucial to note that we only entered our Promised Land after we had learned to live with little, to be content with uncertainty, to renew our minds, and to plant good seeds. We entered only after we had learned not to murmur, complain, or grumble, but to give thanks instead and not doubt God’s love for us... Only after we had learned what abundance truly meant. And it took us seven long years in the desert to learn this.

Then, our situation changed radically. Our financial visibility increased rapidly: from three months, to six months and then to over a year. We felt blessed. We had money for vacationing again. Our marriage experienced a new “oneness.” My wife and I both gained a better idea of God's plan for our lives, which imbued us with passion and energy and a strong sense of purpose. Our children were developing well, physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

We felt relieved and thought our problems were over. Yet, our world was on the verge of being shaken up again! As we marched deeper inside our “Promised Land,” we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by “enemies” on all sides. They seemed to appear out of nowhere: a few search mandates that our company had won were cancelled overnight; at one of our best clients, a change of leadership threatened to terminate our business relationship; coaching inquiries never materialized. Our business found itself seriously at risk, and our projected company revenues had to be halved.

To make matters worse, Satan not only attacked our financial strength, but also other areas. The prayer group that I led at church saw many of its people unexpectedly leave: membership rapidly went from over 15 people to just 3 (me included). Even our marriage and the health of our son were the targets of Satan. Taken altogether, we felt as if a tsunami or hurricane had hit us without any pre-warning.

Did we understand why this was happening to us? No. We asked ourselves what sin (or sins) we might have done that justified these attacks. However, after meditating upon the story of Job, we retrieved our eyesight and saw what was happening in the spiritual world: that God was preparing us for the battles ahead!

We then decided to exercise our faith muscles (which were by now much stronger than a few years ago) and to trust that God knew better than us why we needed to go through these new trials and battles of the mind. Instead of complaining, we prayed for the ability to endure with grace. We knew that God was using our new trials to purify us further, to cut some of the branches that were still not bearing good fruit, and to help us unlock a new level of abundance in our lives. Also of help was having the confidence that if God had allowed Satan to attack us, it was because He knew that we could emerge victorious if we kept exercising our faith muscles and fighting back.

Were these new attacks painful (for our flesh)? Absolutely. I would be lying if I would tell you otherwise. They arrived at a time when we thought that we had finally made it. After we entered our “Promised Land,” we strongly felt that we would be able to enjoy a few years without any major battles. Thus, we were neither mentally nor spiritually prepared to go into new battles. God, therefore, taught us another great new lesson: to never lower our guards when we change “pot”; as Joyce Meyer says; “new level, new devil.” What saved us is that we were prepared to continue to trust God, even though we did not understand what was happening to us or why. We managed most days to keep our peace and joy, not letting Satan steal them from us.

When we won the final battle of this war episode, not only did the sky become blue again, but we also unlocked a new level of abundance in our lives. For the record, despite the loss of business, our company did not see any revenue loss. Instead, where Satan had taken away many low-paying contracts, God gave us new high-paying ones, which meant that we finished the year on an increase! Our marriage recovered and experienced yet a new level of “oneness.” Our son successfully overcame his bronchitis. And last, but not least, our trust in God increased dramatically as we experienced Him and His unfailing love in new ways. We understood that life is indeed a struggle. In the desert, we fight against ourselves, our flesh, and our sinful nature. In the Promised Land, we fight mostly against outside enemies, whom we have to take our blessings from.

Summary of the key lessons we learned

Lesson 1: we need to obey God

Very early on, God had told me that I should work at our start-up company for about 8 to 9 hours a day, Monday to Friday only (i.e. no work on Saturdays and Sundays). As a workaholic, it was very difficult for me not to strive to generate business for our company outside these boundaries, especially under the tight financial situation we were going through. Yet, every time I bowed to the temptation, I reaped no fruit. On the other hand, whenever I obeyed God’s command, our company was miraculously blessed. For instance, people we did not know and had never met before would contact us and ask us to work for them! As this “obedience-disobedience” process continued for some months, you can imagine the lesson I finally learned: that whenever I obey God, abundance flows into my life and that whenever I don’t, I reap either no fruit or spoiled ones.

Lesson 2: we cannot rely on ourselves

Did the blessings always come when I expected them? No. Very often, they would come at the very last minute. Why? Because God wanted to see if I would start to devise a plan B in case He would not keep His Word. Yes, part of learning to trust God involved no longer relying on myself or my strengths as I had done in the past.

Lesson 3: trust is developed through trials

I have found out that it is easy to trust God when everything goes well; when our bank account is full, when we are in good health, when our marriage is going well; but that it is a different story to do so when 10-meter-high waves threaten to sink our boat. God knows too well that unless we absolutely have to trust Him, we never will. Consequently, we must be willing to periodically go through some trials and/or navigate in rough seas if we want to develop our faith further and open new taps of abundance! Do you seriously believe that Abraham would have been willing to sacrifice his only son (Isaac) – the son that he loved dearly and that he had waited for during 25 long years - if he had not learned to trust God? No, to obey God he needed to have developed the trust that God would still fulfill the promise He made to him, even if Isaac died. By passing this critical test of faith, Abraham opened new taps of abundance in his life.

Did only Abraham have to learn to trust God? No. All the great men and women of faith mentioned in the Bible had to learn to trust God in order to accomplish the plans that He had for them: Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, Esther, David, Jesus, Paul. If you study their lives carefully, you will see that they went through a learning process that ultimately resulted in their trusting God without any reservation whatsoever. You will also discover that those who quit the learning program before the end (e.g. Cain, Saul, and Judas) are met with tragedy, misery, and scarcity.

As James 1:2-4 exhorts us: we should, therefore, consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds, because we know that the testing of our faith develops perseverance, and that perseverance must finish its work so that we can be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Peter also stressed this point when he said that the trials we go through have come so that our faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:7)

Looking forward

Will we go through more trials and tribulations? Definitively! As a matter of fact, we are currently facing a new challenge that requires us to put our trust in God again. But this is great news for us now. It means that God wants to unlock more abundance in our lives. We know that all we have to do to have the ultimate victory is to keep trusting Him and implement the abundance-releasing framework that I shared with you in this book. Navigating in turbulent seas helps us remember that God is behind every one of our successes and that He is our sole provider. Also, it enables us to realize where we place our trust. Indeed, we cannot know this for sure unless our world is turned upside-down!

Now, let me ask the following critical question: can we lose our abundance during a testing time? Did you answer yes? Why? Is your Father in Heaven surrounded by less abundance while you go through a trial? No. Do you lose your adopted son or daughter-ship status when you navigate in rough seas? No. Does God love you less when you face tough challenges? No. So, why did you answer yes to my question then? The simple truth is that the devil can seek to steal everything from you (like he tried to with Job), but if you resist him by flexing your faith muscles, he cannot win.

If you have been born again, you are a child of God. As such you are rich beyond measure and can enjoy the abundant life that Jesus died for you to have. God has already given you a “Promised Land;” a land that lacks nothing and where everything exists in abundance. Yes, God’s plan for your life may require that you appear poor in the eyes of the world. However, do not make the mistakes of seeing yourself as a poor person, because you are wealthy beyond imagination.

Don't believe me? Then think about this: was Jesus poor or rich, living in abundance or in scarcity? Before you answer, let me give you a clue. Imagine that the world’s richest person decided to live one year with the poorest tribe on earth. And, in order to experience firsthand what they have to go through each day, he decides to take no money, no credit card, and no mobile phone with him. Put differently, he leaves all his material wealth to a steward to manage it. Now, while our richest man is in the “land” of poverty, is he rich or poor? Well, for the tribe he currently lives with, he is probably poor, as they do not know how wealthy he really is. But for the rest of the world, he is still the richest man on earth.

Now, let me ask you again: was Jesus rich or poor while He was on earth? If you answered poor, then you do not really know Him. He has done exactly what the rich man did in my example. He lived not one year on earth, but thirty-three, and coming to the earth did not change His abundance status: as the Son of God, He was rich, before, during, and after His stay on earth. His abundance remained constant.

Do you realize what this means for you and I? That we are surrounded with abundance the minute we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Our challenge is first to see our abundance land and then to take possession of it; in order to do that, we must just activate the key abundance success factors and nullify the key abundance destruction factors that operate in our lives. Then abundance will start flowing into our lives here on earth. Transfers of abundance will be made from God’s personal account in heaven to ours here on earth. In time, these transfers will impact all areas of our lives and fill us with love, joy, and peace.

No matter what your bank account on earth says, you should see yourself as being rich, not poor. From now on, speak words of abundance only. Don't say: “We don't have enough money to buy that now"; say: "Lord, if you want me to have this car, you will open up the door. If you don't, it is because it would not have been a blessing for us." Don't overly focus on your problems, but spend more time on identifying and capturing the opportunity that each situation brings.

Think positive. Think how proud Jesus is that you - His ambassador on earth - is unaffected by the ups or downs that you experience in your earthly material abundance. Thank God for His love, and let it flow through you to others. Jesus needs to be able to count on you. After all, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers (the true Christians) are few.” (Matthew 9:37)

Satan is currently having too good a time on earth. He is winning souls by the millions. We need to stop him from stealing people from the kingdom of heaven and destroying their lives in the process. If this book has touched you, then move into action. Support a ministry such as ours and aim to become a brighter light each day. Your life will then take on a new meaning and really be worth living!

THE END

PART SEVEN: MOVING TO ACTION!

We all take away something from every book we read… What did you learn from Make your Life Worth Living? Did you discover:

•  That you are unconditionally loved by God who will do anything possible to save you from being quarantined away from His presence?

•  That God has a plan for you, a plan to prosper you beyond what you imagine in your boldest dream?

•  That it is you and only you who decide where you will spend eternity, in heaven or in the quarantine place called hell?

•  That what we fear the most controls us?

•  That our peace, love and joy depend on that which is our god?

•  That abundance is for everybody, not a select few?

•  That where your thoughts go, there you go too?

•  That to have an abundant harvest, we must sow abundantly with our emotions, talents, time, wealth and acts?

• That each pot where we are planted has its own series of tests which we will need to take and pass before we can move to a larger pot?

•  That gratitude opens key taps of abundance in our lives?

•  That to live life to the full, we cannot live in the past or in the future?

•  That we all carry excess baggage that prevents us from being fully free?

•  That you can get rid of your past by applying the power of forgiveness?

•  That there is absolutely nothing that is unforgiveable?

•  That unless you fear God, you will become spiritually dehydrated and at high risk of being eternally quarantined in hell?

•  That you do not have to be perfect to be an ambassador of Jesus?

•  That lack of faith, disobedience, haughtiness, and hatred can impede us from fulfilling our diplomatic role?

•  That God’s will for our life is always a million times better than our own will, because He loves us a million times more than we love ourselves?

•  That progressive sanctification is key to our ambassadorial success?

•  That you should not suffer unnecessarily to impress Jesus?

•  That if you are following Jesus, you have the assurance of your salvation?

•  That God’s prescriptions exist to protect us?

•  That we must avoid becoming a slave to debt?

•  That abundance can cause our destruction if we believe we have earned it, or that it belongs solely to us?

•  That our joy, love or peace should never depend on our material wealth?

•  That we all have to go through a “detoxification clinic” or a “desert” time before we can move into our “Promised Land?”

•  That once the Holy Spirit is activated in us, we can leverage key spiritual forces to win the battles of the mind and defeat Satan?

•  …

Millions of people wake up each day hoping and wishing that their life would be more abundant, but never take actions to affect change. If you bought this book, it is most likely because, consciously or unconsciously, you want to have a more meaningful life, with more love, joy, and peace in your life, with a sense of mission.

However, acknowledge that abundance will not flow into your life by accident. It is not enough to want it, to wish it, to hope for it, to think about it, or to dream about it… you must take action if your belief is genuine. As Goethe said so well: “It is not enough to have knowledge, one must also apply it. It is not enough to have wishes, one must also accomplish."

I dare you to take a few minutes now and to identify just one thing that you learned from Make your Life Worth Living and that you firmly believe in. It does not matter what it is. You can write it below:

Next, get to know more about the subject, read what the Bible says in this area, get to know yourself: what triggers a negative reaction in you, what triggers a negative thought, what are you deeply committed to, what are your priorities?

Above all, ask God to help you take control of your thoughts. We each have different thought patterns that torment us. It is important that we identify them, since this is the only way that we can fight them. Close your eyes and search your heart. Then write down what comes to your mind:

Which are the thoughts that most often steal your joy and peace?

Are they related to fear? What are you afraid of exactly?

Are they related to sadness? What makes you sad?

Are they related to worry? What are you worried about?

Are they related to guilt? What do you feel guilty of?

The next step is to replace these destructive thoughts with verses from the Word of God that speak specifically against them.

Here are some examples:

Tormenting thoughts: “I won’t have enough to pay the rent.”

Healing thoughts: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack.” (Psalm 23:1)

Tormenting thoughts: “I am going to lose my job.”

Healing thoughts: “The man who fears the Lord, will have no fear of bad news.” (Psalm 112:1,7)

Tormenting thoughts: “I am afraid.”

Healing thoughts: “I will fear no evil, for God is with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Tormenting thoughts: “What I’ve done is unforgivable.”

Healing thoughts: “If I confess my sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive my sins and purify me from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Tormenting thoughts: “I can’t do this; I won’t make it.”

Healing thoughts: “I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Tormenting thoughts: “I am a failure.”

Healing thoughts: “I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me.” (Romans 8:37)

I urge you not to allow Satan to continue to torture you with his destructive thoughts of scarcity, fear, sadness, despair and hopelessness. Don’t pay attention to them. Don’t believe in them. They will only make you feel terrible.

Instead, discipline yourself to substitute them for good, uplifting, faith-filled thoughts… and then watch God act according to your faith!

YOUR TESTIMONY MATTERS

Has this book helped you unlock more abundance in your life, break down strongholds, change for the better, develop your faith muscles, flush out key toxins from your mind, live in the present, open prison doors, restore your health, or become a new you in Jesus Christ?

Then, I invite you to share your testimony with us. In so doing, you will help transform lives while you give the glory to Jesus Christ.

You may share your testimony by email at: Serge@SRLMinistries.org.

Please note that your testimony may be posted (perhaps after having been edited for content and length) on our website or in other written documentation, such as newsletters, books, etc. To ensure your confidentiality, only first names and countries of residence will be mentioned.

May God bless you richly,

SRL

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By many world criteria, Serge Roux-Levrat had a very successful start in life. He was born in Bourgoin-Jallieu, France, to a middle-class family, where he received love and sound principles. He had a privileged education, including an Actuarial Degree from the “Institut de Science Financière et d’Assurances” of the University of Lyons, and an MBA from the University of Edinburgh Business School. He also completed the General Manager Program of the Harvard Business School. In 1995, he married his wife, Barbara, and they procreated two children.

Throughout his career, he was able to work for some of the world's most admired companies, and at the age of 37 he realized a life-long ambition: to become CEO of a publicly quoted company. In this capacity, he had the privilege of joining the world elite at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2001.

By all appearances, his life was great. Internally, however, he was restless and unhappy, and was searching for the true meaning of life. He sought success by climbing the corporate ladder, but slowly realized that success did not equal joy or peace or purpose; and he felt guilty not to be happy when life had dealt him such a good hand of cards compared to millions of other people.

In 2001, all this was to change: in one day his world was turned upside down when he lost his coveted job as CEO. What followed was a period of soul-searching in what he calls "God's detoxification clinic." Here, he found Jesus - not a religion, not a set of rules to follow, not an ideology, not a philosophy, but a real person, alive, loving, and all-powerful. Here, he learned to put his trust and sense of security only in God - not in money, not in social standing, and not in professional success. Here, the unconditional, unfaltering love of God changed his whole life, mindset, and priorities.

As a result, he has responded to God's calling to serve as Ambassador of Jesus Christ to Europe and to work, together with the body of Christ, towards a Christian revival in Europe.

He can be reached at Serge@SRLMinistries.org.

SRL MINISTRIES

Europe is slowly dying. Jesus is not happy to see millions of people being deceived by Satan. Indeed, people are being led to believe that promiscuity is beneficial and abortion is good; that there is no need to commit ourselves to anything other than our own hedonistic pleasures; that technical gadgets and material wealth are the tickets to life's happiness; that life belongs to us and that suicide is acceptable to God's eyes. We are slowly becoming a society that worships death, instead of life.

This has to stop. People must be given a real choice. They need to know that God has defined Himself as life and abundance; that He offers them a lifestyle that will set them free from life's pressures, that will give them abundant health rather than sickness, that will give them peace instead of worry and anxiety, and that will make their lives worth living. Above all, they must know that their creator loves them dearly and that He has a great plan for them.

SRL Ministries is a non-denominational, not-for-profit Christian organization planted in the heart of Europe, in Switzerland. Its mission is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, with the clear intention of helping people lead the abundant lives that Jesus came to give us, and to contribute to the unification of the body of Christ in Europe.

In order to execute our strategy, we need your help whether it is in the form of prayers, volunteer work, support at our events, financial back up, and/or material donations. The need is great. We are thankful for anything you can do to sustain our ministry and enable us to continue to do the work that Jesus Christ has assigned to us. To activate your support, visit us at www.SRLMinistries.org.

By partnering with us, you are enabling the lost, the sick, the imprisoned, and the deceived the opportunity to be touched by true love. Ultimately, your gifts give hope, restore relationships and save lives. On behalf of SRL Ministries, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous and freewill support.

With love and gratitude,

Serge

OTHER BOOKS AND EBOOKS BY SERGE

Books / booklets^1

• Make your life worth living, September 2010, Heavens Press GmbH

• How to enjoy an abundant health, September 2010, Heavens Press GmbH

eBooks2,3

• Cómo gozar de una salud abundante, Kindle edition, 02/2011, Heavens PressGmbH

• Wegweisser für ein gesundes Leben, Kindle edition, 01/2011, Heavens PressGmbH

• Love transforms everything, Kindle edition, 08/2011, Heavens PressGmbH

•  Growing successfully in the new you, Kindle edition, 08/2011, Heavens PressGmbH

•  Fight temptations successfully, Kindle edition, 08/2011, Heavens PressGmbH

1. Can be purchased online at www.HeavensPress.ch.

2. Can be purchased online at www.amazon.com or at www.amazon.de

3. Kindle eBooks can be read on many devices including on a PC, a MAC, an iPAD, or a Blackberry for instance thanks to free applications provided by Amazon

DO NOT CLOSE THIS EBOOK WITHOUT CHOOSING ONE AREA IN WHICH YOU WILL AFFECT CHANGE.

GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE A LIFE WORTH LIVING!