Knowing what is the right thing to do and having the character to do that which we know is right, will ultimately determine our success or failure in life. If we know what God wants us to do and we have the character to do that which we know to be right, then we will succeed in life. God does not measure our life by the circumstances he allows to come into our life, but rather by our reaction to those circumstances. Therefore, all we must concern ourselves with is learning what God would have us to do and then disciplining ourselves to do those things.
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As I am reading over this first paragraph, I am realizing how incredibly simple this sounds! And yet I find that in each area of my life I come up short. This is basically because, I am either doing the wrong things because I don’t know what I should do, or I am doing the wrong things because I can’t seem to make myself do the right things I know I should do! I feel like Paul who said, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” Sound confusing? Sound like your life?...I know it sounds like mine!
How can we learn what is right and then do it? What a question! Let me give you several thoughts today on how you can do more of the right things in your life:
1. If you feel that you are failing in one area of your life ask yourself, “Am I lacking Character, Knowledge or Faith?” Or if you are feeling particularly upset with yourself ask, “Am I Lazy, Stupid or Scared?!?” This is really a more accurate representation of the reason for our failings, wouldn’t you agree? The first step to improvement is to evaluate the areas in your life where you want to improve and decide which of these three areas are lacking most. We will discuss each one below, but for now let’s start by accurately identifying our weaknesses in each area. I have listed three personal examples in my life where I feel that I am either lazy, stupid or scared so please enjoy at my expense!
When it comes to car repair, I have absolutely no knowledge of how to fix anything! Many times I have wanted to fix my car, I am not afraid to fix my car, but I just don’t know how to fix my car. In this area of my life, I must acknowledge that I am stupid, plain and simple. There is no reason to beat myself up over my lack of Character in not fixing my car, or to pray that God would give me the faith to fix my car. I have only two options when it comes to car repair. Go to mechanic school and learn what to do, or get help from someone who does know what to do. In this area of my life, I must come to realize that I am stupid.
My background is financial and so I am very well versed in dealing with personal income taxes. Every year, family members ask me to do their taxes. It doesn’t take me but two or three hours to do each persons tax return, but I hate to do taxes! I know every tax code and tax form that is required. Taxes do not scare or confuse me in any way, I just hate to do them. So, every April, 10th, I am feverishly completing all the tax returns I procrastinated on for three months. In this area of my life, I lack character or to be blunt “I am lazy!” There is no point in my sitting down and reading more tax code so that I will know how to handle more complex returns. The first step, if I want to improve in this area is for me to realize that a lack of character is holding me back.
I have done several single family real estate deals, but I have never done a multi-family real estate transaction. I cannot tell you how many books I have read on the subject. A few years ago, I was on vacation and saw a very nice multi-family property for sale. I wrote down the number and almost as soon as I did, I started hearing voices in my head saying, “You have never done one of these deals before.” Then I would hear, “You better stick to what you know!” The next day it would be, “Just think of all the debt you will have to take on if you purchased that property!” And on and on it went for months. I never even called to inquire about the property because I was so scared that it might actually work out! In this particular area of my life, I have the knowledge and perhaps even the character to see a deal like this through to completion, but I lack the faith. In other words, I am scared!
Think about the areas in your life where you are less than you should be. What are you lacking? Below I have listed some practical thoughts of what to do when you realize you are lazy, stupid or scared in one area of your life.
What should you do if you don’t know what to do?
-Pray and ask God what He thinks you should do.
-Read the Bible while thinking about this issue and look for verses that can
help. (And sign up for www.twitter.com/Tweets_From_God and get Bible
verses every day!..LOL!)
-Get advice from people who know more than you do. You will be surprised at
how much others are willing to help you learn when they realize you are
sincere in your pursuit of knowledge.
-Read Books, but make sure the author is the kind of person from whom you
want to learn.
-Talk to your parents.
-Talk to your pastor.
What should you do if you just can’t make yourself do the right thing?
-Become accountable to someone you respect.
*Have them call you every day and ask you if you did it.
*Schedule a time to do it with them.
*Ask them to check up on you every week and / or just bring it up in a conversation.
-Link this weak area to an area in your life where you have strong character.
*Do you always eat breakfast, but can’t seem to read your Bible? Don’t eat breakfast
until you have read your Bible.
*Do you always go to church, but you can’t seem to set a time to read a good book? Make a
habit of reading a good book after church before you eat lunch.
-Pick one area and work on that one area for 30 days straight, then move on to
another area. If you pick, say 12 things, you will work on one each month of
the year.
What should you do if you know what to do and you want to do the right thing, but you are just too scared about what might happen if I do it?
-Break it down into steps and think only about the first action you must take
in order to get the ball rolling. The first step is usually not that scary and
usually does not Carry any major consequences. In the case of my failed
multi-family real estate deal, my first step would have been to make a phone
call. I could have backed out any time I wanted, but I needed to make that
phone call to begin the process. Making a phone call by itself is really not that
scary is it?
-Think about the worst case scenario, visualize that in your mind, and decide
if you can live with it. If you can live with it, then take the first step and see
how it goes.
-Find 3 people that you really trust and that you know want you to do God’s
will and give them veto power over the decision. Present your case and decide
that if none of the three tell you “no” that you will take the first step.
I hope this short article will help you to accomplish more for God and others in your life. If you enjoyed this article, please follow this blog, over to the left so that you will be notified every time I send out a new article or poem. I will be posting a new poem tomorrow called "God's Path" that I hope will encourage you in your pursuit of God! Also follow @Tweets_From_God on twitter for King James Bible verses throughout the day. Thank you!
Have a wonderful day!
thank you! i need this.
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