Let Your Passion Be Greater Than Your Fear

My favorite question, as I have mentioned previously, is to ask people, especially adults, what they want to be when they grow up.  Some people’s passions are obvious.  There is no need for me to ask them at all.  After spending just a few moments speaking with them they cannot help but mention with great enthusiasm what kindles their fire.  Their face glows.  They may share what they are doing, what motivates them, and/or their future plans.

There are others that speak of a dream, desire, vision or passion, but put very little effort behind bringing it to fruition.  They have ideas of grandeur.  They can even envision themselves where they want to be, but have no plan to get there.  We read in Proverbs 18:16 (KJV) a man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.  We also read in in James 2:28 (KJV) yea, a man may say, thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  We must have faith, but it is the work or belief and effort that we put behind the faith that actually shows that we have faith.

If we say we believe, but never make an effort towards what it is that we believe, do we really believe?  You may not always succeed immediately out of the gate, but you must open the gate and step on the other side.

Sometimes we say we have a dream or desire, but is it even ours?  Could it be the desire our parents or someone of influence over our lives has for us?  Perhaps we see people with dreams all around us and we want one just because they have one.  Never belittle, or allow anyone else to belittle your dream.  No dream is too big and no dream is too small.  If it’s your dream you own it.  Get excited about it!  You may be the only one who is, but that’s okay.  It’s yours, and you are the one that will feel fulfilled when it comes to fruition.

There are many things that may hold us back, some are real and some are excuses.  But even what is real may slow us down, but should not stop us.  Tragedy can prevent us from moving forward, but we should not let it stop us.  Sometimes it may have the reverse effect and drive us forward.  Budget may stop us, but if we are experiencing a financial deficit we should channel our energy and resources in a productive direction to keep us moving.  When our momentum stops, even briefly, it is difficult to restart our engine.

Procrastination may be one of the most powerful blocks that prevent us from moving forward.  We come up with excuse after excuse, one of which is “I work better under pressure.”  Do you really work better under pressure, or is it that you wait until the last minute and when you complete your task you feel relieved?  Do you realize procrastination is a form of fear?  You may be afraid of failure which is natural; no one wants to fail, but you may be more afraid of success.  What happens when you succeed? What is your next step?  What will be expected of you?

Whatever your desire, dream, vision or passion, in order for you to succeed you must Let Your Passion Be Greater than Your Fear, which is what I have done.  My website www.gretahillman.com is now live; please click on the link to view.  Follow me on Twitter, like my Facebook page and feel free to leave comments. Subscribe to my blog read, and submit questions and/or comments to my forum.  I accept public speaking invitations and I encourage you to watch for the release of my books and upcoming events by visiting my site often.

Thanks for your continued support.  May God bless you as I yield myself to Him and He continues to speak through me.

 

 

How Do Your Thoughts Affect Your Actions?

We often read and hear that the battlefield is in the mind. The thoughts that we receive in our mind work two ways. When we experience happy or good thoughts they bring us pleasure. For example if we think we are getting a promotion or salary increase before we physically receive it if we think that it is coming  we anticipate and expect it.

Contrariwise when we hear bad news it also affects our mind. If we are told it’s possible our services may no longer be needed, we may be in jeopardy of losing our job or income it has an adverse effect on us. We begin to worry. We are concerned about our financial obligations, our family, how long it will take before we are employed again. If we believe this will happen and choose to take the opportunity to start a business of our own we wonder if we will be successful or how long it will take for our business to become profitable.

Neither of these are facts only thoughts. But both statements come with expectations. What happens if the outcomes are not what we expect?

What happens if in the first example rather than the expectation of receiving a promotion or a salary increase you are told you may be in jeopardy of losing your job?  Suddenly what you expected has been turned upside down. Rather than planning how you would spend a possible salary increase you begin to worry about making ends meet as well as how long it will take before you are employed again.

What if rather than the expectation of a possible job loss you are told a new position may be coming available? Rather than trying to determine how long your savings will last and how quickly you must find employment you feel safe, comforted, no longer worried.

The change of a thought can change your mental and emotional state. Of course the thought of losing a job will adversely affect you but it’s a thought. Neither of the statements were facts.

Too often we allow thoughts rather than facts to alter our thinking. There is nothing wrong with thinking about how you would spend or save extra money if you were getting a promotion but you wouldn’t actually do it without having the money in the bank, or at least you shouldn’t.

If there are rumors that you may lose your job they are only rumors. Of course you should always be budget conscious and have an emergency fund when possible but you should not panic based on a thought.

We read in Matthew 6:31-33 therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, What shall we drink: or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father Knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

If the only person that knows everything told you not to worry would you still worry? Well that is exactly what God is telling you. Don’t worry about rumors or things you cannot control. In other words meditate or think on things that you know are true and speak of those things as Asaph said in Psalm 77:12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

 

 

 

 

Caution Low Battery

Driving home from church today we stopped at the drive thru window at our local pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Suddenly a warning flashed across the instrument panel of the car, the battery light came on, and the air conditioner turned off. The battery was low so the car automatically prevented the use of anything that would cause the battery to be drained, or anything that would cause undue stress on it. I thought to myself what a smart car.

 Oftentimes when our physical wellbeing or health is at risk our bodies will give us a warning. We may experience an elevation in our body temperature or have a fever if our body is trying to fight off an infection. Our blood pressure may increase if we are under stress, or overweight. We may become weak or shaky if our blood sugar is low.

It’s obvious when our financial wellbeing is impacted. The balance in our bank account decreases which often impacts our physical and emotional wellbeing.

What about your emotional wellbeing? What causes a drain on you emotionally? Do you have relationships that are draining? Are there people in your life that continuously draw from you without allowing you to replenish. Are you constantly giving and not receiving anything in return? There may be people in your life that only reach out to you when they need something. They may not request anything tangible, but giving the intangible, or giving yourself may be just as costly. You may hear from them once every blue moon, or they may call you weekly. When they call they talk and talk and talk. Sometimes they ask for advice and sometimes they tell you everything that has occurred in their lives since the last time you have spoken. When they end the conversation and it’s usually them that does because they do not allow you to get a word in you feel as though you need to rest.

What’s going on with you spiritually? Do you spend quality time in the presence of God or do you call Him when you need Him like the person in the previous paragraph that’s only looking for what they can get out of a relationship. We read in the Joshua 1:8 this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success

What’s draining your battery?

What’s depleting you physically? Are you trying to squeeze 48 hours into 24? Take time to rest. Look at your schedule if you don’t have one make one.  What’s on your schedule that you can eliminate or reduce the amount of time allotted? Account for all of your time and always include time to rest.

How about your finances? Can you account for all of your income? Are you spending wisely? Do you have a savings plan and a budget? After tithing always pay yourself first. If you experience a decrease income change your spending habits. Eliminate unnecessary spending. Is it cheaper to cook or eat out? Believe it or not sometimes it’s less expensive to eat out if you are only feeding one person. A side salad and chicken nuggets may cost $2 for lunch providing protein and leafy greens verses buying salad fixings and either meat from the deli or fresh meat to cook from the grocery store that may spoil or go to waste if not cooked or eaten. Fresh is always best but we must also be budget conscious.

Do you have emotional relationships that strengthen you or are they one-sided? Surround yourself with people that have your best interests at heart. You may have to distance yourself from some people while reaching out to others that can assist you in your journey. Glean from those around you and offer your knowledge to others without putting yourself in a position that drains you.

We read Joshua 1:8 that we should meditate on the word of God. Are you meditating on God’s word? What happens when you meditate on something? It becomes second nature, a habit. You do it without thinking. When you meditate on the word of God His ways become your ways and in doing so you make your way prosperous because you are following His formula for success.

Take inventory of your life. Recharge your battery. I purchased a new battery for my car but we only have one life. Make the best of yours. Eliminate what is draining you.

Wait On It

In this microwave society we don’t want everything now we want it yesterday. There is nothing wrong with expectancy but God tells us to be anxious for nothing but in all things through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made know unto God who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think.

What does this mean? It means not to worry about anything. Pray to God about everything. Thanking Him in advance because you know that He will grant your request as long as it is according to His word. Not only will He grant your request He will bless you more than you can imagine.

There are a couple of things to remember here. Your prayer must be according to His word. For example God is a loving God and does not want us to be vindictive as we read in Romans 12:19 dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay saith the Lord. If your prayer is to allow you to take vengeance upon someone that you think has wronged you or caused you harm it’s not going to happen. God will repay that person for the harm they have caused. It may or may not happen at your hand but if it does it will not be because you have asked for it rather it will be because God is a just God.

The second thing to remember is when you pray according to His will the blessing He gives will be greater than you expect. When I began my job search after completing my treatment for breast cancer I received a call for a job interview. When I spoke with the recruiter I said you must have made a mistake. My experience is in banking. To my surprise she replied that is what this company is looking for.

I interviewed for the job and was hired. I would never have thought in my wildest dreams that the company that hired me would have a position than would enable me to use my extensive experience in banking. This was exceeding abundantly above all I could ask or think.

Does God always answer our prayer immediately? No, he does not. But He always answers them. He has given each of us the measure of faith as we read in Romans 12:3. He didn’t say I have given you a measure of faith He said He has given us the measure of faith. Each of us has the measure of faith that we need as individuals to believe God for everything He has said He will do for us.

If we all have the measure of faith that is required why is it that it appears our prayers are not always answered?  The answer is simple. We don’t want to wait. Some of us pray lengthy prayers while others may rattle our prayers off to God quickly but before we can say in Jesus name I pray amen we have one eye open looking to see if God has already answered our prayers. Can He move quickly? Of course He can He’s God. Does He always move quickly? No not always, oftentimes there are things God is teaching us through our waiting period. Although we may think we are ready, we may not be ready for what He is going to do in our lives. Even though we know our blessing has come from Him we may even try and take credit for what God has done knowing that He is a jealous God and that no flesh should glory in His presence or take credit for what He has done.

Wait on the Lord. Know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will do exactly what He has said that He will do. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, thinks or does. What God has for you He is willing and able to bring to pass…just wait on it. While some may tell you that what you are awaiting is impossible. I am telling you that with God all things are possible. The only thing that is impossible with God is impossibility.