Paying the price

I guess one of the easiest seminars that I present is on the topic of making mistakes. Why....because it is the one question that we all are happy to admit.

Okay to be honest, that seminar is easy for the first few minutes only hahahahaa! Because when we get real about it then all of a sudden it gets quiet and the hands don't go up anymore. As if your not so perfect life has all of a sudden become holy and perfect!

The simple reason for this is because we do not like the consequences of our sinful or bad decisions and actions in life. Lets be honest it would be so much easier if the consequences part could just disappear! Wouldn't that just be nice!?

Well to be honest it will not be!

What is this guy talking about you might think...."I mean seriously, is he crazy?!!!"

Hahaaha, no believe me it certainly would have been much more comfortable in many situations in my life if I could admit to mistakes with no consequences to follow it. But when I am honest, then there would have been nothing to give me reason not to do the same mistake again. It would have been too convenient.

Scary part is that even the impact of the consequences for some people are not enough to prevent them from repeating the same mistakes over and over.

What got me to fail in my repentance process was that I was doing it not for myself. I was doing it for someone or something else. When that did not turn out the way I hoped, well, then I went back to the bad place I was before. "What is the point? How many times do I need to prove to her that I am sorry and will not do it again! Stuff this...what is the point, it doesn't seem to matter what I do so I may as well....." and off you go again.

I recently made a mistake.....and in my journey with God to truly repent....to not make the same mistake again I realized something awesome.

Stop! Stop trying to prove to others and convincing them that you have changed (cause to be honest you have not changed yet....you are only in the process of attempting to change). You are not in control of what they think and what they feel or how they will behave towards you. The negative experience(s) they had of you needs to heal as well. Do it because you want to proclaim your love for Jesus, for the great love that He has for you and having paid the highest price for you! Focus on living a life that He will be proud of and the rest will come with time.

So often we try to fix things in our own power.....where believe me in your own power you did enough damage as it is. Start living a life towards holiness, restore trust in yourself, praise God in all you do and He will take care of the rest. Believe me, He does a great job!

He paid the price.....and He loves you so greatly!!

Allow Him to show it in your life by accepting it. You are worth it!

And the answer to it all......trust!

We all say it....we all talk about it....we read about it....and yes, we all are in search of it in every area of our life!

We all have ignored it....we all have hidden it....we have withheld it when it suited us....and yes, we have betrayed it knowingly and with intent!

The dictionary states it as being: "A statement proven to be or accepted as true".

Many books have been written about it and yet, it all comes down to one thing....just be true. It is that simple.

Yes we are talking about the TRUTH.

I have had the opportunity to consult at various places in many different situations in life.....companies, great and small.....churches, various denominations.....individuals.....marriages.....seminars....and even to myself (most probably the person who needs it most!). The one thing that it always comes down to, that every person is always in search of, aching to find, is the truth!

Why is it that we would go to desperate lengths and measures just to find the truth?

Well we find it in John 14:6 where it is written, Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life....' and in Genesis 1:27 it is written, 'So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.'

So what am I trying to say? We were created in the image of God....and God is truth! Get it? We were created in the image of God, the image of Truth! Therefore we will always be in search of the truth, cause we were created from truth!

Fish were created from the water....so they have to be in water to live! The stars were created from the ferment....so they have to reside in the fermentation in order to live! We were created from the Truth....so we have to live in truth to survive!

It is that simple! 

God is love.....so we are always and will always be in search of love also! In my previous blog I mentioned how love is the one thing that, no matter how many times we got hurt, we have not been able to find a remedy for, we always keep going back for more! 

Truth....love....same thing! Where there is no truth/trust it is not possible for love to be present either! And haven't we all experienced this....or maybe you are experiencing it right now! Where there is no truth there is no relationship....just good or fake/coping intensions!

If you want to fix your love relationships......find truth....restore trust! When you start living in truth, when you start to inspire trust....love will start to return!

So how and where do I start you might ask? Just let the next word you speak be in truth....and the one after that...and the one after that.....and your life will return to peace and joy.

Have great courage as it might be tough.....depending on where your level of truth and trust is currently....depending on what challenges your love is having! But give it all you have got....as it will return! That is a promise....not from me, but a promise by your Father!

Go for it, you are worth it!!! Change your world today!
 

Making LOVE possible....

We all talk about it and it is the one thing that society and humanity have never ever been able to learn from or find a cure for....LOVE.

It does not matter how many times or how deeply you have been hurt....you always go back for more in the hope to find the love that your soul is in search of. Thousands of books have been written about this topic of love and what you need to do in order to find it, to look after it and to keep it! Yet the deterioration in our relationships just seem to be increasing year after year.

This morning I read such a powerful scripture....one that sets the absolute foundation for love to be experienced in any form of relationship. It reeds, "...let us love in deed and in truth!"

Ain't that just so simple, beautiful and to be honest...powerful!!!

In any area of life where you can't be trusted, it is not possible for love to be present!!

Oh don't get me wrong, you will surely experience some intentions of love and words might be spoken about love, but it will not be pure and it will not be experienced....it will not be trusted. You might have a completely inaccurate picture of yourself in your head to what the world out there have, simply because the picture you have is different to what they experience of you in your deeds. What a wake up call......

One simple reference: Is your 'yes' your 'yes' and your 'no' your 'no' in all areas of your life?

When you make a commitment to someone, do you honor it? Or do you have to be reminded?

Did your child have to come remind you...nagging about when you are going to play with him/her like you said you would? Do you think your child trust you now? What message do you think are running in his/her head, "oh if my dad loved me he would have played with me".

You don't believe me? This carries on when we are older! You promised your wife that you will take care of something for her....then that evening she asks you about it and you forgot. Surely I do not have to remind you of the conversation that follows hahahahaa!!
So do you think she trusts you now to take care of it next time? NO!
Did she experience love in that moment? NO!

True love can only be created in a space where there is absolute truth and trust!

And yes, it is the small things that impacts on trust.....things we ignore and experience the issues that flow out of the absence of love being experience when it is too late! Our immediate reaction then is that of justification and passing blame....avoidance through ignorance, anger or jokes (insecure humor).

Come one people, we all have been created by Love to experience love. Look into your life and start living in truth and trust from this moment on....and true love will become possible for you and those around you that you care about greatly!

Go on, you are worth it!

TRUST - a picture of self projection

I attended the wedding of my cousin last night and boy did she look beautiful. I was surrounded by family who really love me and look up to me in life. It was a wonderful evening filled with good memories! Humble people!

The evening came to a point where certain traditional activities were being done like the throwing of the bouquet, etc. I had a beautiful girl with me and it just happened that on a specific activity we shared the same heart, the same belief. She was placed on the spot by people, including my family, to partake in an activity that we both do not agree with. I stood up for her, and myself, and shared that she will not partake.

The answer of 'no' was not accepted and again and again she was asked and lightly pressured to partake. I stood on my answer and hers of 'no' and eventually they got on with the activity. Shortly after I was placed on the spot and the same process followed.

So the question and thought that stayed with me was 'why'? Why did they not accept my initial answer of 'no'. Does it mean that they do not respect me? Or maybe because they do not love me enough? Surely it can't be as these people do love me and look up to me in life. So what am I missing here?

Then this morning after some time with the Father it came to me so clearly!! It is all about TRUST!

No.....not that they do not trust me....as that is the one thing about me that they do know....I can be trusted! What was causing them or motivating them to not accept the 'no' answer was a simple projection of their own personal state of trust....self-trust.

If your yes is not your yes in life, and your no is not your no.....then it is not possible for you to inspire trust and to accept the word of others either. It is so simple when the Lord said that you can only give what you have to give within yourself.

My friends who are trustworthy and solid people, when they say no or when I say no to something, there is no attempt to try and convince or persuade each other...because the answer was given and accepted and trusted.

It is a sad exercise but when I looked at some of those people whom I know well, it is exacly like that in their lives. They will change their minds and commitments they made as the situation changes etc. This reflect your level of trust so significantly.....and we don't even realise it!

So wake up people! Become aware of the commitments you make. Become aware of the promises you make. Become aware of what you say! And let your yes be your yes and your no be your no!!

You are worth it so start living it!