Book of Proverbs – Don’t Say You Can’t – Say Can

Book of Proverbs – Don’t Say You Can’t – Say Can. Check out my website

James and Michael his best friend and best man are out at the baseball game.

“What am I going to do Mike? Jenna wants me to take ballroom dance classes with her in preparation for the wedding. I can’t do that.”

“You think you have problems I have my own set. Madeleine wants me to take a Hot Air Balloon ride with her and she knows I have a fear of heights. I can’t do that”

Jenna and her best friend Madeleine at the nail salon.

“What am I going to do Madeleine? James wants me to go to a baseball game with him. He knows I don’t like sports of any type. I can’t do that.”

“I have my own issues as well. Michael wants me to learn French for our upcoming trip to France. I don’t want to do that. I just want to visit the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre. I can’t do that.

How many times have you said I can’t to God?

I can’t be an usher in the church. I can’t stand on my feet that long. I can’t sing in the choir. They rehearse a couple of times a week and then there are mid-week services as well as multiple services on Sundays. I can’t go on a mission trip. It is not a vacation it is hard work. I can’t go to seminary. When I graduate, I am supposed to be a reasonably perfect person free from sin. I can’t write that spiritual book. I am an unknown who is going to pay any attention to me? The list goes on endlessly of all the things God wants us to do and the answer is always I can’t.

When you tell someone, you can’t what you are really saying is that I am not interested in doing that. When we say we can’t do something it often means we don’t believe in our ability to do it. We refuse to try. We are concerned about how much time and effort it will take to do that thing. It’s a matter of how much time and effort we want to put into it. Let’s not leave out the fear factor which is usually snuggled up close to the word can’t. FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real! Let’s look at the above examples:

James doesn’t want to take ballroom dance classes. Obviously, he is concerned about stumbling over his feet and looking clumsy around everyone else especially if the lessons are not private lessons with just him and his wife. There is also the fear factor. If it’s important to her than he should do it and don’t say I can’t.

Michael doesn’t want to take the Hot Air Balloon Ride because of fear. What did we just say about fear? It is False Evidence Appearing Real. He just needs to not eat anything before he goes up and drink minimal liquids, so his stomach doesn’t go sour on him. The most important thing, however, is to remember what the bible says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13.

Jenna doesn’t want to go to a baseball game because it doesn’t interest her. However, there could also be the fear factor here as well. If she is concerned about getting hit by a line drive ball coming in her direction, then she just needs to voice that to James and get seats behind the home plate where there is a protective net. She needs to remember the reason why they got married is to be together and want to please each other. This will please James and again she needs to remember “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13.

Madeleine doesn’t want to learn French. It’s not that she can’t she hasn’t applied herself and believes she doesn’t have the ability to learn it. She is saying she can’t, but the truth is she hasn’t even tried. Besides, it is just common courtesy to learn the basic phrases for another country if you are visiting. Hello – thank you – where is there a bathroom – how much does this cost – etc.

Do not say you can’t unless you can prove it is physically impossible. You can do all things through Christ! Book of Proverbs – Don’t Say You Can’t – Say Can. Check out my website

Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – You Are Blessed

The next day is not promised to any of us. Therefore, we must live in the present, the here and now. However, not every day is smooth sailing. We sometimes get thrown a curveball like in baseball that throws us off-kilter. No matter what you must constantly remember you are blessed. There is always someone who is dealing with an even bigger battle than you are. “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” – Helen Keller. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – You Are Blessed. Check out my website

Your car is in bad condition and runs badly. While driving you pass several bus stops that are crowded with people who don’t have a car.

You are overworked and underpaid. You go out to lunch and see there are several people in the lobby who are applying for a job with the firm where you work. You have a job and they don’t.

You dream of owning a home because the apartment complex where you live is poorly maintained with dim lighting and sometimes it is hard to find a parking space. While you are driving home you see several homeless people in the street who have nowhere to sleep asking for money and pulling a shopping cart.

You have a cold and it’s making you miserable. You are constantly coughing and blowing your nose. You take some cough medicine and put some tissues in your bag and head over to the hospital to visit your friend who has pneumonia.

You sign up to take a tour however it is not what you thought it would be. There is too much walking and your legs are hurting and your feet are sore. You meet someone else on the tour who is confined to a wheelchair and is unable to see everything they want because of the terrain where they cannot get to certain places with the wheelchair.

You go to the movies with your friends and you are disappointed because the cinematography is not as breathtaking as you expected. Then you see someone at the movies who is vision impaired.

Your spouse aggravates you to no end and sometimes you wish they weren’t around. You get a phone call from your best friend who is hysterically crying because their spouse just passed away suddenly.

Every day you wake up you are blessed. That means God still has a purpose for your life. You are blessed when you have clean water to drink, you have a washer and dryer where you live, you have a vehicle to drive, you have all of your five senses working, you have your health, you have food to eat, your parents are still alive and in good health living on their own and not in a facility. Your children have a heart for God, and they are serving him in some capacity in the church.

As you can see there are so many ways in which God blesses us daily from the smallest to the greatest. Having your eyesight to see a rainbow and a butterfly is just as great as taking a month-long tour of Europe. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – You Are Blessed. Check out my website

Thank God daily for all his blessing and remember YOU ARE BLESSED!

Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – God’s Got This

Omnipotent – having virtually unlimited power, authority, or influence. http://www.merriam-webster.com

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me? – Jeremiah 32:27. Check out my website

Daily there is a multitude of things that can cause us to become stressed, worried, concerned, or fearful. If we have faith and belief in God that should never happen but we are not without sin and so it does happen from time to time. However, we need to remember the above bible verse and realize that there is nothing too hard for God. He has given us numerous examples of this:

Creating the world in six days.
Sarah gave birth to Isaac at 90 years of age
The parting of The Red Sea
Manna from Heaven for 40 years
Jonah in the belly of the whale
The Immaculate Conception with Mary giving birth to Jesus
Daniel and The Lion’s Den
Raising Lazarus from the dead
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in The Fiery Furnace

Of course, there are countless other examples, but you get my point. We must learn that we were created to be believers, not achievers, and to live in peace, not in strife. Now this will take some time to have this peace and rest knowing that God is in control and wants the best for you and is handling everything in your life and will make sure things turn out for your good. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10. Even seasoned veterans who have had previous experience with God keeping them lifted up and above all the mess sometimes falter. Just keep asking, seeking, and believing and God will make it all turn out positively for you. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28.” Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” – Matthew 7:7. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – God’s Got This!

Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – God’s Promises

God’s promises are longer than life, broader than sin, deeper than the grave, and higher than the clouds. – C. H. Spurgeon. http://www.sermonquotes.com

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength. – C. H. Spurgeon. http://www.sermonquotes.com

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834[1] – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the “Prince of Preachers”. http://www.wikipedia.com

God is faithful and true. His promises are forever. We only need to trust and believe. No matter what you may be going through today God is aware of your dilemma and already has a way to save you. Now he may not choose to save you in the way you want to be saved and may not do it in the time frame you wish but he is always on time. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9. “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:25-26. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – God’s Promises. Check out my website

It is good for us to be diligent and pray to God day and night. “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.” – Joshua 1:8. It is also not disrespectful to remind God of his promises to us. When we do this by speaking God’s promises he remembers just like the bow he placed in the heavens. God made a covenant with Noah and his sons who built the arc after God destroyed the world with the floods because of man’s iniquity. “And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, this is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” – Genesis 9:8-17. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – God’s Promises. Check out my website

This is powerful. Remind God of his promises. If you are dealing with health issues declare these promises from God:

God you promised, “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.” – Psalm 103:3

God you promised, “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” – Psalm 107:20.

God you promised, “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, this is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.” – Jeremiah 30:17

God you promised, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” – 3 John 1:2

If you are dealing with financial issues declare these promises from God:

God you promised, “For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” – Psalm 5:12

God you promised, “And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers.” – Deuteronomy 30:9

God you promised, “For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow, and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.” – Deuteronomy 15:6

God you promised, “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” – Revelations 3:8

Whatever issue you may be dealing with search the bible for God’s promises and then repeat them over and over and remind God of what he said and in due season you will reap your rewards. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – God’s Promises. Check out my website

Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Manifestation

Manifestation – the act, process, or an instance of manifesting. A perceptible, outward, or visible expression. http://www.wickipedia.com

Are you waiting for a manifestation or maybe several to happen in your life? Have you been praying unceasingly daily? Have you waited so long that you have just given up hope? Well, I have good news for you. Don’t give up hope because you are not alone. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Manifestation. Check out my website

Even with automation like toll booths where you have a device in your car that electronically communicates with the toll booth when there is no attendant to process your payment and keep you moving. In today’s day and age 24/7 fast food service, there are still times you have several cars in line ahead of you and you must wait to receive your order. Waiting for all of us is inevitable. Also, believe it or not, we have to wait more often than we think. Of course, there are times when we know we will have to wait no matter what. A pregnant mother waiting to give birth to her baby, boarding a plane with other people, and waiting on the runway to taxi for takeoff, whatever fruit or vegetable seeds you have planted in your garden to grow and produce. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Manifestation.

Manifestation is all about waiting and for most of us that is sometimes a daunting task especially if you are a Type A personality like myself. We want it done and we want it done yesterday. Then we realize the timing does not depend on us it depends on God and so we mellow some. Then our feathers get ruffled again because it is taking too long. Well, how long is too long? Let’s look at some examples from the bible. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Manifestation. Check out my website

Abraham – God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. When God said that Abraham and his wife Sarah did not have any children. They waited many years until Sarah convinced Abraham to have a child with her handmaid. The child was born and named Ishmael, but this was not the child God promised. At the age of 100, Abraham and Sarah 90 finally had the child God promised and they named him Isaac. Abraham waited 20 years.

Joseph – God spoke to Joseph in a dream and told him he would become a very powerful man and reign over many including his older brothers. He told that dream to his siblings and that angered them and so they threw him into a pit. A caravan of Ishmaelites found him in the pit and took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. Potiphar’s wife made sexual advances on Joseph which he rebuked and so she lied about him trying to take advantage of her and was thrown in jail. Finally, when Pharoah needed an interpretation of a dream he called for Joseph to be brought to him. He told Joseph the dream and he interpreted it and was released by Pharoah and was promoted to chief administrator of Egypt second to Pharoah. From the time God gave Joseph the dream until it was manifested was 13 years.

Job – God allowed the devil to destroy everything that Job had so he could prove Job’s faithfulness to God. Job was a very wealthy man. Job lost everything including his wife and children. Job trusted God and remained faithful through it all. In the end when Job had passed the test God restored twice the amount of what Job originally had lost in cattle, property, children, crops, and children. Job had patience.

Don’t worry ladies I did not forget about you. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Manifestation.

Hannah – In the Book of Samuel, there is a story about a young woman named Hannah. She was married to a man named Elkanah and they were very much in love. Hannah, however, was not able to have children and after many tries, she convinced her husband Elkanah to take another wife named Peninnah who gave birth to several sons and daughters for him. However, Elkanah did not love Peninnah the way he loved Hannah and that drove Peninnah to jealousy. She taunted Hannah mercilessly about being barren, but Hannah kept her dignity and grace and held her tongue and continued to pray to God for a child. One day while Hannah was at the temple, she was so despondent and explained to the priest Eli what was troubling her. She said she was willing to give up her child if she ever had one that she would dedicate him to the church. God was so pleased with Hannah’s patience and perseverance that she did have a son and named him Samuel. She kept him up until he was 3 years old and then gave him to the church. She kept in contact visiting him and watched him grow. God blessed her patience by giving her 5 more children, three sons, and two daughters.

Esther – She was a young Jewish woman who was being raised by her cousin Mordecai. She was obedient and beautiful. She was sent by her cousin to become a part of King Ahasuerus harem. She finds favor with the king and becomes the queen. Her cousin Mordecai uncovers a plot to kill all the Jews and tells her she must speak with the king to save her people. Once getting informed of the plot to kill the Jews she becomes frightened and is overcome with helplessness. She is not allowed to see the king unless she is summoned. She goes to the king unsummoned and explains her plight. He resolves to save her people and kill the one who orchestrated this plot. Esther showed her faithfulness and belief in God that he would save her people if she did her part. God provided the manifestation for her.

Ruth – She is the daughter-in-law of Naomi. Naomi has been compared to a female Job. She lost her home, husband, and children. Some say she lost even more than Job did. When Naomi’s and Ruth’s husband died Naomi advised Ruth to go on and live her life, but Ruth was a loyal woman and stayed with Naomi. Ruth had great faith. Her faith and belief in God that he would provide for Naomi and herself was solid. They introduced Ruth to a man named Boaz, and she proved to be a woman of integrity with Boaz. Ruth went to go work in the fields of a man named Boaz. Boaz was a single wealthy man. Boaz fell in love with Ruth and she went from a lowly field worker to being Boaz’s wife. The book of Ruth shows the workings of divine providence. The book reveals the extent of God’s grace. God blessed Ruth and manifested to her exceedingly and abundantly. God fully accepted Ruth into His elect people and recognized her with a role in continuing the family line into which his appointed king, David, and later His Son, Jesus, would be born. After Boaz married Ruth, she became pregnant and had a son named Obed. This man Obed became the father of Jesse. Now Jesse was the father of David who was in the direct family line of Jesus Christ.

Are you waiting for your manifestation? Patience is the key. We are always in a hurry and God is not. God’s timing is often a mystery. He doesn’t do things on our timetable. However, the Bible promises that God will not be late, not one single day. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” – Habakkuk 2:3. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Manifestation. Check out my website

Book of Proverbs – The Anointing

Anointing – to choose by or as if by divine election.

What does it mean to have an anointing on your life? It means God has chosen to work through you and gives you an opportunity to do something with ease, so it is not a struggle.
All of us would love to do things in our lives with ease since life can be so hectic. A good example of this is Christmas time and holiday shopping. Things sometimes get very chaotic at this time of the year. When we have the anointing in our lives, we don’t feel overwhelmed and anxious. With the anointing things flow like tranquil waters in a lake, like an eagle gliding through the air, and like a dinner, you watch being prepared at Kobe’s restaurant. If you have never dined at Kobe’s it is a Japanese Steakhouse Restaurant where the chefs prepare the food right in front of you on teppanyaki stainless steel grills. These grills are usually powered with gas and the chefs prepare quite an entertaining show while they are cooking your food. The tricks that they do on the grills with flaming hot fire are great and they do them with such ease. Book of Proverbs – The Anointing. Check out my website

How do we receive the anointing on our lives? We must keep peace in our lives. We must stay away from strife. We must be sensitive to The Holy Spirit because he is our helper, instructor, and educator. We need to have an intimate relationship with God because it is possible to have an anointing on your life for everything, not just things involving church or ministry. When you have an anointing on your life you can accomplish whatever it is you need to do in all areas of your life. Book of Proverbs – The Anointing

As with anything where God is concerned, he is always looking for willing vessels. If we will make ourselves available God will work through us and do amazing things. Strive for peace and keep the anointing on your life. Book of Proverbs – The Anointing. Check out my website

Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Daily Bread

Give us this day our daily bread. – Matthew 6:11. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Daily Bread.

Consuming grain-like bread plays a vital role in your diet. It supplies many nutrients like vitamins and minerals and dietary fiber that are crucial for the maintenance and health of our bodies. Check out my website

Bread is also a gift from God. In the Old Testament scriptures, it was a representation of fecundity. However, in the New Testament bread relates to miracles. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Daily Bread.

Bread is talked about many times in the Bible. When the people of Israel were fed with manna which fell from heaven daily. “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, at even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, it is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, this is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. – Exodus 16:11-18. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Daily Bread.

There is also the time when Jesus multiplied the bread to feed the crowd, bread became a sign of sharing. “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, this is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, they need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, we have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.” – Matthew 14:14-21. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Daily Bread.

Then there is also during the last supper when bread became the body of Christ. “Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, with desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, this is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise, also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. – Luke 22:7-20. Book of Proverbs – Proverbs For The Modern Day – Daily Bread.

Bread also represented the Word of God which sustained the people. Jesus teaches us to pray that God would give us daily bread (Matthew 6:11). The Lord’s Prayer educates us to come to God humbly knowing that we can do nothing ourselves and we must depend on him for everything. We are to pray to God and ask him to provide us with the things that we need and to assist and support us in our daily lives. God has requested us to seek him for our daily bread and we can trust God that he will never neglect us or leave us stranded. Check out my website

Christian Books – Donna Louis Welcoming A New Year

Welcome to a New Year of wishes, dreams, and hopes of what lies ahead. – Christian Books – Donna Louis Welcoming A New Year.

“The three Cs in life: choice, chance, change. You must make the choice to take the chance if you want anything in life to change.” — Unknown. Christian Books – Donna Louis Welcoming A New Year

Christian Books “Never allow waiting to become a habit. Live your dreams and take risks. Life is happening now.” — Paulo Coelho.

At the stroke of midnight, everyone has a twinkle in their eyes when they think of the great things they expect and the accomplishments they want to accomplish in the New Year. Whatever you wish to attain you must have the following: commitment, resolute, envision, enthusiasm, and discipline. Christian Books – Donna Louis Welcoming A New Year

Commitment – an agreement or pledge to do something in the future. Whether you are looking to lose weight, stop smoking, run a marathon, etc., you must be committed and never give up. Not every day may be easy, success requires commitment. Check out my website

Resolute – marked by firm determination; bold and steady. If you are looking to stop drinking, build your business, etc. you must be resolved to go the distance.

Envision – imagine as a future possibility; visualize. Visualization is one of the most powerful success tools. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Just because you may be employed in a lowly position don’t think that is where you will always remain. Dream big. Envision where you want to be and what you want to have. That is exactly what Do Won Chang did. He worked as a janitor, gas station attendant, and in a coffee shop when he first moved to America. He founded a fashion store named “Fashion 21” back in 1984. The name has since changed to “Forever 21” and he has a net worth of 3.3 billion.

Enthusiasm – intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval. Whatever you desire to accomplish in life you must have enthusiasm, or you will never attain it. Even with enthusiasm, there will be painful days. Days when you feel you are going in reverse instead of forging ahead. No one ever won a chess match by only making forward moves in life. Just like life sometimes you have to take a step backward to make a better step forward. Never give up, because if you don’t try, you will never know if you can.” – John Cena. “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill.

Discipline – control gained by enforcing obedience or order; self-control. “Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful.” – John Maxwell. Truer words were never spoken. Just reflect on the times when you start exercising; it is painful until your muscles get used to it.

If you look at the above words you will see that they spell the word Creed. The definition of a creed is a set of fundamental beliefs, a guiding principle, or a mission statement. Many companies have a creed. Here are some examples of highly successful firms’ creeds. “To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”- Linkedin. “To give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.”- Twitter. “To build the Web’s most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solution.”- PayPal.

As you can see all of these creeds are extremely positive. Reflect on them and then create your own personal creed. –

As you start out the New Year remember you will have highs and lows but so did Jesus. It was a tremendous high for him after he finished praying that he was able to raise Lazarus from the dead. It was a low time for him when Satan was tempting him for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness, but he never gave up. There may be times when you miss an exercise workout, you eat that extremely rich dessert that you know you should have passed on when your goal is to lose weight, you declare you will stop drinking but instead of stopping at 11:59 on New Year’s Eve you still have a glass in your hand on New Year’s Day. Just recognize you are human, ask God to strengthen you going forward but never give up. Remember you can do all things through Christ which strengthens you. – Christian Books – Donna Louis Welcoming A New Year.

Never give in, never give in, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. – Winston Churchill. Check out my website

HAPPY NEW YEAR – WELCOMING A NEW START

Christian Books – Donna Louis- Only God Can

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Only God Can

God – the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe. A being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human worship; specifically. – Christian Books – Donna Louis – Only God Can. Check out my website

God can do anything and everything even though we sometimes think and feel certain things are impossible even for God. Let’s look at some of the things that only God can do and did. – Christian Books – Donna Louis – Only God Can.

In today’s society, there are so many people dealing with sadness, hopelessness, dejection. Society categories this as depression. Human beings on a whole figure that we are 100% achievers. An achiever is always looking to get or attain something because of great exertion. Like Joyce Meyer says, “we are meant to be believers, not achievers. The achiever works and works…saved by grace but living by human effort. However, the believer rests in the grace of God…and follows the leading of the Holy Spirit into an abundant productive victorious life.”

In the examples of biblical stories that you will read below, you will see that even in biblical times people struggled with depression and relied on exertion. However, in their time of need when they could not fix their situation no matter how they tried it came down to one thing – Only God Can. Check out my website

The Beginning

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And God said, let there be light: and there was light. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and overall the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 1 verses 1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 16, 20, 24, and 26. – Christian Books – Donna Louis – Only God Can. Check out my website

The Red Sea

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses, wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. – Exodus 14:13-16. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Only God Can.

Daniel In the Lion’s Den

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also, before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceedingly glad for him and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So, Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him because he believed in his God. – Daniel 6:16-23. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Only God Can.

Jonah in the Belly of the Whale

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight, yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. – Jonah 2:1-10. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Only God Can.

Three Hebrew Boys Delivered from the Fiery Furnace

Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore, he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. – Daniel 3:10-27. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Only God Can. Check out my website

Modern Day Miracles that Only God Can

Baby Born with Heart Outside Her Body – Leicester, England

Brain Dead Woman Gives Birth to a Healthy Baby – Lisbon, Portugal

Man, Who Survived For 555 Days Without A Heart Waiting for A Transplant Survived on An Artificial Device Doctors Implanted in Him – Ann Arbor, Michigan

Dog survives 5 weeks on highway median with a broken leg – Sacramento, CA

Eight-month-old baby girl stuffed in a plastic trash bag abandoned survived 72 hours before found – Elmira NY

With all this truth and documentation what makes you think that God cannot produce a miracle for you. Whether it is restoring your health, providing you with a new job, saving your business, giving you a spouse, lifting you to higher heights after bankruptcy, getting you approved for that dream car you want, giving you that dream vacation you always wanted. Remember ONLY GOD CAN! Christian Books – Donna Louis – Only God Can. Check out my website

Christian Books – Donna Louis – The Half-Way Point

The seasons have changed again, and Summer is finally here! Christian Books – Donna Louis – The Half-Way Point

It is July and we have all reached the halfway point of the year. We have gone through the first six months of the year. No doubt we have all had many ups and downs. We have encountered many trials as well as many moments of euphoria.

At the beginning of the year, we had a lot of hopes and dreams that this would be the breakthrough year in many areas of our lives. We made a list of goals that we intended to accomplish no matter what. However here we are starting the second part of the year and we have not accomplished anything near what we had planned. There are some of us that may not have even checked off one of the goals on our list. So where do we go from here? Christian Books – Donna Louis – The Half-Way Point. Check out my website

We do like the classic Frank Sinatra song says, “Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.” We must remember the old saying, “if at first, you don’t succeed try, try, again.”

We all have become a set of people that want instant gratification. That is very evident with all the fast food places to eat. Let’s not forget drive-through where we don’t even have to get out of the car!

Whether it is getting out of debt, losing weight, quitting smoking, etc, etc., we must go back to the grassroots method. Nothing happens overnight but if we keep at it and pursue it with our whole heart eventually we will reach the finish line and have success. – Christian Books – Donna Louis – The Half-Way Point.

I am sure that some of you when you were a kid had jigsaw puzzles you would put together. You would start off strong and could match the right pieces where they belonged easily. However, as you went along almost always when you picked up a piece to interlock into the puzzle it was the wrong piece. After a while what you thought you would have had completed in a brief period was taking hours. Through the euphoria, frustration, and timing eventually, you finally completed the puzzle and you were so happy once it was done. You smiled a big smile and stuck out your chest and proclaimed victory. Christian Books – Donna Louis – The Half-Way Point.

This is the way it is in adult life as well as we tackle our goals. Things don’t always shape up the way we want but that doesn’t mean we give up! Try reassessing your goals. Maybe some of them were unrealistic from the beginning.

If you are looking to get out of debt don’t expect it to happen overnight. You didn’t get yourself into debt in an abbreviated period of time so don’t expect it to go away in a fleeting moment. Sure, you can engage with a debt consolidation firm and tie all the debt into one payment, or you can file bankruptcy. Even with debt consolidation, you will still have a bill to pay over an extended period. If you go with bankruptcy sure all the debt is gone but you will have 10 years to wait for it to drop off your credit report. Christian Books – Donna Louis – The Half-Way Point.

If you are looking to lose weight that also will not happen overnight. You didn’t gain the extra 30, 50, 70, 100, or more lbs. overnight. They say the natural and safe way to lose weight is to lose about 10lbs. per month which amounts to 2.5 lbs. per week. Set a realistic weight loss amount and then remember to give yourself wiggle room. Try using the 80/20 rule. Eat right 80% of the time and allow yourself the 20% for the times for when you just must have the big bucket of popcorn loaded with butter at the movies or, your favorite flavor ice-cream or, whatever it is that you enjoy that you just must have sometimes. Christian Books – Donna Louis – The Half-Way Point.

If you are looking to quit smoking and you have been smoking for over 10 or 20 years don’t expect to just quit in one week. Now don’t get me wrong there are miracles that take place in our lives now and then. This one I can say for myself was a miracle. My husband and I both smoked for over 20 years. One day back in the year 2001 my husband decided he was just going to quit smoking cold turkey because he refused to pay $4.00 a pack for cigarettes. He told me you can keep smoking if you want but I quit. Well, I decided I would try it as well. I was never a heavy daily smoker only ½ a pack a day or on stressful days maybe ¾’s of a pack. However, I tried it along with him and honestly, God took the cravings from us both almost immediately. I had some temptations in the first week but never gave in and after that, we never picked up cigarettes again. This has been over 19 years now. I don’t recommend this method for everyone but please don’t be harsh on yourself if you are not able to quit for 3 months and then you have a lapse. Don’t think to yourself I will never be able to quit, this is just my life. I will always be a smoker. No, don’t put that branding on your life. Remember what the bible says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. – Philippians 4:13. We all have goals and things we want to conquer including me.

So, enjoy your summer, live life to the fullest, thank God for life because the next day is not promised to any of us, and be grateful you made it to the halfway point because there are so many who did not. Reassess your goals and grab the bull by the horns and roar into The Halfway Point! Christian Books – Donna Louis – The Half-Way Point. Check out my website