I like to think I am a positive realist. For example, if I’ve been hit by a Mac truck all the positive thinking in the world won’t take away the pain. But if I am a positive realist, I will acknowledge the fact that I’ve been hurt real bad, but with God’s help and the best medical help I can find I will do all in my power to overcome what has happened to me.

One’s thinking does make a big difference. If you keep telling yourself and believing you will overcome, chances are you will make great gains much faster than if you keep telling yourself all is lost.

As Baudjuin said, “To be ambitious for wealth, and yet always expecting to be poor; to be always doubting your ability to get what you long for, is like trying to reach east by traveling west. There is no philosophy which will help man to succeed when he is always doubting his ability to do so, and thus attracting failure. No matter how hard you work for success, if your thoughts are saturated with the fear of failure, it will kill your efforts, neutralize your endeavors, and make success impossible.”

It is still true, “According to your faith it will be done to you.”

Suggested Prayer: “Dear God, please give me the faith to overcome every setback, problem, and challenge that I am facing in my life. With Your help, grant that I will become a better man/woman as a result of having faced and overcome these trials. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Matthew 9:29-30.

Many years ago God gave his people, the ancient Israelites, a specific goal and with it an unbeatable formula for success. The goal was to claim and possess the Promised Land which, in time, became the country we know today as Israel.

If we want to be successful—that is, in the eyes of God, we also need to discover our God-given life purpose and, with God’s help, be totally committed to fulfilling it, and in the process be sure to live in harmony with God’s instructions for wholesome living.

It seems to me that far too many people drift through life mostly allowing “life as it happens” to direct and determine their future, rather than specifically choosing the direction and future of their life. To avoid the former, it is imperative to have a clearly defined life purpose with specific goals to fulfill that purpose.

Psychologists have been telling us for years that if we are to be successful, we need to have well defined goals. Furthermore, Victor Frankl, the Viennese psychiatrist, says that “not having a goal is more to be feared than not reaching a goal.”

If you want to be truly successful, make sure that you have a clearly defined life purpose and goal that is both realistic and worthwhile. Be sure to get the training you need to be able to fulfill your goal, and determine a plan for fulfilling it. The beginning point is to discover your life purpose-goal, put it into writing—with a specific plan to fulfill it—and commit this to memory and review it constantly. Doing this will program it into your subconscious mind that will help your mind to automatically work on your plans even when you are asleep.

As another has wisely said, “Success is the ability for formulate a worthwhile goal and then employ all of your powers for the achievement of that goal.”

Furthermore, and above all, make sure that your life purpose and goal includes planning for your life beyond this life because, as God’s Word reminds us: “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”² For help, read the article, “Life After Death,” online at: http://tinyurl.com/after-death-life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to discover my God-given life purpose and goal, and establish a workable plan to fulfill this goal. Help me to get the training needed to be able to achieve this goal, and the determination—with Your help to fulfill it—and do all for Your glory. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joshua 1:7 (NLT).

2. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).

Footnote: As Jack Canfield suggested, “If you are clear where you are going and you take several steps in that direction every day, you eventually have to get there. If I head north out of Santa Barbara and take five steps a day, eventually I have to end up in San Francisco. So decide what you want, write it down, review it constantly, and each day do something that moves you toward those goals.”

According to Sir Winston Churchill, “An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.” In other words, we all see pretty much what we want to see—often times what is based on our priorities.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Every great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm.”

A Chinese proverb states, “Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes.” Whether we have wills or wishes is also based much on our priorities or lack thereof. And Toby Montgomery reminds us that “what we give our time, energy and resources to are what we value most. They are our priorities.”

Or as Jesus put it, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

At the close of yet another year may we each examine our priorities and make sure they are in harmony with God’s will for the coming New Year—all year long!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to know what my God-given life purpose is and make that my priority for the New Year. And, with your help, fulfill this purpose for the glory of your name and for the extension of your Kingdom. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV).

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Mary looked through her kitchen window then frowned. “Those workmen,” she fumed, “have dumped a load of trash right outside the back door.”

Then the children came and shouted with delight! They saw, not a load of trash, but a glorious heap of play material.

Watching and listening, mother soon saw the children change the trash dump into a gleaming spaceship complete with excited astronauts—all done through the power of imagination.

Does life for you seem dull and ugly right now? Do you have a “trash dump” staring you in the face? With God’s help and the power of imagination you, too, can create a new image of what your life can be.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in all the challenges of life, please help me see beyond the immediate situation and imagine, with your help, what my life can become; one that is perfect [mature] and complete. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 1:2-4 (NIV).

As M. Dunham wrote, “Sir Edmund Hilary was the first person to conquer Mt. Everest. The first time he tried, he failed. He was knighted by the Queen of England, and at the gala occasion, on the wall behind the head table, was a huge picture of Mt. Everest. The people gave him a standing ovation for even daring to attempt the climb. When they ceased applauding, Hilary turned his back to the audience, faced that picture and said, “Mt. Everest, you have defeated me once and you might defeat me again. But I’m coming back again and again, and I’m going to win because you can’t get any bigger, Mt. Everest, and I can.”*

Great attitude! What a difference it would make if we felt the same when we face the mountains in our lives. The reality of life is that we often learn more through our failures than we do through our successes. Successes are satisfying and they are important to keep us encouraged. However, failure is our greatest teacher. This is because in every failure there is the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to become stronger, better persons. And this is what God wants for each of us—not to beat ourselves up when we fail, but to grow stronger!

Whatever mountain you are facing at this time of your life—large or small—remember God is right there with you. If anything is his will for you, you know that with his help you, too, can say to your mountain, “You have defeated me once and you might defeat me again. But I’m coming back again and again, and I’m going to win because you can’t get any bigger and I can. Plus God is on my side to help me.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, grant me the courage to face every mountain in my life and, with your help, never give up until I conquer each one and learn what you are seeking to teach me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

*NOTE: Actually I believe Mt. Everest is growing a tiny fraction each year, but the illustration is valid re the point Sir Edmund Hilary was making.

1. Proverbs 24:16.

“A ruthless businessman once said to author Mark Twain, “Before I die I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I will climb Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud from the top.”

“I have a better idea,” Twain remarked, “You could stay home here and keep them.”

Talk is cheap. It’s what we do that counts—not what we say—and when our words don’t match our actions, we are, as the Apostle Paul put it, as empty vessels and clanging cymbals.

One of the best lessons I learned from one of my many teachers was the written comment he seemed to relish writing in bold red letters in the column of several of my written assignments. It simply read, “Show me. Don’t tell me.” I got the message!

I’ve never forgotten that lesson. It really applies to all of life’s lessons we want to impart to others—especially to our children! Whatever we want to teach others we need to model ourselves before we can make any lasting impact on anybody else; otherwise what we say is unbelievable and the only person we deceive in the long run will be ourselves.

As a general rule, we teach best that which we ourselves most need to learn. And the place to begin modeling what we want to teach is at home!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to model the kind of person you want me to be … a better father/mother/child … friend … partner … business person … and Christian so that people seeing what you have done in my life will want the same for themselves. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 14:15.

In his book, Peak Performers, Dr. Charles Garfield describes how the astronauts keep their spacecraft on course.

“On their flights between earth and the moon, it was said, the Apollo ships were off course much of the time. In each instance, the spacecraft would wander off its path and the crew would correct—wander off and correct, again and again. And do you know what? It didn’t matter. What mattered were the results. They got to the moon. They got home. They did it by having the discipline and knowledge to get themselves back on course. They followed not a perfect path, but a critical path.”

Whether we’re shooting for the moon, seeking to achieve a better personal or family life, or seeking to obey and serve God, whatever our goals, the principle is the same. There are always unpredictable and unexpected events that call for change and adjustment. Although the astronauts had to be precise in their calculations, they still allowed for mistakes and corrections. The person who doesn’t allow for such adjustments will probably not reach his or her goals. As Charles Garfield explained, the “critical path” is the way to reach any target.

For the Christian our goal is to obey and serve God and to go on to maturity. We will stumble at times, make mistakes, fail, and hit many a bump in the road. When we fall, however, the important thing is the critical path—to get up, correct our course and go on.

And as one author reminds us, “The bumps are what we climb on!”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and way to you and commit my life to serving you. Thank you that you are always with me to guide and direct my life and correct any wrong or harmful turns that I might make—to keep me on target with the goals and purpose you have for my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 24:16 (NIV).

The following story appeared in The Houston Chronicle. I have since learned that this is reported to be an urban legend and may not be true. However, as a parable it has a message in that all of us need to do the best we can with what we have.

On November 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, performed a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. Itzhak was stricken with polio as a child; has braces on both legs and has to use two crutches to help him walk, so it is quite a chore for him to come onto any stage.

Barely had he started his concert when one of the strings on his violin broke. The snap was so loud, there was no mistake among the audience as to what happened. Instead of the arduous task of leaving the stage to change the broken string or get another violin, Itzhak “waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before. Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him modulating, changing, and recomposing the piece in his head….

“When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. We were all on our feet, screaming and cheering; doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done. He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said, not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone, ‘You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.’”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to give life my best shot with what I have and use it to the best of my ability for your glory—and not worry about what I don’t have. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Exodus 4:2 (NIV).

2. Jack Riemer, The Houston Chronicle.

I read how psychiatrist Karl Menninger once asked a very wealthy patient, “What are you going to do with all your money?”

The patient replied, “Just worry about it, I guess.”

“In that case,” said the doctor, “do you experience much pleasure out of worrying about your money?”

“No, but I feel much terror when I think of giving any of it away.”

Commenting on his patient’s money-sickness, Dr. Menninger said, “Generous people are rarely mentally ill!”

In the light of this comment, it’s interesting to note that, “According to a recent report, charitable giving in America has increased less than one percent over the past few years. During the same time span, however, debt payments have risen 550 percent, while our entertainment spending is up 123 percent. Not surprisingly, the average consumer in this country spends $1.05 to $1.10 for every dollar of income. The figures are startling, even for a society where millions of people live in various degrees of financial debt.”

Giving is an attitude. It is a way of life. Some people are givers—others takers—and some are keepers. Whether we give of our money, time, talents, or love, as Jesus reminds us, “Give and it will be given to you.” And I think I could safely say, “Take and the most valuable things of life will be taken from you.”

Suggested prayer, “Dear God, please help me to be a giver, first to you and then to others—and never just a taker or a keeper. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 6:38.

“Saul DeVries was a billionaire who made his fortune during the great depression. Born of immigrant parents, he grew up in poverty. But as a young adult he had an idea, a vision of how he might become a rich man. Realizing that in the depression years, people were unable to buy new appliances or to remodel their kitchen and bathrooms, DeVries decided what was needed was a single product that would clean appliances and keep things sparkling. So, he invented an all-purpose cleaner, the 1st of its kind, called Spic and Span®. It sold well throughout the depression years and continues to do so today. Saul DeVries made billions from his vision and literally cleaned up!”²

I also read that, when he died, in accordance with his will his body was cremated and the ashes were poured down his kitchen sink. Although Saul DeVries was a billionaire, because he didn’t know Jesus Christ as his Savior, his life went down the drain, as it were. He is said to have died a miserable man.

There is nothing wrong with becoming a billionaire as long as money is not the controlling factor in one’s life, and providing one’s money is put to constructive service. As God’s Word, the Bible, reminds us, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”³

A sobering thought indeed? The same principle applies not only to the rich and famous but also to so many athletes, movie stars, some political leaders, etc., who have reached the pinnacle of success in this life, but have never committed their life to Jesus Christ and received God’s forgiveness for all their sins and God’s gift of eternal life.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, please help me to keep my priorities straight and in harmony with your purpose for my life, and help me to invest my life in a worthwhile cause that will bring glory to you. And please help me to be absolutely certain that my sins are forgiven and that I will spend eternity in Heaven with you forever.* Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

*For help be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. Luke 12:15 (NIV).

2. http://tinyurl.com/bmxll2a.

3. Mark 8:36 (KJV).