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Do You Want To Prosper? Serve!
by Bo Sanchez

I got this crazy list from a friend.

It’s title?

The 9 Ways To Pretend You’re Busy At Work.

Here are 6 of them…

1. Always walk with 3 folders in your hands, even if the folders are empty.

People with folders in their hands look like people going to meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they’re doing nothing. And people with a newspaper in their hands look like they’re going to the toilet.

2. Always leave your entire cubicle messy.

Build huge piles of folders on your desk. Build stacks of books on the floor, even if you never read them. People around you will think you’re overworked.

3. Always look harassed.

This will give your bosses the impression that you’re really stressed out because of work.

4. Send important emails to your boss at wee hours of the morning.

Set your alarm clock at 2 AM, send the email, and go back to sleep. Your boss will be so convinced you’re such a hard worker.

5. Sigh loudly when many other people are around.

Give the impression that you’re under extreme pressure.

6. In your conversations, say technical words even if you don’t understand them.
For example, if an officemate complains that the internet is slow, say, “It’s because of nanotechnology and the 2nd Law of Physics.” You can speak gibberish, and you’ll still sound impressive.

It got me thinking: This list was made by a genius. Why not use this genius to make work thrilling, fantastic, and excellent?

Which brings me to my message today.

Some people think that spiritual people should be poor.

I beg to disagree. I believe that spiritual people can be the most prosperous people in the world.

Why? Because spiritual people love to serve.

You see, there are two kinds of prosperity.

Happy prosperity and sad prosperity.

You can become rich by stealing and lying to people. But that’s the path to sad prosperity.

Do you want happy prosperity?

I believe the only path to happy prosperity is through service.

So yes, I believe you can prosper.

You can be rich.

Let me teach you how.

Do You Believe You’ll Prosper?

Last week, I talked about “Belief”. I said that if you want to prosper, you need to believe that you can prosper. But what is faith without works? The Bible says it’s dead. So if you want to prosper, you need to express your faith through action.

And for me, action is service.

My big message for you today: Increase your income by increasing your service. Because when you serve, you get rewarded. When you serve, you get paid. Guaranteed. That’s a law written in every atom of God’s universe. When you give, you receive. When you plant, you harvest.

Many times, you don’t get rewarded right away. Many times, the person you served won’t even reward you. That’s okay. Keep serving anyway. And God’s universe will see to it that you get rewarded in some other way.

“Hey, I’m Serving A Lot;

Why Am I Not Wealthy?”

I can hear your objection now.

“But Bo, I’ve been serving all my life! I’m still not rich.”

I know what you mean.

When I look back at my life, I experienced the same thing too. I started serving God at age 12. I preached, sang in the choir, played the guitar for them, organized events, washed dishes, mopped floors, cleaned toilets,… You name it, I did it.

Okay, I didn’t do everything. I didn’t join the kitchen ministry and the dance ministry. Kitchen, because I didn’t want anyone to die of food poisoning. Dance, because I didn’t want anyone to die laughing.

But for 20 years—from age 12 to 32—I was poor.

Why I Wasn’t Rich

For 20 years, I wasn’t rich despite the fact that I was serving people like crazy.

Why? Two reasons.

First, because I didn’t want to become rich.

Second, because I didn’t know how to become rich.

That’s why I talked about “Belief” last week and why I’m talking about “Service” today. Because I subconsciously believed that God preferred me to be poor, I rejected wealth.

Let me just give you three examples…

• I Had No Investments

I was receiving a small allowance as a missionary. But I never thought of saving 10% or 20% for my future. Because if I did that, I felt I wasn’t trusting God enough.

• I Thought Businesses Were All Bad

Through those 20 years of being poor, I got to know a lot of businesspersons. They became my close friends. But not once did I ask them to teach me how to create a sideline or another income stream for myself.

• I Didn’t Like Charging For My Services

There came a point in my life that big companies asked me to give talks for their employees. But when they asked me for my speakers’ fee, I told them, “Oh, I don’t charge. I speak for free.” I felt “awkward” and “icky” just imagining myself telling these companies I charge for my services. (In hindsight, it was also my pride that prevented me from charging. I wanted people to think I was holy.) And so for years, I would speak to these large and rich corporations, events held in 5-star hotels, where everyone got paid. The emcee got paid. The events coordinator got paid. The audio guy got paid. The waiters got paid. Except the keynote speaker!

So I remained poor.

How poor?

I remember that day when I was applying for a visa…

My Net Worth In My Pocket

I was 25 years old.

In the application form, it asked for my net worth.

I asked someone beside me, “What does net worth mean?”

He said, “Your assets. Do you own a house?”

I told him, “Nope.”

“Do you have a car?”

“Yes and No.”

“Yes and No?” he asked, “What brand? What model?”

“I don’t know what brand or model,” I said.

I shook my head. “It’s an old jeep. The one you assemble in the backyard. Model? 1943. Probably World War II.”

The guy looked at me with pity. “If you were to sell it now, how much will be your price?”

“P1500.”

“P1500? That’s all you’re asking for your jeep?”

“Actually, that’s what I’m willing to pay anyone who’s willing to take my jeep out of my hands. It conks out every other day. Because even now, I’m praying for its future owner. For patience amidst tribulations.”

He sighed, “Do you have money in the bank?”

“Uh, no.”

“None?”

“None.”

He looked at me in disbelief. “So your net worth is in your wallet?”

“I guess so,” I smiled.

I thanked him and went back to answering my application form. I opened my wallet, counted my money, and wrote the answer on my application form.

Obviously, my visa application was denied that day.

The Turning Point

But when I was 32 years old, I decided to become rich.

And like a giant dam that broke open, financial blessings entered my life.

Why? Because I was already serving. All I needed to add was belief.

Through the years, I discovered that service was the path to happy prosperity.

For 20 years, my problem was that I didn’t like to be financially rewarded. But the moment I cleared that out of my mind, I began to receive the financial rewards.

Let me repeat my big message today: Increase your income by increasing your service.

Which brings me to the next question.

How To Increase Your Service

How do you increase your service?

There are only three ways: Increase the (1) Scale, (2) Satisfaction, and (3) Spirit of your service.

Here they are…

1. Increase The Scale

Henry Sy is the richest man in the Philippines.

In 2009, according to Forbes Asia, Henry Sy was worth $3.8 billion. Not bad for someone who came to the country as a 12-year old kid owning nothing but the clothes on his back.

Why is the guy so rich?

Here’s one reason: Everyday, 2.5 million people walk into his 43 malls. 2.5 million people who buy stuff, eat meals, watch movies, drink coffee, or simply sit around in benches.

He’s rich because he’s serving 2.5 million people everyday.

Let me ask you: How many people are you serving?

Five people? Fifty people? Five hundred people?

Now you know why you’re earning what you’re earning.

This is what I mean by the scale of your service.

Let me give you another example.

I run a small school. I serve 150+ students.

My friend runs a big school. She serves 9000+ students.

So guess who earns more?

Sometimes, I speak to companies. Because my ministry work has multiplied tenfold, I usually can only give one corporate talk a month.

My friend Francis Kong, a fantastic business speaker, gives 2 to 3 corporate talks per day.

So guess who earns more?

If you want to increase your income, increase the scale of your service. Increase the number of people you serve.

Hey, if you’re employed, this principle is applicable too. The more responsibilities you have in your job, the more people you serve. The higher you go up the company ladder. And the bigger your salary becomes.

Increase your income by increasing the scale of your service. So ask yourself now: How can you serve more people?

But serving more people isn’t enough…

2. Increase The Satisfaction

I have a barber named Bench. From the moment I walk through the door, Bench makes me feel like a king. He greets me and makes me feel right at home. After the really nice haircut, he gives me a free shoulder massage that brings me to heaven. He also gives me a hot towel for my face.

Because I feel so satisfied, my tip is bigger than what I pay for the haircut.

More importantly, the next time I want a haircut, I look for him. By increasing my satisfaction, he has no problems retaining me as his customer.

If you want to become rich, you need to increase not only the quantity (scale), but also the quality (satisfaction) of your service.

Both are indelibly connected.

Let me give you another example.

My nephew Marco is a gifted photographer. He’s so good, Playboy was hiring him to work for them fulltime. He turned down the high paying job (Thank God) and put up his own studio, Shmile. It’s unique because it’s a mobile studio. He can go to your home, set up his lights, props, and backdrop, and start shooting world-class photos. (Check him out at www.shmile.com)

His little business is booming.

Why? Quality. People just love the creativity he puts in his photos.

In “Scale”, you ask, “How many customers do you serve?” In “Satisfaction”, you ask, “How many customers are happy with your service?”


Employees, Think Like Entrepreneurs

Are you an employee?

The Bible says, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.” (Psalms 22:29) If you raise the quality of your service, kings will seek after you—and pay you well.

If you’re an employee, satisfy both your external and internal customers. External customers are people who buy your end products. Internal customers are other departments who depend on your output.

Friend, it’s very possible that your boss won’t appreciate you. It’s very possible that your company won’t recognize you. Don’t worry. Serve with excellence anyway. Because one day, you’ll be rewarded. You’ll be appreciated by someone else! One day, others will hear about you and hire you on the spot.

And God will reward you for all the years you served.

Serve your boss the way you serve God. Yes, even if you think your boss is the brother-in-law of the devil. (Just kidding.)

And your promotion will come from God.

I repeat: When you increase the satisfaction of your service, your income increases too. So ask yourself now: How can I make my customers happy?

Finally, the extra magic in the pudding…

3. Increase The Spirit Of Your Service

By spirit, I mean love.

This is the magic ingredient behind real success.

I believe a real business is about loving customers. This is the best business strategy in the world.

Imagine two salesmen selling the same product and quality. One is someone you don’t know and the other is someone you know. Who will you buy from?

Second scenario: Two salesmen selling the same product and quality. One is someone you know and the other is someone you like. Who will you buy from?

Third scenario. Two salesmen selling the same product and quality. One is someone you like and the other is someone you love. Who will you buy from?

The answers are obvious.

Bottomline, business is about relationships.

Sometimes, when the scale (quantity) and satisfaction (quality) are lacking, the spirit (love) of your service can make up for your weaknesses.

In “Scale”, you ask, “How many customers do you serve?” In “Satisfaction”, you ask, “How many customers are happy with your service?” In “Spirit”, you ask, “How many customers have become your friends?”

How I Got Rich

My formula for getting rich is simple: Serve first and the money will follow.

From age 12 to 32, I was serving without much pay. But in reality, I actually earned two things more valuable than money. I developed (1) my talents and (2) my network of trust.

And that’s what happens to you when you serve unselfishly.

I repeat: When you serve, you get rewarded. Everytime!

30-Years Of Service

Developed My Talents

Let me give you one example.

For years, I was running 9 non-profit organizations. Only one of them was paying me a salary. So I led 8 of them without pay.

But I was paid in another way. I learned the skill of delegation, working with people, and empowering my leaders.

Today, using the exact same skill, I run 12 small businesses—all of them earning money for me while I sleep.

I wouldn’t be able to do this if I didn’t learn to lead many organizations in my ministry.

Another thing…

30-Years of Service

Developed My Network Of Trust

Robert Kiyosaki said, “Poor people go to work, Rich people build networks.”

But let me add: They must be networks of trust. Facebook users, having 2834 friends in Facebook is useless if these people don’t really trust you.

I’ve been serving God for 30 years now.

Honestly, I never realized I was building a network of trust.

I was just loving people.

11 years ago, when I started in business, I had no money.

One day, my favorite mother-in-law called me up and said, “Bo, I heard you’re going to business. I have P1M sitting in the bank. You can borrow it if you want.” That’s why she’s my favorite mother-in-law.

Soon, the Uncle of my wife called me up.

He said, “Bo, I have P1M here. I’m earning peanuts from the bank. I was wondering if I could invest it with you.”

Instantly, I had money to start my small businesses.

A year later, he invested P2.5M more.

I want to believe these wonderful people are lending me money because of my charm and irresistible good looks. But that’s not true. They’re lending me money because they trust me. Through the years, I’ve earned that trust.

I don’t search for the money. Money searches for me.

Keep Serving, Rewards Will Follow

When I was 32 years old, I decided to become rich.

That one decision changed everything.

The moment I decided, it was easy.

Friend, may I ask a question?

Have you already decided to become rich?

From my experience, there’s a difference between wishing to be rich and deciding to be rich. Everyone I know wishes to be rich. Very few have decided to be rich.

Wishing is simply hoping.

Deciding is committing to be rich. If you want to be rich, you’ve got to commit yourself to become rich using God’s way of becoming rich.

How? Serve others and the money will follow.

Be the best in your job.

Be the best in your business.

Love your customers.

Serve them with all your heart.

One day, a river of blessing will flow into your life.

May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“…choose for yourselves this day whom will you serve…” -Joshua 24:15, NIV

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Every day, we make thousands of choices. Some choices have more impact on our lives than others. Some require more thought. Some may even require the input of others. Making Jesus the Lord of your life is the best choice you could ever make!

However, once you do, you have the opportunity every day to make choices to support that choice. For example, are you choosing to serve the Lord with your attitude? Are you choosing to serve the Lord with your finances? Are you choosing to serve the Lord by what you say? What you watch on TV? What you listen to?

Today I encourage you to examine your thoughts and actions. Choose this day to serve Him in every area of your life. As you submit your ways to Him, He promises to direct your steps. Remember, He has good things in store for your future. He promises to empower you to live the life of victory as you choose Him each and every day.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, today I choose You. Search my heart and mind and show me anything in my life that is displeasing to You. Help me to serve You with my whole heart, mind, will, and emotions. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“You will also declare a thing, and it shall be established…” -Job 22:28, NKJ

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

In the Old Testament there was an Israelite woman who was about to give birth. She had just heard that the Ark of the Covenant that housed God’s presence had been stolen. She was so upset about it that she named her baby boy Ichabod, which means “the glory has departed.”

Notice what she did; she named her future by what was happening in her present. She could have just as easily named him “the glory will return,” but she was so focused on the negative, so caught up in where she was at that moment that she defined her future by it.

Friend, don’t ever name your future by your present day circumstances. You may have had some hard times in the past, but get that “Ichabod” spirit off of you. It may look like you’re stuck in a rut and you don’t really see how you could ever rise any higher, but don’t speak defeat over your life.

Instead, name your future: blessed, prosperous, successful, victorious, healthy, whole, strong, talented, creative, wise. Declare what God’s Word says so that you can move forward in the destiny He has prepared for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for the good future that You have prepared for me. Today I choose to come into agreement with Your Word and declare Your blessing over my life. Keep me close to You as I surrender every area of my life to You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Follow Him Daily

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” -Luke 9:23, NIV

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Every day there are things that come against us, distractions that would try to pull us away from our faith in Christ. That’s why Jesus said that every day we have to make the choice to follow Him. Sometimes it’s easy to think, “Well, I go to church regularly” or “I read my Bible on Sundays.”

But really, the Christian life isn’t about how we live on the weekends, it’s how we live every single day. Are you spending time with Him, daily? Are you reaching out and putting others first, daily? Are you sowing seeds to help those in need, daily?

If you know you need to make some adjustments in your daily walk with Him, the good news is that you can start right now, today. Just simply turn to Him and make the commitment to follow Him moment by moment. Let Him direct your steps and follow that inner prompting of the Holy Spirit. Make the choice every day to follow Him and watch what He will do on your behalf!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You for another day to serve and follow You. Search my heart and mind right now and remove anything that would keep me from Your holy presence. I choose to keep my mind on You as I follow Your steps. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

by Dr. David Jeremiah

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” – 2 Corinthians 5:10

Every week there seems to be a new “awards” program on television, honoring celebrities, actors, or personalities in the entertainment world. Every sporting event leads to some kind of championship in which trophies are awarded. Many executives receive bonuses at the end of the year, some of which have recently created disparaging headlines.

None of those rewards or honors has any eternal value; but the Bible talks about awards that are eternal, crowns to be given out at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

The apostle Paul discussed this in Romans 14, saying we should get along with our brothers and sisters and not condemn those who have different opinions on non-essential matters, for “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”

In 2 Corinthians 5, he warned us to please God and to persuade men, “for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.”

We may not fully understand the nature of the “rewards” and “crowns” that God promises to His servants, but the knowledge of the coming Judgment Seat of Christ should propel us to faithful service today.

Our eternal destination is the consequence of what we believe on earth. Our eternal compensation is the consequence of how we behave on earth. -Bruce Wilkinson

The Enemy of Love: Bitterness
by Charles Stanley

The story of the prodigal son gives us a wonderful illustration of God’s love. Jesus told the Pharisees this parable to reveal how the Father cares for human beings and delights when an errant child returns home. However, the Pharisees were lovers of law, order, and the appearance of righteousness. They probably identified more with the angry sibling than with the prodigal or the father.

The older son had already allowed bitterness to take root as a result of his younger brother’s departure. Even so, he was apparently proud of his appearance as the “good son,” just as the Pharisees would have been (Matt. 23:27). Often forgotten in this story is the fact that there was an inheritance for the older brother too—the land he was working and the animals he tended would all one day be his. In other words, he lost nothing when the wanderer returned.

Yet the brother was eaten up with anger. Instead of rejoicing over the prodigal’s return, he complained about the celebration (vv. 29-30). Jesus’ unspoken question to the Pharisees was this: Which son is it better to be like—the one who repented of wasting his inheritance or the one who served the father but showed no love to his contrite brother?

Human nature often desires recognition for doing right and yet begrudges a celebration for someone else. However, the believer has taken on Christ’s nature. Through His Spirit, we can love those who need it most and rejoice with them in their triumph, even when our own victories go unnoticed.

by Charles Stanley

The story of Gideon offers scriptural guidance for times when the odds are overwhelming and defeat seems imminent. No matter what your challenges are, the Lord is able to demonstrate His awesome power and deliver you.

God uses difficulty to build faith. Gideon was willing to believe God and go up against an army four times larger than his own. Trusting the Lord is a process which must be learned through experience.

At times God takes the people He uses and places them in impossible situations—in that way, they discover that He is faithful. We may prefer to acquire faith by reading a book, but the Lord knows that the best classroom is a place of utter helplessness.

God may require us to do what seems unreasonable. The Israelites were already outnumbered, but the Lord instructed Gideon to reduce the army to a mere 300 men. That made the odds 450 to one! Although God’s ways may seem illogical to us, His wisdom and power are far greater than ours, and His plan can be trusted.

God leads us to do that which brings Him glory. The army was now so small that its men could in no way take credit for the victory. The Lord delights in demonstrating His awesome power and glory through our weakness and inadequacy,

Consider life’s challenges as opportunities for the Lord to build your faith and prepare you for ministry. He uses those who are willing to obey Him even when the task seems illogical or impossible. And He takes pleasure in showing His faithfulness to those who trust in Him regardless of the situation.

“The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect, but obedience.” – Oswald Chambers

“I was not born to be free. I was born to adore and to obey.” – C. S. Lewis

“Nothing is really lost by a life of sacrifice; everything is lost by failure to obey God’s call.” – Henry P. Liddon

“You may as well quit reading and hearing the Word of God, and give it to the devil, if you do not desire to live according to it.” – Martin Luther

“When God gives a command or a vision of truth, it is never a question of what He will do, but what we will do.” – Henrietta Mears

“If two angels were to receive at the same moment a commission from God, one to go down and rule earth’s grandest empire, the other to go and sweep the streets of its meanest village, it would be a matter of entire indifference to each which service fell to his lot, the post of ruler or the post of scavenger; for the joy of the angels lies only in obedience to God’s will, and with equal joy they would lift a Lazarus in his rags to Abraham’s bosom, or be a chariot of fire to carry an Elijah home.” – John Newton

“Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.” – Charles F. Stanley

“It is much safer to obey than to govern.” – Thomas à Kempis

By Bo Sanchez

You have lies in your mind.

These lies have stolen much of your joy and blessings.

Here’s the problem: You don’t know they’re lies.

My friend priest told me this hilarious story.

One day, a priest saw a group of kids surrounding a dog.

Curious, he came over and asked, “What are you doing?”

One kid said, “Father, we’re arguing as to who would own this stray dog. We all want him. So we decided that the one who can say the biggest lie would take home the dog.”

The priest shook his head and said, “That’s wrong! Do you know that lying is bad? It’s against the commandments of God. Do you know that when I was your age, I never told a single lie?”

For a moment, there was silence. All the kids looked very sad. The priest was happy. He felt his message hit home.

Finally, the smallest boy said, “Okay, no one can beat that. Give him the dog.”

The First Lie I Ever Told

I remember the first lies I ever said.

I was in Grade 3.

One day, I opened the classroom door, not knowing my classmate was right behind it. The door hit his forehead, and blood flowed down his face, all the way to his white polo uniform. He looked like a victim in a horror movie.

That was when my teacher arrived on the scene. And she screamed, “Who did this?”
There I was, still holding the door knob, and with a shaking voice, said, “Not me!”

I remember how terrible I felt that day.

If you ever told a lie before, you know the feeling.

Suddenly, you don’t feel at peace. (Obviously, I’m disqualifying chronic liars. They’ve deadened their conscience and feel nothing.)

Let me tell you why we lose our peace.

Because God is truth. And when we speak untruth, we move away from God. You move away from the one who said, “Peace be with you.”

Lying isn’t worth it.

Inner peace leaves you.

And your relationships are affected. Because relationships are based on trust—which is based on truth. More so, you can’t even have a great relationship with yourself because you lose respect for yourself.

But let me talk about a different kind of lying.

When We Lie To Ourselves

One day, I was preaching about the power of our words.

I asked my audience to say out loud, “I’m beautiful!” We laughed and had so much fun.

After the talk, I saw a young woman waiting for me at the foot of the stage.

I noticed that physically, she was stunningly beautiful.

She had lovely eyes, but when I looked at her, I sensed deep sadness.

She asked me, “Brother Bo, if one says, ‘I’m beautiful’, but she feels ugly, isn’t she lying?”

I already knew she was talking about herself. I asked, “Why do you think you’re ugly?”

She told me her story. When she was a little child, her father would tell her, “Dorothy, you’re ugly.” And he’d laugh the meanest laugh. He’d tease her again and again. Most of the time, he was drunk when he did this. And she said, “Ever since, I’ve always felt ugly. You were telling us on stage to say, ‘I’m beautiful’! I couldn’t say it. I felt I’d be lying…”

I asked her, “Define lying.”

“When I say something that’s not true.”

“We’ve got a problem here. There are three persons involved. You, your father, and God. You say you’re ugly. Your father said you were ugly. But today, I announce to you that God says you’re beautiful.

Who is telling the truth? You, your father, or God? Out of these three persons, only one of you claimed, ‘I Am The Truth.’”

She began to break down.

She said, “Bo, you don’t know what kind of life I’m living now. I live an ugly life. I’ve had 7 boyfriends, some of them married men. I’ve given away my body to all 7 of them and I feel so dirty. I am ugly.”

I knew what happened to Dorothy.

Words have power. And she allowed the words of her father to create ugliness in her life. She was jumping from one lover to another, searching for someone to tell her that she was beautiful.

I said, “Dorothy, God says you’re beautiful. Because He doesn’t look at your mistakes. He doesn’t look at your past. He only looks at the original beauty He created in you from the very beginning. And He also looks at the glorious beauty of your future.”

I have this habit of praying for people on the spot. I prayed for God’s healing on her life. I said, “Lord, dethrone this cruel lie in her mind.”
The next time I saw Dorothy, she was a different person.

She was free from all her bad relationships. She was serving God in her prayer group. And her eyes no longer had sadness. I saw happiness in them. And yes, she was indeed beautiful.

Stop The Lies

You may be like Dorothy today.

You feel you’ve made mistakes in the past. And you believe you’re a bad person. Or you failed in your school or job or family—and feel that you’re a failure.

But I speak words of truth to you: God says you’re not a bad person. God says you’re not a failure. Sure you’ve made mistakes. But those mistakes don’t define you. God says you’re very good, made in His image. God says there’s a champion in you.

Dethrone the lies in your mind.

Listen to what God is saying instead.

My friend George Gabriel told me that in Facebook and other social networks, there’s such a thing as “Status”. Most often, he sees people type in negative words like, “I feel lazy today,” and “I’m depressed,” and “I’m broke.” He says that these negative words are typed in the internet forever.

Hey, it’s good that we’re being emotionally honest. That’s important. Don’t deny what you feel. But I think we shouldn’t stop at emotional honesty. I think we should also proclaim the truth.

If you feel sick, don’t just say, “I don’t feel well.” Say, “I don’t feel well but this is temporary. Health and healing are flowing into my body.”
If you don’t have money today, don’t say, “I’m poor.” Say, “I’m temporarily broke. Abundance is coming my way.”

If you had a relationship that didn’t work out, don’t just say, “I have a broken heart.” Say, “I have a broken heart but I know the best is yet to come. Someone better will walk into my life and I will find my one true love.”

My friend Vic Espanol told me of Dr. Masaru Emoto. I read his fascinating work years ago, but reading it again opened my eyes to the power of our words…

The Power Of Words Over Water

Wait A Minute – Aren’t You Made Up Of Water?

Yes! 72% of your body is made up of water.

Imagine how your words affect your own body.

When you say, “I’m a failure,” or “I’m hopeless,” or “I won’t get well,” imagine how these words weaken your health.

Make a choice to say the best words out there. Say often, “I’m wonderful,” and “I’m beautiful,” and “I’m God’s child,” and “God has a great plan for my life!”

It’s not only water.

Dr. Emoto also experimented with cooked rice.

He placed one cup of cooked rice in two airtight jars. On one jar, he wrote, “I love you,” and on the other, “You fool.” Everyday for 30 days, Dr. Emoto would say these words to each jar of rice.

After 30 days, the “I love you” rice was still white. But the “You fool” rice was so rotten, it was black. How can you explain this?

Just as a side note: When I was a child, my mother taught me to pray before meals. Now I realize it wasn’t just a nice thing to do.

When I pray over my meal, I know a material transformation takes place in the molecular level of the food that I pray for.

I say, “Be blessed,” to the water and food on the table—and I expect it to be blessed.

Can Water Read Or Listen To Words?

Yes and No.

Let me explain this in the simplest way I can.

I’m taking a deep breath now, because I can’t believe I’m going to do this: I’m going to give a mini-lecture on Physics. Me, the guy who got a D in all my science subjects!

Do you remember Albert Einstein?

My friend Albert said that everything is energy.

Remember his formula E=mc2?

Well, he believed that energy and matter are interchangeable. Because in a subatomic level, the most solid matter you can think of, like a table or a rock (or my biceps) isn’t really solid at all.

Everything is a sea of vibrating energy. Ever changing, ever moving, at the speed of light.

Thus, in a mind-boggling way, there’s really no difference between a thing and a thought. All is energy.

Because of this, everything is interconnected. We’re all inside this ocean of fluid energy. That means my thoughts and words can really affect the entire material universe.

Amazing? You bet.

When you start speaking like this, people automatically think this is New Age and reject it. Not necessarily. What I gave you are reflections based on the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics.

(Note: From a scientific perspective, I probably will get an F with my explanation above. I apologize to all the scientists out there.)

Friend, use your words to create your desired destiny.

Speak Words of Faith. Believe that your words affect your universe.

The Power Of Prayer

I have a confession to make.

For many years, I’ve never understood why we needed “intercession”.

Why do I need to ask you to pray for me?

Let’s say I need money to buy food.

Doesn’t God love me enough to give me money if I ask Him? Why do I need to ask my friends to pray for me?

Is God moved if instead of one person praying, we come as a group? Is God like a politician that is moved by numbers?

Is God saying, “Hmmm, you’re only one person praying. Tsk, tsk. Not enough. Come back to me if you’re a crowd, okay?”

Let’s say you’re sick and want healing.

Why ask the saints to pray for you? Doesn’t God love you enough to heal you—without the backing of saints? Palakasan ba ‘to? Is God saying, “Don’t you bring References with you?”

I also couldn’t understand “Soaking Prayer”. Someone told me, “Our mother was sick and we soaked her in prayer for two whole hours. And God healed her!”

At the back of my mind, I asked, “Why? Why two hours? Doesn’t God hear us the first time we ask for healing?

Is He that type of God who will wait if we’re really insistent—and then relent to our pleading?

If so, then God is a capricious God who doles out blessings to the strongest, loudest appeals.

But as I reflected further, I began to understand.

This understanding was a giant breakthrough for me.

The Blessings Are Already Given

I believe God has already made available all the blessings that you need. Healing. Miracles. Abundance. They’re all there. The Bible says that (Ephesians 1).

He’s not hiding any of that from us.

He’s not keeping it in a giant storehouse under lock and key, and giving them out piece by piece whenever we ask for them.

I repeat: He’s made them all available to you.

Imagine yourself swimming in an ocean of blessings. That’s the picture!

But here’s the reality: One person can be a sponge. And another person can be a rock. The sponge absorbs the water, the rock cannot.

What makes you more absorbent? Your faith.

That’s why prayer has a powerful effect. It increases your faith. It makes you ready to receive blessings.

And when others pray for you, their faith increases your faith. No mater how far they are, their words travel at the speed of light and bless you. Something happens to you when others proclaim blessing to you.

(And note: Love is the greatest power on the planet. When I pray for you, I’m loving you with God’s love. You receive this love. And this love heals and performs miracles.)

That’s why Intercession is powerful. That’s why soaking prayer is powerful. The problem isn’t in the giving of the blessing. The problem is in the receiving of the blessing. Many times, we’re not yet ready. Our faith isn’t ready. (Another note: Faith isn’t only the reason why we don’t receive blessings. There are other reasons that I don’t have time to talk about today.)

But being surrounded by the prayer and love of others, we increase our faith and receive His blessings.

And when you speak words of truth, you affect the universe.

Let me end with one last story.

Who Is Telling The Truth?

One day, a young guy and a young girl fell in love.

But the guy came from a poor family. The girl’s parents weren’t too happy.

So the young man decided not only to court the girl but to court her parents as well. In time, the parents saw that he was a good man and was worthy of their daughter’s hand.

But there was another problem: The man was a soldier. Soon, war broke out and he was being sent overseas for a year.

The week before he left, the man knelt on his knee and asked his lady love, “Will you marry me?” She wiped a tear, said yes, and they were engaged. They agreed that when he got back in one year, they would get married.

But tragedy struck. A few days after he left, the girl had a major vehicular accident. It was a head-on collision.

When she woke up in the hospital, she saw her father and mother crying. Immediately, she knew there was something wrong.

She later found out that she suffered brain injury. The part of her brain that controlled her face muscles was damaged. Her once lovely face was now disfigured. She cried as she saw herself in the mirror.

“Yesterday, I was beautiful. Today, I’m a monster.” Her body was also covered with so many ugly wounds.

Right there and then, she decided to release her fiancé from their promise. She knew he wouldn’t want her anymore. She would forget about him and never see him again.

For one year, the soldier wrote many letters—but she wouldn’t answer. He phoned her many times but she wouldn’t return her calls.

But after one year, the mother walked into her room and announced, “He’s back from the war.”

The girl shouted, “No! Please don’t tell him about me. Don’t tell him I’m here!”

The mother said, “He’s getting married,” and handed her a wedding invitation.

The girl’s heart sank. She knew she still loved him—but she had to forget him now.

With great sadness, she opened the wedding invitation.

And then she saw her name on it!

Confused, she asked, “What is this?”

That was when the young man entered her room with a bouquet of flowers. He knelt beside her and asked, “Will you marry me?”
The girl covered her face with her hands and said, “I’m ugly!”

The man said, “Without your permission, your mother sent me your photos. When I saw your photos, I realized that nothing has changed. You’re still the person I fell in love. You’re still as beautiful as ever. Because I love you!”

This Story Is A Parable Of Your Life

Friend, the girl believed she was ugly.

The man believed she was beautiful.

Who is telling the truth?

Simple answer: The man who loved.

You may be like that woman. You feel you’re disfigured by your failures. Marred by your mistakes. You feel you live an ugly life. But God says you’re beautiful! Because He loves you.

He doesn’t look at your mistakes. He doesn’t look at your past. He looks at the original beauty He created in you—and the glorious beauty of your future.

I encourage you to speak words of truth.
Dethrone the lies in your mind.

Say, “I’m beautiful.” Say, “I’m a wonderful person.” Say, “I have a great future.” Say, “I’m anointed. I’m strong. I’m blessed.”

Use your words to create your desired reality.

May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez

Source

The Levels of Life
by Dr. Charles Stanley

Living accommodations vary widely in the physical world, ranging from mansions to crude shelters. In the same way, the spiritual realm also has different levels.

In our passage today, the Lord reveals three ranks of spiritual life:

1. The Natural Man—Everyone who has not accepted Christ as his Savior is in this category. Many in this group are capable of good deeds, but since their sins remain unforgiven, they are separated from the Lord. Because the Holy Spirit does not dwell within them, they cannot understand the things of God.

2. The Spiritual Man—This group is composed of Christians who are filled with the Spirit and surrendered to His control. Though they’re not perfect, they are quick to recognize transgression, confess sin, and genuinely repent by turning back to God. Because the Holy Spirit is ruling in their lives, He is able to guide them by offering wisdom and insight into spiritual things.

3. The Fleshly Man—This designation describes believers who are trying to live in two different worlds. At salvation, all Christians are given a new nature, but the old “flesh” patterns aren’t removed. By allowing residual sinful tendencies to dominate their lives, these people are quenching the Spirit within them.

You are in one of these three categories. Take some time to evaluate your life by asking, Where am I now? Where would I like to be? The Lord will help those who want to move closer to Him. Ask Him to work in your life to bring you to the place of the spiritual man.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“…time and chance happen to them all” -Ecclesiastes 9:11, NIV

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

When God laid out the plans for our lives, He lined up the right people, the right breaks, and the right opportunities that we needed to fulfill our destiny. The Scripture talks about how time and chance will come together for every person. In other words, there are moments of favor that God has already released into your future. If you’ll let that sink down into your heart today, it will change your whole outlook on your future.

So many people miss out on the good things because they allow fear to distract them and hold them back. They say, “What if I fail?” “What if they don’t like me?” “What if I make a mistake?” To that I say, “What if you succeed?” “What if they like you?” “What if you do it better than anyone else?” That’s expecting God’s goodness and favor.

And when you go out each day with an attitude of faith and expectancy, you’ll see those good things He has in store. You’ll walk into divine moments of favor, moments of blessing, moments of increase; and you’ll be fully equipped to live the life of victory!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You for the good things You have in store for my future. Thank You for Your peace and joy that surrounds my every step. I choose today to keep my heart focused on the good things You have in store for my future. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.