Never Ever Die Without Reading This Book

If you're not into reading books, if you could only read one book in your entire life, this is the book you've got to read. And if you love reading books, this is the book you've got to prioritize reading... 

This blog site is dedicated to doing book reviews but I don't want to start doing reviews on different books without first giving paean to the so-called book of all books: The Holy Bible.

Books will inform you but the Bible will transform you. - Unknown

If you're someone like me who devours a lot of self-help, success and relationship books, you may have already taken note of the common teachings or principles being taught by these books. I've found out that the timeless principles on becoming successful, on having wonderful personality and relationships, all have their roots on the Bible. Let's take a look at the most popular ones: 

1. The Law of Attraction

What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.

- Napoleon Hill

The law of attraction is the most powerful law of the universe. It has become widely popular following the hit movie The Secret, but it has long been being taught and practised throughout the ages by the most successful men in the world. 

The principle of the law of attraction is simple: Whatever you are consciously or unconsciously focusing on, whether positive or negative -- you attract into your life. It means that if you want to have or achieve something, you just have to believe with all your heart that you will have it, and it will manifest.* The amazing thing is, I am yet to see someone successful who has not employed this technique in acquiring wealth, whether he was aware of it or not.** 

* If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. - Matthew 21:22 

** Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. - Proverbs 4:23 

2. Do what you love to do, money will follow 

Success follows doing what you want to do. 

There is no other way to be successful.

- Malcolm S. Forbes

Through reading the life stories of successful people, I've noticed this common denominator about them: They love their work. They discovered their passion and made a living out of it. This is somehow self-explanatory as it is hard to keep a job where you have to drag yourself to work. The ideal job is something that fuels your energy and liberates your enthusiasm. It is the job that you will still do even if you don't get paid for it. It is the kind of job that consumes a lot of your waking hours, almost leaving you with no time to sleep, and yet you can still wake up the following day feeling excited to get to work. Lethargy never crosses your mind, as you enjoy what you're doing, for your work brings you fulfillment and happiness. And because you enjoy what you're doing, it is evident in the quality of your work. You automatically deliver excellent results. And then success will surely follow, because the universe rewards everything done with love. 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." - Colossians 3:23-24

3. Live a purpose-driven life

Decide upon your major definite purpose in life 

and then organize all your activities around it.

- Brian Tracy

It has always been said that each one of us was made for a specific purpose. And to remind us of our life purpose, upon our birth, God implanted His dreams deep into our hearts. This is why, to be able to know your life purpose, you have to search deep within you, because God's dreams are your deepest desires. Of course, we were given free will; we have the freedom to choose which path to follow. God wouldn't even impose his will upon us. But if you want to live a joyous life, you must live your life purpose. Yes, God wouldn't impose his will upon us. He doesn't have to. Because we will simply desire his will. Because living our life purpose is what will give us the utmost fulfillment in life. 

"Many are the plans in a man's heart but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." - Proverbs 19:21 

When God sent us on earth, He equipped us with all the necessary talents to carry out our assignment. Aside from knowing your life purpose through discovering your deepest desires, you will also discover your calling by taking an inventory of your inborn talents or your core gifts. Your life purpose is to serve others through these God-given talents. 

"God has given each of you some special abilities, be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God's many kinds of blessings." - 1 Peter 4:10 

Not living your life purpose will leave you feeling miserable. I guess it is even safe to assume that those who usually produce mediocre outputs at work are those who are not happy with their jobs. They're on a job that doesn't utilize their God-given talents, or worse, they're on a job that doesn't inspire them to give the best of themselves. They are not where they should be. They are not where God wants them to be. 

"Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny." - Ecclesiastes 6:10 

Find a work you love to do and at the same time, a work that utilizes your core gifts. Because where your core gifts and your heart lie, there you will excel. Everyone benefits when you follow your life purpose, you enjoy what you're doing and your work automatically serve others.

4. Inquire within 

The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. 

There comes a leap in consciousness, 

call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you, 

and you don't know how or why.

- Albert Einstein

I've heard a lot of people who credit their tremendous success to their intuition. They are the ones who have learned to trust and follow their intuition in making decisions. Great examples are the successful businessmen who put up their businesses after receiving persistent inner promptings to start a particular venture. They followed their intuition and were greatly rewarded with profitable businesses. 

"I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go." - Isaiah 48:17 

Intuition is a reliable guide. It can never go wrong -- because it is God speaking to us. It is just but one of the means by which God communicates to us. We are not alone in this earth's journey. God never left our side. He is always here deep inside our hearts. He is always more than willing to guide us. We just have to ask Him. 

"If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him." - James 1:5 

The day I started harnessing my intuitive abilities was also the day when I became worry-free about life. Why should I worry when I can easily access the answers regarding life's uncertainties? Through my intuition, I can always ask God for solutions to my problems. Through my intuition, no matter what the current situation is, I am always receiving God's assurance that I should not be frightened, because a bright future is ahead of me. 

"Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart." - Job 22:21-22 

Indeed, the time-tested principles and secrets on becoming successful all boils down to this single truth: All you ever need to become really successful in all aspects of your life is through creating a relationship with God. Know him through reading His Word and you'll be blessed.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." - Matthew 6:33 

Be blessed always,

Zhayne

♥ ♥ ♥

But the people who are really blessed are the ones who hear and obey God’s message. – Luke 11:28 CEV

REFLECTION: The Place of Desperation Is the Place of God's Deliverance

I am now on the verge of desperation...Where everything seems to be closing in on me...Where I already feel powerless over the problems that seem to have contentedly piled up themselves around me...Where the intermittent onslaughts of fear seem to have taken a tight grip on my soul that it requires superhuman efforts to shake them off at times. Then in quiet solitude with God this morning, I was reassured of this truth: "The place of desperation is the place of God's deliverance." And this reassurance filled me with hope. Yes, I am nearing the peak of despair. Yes, I am almost drowning in this mire I am in. Yes, I am about to give up. But I should be glad, for these are indications that the time is nigh for God's deliverance.

REFLECTION: The One Who Comforts Best

The daylight has started breaking in, signifying the dawn of a grand new day. I could already hear the chirping of the birds like music to my ears, reminding me of the serene early morning scene in churches where only the chirping birds would dare break the silence consuming the atmosphere. I could already hear the cocking of the roosters from somewhere not so distant, and I thought I got a whiff of smoke coming from some burning dried leaves but realized I am just remembering the morning setting in the provinces I've been to, where smoke almost always accompanies the cocking of roosters. I could already feel the cool morning air embracing me and I was reminded of the times when I was getting numb because of pain, desperation and misery -- when I was desolate but felt God's presence embracing me, giving me joy, comfort, assurance and an overwhelming peace that only He can provide.

REFLECTION: After Dark, A Bright and Sunny Day Awaits

6AM. I went out to our mini garden to get my clothes from the clothesline. I felt the morning breeze upon my face, I smelled the sweet scent of the morning air. I gazed round and about, seeing everything around me illuminated by the bright rays of the sun, which was but slowly making its way up the majestic blue sky. It was such a lovely morning reminding me of God's promise, that just after dark, a bright and sunny day awaits...offering a fresh new start...a new beginning. Thank God for another day!

HOW TO ENLARGE YOUR TERRITORIES by Bo Sanchez

This article, How to Enlarge Your Territories by Bo Sanchez, is filled with inspiring messages but these lines struck me the most:

"Here’s what I learned: When you force people to attend meetings, there’s nothing wrong with the people. There’s something wrong with your meetings."

As someone who was once a member of a youth church organization, I could greatly attest to this. I've seen how gays, lesbians and bisexuals stopped attending meetings just a few weeks after joining the group. It's because they didn't feel welcome. The church organization imposes strict rules on how they should act, how they should dress, how they should talk, etc. It was as if, to be a member of the organization, they should have a personality overhaul first. But the truth is, they just wanted to be accepted the way they are.

One thing I learned, those difficult people around us, those who irritate us, those who annoy us the most, those we hate…they are the ones who really need love. They became problematic people because in reality, they are the ones who are undergoing inner struggles.* They are the ones who are going through a lot of problems. They are the ones who underwent many rejections and hurts. And to deal with all of these, they developed unwanted behaviors, whether consciously or unconsciously. So we better not judge them, but love them, because we wouldn’t want to be in their place. It is only when these people experience acceptance and love that they become receptive to changing their ways.

* P.S. Most of the gays I know confessed that they were sexually molested as a child.

***

NOTE: This article was posted as a reply to Bo Sanchez' article, "How To Enlarge Your Territories."

Be blessed always,

Zhayne

♥ ♥ ♥ 

‎"But those who know their God shall be strong and do great and mighty exploits.” – Daniel 11:32

Tell Me What Your Books Are and I'll Tell You Who You Are

Sounds familiar? Yes, it is a just a variation of the saying "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are." Just as we can tell much about a person by the friends he's going out with, I strongly believe that we can also tell much about a person by checking out the books or written articles he's reading. Let me give examples...

When you see a student in white uniform reading a book entitled "The Fundamentals of Nursing," most likely he's a nursing student, right? If you see a student reading the book "The Fundamentals of Accounting," you may give a safe guess that he's taking up Accountancy. If you see a young lady reading a romance novel, wouldn't you think she's the romantic type? And if you see a middle-aged man sitting by the bench, holding a Bible in his hand, what would you think of him? And how about a young man with a collection of Playboy magazines?

We can tell much about a person by the books he’s reading. Read it again. Books. It’s in the plural form. Because someone who is reading the Bible may not be religious after all. Maybe he’s just reading it because he’s bored and he’s got nothing else to entertain himself with while waiting for his wife. But if you go to his house and you see in his shelves a lot of books on religion, then maybe he’s really a man of faith. Meanwhile, a student reading "The Fundamentals of Accounting" may not be an accounting student. Engineering and Management students also read the said book as the subject is also a part of their curriculum. But if aside from "The Fundamentals of Accounting" book the student is reading, he also has with him “Managerial Accounting” and “Cost Accounting” books, he’s really an accounting student then.

Our collection of books tells much about us. It is because we tend to read most about topics that pique our interest. We won’t be wasting our time reading books that don’t interest us, or those that we don’t need to read. And of course, we also won’t invest our pennies on books that we have nothing to do about.

So let me ask, what books are on your shelf?

♥ ♥ ♥ 

‎"For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6