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I thought I had a fair understanding of Christianity, that is, until a stranger who would become a mentor began asking me questions that made me stop to think deeply. I grew up in a Christian home and attended church weekly. I listened to the sermons with sincerity and often took mental notes. My parents were wonderful teachers and doers of the word but it was not until I met the stranger who asked me questions about life as it relates to my faith that I began to wonder if I wasn’t doing certain things out of habit and not sincerity. I didn’t realize it then, but my actions were learnt based on what I saw but never took the time to understand the meaning behind it all. Living By Assumption Realizing he had me thinking he reassured me it was not only the Pharisees and Sadducees of the Bible who misunderstood the teachings of Christ. His teachings continue to be misunderstood today by many including those who proclaim to be His followers. This is one of the many reasons churches today are slowly dying. “Even some of those who attend regularly are losing their connection with Jesus,” he said, “and sadly they become like Samson – they hold to the false notion they can live the way it pleases them, and the Lord would still be with them." Some might realize late in life God had left them to their own imagination. The young people looking on loses any hope of seeing the need for God in their lives as they are turned off by what they observe and at times deem as hypocrisy. I sat there stunned trying to make sense of not only who was talking to me but the words being spoken. Need A Clear Head It was April of 2001, and I had lost my job a month earlier. I decided to take a bus to Jamaica Avenue in Queens, New York to clear my head. Sitting at home and watching television was not doing much for me and I thought I needed to get out of the house. When I heard I was going to be laid off, I prayed to God asking for direction. Months prior, under the assumption my job was secure I had made bad investment decisions in people and businesses that I thought would have been profitable. Over time I discovered my errors in judgement when I saw my losses slowly mounting. Not seeing a clear way out, I turned to God in prayer and asked for guidance. With Knowledge Seek Wisdom What began as a deflection of boredom ended with what I now consider the answer to my prayer. God knows what we desire more than we do, however the way He chooses to answer our prayers is sometimes missed. Psychologists tell us people tend to move away from what they consider to be painful and towards what they assume will bring them pleasure. They sacrifice short term gain over long term fulfilment. To strengthen our resolve as well as to make us into the persons we need to be for our journey, God takes us through His boot camp. Each course is specifically designed for each individual’s unique situation. The process is painful at times as it takes us outside of our comfort zone. A New Heart or Thought Process The Psalmist understood this perfectly when he wrote, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" - Psalm 51:10. Everyone wants a change, but most people refuse to undergo the change that is necessary to receive that which God has in store for them. "To have more you must become more than you are today," the stranger told me, "and to achieve this," he continued, "you need a new heart created in you, otherwise it would be like pouring new wine into old bottles – this would only cause it to break.” There Are No Shortcuts To Success From that day and moment my life changed. It took time for my development to occur, and I did slumber and make mistakes along the way, but I never gave up. I will share with you these lessons over the next few months and provide you with the tools that I was given through the Book. If you wish for better things to happen to you – you must be willing to change as well. It’s just the way it is. There are no shortcuts. If you make mistakes along the way, don’t quit – correct them and get back on the saddle. Thank you for staying with me thus far. Next blog we will begin.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you - Jesus Christ (Matt. 6:33 Renown psychologist, Abraham Maslow, noticed something interesting while he was working with monkeys early in his career. Through his research it became evident that some needs took precedence over others. His findings gave rise to what is now famously known as the Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. This hierarchy consists of five broad layers one building on top of the other in a pyramid fashion. The needs represented in this hierarchy are: the physiological needs, the need for safety and security, the need for love and sense of belonging, the esteem needs and the need for self-actualization. Maslow conjectured that once a particular need is justified, an individual will then seek to satisfy the next higher need in the pyramid, thus continually moving on until the peak is reached. At which point all needs would have been fulfilled. Briefly, Physiological needs to consists of the need to maintain life. This includes the need for oxygen, food, water and all other substances needed to sustain life. This is the most basic of all needs. After such physiological needs have been taken care of, the need for safety and security becomes a priority. This includes ensuring ones living and working environment are free from extreme physical threats. The need to love and be loved arises after the former needs have been met. The fulfilment of one's desire for affection and belonging is acted upon through the formation of friendships, finding a spouse and having children for example. Next there is the need for self-esteem. Maslow notes that there are two versions of esteem needs. He designated one as lower esteem and the other as higher esteem. Lower esteem involves the need for respect of others and higher esteem involves the need for self respect. The final need on the hierarchy is the need for self-actualization. This deals with one's desire to realize their full potential and becoming the best they are capable of becoming. From the study of Maslow's theory I have observed that the successful movement of one need-level to the next can be achieved by totally relying on God. It is written that we should "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added" unto us. Unfortunately we get caught in the things around us instead of the things above us. The end result is a loss of everything we hold dear; our family, our home, our career and sometimes even our self-esteem. Christ said in Matthew 16:26, "for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" Let us then build our success and future on a foundation that will always be there to "supply all our needs as His riches are in glory" and in so doing we will not gain the things we cannot keep for what we can not lose. In this we will find the joy God has for us.

A Successful Life By Design

Success is found where you least expect it.

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." - Ecclesiastes 12:13 "Joseph, how does a person become aware of their purpose?" the King asked. I was astonished by the question. It came suddenly, however looking at the king's expression I knew he was thinking about it for some time. We were seated at a table having supper with guests he had invited to the palace. Almost a year had passed since the period of famine and drought had ended and the king had invited them to the palace to celebrate. There were long periods of rain and things were beginning to return to normal. The fields were green again with lush vegetation. It was indeed a picturesque scene. The view of pure rocky mountains in the distance was replaced by breath-taking peaks of different shades of green. The river Nile was once more an attraction and a source of water for farmers crops along its bank. They were harvesting their crops again and commerce was slowly returning to normal in Egypt. The country was returning to its glory days and Pharoah wanted to commemorate the success the country was experiencing after exiting such a turbulent period of its history. I was congratulated and honored for the role I played during that time. Many dignitaries and officials wanted to meet me as they heard about my beginnings in Egypt as a slave and saw my transcendence to my current position as remarkable. I used the opportunity to extol the one to who all the credit was due - Jehovah himself. "Take a look at the soldiers around you," I responded. Looking away from me he slowly surveyed the room. The guests at the table did the same as their faces expressed a look of bewilderment. "What's wrong with them?" Pharaoh asked puzzled. "Nothing," I responded quickly, "but what do you think their purpose is at this point in time?" "To serve and to protect me - their king and carry out my commands," he replied. "And once they are relieved of their duties and return home what is their purpose then?" I asked. He paused for a moment to think; slowly placing his left elbow on the table he braced his left cheek with his left fist and with his right hand he began gently pulling his beard. As we spoke the guests were looking around and at each listening intently to the conversation. "There are a few ways to answer the question O king," I began as he turned to face me, "however I will only use three to make my point. You have those who only see their current position in your army as a job. They have no idea where their loyalty is and so they go about their lives one day at a time. They only wish to be paid do not wish to have the responsibilities that come with promotion as they are simply satisfied serving the king in their current position while hoping one day they can live like a king. Your lifestyle is appealing to them but they are not motivated enough to take the necessary steps. When they go home the last thing on their mind is you O king as they become preoccupied with their own. In the next group are those who are loyal only to themselves and they constantly look for ways to 'promote' themselves under the guise of loyalty. They use their gifts and their talents only for their own glory and benefit. In the final group are those who see the king as their life. Every aspect of their life is dedicated to the service of you O king. If they are home no one dares speaks ill of you in their presence. They will defend you with their last breath. They see their duty and purpose for living as one - to serve their king." They cannot be bought or bribed into doing anything to harm you. All their talents are dedicated to you and in this, they find meaning and fulfillment. They are happiest when they are doing the king's bidding." "This third group helps to define what everyone's purpose in life is; to serve and worship the king of kings in everything they do. When I was a lad my father would make me memorize such quotes as 'Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might' (Ecclesiastes 9:10), and another 'Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings.' (Proverbs 22:29). O king you have seen first hand the truth of these statements." The king smiled while nodding his head in agreement. The guests were also pleased by the answer as they indicated by nodding to each other. The focus was turned back to me when the king leaned forward again and asked, "How can you tell the difference between the second group and the third; who are doing their own bidding and who is doing it for the glory of the king?" Again the gaze was on me. "When an individual," I began, "seeks glory for themselves they wish to be rewarded by others. When this doesn't occur within a certain timeline they tend to become disgruntled and there is a change to who they honor. My father had me repeat to him several times a day as I worked, 'let your light so shine before men, so they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.' (Matthew 5:16) until he was sure my actions reflected who I served: the God of heaven and I honor Him by serving others as best as I can seeking nothing in return from them; hence humility in leadership - this is not thinking less of yourself but thinking about yourself less (Kenneth Blanchard)." "Well said," replied the king smiling as the guests nodded in agreement while others applauded.

It’s approaching that time of the year when customarily, many people are beginning to tell themselves they need to make certain life changes in the upcoming year. These resolutions, as they are often called, are made with excitement. Sadly, research suggests only 9% of Americans who make resolutions complete them. It further goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolutions by the end of the first week and 43% will quit by the end of January. Exercise more, lose weight, quit smoking and financial management, tends to find its way on the list of resolutions people intend to achieve in the new year. Here are four reasons people seem to fail at completing new year’s resolution: • Making resolutions without a plan . Resolutions are a set of traditions or wishes. They are not treated as goals which are often seen as your vision of your desired accomplishments. Goals are a sequence of steps that are seriously considered in the act of laying plans for the accomplishment of the outcome you desire. The desire must be burning as this will help in the achievement of the desired result. • Make your goals challenging and specific . Research shows that goals which are challenging are better motivators than those that are not. Goals should also be divided into small increments, for example don’t just say I want to lose weight. Rephrase it by saying – my goal is to lose 15 pounds in 3 months. • Expect Obstacles . No matter how small or straightforward the goal is, there is always a chance for an obstacle to appear. To keep your optimism, identify obstacles and create plans to avoid or surmount these barriers. This will reduce the possibility of setbacks or failure. There is a saying that goes – “where the goals are great the obstacles are also great”, however the reward is huge. • Accountability . Studies show that people who not only write their goals but set up a way to be accountable for them will be twice as likely to achieve them. Accountability means you are responsible to someone to accomplish the goal; this can be motivating. There are four ways you can set accountability: tell a friend, create or join an accountability group, use technology, like setting measured milestones on an electronic calendar, or hire a coach. New year’s resolutions shouldn’t be a wish if success is to be guaranteed. It can be made into a fun-filled routine if the above steps are taken and done correctly. Be consistent and remain focused. Reward yourself after each milestone is achieved and use that as a motivator to move on to the next phase. If you fall don’t stay down but pick yourself up immediately and keep going. All the best and see you in 2024!

"It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness." - Thomas Jefferson.