Twenty Steps to Successful Time Management
1. Clarify your objectives. Put them in writing. Then set your priorities. Make
sure you’re getting what you really want out of life.
2. Focus on objectives, not on activities. Your most important activities are those
that help you accomplish your objectives.
3. Set at least one major objective each day and achieve it.
4. Record a time log periodically to analyze how you use your time, and keep bad
time habits out of your life.
5. Analyze everything you do in terms of your objectives. Find out what you do,
when you do it, why you do it. Ask yourself what would happen if you didn’t do it.
If the answer is nothing, then stop doing it.
6. Eliminate at least one time-waster from your life each week.
7. Plan your time. Write out a plan for each week. Ask yourself what you hope to
accomplish by the end of the week and what you will need to do to achieve those
results.
8. Make a to-do list every day. Be sure it includes your daily objectives, priorities,
and time estimates, not just random activities.
9. Schedule your time every day to make sure you accomplish the most important
things first. Be sure to leave room for the unexpected and for interruptions. But
remember that things that are scheduled have a better chance of working out than
things that are unscheduled.
10. Make sure that the first hour of your workday is productive.
11. Set time limits for every task you undertake.
12. Take the time to do it right the first time. You won’t have to waste time doing
it over.
13. Eliminate recurring crises from your life. Find out why things keep going
wrong. Learn to proact instead of react.
14. Institute a quiet hour in your day – a block of uninterrupted time for your most
important tasks.
15. Develop the habit of finishing what you start. Don’t jump from one thing to
another, leaving a string of unfinished tasks behind you.
16. Conquer procrastination. Learn to do it now.
17. Make better time management a daily habit. Set your objectives, clarify your
priorities, plan and schedule your time. Do first things first. Resist your impulses
to do unscheduled tasks. Review your activities.
18. Never spend time on less important things when you could be spending it on
more important things.
19. Take time for yourself—time to dream, time to relax, time to live.
20. Develop a personal philosophy of time – what time means to you and how time
relates to your life.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Worst Leaders
HBR.org > June 2009 > Ten Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders
The Worst Leaders:
Lack energy and enthusiasm. They see new initiatives as a burden, rarely volunteer, and fear being overwhelmed. One such leader was described as having the ability to “suck all the energy out of any room.”
Accept their own mediocre performance. They overstate the difficulty of reaching targets so that they look good when they achieve them. They live by the mantra “Underpromise and overdeliver.”
Lack clear vision and direction. They believe their only job is to execute. Like a hiker who sticks close to the trail, they’re fine until they come to a fork.
Have poor judgment. They make decisions that colleagues and subordinates consider to be not in the organization’s best interests.
Don’t collaborate. They avoid peers, act independently, and view other leaders as competitors. As a result, they are set adrift by the very people whose insights and support they need.
Don’t walk the talk. They set standards of behavior or expectations of performance and then violate them. They’re perceived as lacking integrity.
Resist new ideas. They reject suggestions from subordinates and peers. Good ideas aren’t implemented, and the organization gets stuck.
Don’t learn from mistakes. They may make no more mistakes than their peers, but they fail to use setbacks as opportunities for improvement, hiding their errors and brooding about them instead.
New Measures of Success for Health Care Leaders
By Stephen Blattner MD MBA (exagoMD,LLC) on June 22, 2009 2:00 AM | 0 Comments
digg it? | del.icio.us
I was reading two issues of the Harvard Business Review simultaneously (a hazard of being overly busy), so I rapidly became aware of complementary articles that appeared in successive months addressing the related issues of candor (What's Needed Next: A Culture of Candor by James O'Toole and Warren Bennis a full article in the June HBR) and transparency (Heed the Calls for Transparency by Sam Wilkin in the Forethought section of the July-August issue). The latter was just received by subscribers so the online link is not yet available so if you don't subscribe watch the HBR web site in the coming week for it. Both are essential business reading for health care leaders.
Surprise: New Leadership Measures
O'Toole (a Professor at the Daniels College of Business in Denver) and Bennis (also a Professor, at USC) begin by suggesting that in the future, corporate leaders will be evaluated not solely on their ability to produce business results but by:
"...[a]new metric of corporate leadership...the extent to which executives create organizations that are economically, ethically, and socially sustainable...whatever their strategies and tactics, we believe prudent leaders will see that increased transparency is a fundamental first step."
The case is made on the basis of a new definition of "increasing shareholder value" which encompasses newly important shareholder non-financial values including organizational behavior in the ecologic, employee relations, and social consciousness domains. So while it will be necessary to deliver "business results," strategies that achieve a great bottom line will not be sufficient to earn corporate leaders the recognition they seek from (Boards or shareholders) if this is accomplished through tactics that don't also demonstrate taking the high road in corporate culture and behavior.
Candor, Performance, and Public Expectations
So Medical Directors and CEOs of hospital, managed care organization, medical group, and health related businesses should pay close attention! Those corporate leaders are probably ourselves as well.
O'Toole and Bennis make the case for the inextricable relationship between internal candor and public positioning:
"...no organization can be honest with the public if it's not honest with itself, we define transparency broadly, as the degree to which information flows freely within an organization, among managers and employees, and outward to stakeholders."
This is particularly important for us to appreciate in this time of increasing public scrutiny of everything from finances to clinical outcomes to the safety or care, devices, and pharmaceuticals. O'Toole and Bennis further make the case that without internal candor and transparency, effective and durable innovation is impossible due to internal communication feedback barriers that make it impossible to frankly share information about new product, technique, and process performance.
In the past, perhaps, it was routine to launch new products, services, or care programs letting let the marketplace later reveal safety and efficacy flaws - but no more. And we've observed more than once that organizational leaders are increasingly held accountable for those failures - first by the public and the courts and next by Boards and shareholders.
And Wilkin, in his short piece on the repairing international financial crisis, makes the strong case that the need for candor is global and that it won't go away:
"Rather than hoping that public pressure will go away, banks and asset management firms should embrace transparency. Doing so will help them rebuild their reputations more quickly."
Pilots, Cockpit Crews, and Health Care Teams
So how are organizational leaders to behave? Well for starters, here's how NOT to behave - learned from studies of errors made in cockpits:
"The stereotypical take-charge "flyboy" pilots, who acted immediately on their gut instincts, made the wrong decisions far more often than the more open, inclusive pilots who said to their crews, in effect, "We've got a problem. How do you read it?" before choosing a course of action.
This has everything to do with the culture of transparency (or not) in the work setting:
Leaders are far likelier to make mistakes when they act on too little information than when they wait to learn more...pilots who'd made the right choices routinely had open exchanges with their crew members....crew members who had regularly worked with the "decisive" pilots were unwilling to intervene--even when they had information that might save the plane.... "
Health care leaders, and "persons in charge" in general, are frequently welcomed as problem solvers. However, resisting the temptation to default to being an action oriented, "decisive" leader long enough to get the right information from a range of informants can actually be a significant part of many solutions.
8 Steps to a Culture of Transparency
O'Toole and Bennis provide the leadership recipe for candor and transparency in sufficient detail to help you think about your personal leadership style as well as how to retool a health care organization to make your leadership role consistent with how you are likely to be measured in the future. The headlines from their HBR article are below. I thought about commenting on each one based on what I see in health care organizations but the commentary would stretch another page or more.
I'll just say that steps 2,3,4,5, and 7 are the ones most needed in the health care organizations I consult to.
While most of the steps below are intuitive from their titles it's well worth reading the full article for details and nuance:
1. Tell the truth 2. Encourage people to speak truth to power 3. Reward contrarians 4. Practice having unpleasant conversations 5. Diversify your sources of information 6. Admit your mistakes 7. Build an organizational architecture that supports candor 8. Set information free
The Worst Leaders:
Lack energy and enthusiasm. They see new initiatives as a burden, rarely volunteer, and fear being overwhelmed. One such leader was described as having the ability to “suck all the energy out of any room.”
Accept their own mediocre performance. They overstate the difficulty of reaching targets so that they look good when they achieve them. They live by the mantra “Underpromise and overdeliver.”
Lack clear vision and direction. They believe their only job is to execute. Like a hiker who sticks close to the trail, they’re fine until they come to a fork.
Have poor judgment. They make decisions that colleagues and subordinates consider to be not in the organization’s best interests.
Don’t collaborate. They avoid peers, act independently, and view other leaders as competitors. As a result, they are set adrift by the very people whose insights and support they need.
Don’t walk the talk. They set standards of behavior or expectations of performance and then violate them. They’re perceived as lacking integrity.
Resist new ideas. They reject suggestions from subordinates and peers. Good ideas aren’t implemented, and the organization gets stuck.
Don’t learn from mistakes. They may make no more mistakes than their peers, but they fail to use setbacks as opportunities for improvement, hiding their errors and brooding about them instead.
New Measures of Success for Health Care Leaders
By Stephen Blattner MD MBA (exagoMD,LLC) on June 22, 2009 2:00 AM | 0 Comments
digg it? | del.icio.us
I was reading two issues of the Harvard Business Review simultaneously (a hazard of being overly busy), so I rapidly became aware of complementary articles that appeared in successive months addressing the related issues of candor (What's Needed Next: A Culture of Candor by James O'Toole and Warren Bennis a full article in the June HBR) and transparency (Heed the Calls for Transparency by Sam Wilkin in the Forethought section of the July-August issue). The latter was just received by subscribers so the online link is not yet available so if you don't subscribe watch the HBR web site in the coming week for it. Both are essential business reading for health care leaders.
Surprise: New Leadership Measures
O'Toole (a Professor at the Daniels College of Business in Denver) and Bennis (also a Professor, at USC) begin by suggesting that in the future, corporate leaders will be evaluated not solely on their ability to produce business results but by:
"...[a]new metric of corporate leadership...the extent to which executives create organizations that are economically, ethically, and socially sustainable...whatever their strategies and tactics, we believe prudent leaders will see that increased transparency is a fundamental first step."
The case is made on the basis of a new definition of "increasing shareholder value" which encompasses newly important shareholder non-financial values including organizational behavior in the ecologic, employee relations, and social consciousness domains. So while it will be necessary to deliver "business results," strategies that achieve a great bottom line will not be sufficient to earn corporate leaders the recognition they seek from (Boards or shareholders) if this is accomplished through tactics that don't also demonstrate taking the high road in corporate culture and behavior.
Candor, Performance, and Public Expectations
So Medical Directors and CEOs of hospital, managed care organization, medical group, and health related businesses should pay close attention! Those corporate leaders are probably ourselves as well.
O'Toole and Bennis make the case for the inextricable relationship between internal candor and public positioning:
"...no organization can be honest with the public if it's not honest with itself, we define transparency broadly, as the degree to which information flows freely within an organization, among managers and employees, and outward to stakeholders."
This is particularly important for us to appreciate in this time of increasing public scrutiny of everything from finances to clinical outcomes to the safety or care, devices, and pharmaceuticals. O'Toole and Bennis further make the case that without internal candor and transparency, effective and durable innovation is impossible due to internal communication feedback barriers that make it impossible to frankly share information about new product, technique, and process performance.
In the past, perhaps, it was routine to launch new products, services, or care programs letting let the marketplace later reveal safety and efficacy flaws - but no more. And we've observed more than once that organizational leaders are increasingly held accountable for those failures - first by the public and the courts and next by Boards and shareholders.
And Wilkin, in his short piece on the repairing international financial crisis, makes the strong case that the need for candor is global and that it won't go away:
"Rather than hoping that public pressure will go away, banks and asset management firms should embrace transparency. Doing so will help them rebuild their reputations more quickly."
Pilots, Cockpit Crews, and Health Care Teams
So how are organizational leaders to behave? Well for starters, here's how NOT to behave - learned from studies of errors made in cockpits:
"The stereotypical take-charge "flyboy" pilots, who acted immediately on their gut instincts, made the wrong decisions far more often than the more open, inclusive pilots who said to their crews, in effect, "We've got a problem. How do you read it?" before choosing a course of action.
This has everything to do with the culture of transparency (or not) in the work setting:
Leaders are far likelier to make mistakes when they act on too little information than when they wait to learn more...pilots who'd made the right choices routinely had open exchanges with their crew members....crew members who had regularly worked with the "decisive" pilots were unwilling to intervene--even when they had information that might save the plane.... "
Health care leaders, and "persons in charge" in general, are frequently welcomed as problem solvers. However, resisting the temptation to default to being an action oriented, "decisive" leader long enough to get the right information from a range of informants can actually be a significant part of many solutions.
8 Steps to a Culture of Transparency
O'Toole and Bennis provide the leadership recipe for candor and transparency in sufficient detail to help you think about your personal leadership style as well as how to retool a health care organization to make your leadership role consistent with how you are likely to be measured in the future. The headlines from their HBR article are below. I thought about commenting on each one based on what I see in health care organizations but the commentary would stretch another page or more.
I'll just say that steps 2,3,4,5, and 7 are the ones most needed in the health care organizations I consult to.
While most of the steps below are intuitive from their titles it's well worth reading the full article for details and nuance:
1. Tell the truth 2. Encourage people to speak truth to power 3. Reward contrarians 4. Practice having unpleasant conversations 5. Diversify your sources of information 6. Admit your mistakes 7. Build an organizational architecture that supports candor 8. Set information free
Friday, December 4, 2009
Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis
Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis .ArticleComments (3)more in
. Text .By BILL GEORGE
Virtually every American institution is facing major crises these days, from declining businesses to evaporating financial portfolios. To get out of these crises, authentic leaders must step forward and lead their organizations through them.
About the Author
Bill George, author of "True North," is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He is also the former CEO of Medtronic and serves on the boards of directors of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs and Novartis.
.The current crisis was not caused by subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or failed economic policies. The root cause is failed leadership. New laws, regulations, and economic bailouts won't heal wounds created by leadership failures. They can only be solved by new leaders with the wisdom and skill to put their organizations on the right long-term course.
Here are seven lessons for leaders charged with leading their organizations through a crisis:
Lesson #1: "Leaders must face reality." Reality starts with the person in charge. Leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and recognize their role in creating the problems. Then they should gather their teams together and gain agreement about the root causes. Widespread recognition of reality is the crucial step before problems can be solved. Attempting to find short-term fixes that address the symptoms of the crisis only ensures the organization will wind up back in the same predicament.
In order to understand the real reasons for the crisis, everyone on the leadership team must be willing to tell the whole truth. As J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said at a panel I chaired at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January, "It's not sufficient to have one person on your team who is a truth teller. Everyone on the team must be candid in sharing the entire truth, no matter how painful it is." How can we solve problems if we don't acknowledge their existence?
Getty Images.Lesson #2: "No matter how bad things are, they will get worse." Faced with bad news, many leaders cannot believe that things could really be so grim. Consequently, they try to convince the bearers of bad news that things aren't so bad, and swift action can make problems go away.
This causes leaders to undershoot the mark in terms of corrective actions. As a consequence, they wind up taking a series of steps, none of which is powerful enough to correct the downward spiral. It is far better for leaders to anticipate the worst and get out in front of it. If they restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organization healthy for the turnaround when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
Lesson #3: "Build a mountain of cash, and get to the highest hill." In good times leaders worry more about earnings per share and revenue growth than they do about their balance sheets. In a crisis, cash is king. Forget about EPS and all those stock market measures. The question is, "Does your organization have sufficient cash to survive the most dire circumstances?"
Goldman Sachs, where I serve on the board of directors, anticipated the difficult times and built up its cash reserves. When the markets got really bad, Goldman had adequate cash reserves to weather the storm.
Lesson #4: "Get the world off your shoulders." In a crisis, many leaders act like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They go into isolation, and think they can solve the problem themselves. In reality, leaders must have the help of all their people to devise solutions and to implement them. This means bringing people into their confidence, asking them for help and ideas, and gaining their commitment to painful corrective actions.
Lesson #5: "Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself." If there are sacrifices to be made – and there will be – then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices themselves. Crises are the real tests of leaders' True North. Everyone is watching to see what the leaders do. Will they stay true to their values? Will they bow to external pressures, or confront the crisis in a straight-forward manner? Will they be seduced by short-term rewards, or will they make near-term sacrifices in order to fix the long-term situation?
Lesson #6: "Never waste a good crisis." This piece of advice comes from Benjamin Netanyahu, the next prime minister of Israel, at the panel I chaired in Davos.
When things are going well, people resist major changes or try to get by with minor adaptations. A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate their implementation.
Lesson #7: "Be aggressive in the marketplace." This may sound counter-intuitive, but a crisis offers the best opportunity to change the game in your favor, with new products or services to gain market share. Many people look at a crisis as something to get through, until they can go back to business as usual. But "business as usual" never returns because markets are irrevocably changed. Why not create the changes that move the market in your favor, instead of waiting and reacting to the changes as they take place?
The Bottom Line: In a crisis we learn who the real leaders are, and whether they have the wherewithal to stay on course of their True North.
. Text .By BILL GEORGE
Virtually every American institution is facing major crises these days, from declining businesses to evaporating financial portfolios. To get out of these crises, authentic leaders must step forward and lead their organizations through them.
About the Author
Bill George, author of "True North," is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He is also the former CEO of Medtronic and serves on the boards of directors of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs and Novartis.
.The current crisis was not caused by subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or failed economic policies. The root cause is failed leadership. New laws, regulations, and economic bailouts won't heal wounds created by leadership failures. They can only be solved by new leaders with the wisdom and skill to put their organizations on the right long-term course.
Here are seven lessons for leaders charged with leading their organizations through a crisis:
Lesson #1: "Leaders must face reality." Reality starts with the person in charge. Leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and recognize their role in creating the problems. Then they should gather their teams together and gain agreement about the root causes. Widespread recognition of reality is the crucial step before problems can be solved. Attempting to find short-term fixes that address the symptoms of the crisis only ensures the organization will wind up back in the same predicament.
In order to understand the real reasons for the crisis, everyone on the leadership team must be willing to tell the whole truth. As J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said at a panel I chaired at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January, "It's not sufficient to have one person on your team who is a truth teller. Everyone on the team must be candid in sharing the entire truth, no matter how painful it is." How can we solve problems if we don't acknowledge their existence?
Getty Images.Lesson #2: "No matter how bad things are, they will get worse." Faced with bad news, many leaders cannot believe that things could really be so grim. Consequently, they try to convince the bearers of bad news that things aren't so bad, and swift action can make problems go away.
This causes leaders to undershoot the mark in terms of corrective actions. As a consequence, they wind up taking a series of steps, none of which is powerful enough to correct the downward spiral. It is far better for leaders to anticipate the worst and get out in front of it. If they restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organization healthy for the turnaround when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
Lesson #3: "Build a mountain of cash, and get to the highest hill." In good times leaders worry more about earnings per share and revenue growth than they do about their balance sheets. In a crisis, cash is king. Forget about EPS and all those stock market measures. The question is, "Does your organization have sufficient cash to survive the most dire circumstances?"
Goldman Sachs, where I serve on the board of directors, anticipated the difficult times and built up its cash reserves. When the markets got really bad, Goldman had adequate cash reserves to weather the storm.
Lesson #4: "Get the world off your shoulders." In a crisis, many leaders act like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They go into isolation, and think they can solve the problem themselves. In reality, leaders must have the help of all their people to devise solutions and to implement them. This means bringing people into their confidence, asking them for help and ideas, and gaining their commitment to painful corrective actions.
Lesson #5: "Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself." If there are sacrifices to be made – and there will be – then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices themselves. Crises are the real tests of leaders' True North. Everyone is watching to see what the leaders do. Will they stay true to their values? Will they bow to external pressures, or confront the crisis in a straight-forward manner? Will they be seduced by short-term rewards, or will they make near-term sacrifices in order to fix the long-term situation?
Lesson #6: "Never waste a good crisis." This piece of advice comes from Benjamin Netanyahu, the next prime minister of Israel, at the panel I chaired in Davos.
When things are going well, people resist major changes or try to get by with minor adaptations. A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate their implementation.
Lesson #7: "Be aggressive in the marketplace." This may sound counter-intuitive, but a crisis offers the best opportunity to change the game in your favor, with new products or services to gain market share. Many people look at a crisis as something to get through, until they can go back to business as usual. But "business as usual" never returns because markets are irrevocably changed. Why not create the changes that move the market in your favor, instead of waiting and reacting to the changes as they take place?
The Bottom Line: In a crisis we learn who the real leaders are, and whether they have the wherewithal to stay on course of their True North.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis
MARCH 5, 2009.Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis .ArticleComments (3)more in Management ».EmailPrinter
FriendlyShare:
facebook ↓ More.
.StumbleUponDiggTwitterYahoo! BuzzFarkRedditLinkedIndel.icio.usMySpaceSave This ↓ More.
. Text .By BILL GEORGE
Virtually every American institution is facing major crises these days, from declining businesses to evaporating financial portfolios. To get out of these crises, authentic leaders must step forward and lead their organizations through them.
About the Author
Bill George, author of "True North," is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He is also the former CEO of Medtronic and serves on the boards of directors of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs and Novartis.
.The current crisis was not caused by subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or failed economic policies. The root cause is failed leadership. New laws, regulations, and economic bailouts won't heal wounds created by leadership failures. They can only be solved by new leaders with the wisdom and skill to put their organizations on the right long-term course.
Here are seven lessons for leaders charged with leading their organizations through a crisis:
Lesson #1: "Leaders must face reality." Reality starts with the person in charge. Leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and recognize their role in creating the problems. Then they should gather their teams together and gain agreement about the root causes. Widespread recognition of reality is the crucial step before problems can be solved. Attempting to find short-term fixes that address the symptoms of the crisis only ensures the organization will wind up back in the same predicament.
In order to understand the real reasons for the crisis, everyone on the leadership team must be willing to tell the whole truth. As J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said at a panel I chaired at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January, "It's not sufficient to have one person on your team who is a truth teller. Everyone on the team must be candid in sharing the entire truth, no matter how painful it is." How can we solve problems if we don't acknowledge their existence?
Getty Images.Lesson #2: "No matter how bad things are, they will get worse." Faced with bad news, many leaders cannot believe that things could really be so grim. Consequently, they try to convince the bearers of bad news that things aren't so bad, and swift action can make problems go away.
This causes leaders to undershoot the mark in terms of corrective actions. As a consequence, they wind up taking a series of steps, none of which is powerful enough to correct the downward spiral. It is far better for leaders to anticipate the worst and get out in front of it. If they restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organization healthy for the turnaround when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
Lesson #3: "Build a mountain of cash, and get to the highest hill." In good times leaders worry more about earnings per share and revenue growth than they do about their balance sheets. In a crisis, cash is king. Forget about EPS and all those stock market measures. The question is, "Does your organization have sufficient cash to survive the most dire circumstances?"
Goldman Sachs, where I serve on the board of directors, anticipated the difficult times and built up its cash reserves. When the markets got really bad, Goldman had adequate cash reserves to weather the storm.
Lesson #4: "Get the world off your shoulders." In a crisis, many leaders act like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They go into isolation, and think they can solve the problem themselves. In reality, leaders must have the help of all their people to devise solutions and to implement them. This means bringing people into their confidence, asking them for help and ideas, and gaining their commitment to painful corrective actions.
Lesson #5: "Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself." If there are sacrifices to be made – and there will be – then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices themselves. Crises are the real tests of leaders' True North. Everyone is watching to see what the leaders do. Will they stay true to their values? Will they bow to external pressures, or confront the crisis in a straight-forward manner? Will they be seduced by short-term rewards, or will they make near-term sacrifices in order to fix the long-term situation?
Lesson #6: "Never waste a good crisis." This piece of advice comes from Benjamin Netanyahu, the next prime minister of Israel, at the panel I chaired in Davos.
When things are going well, people resist major changes or try to get by with minor adaptations. A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate their implementation.
Lesson #7: "Be aggressive in the marketplace." This may sound counter-intuitive, but a crisis offers the best opportunity to change the game in your favor, with new products or services to gain market share. Many people look at a crisis as something to get through, until they can go back to business as usual. But "business as usual" never returns because markets are irrevocably changed. Why not create the changes that move the market in your favor, instead of waiting and reacting to the changes as they take place?
The Bottom Line: In a crisis we learn who the real leaders are, and whether they have the wherewithal to stay on course of their True North.
FriendlyShare:
facebook ↓ More.
.StumbleUponDiggTwitterYahoo! BuzzFarkRedditLinkedIndel.icio.usMySpaceSave This ↓ More.
. Text .By BILL GEORGE
Virtually every American institution is facing major crises these days, from declining businesses to evaporating financial portfolios. To get out of these crises, authentic leaders must step forward and lead their organizations through them.
About the Author
Bill George, author of "True North," is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He is also the former CEO of Medtronic and serves on the boards of directors of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs and Novartis.
.The current crisis was not caused by subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or failed economic policies. The root cause is failed leadership. New laws, regulations, and economic bailouts won't heal wounds created by leadership failures. They can only be solved by new leaders with the wisdom and skill to put their organizations on the right long-term course.
Here are seven lessons for leaders charged with leading their organizations through a crisis:
Lesson #1: "Leaders must face reality." Reality starts with the person in charge. Leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and recognize their role in creating the problems. Then they should gather their teams together and gain agreement about the root causes. Widespread recognition of reality is the crucial step before problems can be solved. Attempting to find short-term fixes that address the symptoms of the crisis only ensures the organization will wind up back in the same predicament.
In order to understand the real reasons for the crisis, everyone on the leadership team must be willing to tell the whole truth. As J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said at a panel I chaired at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January, "It's not sufficient to have one person on your team who is a truth teller. Everyone on the team must be candid in sharing the entire truth, no matter how painful it is." How can we solve problems if we don't acknowledge their existence?
Getty Images.Lesson #2: "No matter how bad things are, they will get worse." Faced with bad news, many leaders cannot believe that things could really be so grim. Consequently, they try to convince the bearers of bad news that things aren't so bad, and swift action can make problems go away.
This causes leaders to undershoot the mark in terms of corrective actions. As a consequence, they wind up taking a series of steps, none of which is powerful enough to correct the downward spiral. It is far better for leaders to anticipate the worst and get out in front of it. If they restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organization healthy for the turnaround when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
Lesson #3: "Build a mountain of cash, and get to the highest hill." In good times leaders worry more about earnings per share and revenue growth than they do about their balance sheets. In a crisis, cash is king. Forget about EPS and all those stock market measures. The question is, "Does your organization have sufficient cash to survive the most dire circumstances?"
Goldman Sachs, where I serve on the board of directors, anticipated the difficult times and built up its cash reserves. When the markets got really bad, Goldman had adequate cash reserves to weather the storm.
Lesson #4: "Get the world off your shoulders." In a crisis, many leaders act like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They go into isolation, and think they can solve the problem themselves. In reality, leaders must have the help of all their people to devise solutions and to implement them. This means bringing people into their confidence, asking them for help and ideas, and gaining their commitment to painful corrective actions.
Lesson #5: "Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself." If there are sacrifices to be made – and there will be – then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices themselves. Crises are the real tests of leaders' True North. Everyone is watching to see what the leaders do. Will they stay true to their values? Will they bow to external pressures, or confront the crisis in a straight-forward manner? Will they be seduced by short-term rewards, or will they make near-term sacrifices in order to fix the long-term situation?
Lesson #6: "Never waste a good crisis." This piece of advice comes from Benjamin Netanyahu, the next prime minister of Israel, at the panel I chaired in Davos.
When things are going well, people resist major changes or try to get by with minor adaptations. A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate their implementation.
Lesson #7: "Be aggressive in the marketplace." This may sound counter-intuitive, but a crisis offers the best opportunity to change the game in your favor, with new products or services to gain market share. Many people look at a crisis as something to get through, until they can go back to business as usual. But "business as usual" never returns because markets are irrevocably changed. Why not create the changes that move the market in your favor, instead of waiting and reacting to the changes as they take place?
The Bottom Line: In a crisis we learn who the real leaders are, and whether they have the wherewithal to stay on course of their True North.
“What, Me Worry?” Ten Practices for Eliminating Fear and Worry
•
Articles / Nature of Reality & Consciousness
“What, Me Worry?” Ten Practices for Eliminating Fear and Worry
October 2008
________________________________________
Long-time followers of my teaching, as well as readers of this website, know that our thoughts and emotions are vibrations of energy, and as such have a direct impact on our lives. What we think and how we feel are the two most important parts of who we are. The third is our actions. Incredibly, we have the ability to monitor and direct what we think, act and feel by the thoughts we choose.
When our thoughts and emotions are directed in a positive way, they not only make us feel better, they also attract to us the conditions we are focusing on. This is sometimes referred to as the Law of Attraction. However, the exact same law is in play when we have negative thoughts or feelings about our life’s circumstances or ourselves. We must be diligent in monitoring how we think, so that negative thoughts and emotions do not find a resting place in our consciousness, then make themselves at home. Fear and worry are the two most destructive of the negative emotions, and it is these I will speak of this month.
Fear is the intense focusing of your thoughts on something you do not want to happen. By focusing on this ‘yet to happen’ event with strong emotion and intensity, you give power to these images and help to attract them. These images, charged with emotion, are powerful forces, and so imprint on the invisible matrix web of the universe, which then works to create the exact thing we fear. This is precisely what we don’t want to happen.
This is the tragedy of fear and worry, and yet often we feel we have no power over these thoughts. Here is where Mind Power comes to our assistance. Mind Power not only gives us the tools to create and manifest any situation we desire; it also gives us the tools to eliminate fear and worry with equal effectiveness. Mind Power is simply the most powerful set of tools we will ever have in our lives.
Eliminating Fear and Worry:
Rule number one: If you know what it is that you don’t want to happen to you, then don’t think those fearful thoughts. If you can remember this rule and say it to yourself as a mantra, so that it imprints into your subconscious, you will be halfway towards eliminating fear and worry from your life forever. The other half will come from following these ten techniques:
1. Next time you find yourself fearful, take a few good long breaths, relax and realize that the only thing making you fearful this very moment is the thoughts you are thinking. It is not your present circumstances, nor something that may or may not happen to you in the future; it is the thoughts you are thinking now. You are the cause of your fear. Resolve to change this.
One of the ways you can do this is by spending several minutes focusing on the exact opposite of what you have been fearing. Whatever the fear has you focusing on, change the focus to the exact opposite. You don’t need to fight fear. Observe it carefully to see what it is suggesting to you, then simply focus on the opposite. For example, if you are fearing losing your job, focus on being competent, doing a good job and being respected and rewarded accordingly. If you are fearing losing your money, focus on being successful financially, making smart decisions and living an abundant life. Fear is fed by your thoughts, and taking your thoughts away from fear eliminates it. Fear does not usually appear overnight. It often has its root in regular worrying, which then progresses to the point where it becomes fear. So to eliminate this happening we eliminate worrying. Easier said then done? Not at all, once you understand and practice the principles.
2. Practice the five techniques for eliminating negatives (see the Mind Power practices section of this website.)
3. Recognize that the essential component of worry is always “future orientation.” In other words, when you worry, you invariably focus on something that might happen but hasn’t happened yet. You might argue that you worry about the things that are happening right now, not in the future. A closer look, however, will reveal the truth that worry is like a ghost tormenting you with a terrifying view of the future. It is always about the future. Knowing this takes away the power of this view.
4. Track your worries by keeping a journal of them. You can’t change worrying until you know what you’re worrying about. What are the common themes of your worrying? Health? Finances? Relationships? Family? Know where you are most vulnerable. Knowing this will help you recognize worrying when it slips into your mind.
5. Learn the difference between concern and worry. Concern about the different aspects of our life and what may or may not happen is valid and beneficial. It allows us to view our life and to be proactive in making positive choices. This is a very constructive process. Worry, on the other hand, is simply focusing on what could go wrong. It has no positive aspect to it. Not only are we focusing on this negative outcome but also we are giving it energy. Why would you do that?
6. Recognize the cost of worrying. Yes, there is a cost. Firstly, it causes stress, which in turn affects our health and our decision-making process. You don’t make good decisions when you’re worried. Secondly it actually attracts to us the circumstances we are worrying about, especially if we start to fear it. Understanding this, we choose to not worry. It is not worth the time or effort, and it is always counterproductive.
7. Challenge catastrophic thinking: Most of us exaggerate our situations during fearful times, projecting ourselves into the most dire circumstances. We let worry carry us away. Resolve to not let this happen. There are solutions to every problem, and undoubtedly it will not become as bad as the fear is projecting. Don’t let worst-case scenarios dominate your thinking. There is every possibility that the situation won’t be a bad as you think, and it could be a whole lot better. There may well be hidden benefits and blessings that you haven’t even thought of.
8. Trust that the Universe will unfold as it should. Have faith that what is meant to happen will happen and that it will be for the best. If you have a spiritual belief, then let this nourish and guide you. Let go of the worry and realize neither God nor the universe wants you to worry. Worry is showing lack of trust. It means you have no faith. Trust and act in a proactive way. What you can change, change. What you cannot, leave it alone. There are always forces at work beyond what we can understand. Trust in them and assist them by expecting the best.
9. Practice Mind Power. The daily practice of Mind Power will keep worry from overpowering you. Fear and worry will find no fertile place to take root in a mind that is aware and conscious of itself. Mind Power is your best friend and most powerful tool. Use it.
10. Have some fun. Fun is one of the most honest and reassuring feelings. It always acts as healing balm, restoring our sense of balance. Our situations always seem different and less stressful after a time of fun. And you don’t have to spend money to have fun. Fun is possible in almost any situation. Play with your kids and do something outrageous. Go to the park and roll around on the grass. Spend an afternoon reading in the sun. The ways of having fun are endless, limited only by your imagination and willingness to do it. Reward yourself with some fun every day.
John Kehoe
Articles / Nature of Reality & Consciousness
“What, Me Worry?” Ten Practices for Eliminating Fear and Worry
October 2008
________________________________________
Long-time followers of my teaching, as well as readers of this website, know that our thoughts and emotions are vibrations of energy, and as such have a direct impact on our lives. What we think and how we feel are the two most important parts of who we are. The third is our actions. Incredibly, we have the ability to monitor and direct what we think, act and feel by the thoughts we choose.
When our thoughts and emotions are directed in a positive way, they not only make us feel better, they also attract to us the conditions we are focusing on. This is sometimes referred to as the Law of Attraction. However, the exact same law is in play when we have negative thoughts or feelings about our life’s circumstances or ourselves. We must be diligent in monitoring how we think, so that negative thoughts and emotions do not find a resting place in our consciousness, then make themselves at home. Fear and worry are the two most destructive of the negative emotions, and it is these I will speak of this month.
Fear is the intense focusing of your thoughts on something you do not want to happen. By focusing on this ‘yet to happen’ event with strong emotion and intensity, you give power to these images and help to attract them. These images, charged with emotion, are powerful forces, and so imprint on the invisible matrix web of the universe, which then works to create the exact thing we fear. This is precisely what we don’t want to happen.
This is the tragedy of fear and worry, and yet often we feel we have no power over these thoughts. Here is where Mind Power comes to our assistance. Mind Power not only gives us the tools to create and manifest any situation we desire; it also gives us the tools to eliminate fear and worry with equal effectiveness. Mind Power is simply the most powerful set of tools we will ever have in our lives.
Eliminating Fear and Worry:
Rule number one: If you know what it is that you don’t want to happen to you, then don’t think those fearful thoughts. If you can remember this rule and say it to yourself as a mantra, so that it imprints into your subconscious, you will be halfway towards eliminating fear and worry from your life forever. The other half will come from following these ten techniques:
1. Next time you find yourself fearful, take a few good long breaths, relax and realize that the only thing making you fearful this very moment is the thoughts you are thinking. It is not your present circumstances, nor something that may or may not happen to you in the future; it is the thoughts you are thinking now. You are the cause of your fear. Resolve to change this.
One of the ways you can do this is by spending several minutes focusing on the exact opposite of what you have been fearing. Whatever the fear has you focusing on, change the focus to the exact opposite. You don’t need to fight fear. Observe it carefully to see what it is suggesting to you, then simply focus on the opposite. For example, if you are fearing losing your job, focus on being competent, doing a good job and being respected and rewarded accordingly. If you are fearing losing your money, focus on being successful financially, making smart decisions and living an abundant life. Fear is fed by your thoughts, and taking your thoughts away from fear eliminates it. Fear does not usually appear overnight. It often has its root in regular worrying, which then progresses to the point where it becomes fear. So to eliminate this happening we eliminate worrying. Easier said then done? Not at all, once you understand and practice the principles.
2. Practice the five techniques for eliminating negatives (see the Mind Power practices section of this website.)
3. Recognize that the essential component of worry is always “future orientation.” In other words, when you worry, you invariably focus on something that might happen but hasn’t happened yet. You might argue that you worry about the things that are happening right now, not in the future. A closer look, however, will reveal the truth that worry is like a ghost tormenting you with a terrifying view of the future. It is always about the future. Knowing this takes away the power of this view.
4. Track your worries by keeping a journal of them. You can’t change worrying until you know what you’re worrying about. What are the common themes of your worrying? Health? Finances? Relationships? Family? Know where you are most vulnerable. Knowing this will help you recognize worrying when it slips into your mind.
5. Learn the difference between concern and worry. Concern about the different aspects of our life and what may or may not happen is valid and beneficial. It allows us to view our life and to be proactive in making positive choices. This is a very constructive process. Worry, on the other hand, is simply focusing on what could go wrong. It has no positive aspect to it. Not only are we focusing on this negative outcome but also we are giving it energy. Why would you do that?
6. Recognize the cost of worrying. Yes, there is a cost. Firstly, it causes stress, which in turn affects our health and our decision-making process. You don’t make good decisions when you’re worried. Secondly it actually attracts to us the circumstances we are worrying about, especially if we start to fear it. Understanding this, we choose to not worry. It is not worth the time or effort, and it is always counterproductive.
7. Challenge catastrophic thinking: Most of us exaggerate our situations during fearful times, projecting ourselves into the most dire circumstances. We let worry carry us away. Resolve to not let this happen. There are solutions to every problem, and undoubtedly it will not become as bad as the fear is projecting. Don’t let worst-case scenarios dominate your thinking. There is every possibility that the situation won’t be a bad as you think, and it could be a whole lot better. There may well be hidden benefits and blessings that you haven’t even thought of.
8. Trust that the Universe will unfold as it should. Have faith that what is meant to happen will happen and that it will be for the best. If you have a spiritual belief, then let this nourish and guide you. Let go of the worry and realize neither God nor the universe wants you to worry. Worry is showing lack of trust. It means you have no faith. Trust and act in a proactive way. What you can change, change. What you cannot, leave it alone. There are always forces at work beyond what we can understand. Trust in them and assist them by expecting the best.
9. Practice Mind Power. The daily practice of Mind Power will keep worry from overpowering you. Fear and worry will find no fertile place to take root in a mind that is aware and conscious of itself. Mind Power is your best friend and most powerful tool. Use it.
10. Have some fun. Fun is one of the most honest and reassuring feelings. It always acts as healing balm, restoring our sense of balance. Our situations always seem different and less stressful after a time of fun. And you don’t have to spend money to have fun. Fun is possible in almost any situation. Play with your kids and do something outrageous. Go to the park and roll around on the grass. Spend an afternoon reading in the sun. The ways of having fun are endless, limited only by your imagination and willingness to do it. Reward yourself with some fun every day.
John Kehoe
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Divorce...Gods Will????
FINALLY FREE
YOU can be FINALLY FREE: From the guilt of divorce or from the guilt of being married again after a divorce, TODAY!
In two hours of reading you can be freed from a lifetime of bondage! START NOW!
You NO LONGER have to struggle with the condemnation of guilt from a divorce or being married again. Divorce was never a sin in itself—ever!
You NO LONGER have to wonder if the decision to divorce is right or wrong—you will have the Knowledge of the Truth and the Holy Spirit Himself will guide you.
You NO LONGER have to stay single because you have been through a divorce. God wants the guilt to be FULLY cleared from your heart and for you to know what the Scriptures truly have to say about you being married again.
You NO LONGER have to feel far away from God and feel that He is punishing you because of a divorce or being married again. You will find out that your heavenly Father absolutely loves you and He has specifically send this book and website to confirm His love to you.
You NO LONGER have to forfeit your ministry and the calling of God upon your life. God wants you back in His Army and to fully carry-out and fulfill His will for your life.
We DO NOT consider divorce as an option but only when necessary. Most marriage failures are a direct result of selfishness or ignorance on the part of one or both spouses. Nevertheless, we share these truths about divorce and being married again because they are the TRUTH.
View a very small sample of people whose lives have been wonderfully changed: Book Reviews and Testimonies. YOU too can be FINALLY FREE, TODAY!
Start your life-changing Bible study on divorce, remarriage and submission NOW!
YOU can be FINALLY FREE: From the guilt of divorce or from the guilt of being married again after a divorce, TODAY!
In two hours of reading you can be freed from a lifetime of bondage! START NOW!
You NO LONGER have to struggle with the condemnation of guilt from a divorce or being married again. Divorce was never a sin in itself—ever!
You NO LONGER have to wonder if the decision to divorce is right or wrong—you will have the Knowledge of the Truth and the Holy Spirit Himself will guide you.
You NO LONGER have to stay single because you have been through a divorce. God wants the guilt to be FULLY cleared from your heart and for you to know what the Scriptures truly have to say about you being married again.
You NO LONGER have to feel far away from God and feel that He is punishing you because of a divorce or being married again. You will find out that your heavenly Father absolutely loves you and He has specifically send this book and website to confirm His love to you.
You NO LONGER have to forfeit your ministry and the calling of God upon your life. God wants you back in His Army and to fully carry-out and fulfill His will for your life.
We DO NOT consider divorce as an option but only when necessary. Most marriage failures are a direct result of selfishness or ignorance on the part of one or both spouses. Nevertheless, we share these truths about divorce and being married again because they are the TRUTH.
View a very small sample of people whose lives have been wonderfully changed: Book Reviews and Testimonies. YOU too can be FINALLY FREE, TODAY!
Start your life-changing Bible study on divorce, remarriage and submission NOW!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Bullying
Bullying
The origin of Bullying comes from a school yard bully that uses verbal threats, physical intimidation and aggressiveness on a weaker person. More recently its definition has become broader and has taken more psychological attributes (non physical) of harassment. People still tend to associate Bullying more to the physical and physical violence, perhaps because of their school yard memories, but are becoming much more aware of its psychological attributes.
The term bully or Bullying was then applied in the workplace to describe a supervisor that was verbally aggressive and threatening towards employees or would use his position of authority or power to abuse employees.
The term Bullying then expanded to encompass groups in the sense that a group could unite to bully an individual like or similar to the mobbing definition.
The definitions of Bullying usually always include threats, intimidation, aggressive behavior, and verbal abuse but may not always have all of the same psychological or mental attributes. Although their intention is similar they don’t always have the same definitions or scope. The definition or scope of some words used is also changing or the same word can have a different definition or scope in different laws or policies. Some words used are not as clear or obvious and can also be deceptive in a way. The definition below may not apply to you and you should find out what your workplace harassment policy or law includes.
Workplace Bullying
Workplace Bullying continues to expand its definition and includes more psychological attributes that people might usually associate to terms such as psychological abuse, psychological harassment, psychological manipulation, or psychological warfare as more information is collected or published.
Bullying is defined as direct or indirect verbal comments, actions, behavior, or tactics such as verbal abuse or psychological manipulations that are used to harm an individual or an attempt to harm an individual. The Bullying acts do not need to be repetitive since a single act or event can have a serious or lasting effect. The use of threats or fear is common. The verbal abuse usually consists of threats or personal attacks. For example the victim’s means of subsistence or career can be threatened or the individual’s personal beliefs such as religion can be ridiculed. Examples of psychological manipulation are to have an individual do a task that is below their capabilities for the simple intention of humiliating them in front of their peers or to give an individual a highly repetitive task that is deprived of purpose. Another example is wearing the individual out tactics that mainly consists of trying to induce as much stress on the person as possible. It’s also sometimes the intent to make the Bullying victim seem emotionally or psychologically unstable and to try to confuse or make them paranoid and aggressive.
Here are more examples:
Constant threats of dismissal or intimidation.
Attempts to destroy or harm the person’s self-esteem or confidence.
Constant negative remarks or repeated criticism or sarcasm.
Consistent over time, unrealistic work demands, or work overloading.
Isolating or systematically isolating the person.
Spreading false information or rumors.
Tasks that are ambiguous, contradictory, or that are deprived of purpose.
False insinuations, attacks to the individual's dignity, integrity, or self-image.
Attempts to humiliate or public humiliation.
Classical Conditioning can also be used (see Psychological Manipulation ) Negative Conditioning or A Constant State of Interrogation.
School Bullying
School Bullying is more associated to physical violence and physical threats then Workplace Bullying. School Bullying usually involves children trying to dominate each other through physical strength and threats of more physical violence. The actions are usually fighting, punching or hitting followed by threats of more the same treatment or abuse. Verbal abuse is also common such as name calling. The psychological attributes usually include fear and the loss of self-esteem.
Workplace Bullying and School Bullying Are Not The Same
Children and School Bullying will sometimes use Bullying to dominate or establish themselves in a hierarchy or simply because they have experienced or learned this behavior from other children or from an adult. Although their actions can be seen as an attempt to harm other children, they are not fully aware of the consequences of their actions and neither are some adults.
Workplace Bullying falls into a different category. There are many different reasons why Workplace Bullying is sometimes used such as the person wanting to dominate others, because they feel threatened, because they wish to get rid of the other person, and in some cases even darker motives. Unlike School Bullying, Workplace Bullying can include knowledge and tactics that are highly intentional and used to harm a person psychologically and physically (see Effects of Stress). For example the person doing the Bullying can try to induce as much stress as possible and use Psychological Manipulations that are aimed at destroying a person’s self-esteem, self-worth, and self-image. The effects can induce a depression that has a downward spiral which can lead to suicide or the victim can be pushed to or influenced to commit suicide and this falls into the category of murder. The perpetrators of this crime would probably assume that they are invulnerable due to the invisibility of the crime, the lack of information and knowledge, common medical professional practices, and the required proof.
You will find different tactics and psychological manipulations on the Psychological Manipulation page.
Cyber-Bullying
Cyber-Bullying is similar to Workplace Bullying and School Bullying but it is more visible due to the fact that it can leave an electronic trace or evidence. Cyber Bullying is done through communication technologies or the internet. The Bullying occurs in Chat rooms, Bulletin Boards, E-Mails, Websites, Instant Messages, and other available programs or communication systems. Similar to other categories of Bullying the victim can be harassed, humiliated, or threatened. Cyber Bullying has been more in the news lately due to the fact that an adult deceived and psychologically manipulated a 13 year old girl that resulted in the young girl’s suicide.
The origin of Bullying comes from a school yard bully that uses verbal threats, physical intimidation and aggressiveness on a weaker person. More recently its definition has become broader and has taken more psychological attributes (non physical) of harassment. People still tend to associate Bullying more to the physical and physical violence, perhaps because of their school yard memories, but are becoming much more aware of its psychological attributes.
The term bully or Bullying was then applied in the workplace to describe a supervisor that was verbally aggressive and threatening towards employees or would use his position of authority or power to abuse employees.
The term Bullying then expanded to encompass groups in the sense that a group could unite to bully an individual like or similar to the mobbing definition.
The definitions of Bullying usually always include threats, intimidation, aggressive behavior, and verbal abuse but may not always have all of the same psychological or mental attributes. Although their intention is similar they don’t always have the same definitions or scope. The definition or scope of some words used is also changing or the same word can have a different definition or scope in different laws or policies. Some words used are not as clear or obvious and can also be deceptive in a way. The definition below may not apply to you and you should find out what your workplace harassment policy or law includes.
Workplace Bullying
Workplace Bullying continues to expand its definition and includes more psychological attributes that people might usually associate to terms such as psychological abuse, psychological harassment, psychological manipulation, or psychological warfare as more information is collected or published.
Bullying is defined as direct or indirect verbal comments, actions, behavior, or tactics such as verbal abuse or psychological manipulations that are used to harm an individual or an attempt to harm an individual. The Bullying acts do not need to be repetitive since a single act or event can have a serious or lasting effect. The use of threats or fear is common. The verbal abuse usually consists of threats or personal attacks. For example the victim’s means of subsistence or career can be threatened or the individual’s personal beliefs such as religion can be ridiculed. Examples of psychological manipulation are to have an individual do a task that is below their capabilities for the simple intention of humiliating them in front of their peers or to give an individual a highly repetitive task that is deprived of purpose. Another example is wearing the individual out tactics that mainly consists of trying to induce as much stress on the person as possible. It’s also sometimes the intent to make the Bullying victim seem emotionally or psychologically unstable and to try to confuse or make them paranoid and aggressive.
Here are more examples:
Constant threats of dismissal or intimidation.
Attempts to destroy or harm the person’s self-esteem or confidence.
Constant negative remarks or repeated criticism or sarcasm.
Consistent over time, unrealistic work demands, or work overloading.
Isolating or systematically isolating the person.
Spreading false information or rumors.
Tasks that are ambiguous, contradictory, or that are deprived of purpose.
False insinuations, attacks to the individual's dignity, integrity, or self-image.
Attempts to humiliate or public humiliation.
Classical Conditioning can also be used (see Psychological Manipulation ) Negative Conditioning or A Constant State of Interrogation.
School Bullying
School Bullying is more associated to physical violence and physical threats then Workplace Bullying. School Bullying usually involves children trying to dominate each other through physical strength and threats of more physical violence. The actions are usually fighting, punching or hitting followed by threats of more the same treatment or abuse. Verbal abuse is also common such as name calling. The psychological attributes usually include fear and the loss of self-esteem.
Workplace Bullying and School Bullying Are Not The Same
Children and School Bullying will sometimes use Bullying to dominate or establish themselves in a hierarchy or simply because they have experienced or learned this behavior from other children or from an adult. Although their actions can be seen as an attempt to harm other children, they are not fully aware of the consequences of their actions and neither are some adults.
Workplace Bullying falls into a different category. There are many different reasons why Workplace Bullying is sometimes used such as the person wanting to dominate others, because they feel threatened, because they wish to get rid of the other person, and in some cases even darker motives. Unlike School Bullying, Workplace Bullying can include knowledge and tactics that are highly intentional and used to harm a person psychologically and physically (see Effects of Stress). For example the person doing the Bullying can try to induce as much stress as possible and use Psychological Manipulations that are aimed at destroying a person’s self-esteem, self-worth, and self-image. The effects can induce a depression that has a downward spiral which can lead to suicide or the victim can be pushed to or influenced to commit suicide and this falls into the category of murder. The perpetrators of this crime would probably assume that they are invulnerable due to the invisibility of the crime, the lack of information and knowledge, common medical professional practices, and the required proof.
You will find different tactics and psychological manipulations on the Psychological Manipulation page.
Cyber-Bullying
Cyber-Bullying is similar to Workplace Bullying and School Bullying but it is more visible due to the fact that it can leave an electronic trace or evidence. Cyber Bullying is done through communication technologies or the internet. The Bullying occurs in Chat rooms, Bulletin Boards, E-Mails, Websites, Instant Messages, and other available programs or communication systems. Similar to other categories of Bullying the victim can be harassed, humiliated, or threatened. Cyber Bullying has been more in the news lately due to the fact that an adult deceived and psychologically manipulated a 13 year old girl that resulted in the young girl’s suicide.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Christian Divorce And Remarriage, The Lost Truth
Christian Divorce And Remarriage, The Lost Truth.
Divorce and remarriage for the Christian has always been a provision by God in the Bible. The truth of divorce and remarriage has been lost over time and erroneous teaching has taken it's place.
Remarriage Truth
In 1 Corinthians 7:27, 28 it says, "Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned."
What we have been taught is that you can ONLY get remarried if your spouse is dead ? period! Therefore, let's apply this teaching to this scripture. "Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek be loosed (to kill her or to put a contract out on her). Are you loosed from a wife (did you kill her or have her murdered)? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry another woman (after you had your wife killed) you have not sinned." Can you see the utter silliness of that rationale? This is the proper understanding: "Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed (divorced). Are you loosed (divorced) from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry (after you have been divorced), you have not sinned."
Next, direct your attention to 1 Corinthians 7:8, 9 which says, "I say unto the UNMARRIED and the WIDOWS, 'it is good for them if they abide even as I (meaning to stay single). But if THEY cannot contain (having self-control to stay single) LET THEM MARRY: FOR IT IS BETTER TO MARRY than to burn (with passion for a mate)."
Religion has taught us that the "unmarried" in this Scripture does not refer to anyone who was divorced, only to those who where NEVER MARRIED. If "unmarried" means "NEVER MARRIED," then why did Paul the Apostle who wrote this letter continue only sixteen verses later say, "NOW concerning VIRGINS..."? Virgins (those who where NEVER MARRIED were NOT of those mentioned who where UNMARRIED. "NOW" he is talking about them?--the virgins?. Before he wasn't! Then Paul goes on to say that the virgins and those who are UNMARRIED ? "loosed from a wife" (divorced) are in the same category if they marry ? "THEY HAVE NOT SINNED."
Therefore, 1 Corinthians 7:27, 28 properly reads: "Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed (divorced). Are you loosed (divorced) from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry (after you have been divorced), you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned."
Divorce and remarriage for the Christian has always been a provision by God in the Bible. The truth of divorce and remarriage has been lost over time and erroneous teaching has taken it's place.
Remarriage Truth
In 1 Corinthians 7:27, 28 it says, "Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned."
What we have been taught is that you can ONLY get remarried if your spouse is dead ? period! Therefore, let's apply this teaching to this scripture. "Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek be loosed (to kill her or to put a contract out on her). Are you loosed from a wife (did you kill her or have her murdered)? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry another woman (after you had your wife killed) you have not sinned." Can you see the utter silliness of that rationale? This is the proper understanding: "Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed (divorced). Are you loosed (divorced) from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry (after you have been divorced), you have not sinned."
Next, direct your attention to 1 Corinthians 7:8, 9 which says, "I say unto the UNMARRIED and the WIDOWS, 'it is good for them if they abide even as I (meaning to stay single). But if THEY cannot contain (having self-control to stay single) LET THEM MARRY: FOR IT IS BETTER TO MARRY than to burn (with passion for a mate)."
Religion has taught us that the "unmarried" in this Scripture does not refer to anyone who was divorced, only to those who where NEVER MARRIED. If "unmarried" means "NEVER MARRIED," then why did Paul the Apostle who wrote this letter continue only sixteen verses later say, "NOW concerning VIRGINS..."? Virgins (those who where NEVER MARRIED were NOT of those mentioned who where UNMARRIED. "NOW" he is talking about them?--the virgins?. Before he wasn't! Then Paul goes on to say that the virgins and those who are UNMARRIED ? "loosed from a wife" (divorced) are in the same category if they marry ? "THEY HAVE NOT SINNED."
Therefore, 1 Corinthians 7:27, 28 properly reads: "Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed (divorced). Are you loosed (divorced) from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry (after you have been divorced), you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned."
Pauls revelation in Ephs 3
Subj: Paul's revelation
To my friends.
No one has ever told this to me like this before. I am not sure that I am explaining it well, but now, I have been able to do things that were never possible because of this revelation. We have all been taught and know what the scriptures say about salvation, but we have never allowed the sin conscience die because our clergy always keep it alive in our minds.
The revelation of Paul is the why we get saved, going to heaven is only one of the great benefit. The biggest is having fellowship with God and a son ship just like Adam had before the fall.
This is what I have been working on the last few weeks. This is the why and the how to the power which is in us as a result of God's plan to reconcile man to him through Jesus. The message that we are to preach is reconciliation. In which lays the "power" within us so when the scripture says "we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us" we can take this as fact...
PAULS REVELATION (VS 3)
Dear Reader:
The most basic truth concerning Gods plan to restore fellowship between God and Man has been under Vale for ages. I believe that you how have spiritual insight and understanding will catch onto these facts by the instruction of the Holy Spirit. John 14:26.
Righteousness is the sum total of Gods nature. This is what Adam and Eve lost because of disobedience in the garden. But God had a redemptive plan to restore this fellowship. Jesus, The Word was the sacrifice.
This should be the most basic teaching of the church and for clergy it is the equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.
So why are so many people so unaware of this great “power that is within”?
We have been led to believe that we are unworthy…why? Because of what is call a “sin-consciousness”
Did we really have our old self die as a result of a “new creation”?
Do we really have a power within to deal with anything the world can throw at us?
What happened when we accepted the fact that Jesus is the Son of God and He did die on the cross and this was in deed the plan of God, then the conclusion can only be that this is an all or nothing deal.
God has placed “righteousness” which was lost, back into every believer. Now we have to rights back that were lost in the fall of man.
I now have the full nature of God in me. I am growing in knowledge and understanding of this fact in the Holy Spirit.
This is a fact. We are the Righteousness of God in a through Christ Jesus. Our old man is dead and so is sin conscience.
We can know forgive and forget………Just like God.
We can love …………just like God.
We can heal ………just like God.
We can do all things through Christ who strengths us.
It is now easy to know when we are or are not walking in this righteousness. Our knower, knows………and so do our actions. When we do sin we have an advocate with the father that intercess for us and we are forgiven and thus back in righteousness. Such a deal.
This takes a renewing of the mind to understand. This is the key for which God looks at the church without spot or wrinkle.
This is what is going to bring the church into full fellowship with God and with man.
Understanding righteousness the key to the power that dwells within us to make Paul's revelation ours as in Eph 3: 20
Paul, on his way to his destination, was confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ. Knocked to the ground and blinded, he was told to go to the city and meet a man who would give him instructions.
Paul followed these instructions. In those three days the mystery was made known to Paul, which is the righteousness of God (His nature) that was placed into Paul as a result of acknowledging that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that his dying on the cross completed God's plan in restoring what was lost by man in the garden. Paul was not ignorant of the law and the covenants.
NIV Ephesians 3:1-21
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,
3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my in sight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.
8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unreachable riches of Christ,
9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
11 according to his eternal purpose, which he accomplished in ChristJesus our Lord.
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 May have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Packed with this, there is a new sense of worth and urgency to tell others.
This is only a part of what the Holy Sprit has give me. You guys have probably already experienced this, but I didn't know how to explain it until now.
I need you input and any insight you have on this....nobody in the church is talking about this other than creflo dollar (SP) and even his congregation has not grasped the concept yet.
Talk soon.
Ron
To my friends.
No one has ever told this to me like this before. I am not sure that I am explaining it well, but now, I have been able to do things that were never possible because of this revelation. We have all been taught and know what the scriptures say about salvation, but we have never allowed the sin conscience die because our clergy always keep it alive in our minds.
The revelation of Paul is the why we get saved, going to heaven is only one of the great benefit. The biggest is having fellowship with God and a son ship just like Adam had before the fall.
This is what I have been working on the last few weeks. This is the why and the how to the power which is in us as a result of God's plan to reconcile man to him through Jesus. The message that we are to preach is reconciliation. In which lays the "power" within us so when the scripture says "we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us" we can take this as fact...
PAULS REVELATION (VS 3)
Dear Reader:
The most basic truth concerning Gods plan to restore fellowship between God and Man has been under Vale for ages. I believe that you how have spiritual insight and understanding will catch onto these facts by the instruction of the Holy Spirit. John 14:26.
Righteousness is the sum total of Gods nature. This is what Adam and Eve lost because of disobedience in the garden. But God had a redemptive plan to restore this fellowship. Jesus, The Word was the sacrifice.
This should be the most basic teaching of the church and for clergy it is the equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.
So why are so many people so unaware of this great “power that is within”?
We have been led to believe that we are unworthy…why? Because of what is call a “sin-consciousness”
Did we really have our old self die as a result of a “new creation”?
Do we really have a power within to deal with anything the world can throw at us?
What happened when we accepted the fact that Jesus is the Son of God and He did die on the cross and this was in deed the plan of God, then the conclusion can only be that this is an all or nothing deal.
God has placed “righteousness” which was lost, back into every believer. Now we have to rights back that were lost in the fall of man.
I now have the full nature of God in me. I am growing in knowledge and understanding of this fact in the Holy Spirit.
This is a fact. We are the Righteousness of God in a through Christ Jesus. Our old man is dead and so is sin conscience.
We can know forgive and forget………Just like God.
We can love …………just like God.
We can heal ………just like God.
We can do all things through Christ who strengths us.
It is now easy to know when we are or are not walking in this righteousness. Our knower, knows………and so do our actions. When we do sin we have an advocate with the father that intercess for us and we are forgiven and thus back in righteousness. Such a deal.
This takes a renewing of the mind to understand. This is the key for which God looks at the church without spot or wrinkle.
This is what is going to bring the church into full fellowship with God and with man.
Understanding righteousness the key to the power that dwells within us to make Paul's revelation ours as in Eph 3: 20
Paul, on his way to his destination, was confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ. Knocked to the ground and blinded, he was told to go to the city and meet a man who would give him instructions.
Paul followed these instructions. In those three days the mystery was made known to Paul, which is the righteousness of God (His nature) that was placed into Paul as a result of acknowledging that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that his dying on the cross completed God's plan in restoring what was lost by man in the garden. Paul was not ignorant of the law and the covenants.
NIV Ephesians 3:1-21
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,
3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my in sight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.
8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unreachable riches of Christ,
9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
11 according to his eternal purpose, which he accomplished in ChristJesus our Lord.
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 May have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Packed with this, there is a new sense of worth and urgency to tell others.
This is only a part of what the Holy Sprit has give me. You guys have probably already experienced this, but I didn't know how to explain it until now.
I need you input and any insight you have on this....nobody in the church is talking about this other than creflo dollar (SP) and even his congregation has not grasped the concept yet.
Talk soon.
Ron
Four Agreement statements of truth
fThe Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book
Printed with permission from The Vance Caesar Group - Premier Leadership Coaching. Our executive coaching results are known throughout Southern California because of our 24 years of experience in the market and our results! When alumni from such organizations as Deloitte & Touche, Sony, Raytheon, Taco Bell, Freedom Communications, Boeing, Conexant, Arco, and numerous emerging companies and non-profits tell their success stories, they include us as an important element...which makes us proud.
The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book
by Ruiz, Don
Amber-Allen Publishing
The work of Don Miguel Ruiz is based on a knowledge held by the ancient Toltec of Mexico. His work is the result of years of study and self-inquiry, which altered his life. Ruiz describes it as a way of life that is spiritual, yet not necessarily a religion. This pathway is distinguished by the commitment to reach an accessible happiness and love. It moves the person beyond the world that is leaned to a deeper sense of what is self. Ruiz defines this move with the commitment of the person to four agreements. In order to attain this path to freedom defined by true happiness and love, the person practices these four agreements: "Be impeccable with your word", "Don't take anything personally", "Don't make assumptions", and "Always do your best".
The first of the four agreements, "Be impeccable with your word", means to speak with integrity. Ruiz describes the power of the word and how we must use that power to say what we mean and use it in a direction of truth and love. Because of the power the word has, Ruiz warns of its misuse, such as in the case of gossip. It is only through integrity of the word, that a person can transcend to heaven.
The second of the four agreements, "Don't take anything personally", speaks of the word of others. Ruiz discusses being immune to the opinions and actions of others, which act against us. These opinions and actions against us are the result of a fear or insecurity with the person dealing the opinions and actions. Therefore, according to Ruiz, we should not take anything personally. We will avoid needless suffering if we are in accordance with this agreement.
The third agreement, "Don't make assumptions", deals with misunderstanding. Ruiz declares that, in order to avoid the sadness and worry that accompany misunderstandings, we should communicate with clarity. The clarity can only come when a person is willing to be courageous and ask questions for clarity.
The fourth agreement, "Always do your best", works to avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. Ruiz defines your best as relative to how a person is feeling at that time. Therefore, you best will change from time to time, whether you are feeling healthy or sick. Yet, if you do your best under any circumstance, a person will avoid the negative side effects of not doing your best.
Ruiz describes that make the four agreements with yourself, and constantly working on them, can lead a person to the path of personal freedom. These agreements, all of which are present in Zander and Zander's The Art of Possibility, and Cashman's Leadership From the Inside Out, are useful for us as leaders. The agreements help keep us in integrity with our word. They can help us to stop and reflect and verify that our word is in line with our declared truths about leadership. The four agreements can assist us to maintain a focus on our core values, which guide us as leaders. The four agreements remind us that as leaders we will always need to reflect and renew ourselves as we develop and grow with new experiences.
Printed with permission from The Vance Caesar Group - Premier Leadership Coaching. Our executive coaching results are known throughout Southern California because of our 24 years of experience in the market and our results! When alumni from such organizations as Deloitte & Touche, Sony, Raytheon, Taco Bell, Freedom Communications, Boeing, Conexant, Arco, and numerous emerging companies and non-profits tell their success stories, they include us as an important element...which makes us proud.
The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book
by Ruiz, Don
Amber-Allen Publishing
The work of Don Miguel Ruiz is based on a knowledge held by the ancient Toltec of Mexico. His work is the result of years of study and self-inquiry, which altered his life. Ruiz describes it as a way of life that is spiritual, yet not necessarily a religion. This pathway is distinguished by the commitment to reach an accessible happiness and love. It moves the person beyond the world that is leaned to a deeper sense of what is self. Ruiz defines this move with the commitment of the person to four agreements. In order to attain this path to freedom defined by true happiness and love, the person practices these four agreements: "Be impeccable with your word", "Don't take anything personally", "Don't make assumptions", and "Always do your best".
The first of the four agreements, "Be impeccable with your word", means to speak with integrity. Ruiz describes the power of the word and how we must use that power to say what we mean and use it in a direction of truth and love. Because of the power the word has, Ruiz warns of its misuse, such as in the case of gossip. It is only through integrity of the word, that a person can transcend to heaven.
The second of the four agreements, "Don't take anything personally", speaks of the word of others. Ruiz discusses being immune to the opinions and actions of others, which act against us. These opinions and actions against us are the result of a fear or insecurity with the person dealing the opinions and actions. Therefore, according to Ruiz, we should not take anything personally. We will avoid needless suffering if we are in accordance with this agreement.
The third agreement, "Don't make assumptions", deals with misunderstanding. Ruiz declares that, in order to avoid the sadness and worry that accompany misunderstandings, we should communicate with clarity. The clarity can only come when a person is willing to be courageous and ask questions for clarity.
The fourth agreement, "Always do your best", works to avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. Ruiz defines your best as relative to how a person is feeling at that time. Therefore, you best will change from time to time, whether you are feeling healthy or sick. Yet, if you do your best under any circumstance, a person will avoid the negative side effects of not doing your best.
Ruiz describes that make the four agreements with yourself, and constantly working on them, can lead a person to the path of personal freedom. These agreements, all of which are present in Zander and Zander's The Art of Possibility, and Cashman's Leadership From the Inside Out, are useful for us as leaders. The agreements help keep us in integrity with our word. They can help us to stop and reflect and verify that our word is in line with our declared truths about leadership. The four agreements can assist us to maintain a focus on our core values, which guide us as leaders. The four agreements remind us that as leaders we will always need to reflect and renew ourselves as we develop and grow with new experiences.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
CONCEIVING IN THE SPIRIT
CONCEIVING IN THE SPIRIT
• In this message we want to touch on something like the conception and gestation and birth forth in prayer. There are three aspects of the prayer.
• We realize that in the natural world that before life comes forth there has to be a conception, a gestation period and of course a time when the child comes forth.
• We realize that there are different principles that are involved.
• There are different experiences that are involved in each period.
• There are different experiences involved in conception. There are different experiences involved in gestation.
• There are different experiences involved when it is time for the child to come forth.
• There are different signs, different symptoms that are involved. For example, when a conception takes place and a lady had conceived, one of the signs that sometimes happen would be what they called morning sickness. And it happened differently with each lady.
• Sometimes it may not be as severe in others as it is in others because of the chemical composition of each person body. But they are common symptoms. So a lady will know. She will have certain physical changes begin to happen in her body. Her body will immediately know that there is something that is taking place in her body.
• Conception takes place. And then during the gestation period which is the longest period. It is a different development stage. Her body began to change and adjust. And by the time the baby is almost due.
• She will not look the same as when she didn't have the baby.
• During the gestation period is a very tough period.
• Then when it is time for the baby to be delivered, she will have different symptoms.
• One of the first signs that a doctor will tell you when there are movements, when there is contraction that begins, you straightaway go to the hospital.
• So we realize that is important to recognize physical symptoms in order to identify periods of time.
And in the realm of prayer especially in things which God wants us to give birth to.
• God uses human spirit to give birth to what He wants to do.
• He chooses to use human spirits as vessels by which He conceives what He wants to perform in this earth.
• You notice in Genesis to Revelation God could have done it Himself.
• But He always chose man to work through whatever He wants. If He does it Himself it would be very fast.
• The fact that He has taken nearly six thousand years of human history to do whatever He wants to do. Shows us how slow we are to respond to God.
• If God does it Himself, He would have done it very quickly. Yet He has chosen by His love to the methods of using human beings. So God will work through the human spirits and help them to conceive whatever
• He wants to do. And given birth to their spirits into the spirit realm and thus transforming the natural realm. If it takes place in the spirit realm it won't be long before it began to affect the natural realm. Whatever takes place in the spirit realm will begin to change the natural realm.
• If it does not take place first in the spirit realm it will never take place in the natural realm no matter how hard you try. It must always take place in the spiritual. The spiritual will affect the physical.
Conception
We realize that there are three periods when it comes to conception, gestation and birthing of a child. So as we look into prayer we want to see some of this principles that are involved in each period.
• There is period called what I call a desire.
• The first period is what I call the conception in the spirit realm. Some people pray and pray and pray and seemingly they
• don't seem to move anything.
• You wonder why it doesn't move. There are reasons; there are causes and effects for everything that happens. Nothing happens or remains as it is without a reason, a spiritual reason. So there is a cause for that. Why is it not moving? It is not moving because the conception has not really taken place sometimes.
• There will be signs and symptoms when conception has taken place. We have to check at the conception level first.
A seed that is given that is not planted into the soil will not germinate at all. You could keep the seed for a thousand years and it will not germinate because it does not have the right condition.
• They have been able to take some of those seeds from the archeological finds in Egypt out of the tombs of the mummies. And they planted it and it grew.
• Imagine it kept for thousand of years. Life is still there. But it is as useless as a dead seed if it not germinated.
• So there must be certain conditions given. This thing will not happen accidentally.
• There are forces involved.
• There are reasons, cause and effect. The spirit world was not designed as a confused world. It is the most systematic world ever designed. In fact if you live in the spirit realm like the angels and all those things who are always in the spirit realm and you into this natural world to have a look, you see that it is the opposite way round. It is the natural world that looks confusing. In the spirit world God is a God of order.
• There is no confusion.
• There are reasons, causes and effect for everything.
Why is it that something does not take effect? Number one, check the conception area. What are the signs and symptoms that a true conception has taken hold of the spirit man?
• See sometimes a thought or a seed may get into our physical ears but remained there. You just hear about it, you just know about it. But there is no conception that takes place.
• Sometimes it gets into the soul.
• Affect your thinking a little bit. But it has no effect until it gets into the spirit of man.
• That's where conception takes place.
Right Desire
And one of the laws of conception is the law of desire. Jesus said in Mark 11:24 What things so ever you desire when you pray believe that you received them and you shall have them.
• What things so ever you desire.
• Why should Jesus speak about desire when He talks about prayer? See desire is an important constituent to the conception period. Without desire there is no conception. There has to be a desire involved in the spirit realm. And God will build the desire to the degree where conception can take place.
• A half desire is not good enough. It has to be full desire.
• We are going to see some illustrations in the bible.
Let's turn to an incident of prayer and see what are the signs and symptoms that must take place during the conception period. It is about Hannah who was barren.
1 Samuel 1: 1-8 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Penninah. Penninah had children, but Hannah had no children. This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophini and Phinehas, the two priests of the Lord, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Penninah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah although the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it was year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons? So Hannah arose after they have finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting at the seat of the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.
• Notice here that the reason why she cried which her husband knew was because she was barren.
• She wanted a child. And year-by-year her desire grew more.
• You could not say that she didn't desire.
• She desired until it consumed her. Some of the things we prayed for, we do not want it badly enough to give up everything for it.
• That's why we don't get it.
• We have a nonchalant attitude. If it comes, well and good.
• If it doesn't come, never mind.
• My friend if you are going to pray that way, you will never break through in your prayer.
• You know one reason why fasting is powerful.
• If you desire something enough to give up food, you are demonstrating your desire.
As an illustration when you are involved in a work or project that the time passed without your knowledge. And you may have passed two meals time without even knowing it.
• When I am involved in a project I don't feel hungry at all.
• You forget to eat, your stomach also forgets.
• As we see here sometimes when you are involved in a project or something that involves your attention you forgot about food.
• Why because your desire to complete it is so intense that it takes all your attention away from every other things. And one reason why people don't receive what they prayed for is because they don't pray for it with intensity and with great desire.
• They approach whatever item they pray for with a couldn't-care-less attitude.
• Never mind-lah can get, get-lah cannot get never mind. This never mind business is not good enough.
If Jesus hears you talking that way, ah-ha you say Jesus is kind. Haven't you heard how He rebuked His disciples some times? I tell you when there are times when He expected more from his disciples. You should have read some the gospel stories. He said how long have I been with you and you have not understood? He tells them like that. He expected more from them. And Jesus said that if any man does not love Him more than anything else or anyone else, he is not worthy to be His disciple. That is Jesus' standard.
Right Method
• One main reason why prayer items don't seem to be answered is that the desire in what they pray for is not intense enough.
• I learned this thing from the school of hard knocks, school of experience.
• There is something in my life that I prayed for. And I said, "Lord, why is it taking so long?"
• The Lord said, "It wouldn't take so long if you desire it more. If you concentrate all your effort in that, it will come fast." I said, "Lord, is that the key?"
• He said, "Yes that is the key." Our desire must be intense and not half-hearted.
• You could hear a sermon like that and say yes now I desire.
When you say you desire something it means you give up other things.
• When a man fall in love and when preparing for the marriage, what are you saying to the world?
• You are saying that you have chosen to give your love, your attention as a life partner to this one person whom you love.
• And you are also rejecting and saying no to every other man or woman in that area.
• They can still be your friends. But they cannot be your life partners.
• By saying yes to one you are saying no to ten.
Here we see that Hannah desire after a child and she was barren. And her desire consumed her.
• You notice she was in bitterness of soul. Her soul was affected. And her body was affected.
• So that Elkanah said why don't you eat. The desire to have a child has consumed her.
• Now we were talking about how we really desire we will cut out other things.
• When you desire to be healed and then you don't do whatever you can of your time to get that healing,
• I doubt your desire is strong enough to get it. It has not consumed you yet. And there are some things that operate only when we reach that realm of desire.
• Now there are some other things that when you pray it comes very fast. But here we are talking about certain things that need conception that will take a great level of desire.
• You got to prove it.
• You got to show forth before it really begins to manifest into your life.
• Sometimes people are not desperate enough to get it. Whatever you pray for if you are desperate enough to get it and you give up everything to get it and it is in the line of God's will, you will probably get it.
Let's say somebody says that he wants to win one million people to Jesus. Do you know that the person will live and die without winning if that person doesn't pay the price and doesn't know how to desire?
• It's one thing to say I like to pray and believe God for one million souls.
• If you don't travail and you don't see the one million souls day and night, you probably just win one thousand. It's not just talk.
• It's not just saying it although saying it is part of the process. But it must consumed us until it becomes a part of us.
• The desire must overwhelm our soul and our body until you want it badly enough, desperately enough that you are willing to do everything you can to get it.
Sometimes when I visit hospital and I pray for people who are desperate, they pull out their old dusty bible; hide everything else in the drawer because they know you are coming.
• Then you pray for them and some days later, you pay them a surprise visit.
• There you find on the table gun-smoke stories, novels, three newspapers and the bible is somewhere inside.
• They are not desperate enough to get their healing from God.
• If I was in that person's position and I was given a certain number of months to live, I would throw away everything but the word.
• If I am desperate enough to get healing now that there is no other alternative.
• You must not only be desperate enough but you must be desperate enough to come God's way.
• Some people are desperate enough to try anything.
• Some people come with old wives' tale and tell them you take a little of this and a little of that.
• We are talking about desperation but not desperation that is unguided.
• But it is desperation enough to do everything you can.
You know what I will do in that person position? I will probably take two or three scriptures. See you don't need the whole bible to get you healed.
• One verse is good enough if you could get it.
• One verse is good enough if you can really utilize it and use it. If I was in that person's position the first thing I will say is by His stripes I am healed. In the name of Jesus, body I command you to function perfectly.
• And quote all those scriptures on healing that I know concentrating on just two or three until it become a part of me. Rest once in a while. Take a break once in a while.
• Then the moment you rested, you get it back again and say by his stripes I am healed.
• In the name of Jesus I take authority over this sickness. Then at night before you sleep you still do the same thing.
• The next morning as you open your eyes, you keep saying by his stripes I am healed.
• If you do that before long even the cancer will melt.
You got to hang on long enough and confess God's word. That is the main thing you will concentrate on day and night. I only illustrate in the area of healing. If it is in the area of finances, you apply the word differently.
• You are so desperate.
• That is the only thing in your heart and mind. Day and night you take God's word.
• You keep on saying By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ I have been made rich.
• He was made poor that I might be made rich. Thank you Father God that I have been made rich in Christ. You supply all my needs according the riches in Christ Jesus.
• But of course the laws of finances work with other sub-laws. You tithe, you give offering. And as you obey those laws, you give all you got to the word.
• It is going to be very fast to turn around.
• Perhaps it could be your business, or the share market is going down. We are speaking about the same principle that applies to finance.
• First thing you open your eyes.
• You got one stack of bills in front of you.
• First thing you open your eyes, you say by the grace of Jesus Christ I have been made rich.
• Thank you angels of God for bringing prosperity. Thank you Father God for sending angels to work on my behalf. Day and night and you speak and speak just one or two verses is sufficient.
• See we are talking about applying the word to our situation.
• We need to do that. Are we desperate enough to move our situation, to move our problem, whatever it is?
• Or perhaps you are jobless. Get the scriptures that are involved to change the situation.
• Don't sit around and say I am without a job for five months.
• What have you been doing?
• I have been looking about the papers. What about the other paper? Which paper?
• the Good News. Confess the favor and grace of God on your life. The moment you walk into the interview room everybody wants you.
• It is here in the scriptures you can confess grace.
• First thing you get up in the morning, don't look at the bad news. Just concentrate on that area with the word.
• First thing you wake up in the morning you say Father I am blessed. I thank you I have the grace and favor in my life.
• Thank you Lord that you love me with your great love. You have poured your grace and favor upon me.
• And as Jesus Christ found favor with God and with man, so I am in Him. I too find favor with God and with man.
• Say that from morning till night and you see what happens.
• Then things occur faster.
• These are practical things.
• We are talking about things that are applicable.
A Christian brother once shared the following testimony when he first discovered the above principle and started applying it.
• He said, " 'One day when we were sitting at a bus stop before it was developed. My wife and I were waiting for the bus. The bus was delayed and we were looking across the street at this man selling star fruit. My wife was saying, 'Poor man. Nobody is buying his star fruits. Let's do something about it." And we said, "Father God we thank you that we are your children. We are the salt of the earth. What we bless is blessed. Father we bless that man. Angels of God go forth and bring customers to that man." And in the next fifteen minutes, people started coming to that star fruit stall and beginning to finish off his star fruits. The Lord was teaching us all these lessons. As we applied it in the daily things of life, we realize it is applicable. And my wife gets excited when anyone buy the star fruit she said another one. Through that kind of experiences we realize that there could be things that we could release.'
'When you pray for a job, you got to keep at it.
• Continually confess it. It is always your confession or your senses that defeat you.
• Keep confessing the word.
• You are desperately enough to not let it go. So we have here what we call desperation.
• How much we really want it.
• You want something you got to go for it persistently.
• Never give up. You know what most people do. They will work at it and then give up.
• You never achieve it that way.
• You got to go for it continually. How much do you want it?
• So the first thing we have is as high level of desire until it consume our very being.
• But of course desire, desperation is one part. And the proof of our desire, desperation is how much are you willing to give up other things.
Right Relationship
Let's turn to the book of 1 Samuel 4: 1. Now the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamp besides Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamp in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hands of our enemies."
• Just to cut the long story short.
• What the Israelites did was they brought the ark. They said if we bring the ark, which has brought Israel into the Promised Land we will win.
• Remember they have lost. Several thousand men have died.
• So they brought the ark and there was a great celebration.
• The men of Israel shouted and the Philistines heard it. Then word brought out that the Israelites have brought out the ark.
• All the Philistines became frightened.
• The Philistines fought and were surprised that they won.
• The Israelites lost. And poor Eli also was shaking wondering what will happen to the ark.
• He was a priest and he was responsible for the ark.
• Suddenly come this runner and said the ark is gone. When Eli heard that he got into a shock and fell and broke his neck and died.
• And his son's wife who was expecting delivered the baby when she heard the news. And she named the baby Ichabod that means the glory has departed.
• Everybody was in a state of shock.
The question is were the Israelites excited when the ark came. Yes, they shouted until the ground shook. In verse five the Bible tells us they shouted so loudly that the ground shook. They were excited. Were they desperate? Yes, of course four thousand men died. But didn't Joshua enter the Promised Land with the ark? Joshua plus ark at Jericho equal success. Therefore we plus ark equal success. It was a formula. But they forgot one thing. You could copy the method but you could not copy the anointing. You could do everything exactly but when it comes out, it is like plastic with no life. They couldn't duplicate the anointing that Joshua had. They lost the whole ark. It was the real ark. The ark still had power. In the next chapter you find that the ark had power. Dagon really had it. They put the ark in the temple where the idol Dagon was worshipped. Next Dagon was worshipping the ark. So the Philistines thought that it was an accident. They pushed Dagon back. The next day Dagon was down again. This time his arms were chopped off. And all the people got judgment of God. They got boils. Then they brought the ark to another city. That city was struck by the power of God. Then they send it to another city. As the ark was being carried to the other city, the other city didn't want the ark. I tell you the ark still has its power. But it didn't work for the Israelites because they had no relationship with God.
It would have been like Acts 19 where the seven sons of Sceva came to the demon possessed person and said by the name of Jesus whom Paul preach come out. These seven sons were beaten by the demon. Why didn't it work? The spirit said I know Jesus I know Paul but I don't know you. It was the end of Sceva's exorcist and company. Why because they had no relationship with Jesus whom they use His name. It is not just the method that matters but a relationship. Israel was disobedient. Israel was not living right with God. So we realize desperation is one thing. But you have to have desperation plus the right relationship with God.
For example there are some people in financial need. They are desperate enough but they don't have a relationship with God. How do I build that relationship? That is why sometimes the healing or the deliverance comes when you worship Him. Why, worship is the only key to relationship with God. As you spend time in His presence worshipping him, we develop a relationship with him.
Desperation must be channeled the right way. Some people are so desperate for healing, they will try anything under the sun, even ungodly and ridiculous things. You should be desperate and then channel it to the right direction. Desperate enough to give up everything to come to God. Desperate enough to cut off everything else and let your desires turn to that only one matter. Let me assure you God has not let anyone down. Not one man, one woman, one boy, one girl has been let down by God. Or anyone who gives themselves fully without turning to any other method, God word has not fallen unfulfilled when all the conditions are met. Never has God failed to keep His promise. If you are really desperate you give up all things to give more time to God. There has to be a choice made. So whatever you are praying for that has not been moving as we are sharing the word right now, ask yourself how desperate are you. Are you desperate enough to give other things to focus on that? That is the question whether it move or not.
I remember when I was praying for my father's salvation in the seminary. When I left for the seminary I remember when I boarded the train all my possession was in one suitcase. My father came to say goodbye to me. I remember the tears dropped from my eyes. There was no church supporting me and I wouldn't know where the next meal was coming from. Just went by faith. When I got into the seminary the first thing I did was I knelt down and said Lord I don't know when my next meal is coming. But you never fail. If ever there is a place and time where I have to choose to compromise you or die, I will choose to die. I rather die serving you and die believing you than to die doing anything else. I made my commitment to God. And as I was there my father who threatened me when I decided to serve the Lord, every month without fail he will send a hundred dollars in money order. And he was not even a believer. And I survived for two years in that seminary. And in my second year I was really crying out for my father. I said Father God he doesn't even know you. He does not know the salvation of Jesus. He does not know the peace of Jesus. He does not know the bible. He does not know the promises of God. Here am I serving you giving the Good News to others. And here a person in a scriptural sense is called a heathen because he doesn't know you sending this money to support me your child. And every day I will come before God and the desire increased until one day I was in tears. And I say Father God of all things I ask I want to see my father in heaven. After all he has done. If it is one thing you can give to him. Give him salvation. I remember as I was praying and weeping before God. I wanted it so much that I told God I am not moving from here until I get the answer. Now that was the way I pray in those days. But that shows my desperation. I couldn't explain it but one thing I know that burden lifted and whenever I think of my father a joy arise inside although he was not saved yet. But I knew that I had it. That God has heard. Just a month or so later he was born again. When I was on this choir tour. We travel all over. And we went to my hometown. And he came to attend. That night when he left and continued in Singapore and a few days later came back home. And he told me few days ago when I went to your singing and came back. I had a dream. He said I dreamt this huge big giant white cross and I was so small at the foot of the cross. And I said pa Jesus wants you to be saved. And he told me I have been praying the prayer at the end of that little booklet you left in the house. I said which booklet. And he took it out from his pocket. It was the four spiritual law and at the end of it was a prayer that say Lord Jesus. And he says I prayed that for one month every day. I said pa Jesus has heard your prayer. You are saved. I baptised him and my mother in the Straits of Johore. He has gone to be with the Lord now. Because I was diligent in God and I was desperate enough. Some of us want something. But we are not desperate enough. We only have the idea of having whatever it was. Such was my approach with God and I know that we need to enter that stage of desperation whatever you want from God. And there are a lot of things I know that God has heard and answered in my life because I was desperate enough for it.
And some ministers ask me what is the basic foundation of my life. I said that for one year I read nothing but the word. Confess only the word from morning till night after God show me my spirit man. Why do you do such a thing? I was desperate enough. When God showed me my spirit man after I completed my seminary, I was desperate enough for God. I said God if that is my condition I am not going to do anything until I get it right. And for one year I prayed in tongues and I read no book, no newspaper, I didn't even read a Christian book. The only book I read was the bible.
And there are other things that I approach God with that kind of desperation. I remember in my earlier days in my ministry I was learning to pray and take authority over things. I like to experiment things. I remember when I was praying on the beach in the seminary, there was this rain coming. And I don't want to be distracted by this rain and I ran to a shelter. I said, "Jesus please stop the waves. You can stop the rain. I said Lord I am not moving here until the rain leaves. Either the rain leave or I leave. But I am not going to leave. So the rain has to leave if your word is real." I challenged God that way. I don't talk to Him that way now. My relationship with Him has developed. But that was where I began. And the steadiness has been build up. What I call the spiritual muscle.
Remember God has given us everything He needs to give us in Christ. What you will receive in this life does not depend as much on God as it depends on you. You could live and die without realizing everything that God has determined for you to have. God has done everything. It is only we. How much do we really want it? Paul was not kidding when he said covert earnestly the best gifts. If you really want something you got to get some kind of desperation in your life. We need desperation, we need the right relationship and we need the right methodology. You may have the right way, right relationship but if you are using the wrong method, you are also finished. You see Hannah had the desperation and she came to the right place. Although Eli was not a man fully right with God but yet by the grace of God, God used the anointing upon him as a high priest and opened Hannah's womb. I would use the word despite of him. There is proper place and time.
Then we see in First Samuel chapter four. They were desperate but they don't have the relationship but they use the right method, the ark. There is another case in the bible where king David who love the Lord. You remember the story he brought the ark in. He wanted God very much. He had great desire. Otherwise he wouldn't think of that. He had the right relationship with God but he used the wrong method. God said let the priest carry the ark. They made a cart and they didn't have success. When he did it again he said we have learned our lesson let the priest carry the ark. Remember you can never improve on the method God gives. If God tells you to do something in a certain way don't skim around it just do it. He is the author of perfection. You can never improve on whatever He says. If you keep at it in whatever God commands, if He says confess the word by His stripes you are healed, you confess it. Keep at it. You get it. If Jesus said speak to the mountain, you cannot improve any other way to get rid of the mountain. He never said shovel down the mountain. He never said mould down the mountain. He never said bomb the mountain. He said speak to the mountain. You will never improve on any methodology that God has ordained. Just keep at it with the right relationship, with the right desires. And you hit the mountain down. It many mean continually speaking, continually working at it. Thank God it works. We have covered only on the area of conception.
These are elements and principles of conception. We have not covered gestation period yet. Areas of conception, conceiving the things of God until it really builds into us. Learn to conceive. A lot of people think they have conceived but they haven't. How do we know it? If you conceived you know it. There is something growing in you. If a lady comes to you and say I am expecting a baby in one week's time. And she looks like praying mantis. You will say either the baby is that small or you are fooling me. You cannot hide. In the early stages it may be possible to be unnoticeable. When there is a conception, your body starts changing. There are symptoms. And there is no real conception in some people's life. They think they have it but they don't have it. If you are really conceived these elements will be there. You will have a break through in desperation. You would have a relationship with God. You would have the right method.
http://www.eaglevision.com.my/ps5conceiving.htm
• In this message we want to touch on something like the conception and gestation and birth forth in prayer. There are three aspects of the prayer.
• We realize that in the natural world that before life comes forth there has to be a conception, a gestation period and of course a time when the child comes forth.
• We realize that there are different principles that are involved.
• There are different experiences that are involved in each period.
• There are different experiences involved in conception. There are different experiences involved in gestation.
• There are different experiences involved when it is time for the child to come forth.
• There are different signs, different symptoms that are involved. For example, when a conception takes place and a lady had conceived, one of the signs that sometimes happen would be what they called morning sickness. And it happened differently with each lady.
• Sometimes it may not be as severe in others as it is in others because of the chemical composition of each person body. But they are common symptoms. So a lady will know. She will have certain physical changes begin to happen in her body. Her body will immediately know that there is something that is taking place in her body.
• Conception takes place. And then during the gestation period which is the longest period. It is a different development stage. Her body began to change and adjust. And by the time the baby is almost due.
• She will not look the same as when she didn't have the baby.
• During the gestation period is a very tough period.
• Then when it is time for the baby to be delivered, she will have different symptoms.
• One of the first signs that a doctor will tell you when there are movements, when there is contraction that begins, you straightaway go to the hospital.
• So we realize that is important to recognize physical symptoms in order to identify periods of time.
And in the realm of prayer especially in things which God wants us to give birth to.
• God uses human spirit to give birth to what He wants to do.
• He chooses to use human spirits as vessels by which He conceives what He wants to perform in this earth.
• You notice in Genesis to Revelation God could have done it Himself.
• But He always chose man to work through whatever He wants. If He does it Himself it would be very fast.
• The fact that He has taken nearly six thousand years of human history to do whatever He wants to do. Shows us how slow we are to respond to God.
• If God does it Himself, He would have done it very quickly. Yet He has chosen by His love to the methods of using human beings. So God will work through the human spirits and help them to conceive whatever
• He wants to do. And given birth to their spirits into the spirit realm and thus transforming the natural realm. If it takes place in the spirit realm it won't be long before it began to affect the natural realm. Whatever takes place in the spirit realm will begin to change the natural realm.
• If it does not take place first in the spirit realm it will never take place in the natural realm no matter how hard you try. It must always take place in the spiritual. The spiritual will affect the physical.
Conception
We realize that there are three periods when it comes to conception, gestation and birthing of a child. So as we look into prayer we want to see some of this principles that are involved in each period.
• There is period called what I call a desire.
• The first period is what I call the conception in the spirit realm. Some people pray and pray and pray and seemingly they
• don't seem to move anything.
• You wonder why it doesn't move. There are reasons; there are causes and effects for everything that happens. Nothing happens or remains as it is without a reason, a spiritual reason. So there is a cause for that. Why is it not moving? It is not moving because the conception has not really taken place sometimes.
• There will be signs and symptoms when conception has taken place. We have to check at the conception level first.
A seed that is given that is not planted into the soil will not germinate at all. You could keep the seed for a thousand years and it will not germinate because it does not have the right condition.
• They have been able to take some of those seeds from the archeological finds in Egypt out of the tombs of the mummies. And they planted it and it grew.
• Imagine it kept for thousand of years. Life is still there. But it is as useless as a dead seed if it not germinated.
• So there must be certain conditions given. This thing will not happen accidentally.
• There are forces involved.
• There are reasons, cause and effect. The spirit world was not designed as a confused world. It is the most systematic world ever designed. In fact if you live in the spirit realm like the angels and all those things who are always in the spirit realm and you into this natural world to have a look, you see that it is the opposite way round. It is the natural world that looks confusing. In the spirit world God is a God of order.
• There is no confusion.
• There are reasons, causes and effect for everything.
Why is it that something does not take effect? Number one, check the conception area. What are the signs and symptoms that a true conception has taken hold of the spirit man?
• See sometimes a thought or a seed may get into our physical ears but remained there. You just hear about it, you just know about it. But there is no conception that takes place.
• Sometimes it gets into the soul.
• Affect your thinking a little bit. But it has no effect until it gets into the spirit of man.
• That's where conception takes place.
Right Desire
And one of the laws of conception is the law of desire. Jesus said in Mark 11:24 What things so ever you desire when you pray believe that you received them and you shall have them.
• What things so ever you desire.
• Why should Jesus speak about desire when He talks about prayer? See desire is an important constituent to the conception period. Without desire there is no conception. There has to be a desire involved in the spirit realm. And God will build the desire to the degree where conception can take place.
• A half desire is not good enough. It has to be full desire.
• We are going to see some illustrations in the bible.
Let's turn to an incident of prayer and see what are the signs and symptoms that must take place during the conception period. It is about Hannah who was barren.
1 Samuel 1: 1-8 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Penninah. Penninah had children, but Hannah had no children. This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophini and Phinehas, the two priests of the Lord, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Penninah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah although the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it was year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons? So Hannah arose after they have finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting at the seat of the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.
• Notice here that the reason why she cried which her husband knew was because she was barren.
• She wanted a child. And year-by-year her desire grew more.
• You could not say that she didn't desire.
• She desired until it consumed her. Some of the things we prayed for, we do not want it badly enough to give up everything for it.
• That's why we don't get it.
• We have a nonchalant attitude. If it comes, well and good.
• If it doesn't come, never mind.
• My friend if you are going to pray that way, you will never break through in your prayer.
• You know one reason why fasting is powerful.
• If you desire something enough to give up food, you are demonstrating your desire.
As an illustration when you are involved in a work or project that the time passed without your knowledge. And you may have passed two meals time without even knowing it.
• When I am involved in a project I don't feel hungry at all.
• You forget to eat, your stomach also forgets.
• As we see here sometimes when you are involved in a project or something that involves your attention you forgot about food.
• Why because your desire to complete it is so intense that it takes all your attention away from every other things. And one reason why people don't receive what they prayed for is because they don't pray for it with intensity and with great desire.
• They approach whatever item they pray for with a couldn't-care-less attitude.
• Never mind-lah can get, get-lah cannot get never mind. This never mind business is not good enough.
If Jesus hears you talking that way, ah-ha you say Jesus is kind. Haven't you heard how He rebuked His disciples some times? I tell you when there are times when He expected more from his disciples. You should have read some the gospel stories. He said how long have I been with you and you have not understood? He tells them like that. He expected more from them. And Jesus said that if any man does not love Him more than anything else or anyone else, he is not worthy to be His disciple. That is Jesus' standard.
Right Method
• One main reason why prayer items don't seem to be answered is that the desire in what they pray for is not intense enough.
• I learned this thing from the school of hard knocks, school of experience.
• There is something in my life that I prayed for. And I said, "Lord, why is it taking so long?"
• The Lord said, "It wouldn't take so long if you desire it more. If you concentrate all your effort in that, it will come fast." I said, "Lord, is that the key?"
• He said, "Yes that is the key." Our desire must be intense and not half-hearted.
• You could hear a sermon like that and say yes now I desire.
When you say you desire something it means you give up other things.
• When a man fall in love and when preparing for the marriage, what are you saying to the world?
• You are saying that you have chosen to give your love, your attention as a life partner to this one person whom you love.
• And you are also rejecting and saying no to every other man or woman in that area.
• They can still be your friends. But they cannot be your life partners.
• By saying yes to one you are saying no to ten.
Here we see that Hannah desire after a child and she was barren. And her desire consumed her.
• You notice she was in bitterness of soul. Her soul was affected. And her body was affected.
• So that Elkanah said why don't you eat. The desire to have a child has consumed her.
• Now we were talking about how we really desire we will cut out other things.
• When you desire to be healed and then you don't do whatever you can of your time to get that healing,
• I doubt your desire is strong enough to get it. It has not consumed you yet. And there are some things that operate only when we reach that realm of desire.
• Now there are some other things that when you pray it comes very fast. But here we are talking about certain things that need conception that will take a great level of desire.
• You got to prove it.
• You got to show forth before it really begins to manifest into your life.
• Sometimes people are not desperate enough to get it. Whatever you pray for if you are desperate enough to get it and you give up everything to get it and it is in the line of God's will, you will probably get it.
Let's say somebody says that he wants to win one million people to Jesus. Do you know that the person will live and die without winning if that person doesn't pay the price and doesn't know how to desire?
• It's one thing to say I like to pray and believe God for one million souls.
• If you don't travail and you don't see the one million souls day and night, you probably just win one thousand. It's not just talk.
• It's not just saying it although saying it is part of the process. But it must consumed us until it becomes a part of us.
• The desire must overwhelm our soul and our body until you want it badly enough, desperately enough that you are willing to do everything you can to get it.
Sometimes when I visit hospital and I pray for people who are desperate, they pull out their old dusty bible; hide everything else in the drawer because they know you are coming.
• Then you pray for them and some days later, you pay them a surprise visit.
• There you find on the table gun-smoke stories, novels, three newspapers and the bible is somewhere inside.
• They are not desperate enough to get their healing from God.
• If I was in that person's position and I was given a certain number of months to live, I would throw away everything but the word.
• If I am desperate enough to get healing now that there is no other alternative.
• You must not only be desperate enough but you must be desperate enough to come God's way.
• Some people are desperate enough to try anything.
• Some people come with old wives' tale and tell them you take a little of this and a little of that.
• We are talking about desperation but not desperation that is unguided.
• But it is desperation enough to do everything you can.
You know what I will do in that person position? I will probably take two or three scriptures. See you don't need the whole bible to get you healed.
• One verse is good enough if you could get it.
• One verse is good enough if you can really utilize it and use it. If I was in that person's position the first thing I will say is by His stripes I am healed. In the name of Jesus, body I command you to function perfectly.
• And quote all those scriptures on healing that I know concentrating on just two or three until it become a part of me. Rest once in a while. Take a break once in a while.
• Then the moment you rested, you get it back again and say by his stripes I am healed.
• In the name of Jesus I take authority over this sickness. Then at night before you sleep you still do the same thing.
• The next morning as you open your eyes, you keep saying by his stripes I am healed.
• If you do that before long even the cancer will melt.
You got to hang on long enough and confess God's word. That is the main thing you will concentrate on day and night. I only illustrate in the area of healing. If it is in the area of finances, you apply the word differently.
• You are so desperate.
• That is the only thing in your heart and mind. Day and night you take God's word.
• You keep on saying By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ I have been made rich.
• He was made poor that I might be made rich. Thank you Father God that I have been made rich in Christ. You supply all my needs according the riches in Christ Jesus.
• But of course the laws of finances work with other sub-laws. You tithe, you give offering. And as you obey those laws, you give all you got to the word.
• It is going to be very fast to turn around.
• Perhaps it could be your business, or the share market is going down. We are speaking about the same principle that applies to finance.
• First thing you open your eyes.
• You got one stack of bills in front of you.
• First thing you open your eyes, you say by the grace of Jesus Christ I have been made rich.
• Thank you angels of God for bringing prosperity. Thank you Father God for sending angels to work on my behalf. Day and night and you speak and speak just one or two verses is sufficient.
• See we are talking about applying the word to our situation.
• We need to do that. Are we desperate enough to move our situation, to move our problem, whatever it is?
• Or perhaps you are jobless. Get the scriptures that are involved to change the situation.
• Don't sit around and say I am without a job for five months.
• What have you been doing?
• I have been looking about the papers. What about the other paper? Which paper?
• the Good News. Confess the favor and grace of God on your life. The moment you walk into the interview room everybody wants you.
• It is here in the scriptures you can confess grace.
• First thing you get up in the morning, don't look at the bad news. Just concentrate on that area with the word.
• First thing you wake up in the morning you say Father I am blessed. I thank you I have the grace and favor in my life.
• Thank you Lord that you love me with your great love. You have poured your grace and favor upon me.
• And as Jesus Christ found favor with God and with man, so I am in Him. I too find favor with God and with man.
• Say that from morning till night and you see what happens.
• Then things occur faster.
• These are practical things.
• We are talking about things that are applicable.
A Christian brother once shared the following testimony when he first discovered the above principle and started applying it.
• He said, " 'One day when we were sitting at a bus stop before it was developed. My wife and I were waiting for the bus. The bus was delayed and we were looking across the street at this man selling star fruit. My wife was saying, 'Poor man. Nobody is buying his star fruits. Let's do something about it." And we said, "Father God we thank you that we are your children. We are the salt of the earth. What we bless is blessed. Father we bless that man. Angels of God go forth and bring customers to that man." And in the next fifteen minutes, people started coming to that star fruit stall and beginning to finish off his star fruits. The Lord was teaching us all these lessons. As we applied it in the daily things of life, we realize it is applicable. And my wife gets excited when anyone buy the star fruit she said another one. Through that kind of experiences we realize that there could be things that we could release.'
'When you pray for a job, you got to keep at it.
• Continually confess it. It is always your confession or your senses that defeat you.
• Keep confessing the word.
• You are desperately enough to not let it go. So we have here what we call desperation.
• How much we really want it.
• You want something you got to go for it persistently.
• Never give up. You know what most people do. They will work at it and then give up.
• You never achieve it that way.
• You got to go for it continually. How much do you want it?
• So the first thing we have is as high level of desire until it consume our very being.
• But of course desire, desperation is one part. And the proof of our desire, desperation is how much are you willing to give up other things.
Right Relationship
Let's turn to the book of 1 Samuel 4: 1. Now the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamp besides Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamp in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hands of our enemies."
• Just to cut the long story short.
• What the Israelites did was they brought the ark. They said if we bring the ark, which has brought Israel into the Promised Land we will win.
• Remember they have lost. Several thousand men have died.
• So they brought the ark and there was a great celebration.
• The men of Israel shouted and the Philistines heard it. Then word brought out that the Israelites have brought out the ark.
• All the Philistines became frightened.
• The Philistines fought and were surprised that they won.
• The Israelites lost. And poor Eli also was shaking wondering what will happen to the ark.
• He was a priest and he was responsible for the ark.
• Suddenly come this runner and said the ark is gone. When Eli heard that he got into a shock and fell and broke his neck and died.
• And his son's wife who was expecting delivered the baby when she heard the news. And she named the baby Ichabod that means the glory has departed.
• Everybody was in a state of shock.
The question is were the Israelites excited when the ark came. Yes, they shouted until the ground shook. In verse five the Bible tells us they shouted so loudly that the ground shook. They were excited. Were they desperate? Yes, of course four thousand men died. But didn't Joshua enter the Promised Land with the ark? Joshua plus ark at Jericho equal success. Therefore we plus ark equal success. It was a formula. But they forgot one thing. You could copy the method but you could not copy the anointing. You could do everything exactly but when it comes out, it is like plastic with no life. They couldn't duplicate the anointing that Joshua had. They lost the whole ark. It was the real ark. The ark still had power. In the next chapter you find that the ark had power. Dagon really had it. They put the ark in the temple where the idol Dagon was worshipped. Next Dagon was worshipping the ark. So the Philistines thought that it was an accident. They pushed Dagon back. The next day Dagon was down again. This time his arms were chopped off. And all the people got judgment of God. They got boils. Then they brought the ark to another city. That city was struck by the power of God. Then they send it to another city. As the ark was being carried to the other city, the other city didn't want the ark. I tell you the ark still has its power. But it didn't work for the Israelites because they had no relationship with God.
It would have been like Acts 19 where the seven sons of Sceva came to the demon possessed person and said by the name of Jesus whom Paul preach come out. These seven sons were beaten by the demon. Why didn't it work? The spirit said I know Jesus I know Paul but I don't know you. It was the end of Sceva's exorcist and company. Why because they had no relationship with Jesus whom they use His name. It is not just the method that matters but a relationship. Israel was disobedient. Israel was not living right with God. So we realize desperation is one thing. But you have to have desperation plus the right relationship with God.
For example there are some people in financial need. They are desperate enough but they don't have a relationship with God. How do I build that relationship? That is why sometimes the healing or the deliverance comes when you worship Him. Why, worship is the only key to relationship with God. As you spend time in His presence worshipping him, we develop a relationship with him.
Desperation must be channeled the right way. Some people are so desperate for healing, they will try anything under the sun, even ungodly and ridiculous things. You should be desperate and then channel it to the right direction. Desperate enough to give up everything to come to God. Desperate enough to cut off everything else and let your desires turn to that only one matter. Let me assure you God has not let anyone down. Not one man, one woman, one boy, one girl has been let down by God. Or anyone who gives themselves fully without turning to any other method, God word has not fallen unfulfilled when all the conditions are met. Never has God failed to keep His promise. If you are really desperate you give up all things to give more time to God. There has to be a choice made. So whatever you are praying for that has not been moving as we are sharing the word right now, ask yourself how desperate are you. Are you desperate enough to give other things to focus on that? That is the question whether it move or not.
I remember when I was praying for my father's salvation in the seminary. When I left for the seminary I remember when I boarded the train all my possession was in one suitcase. My father came to say goodbye to me. I remember the tears dropped from my eyes. There was no church supporting me and I wouldn't know where the next meal was coming from. Just went by faith. When I got into the seminary the first thing I did was I knelt down and said Lord I don't know when my next meal is coming. But you never fail. If ever there is a place and time where I have to choose to compromise you or die, I will choose to die. I rather die serving you and die believing you than to die doing anything else. I made my commitment to God. And as I was there my father who threatened me when I decided to serve the Lord, every month without fail he will send a hundred dollars in money order. And he was not even a believer. And I survived for two years in that seminary. And in my second year I was really crying out for my father. I said Father God he doesn't even know you. He does not know the salvation of Jesus. He does not know the peace of Jesus. He does not know the bible. He does not know the promises of God. Here am I serving you giving the Good News to others. And here a person in a scriptural sense is called a heathen because he doesn't know you sending this money to support me your child. And every day I will come before God and the desire increased until one day I was in tears. And I say Father God of all things I ask I want to see my father in heaven. After all he has done. If it is one thing you can give to him. Give him salvation. I remember as I was praying and weeping before God. I wanted it so much that I told God I am not moving from here until I get the answer. Now that was the way I pray in those days. But that shows my desperation. I couldn't explain it but one thing I know that burden lifted and whenever I think of my father a joy arise inside although he was not saved yet. But I knew that I had it. That God has heard. Just a month or so later he was born again. When I was on this choir tour. We travel all over. And we went to my hometown. And he came to attend. That night when he left and continued in Singapore and a few days later came back home. And he told me few days ago when I went to your singing and came back. I had a dream. He said I dreamt this huge big giant white cross and I was so small at the foot of the cross. And I said pa Jesus wants you to be saved. And he told me I have been praying the prayer at the end of that little booklet you left in the house. I said which booklet. And he took it out from his pocket. It was the four spiritual law and at the end of it was a prayer that say Lord Jesus. And he says I prayed that for one month every day. I said pa Jesus has heard your prayer. You are saved. I baptised him and my mother in the Straits of Johore. He has gone to be with the Lord now. Because I was diligent in God and I was desperate enough. Some of us want something. But we are not desperate enough. We only have the idea of having whatever it was. Such was my approach with God and I know that we need to enter that stage of desperation whatever you want from God. And there are a lot of things I know that God has heard and answered in my life because I was desperate enough for it.
And some ministers ask me what is the basic foundation of my life. I said that for one year I read nothing but the word. Confess only the word from morning till night after God show me my spirit man. Why do you do such a thing? I was desperate enough. When God showed me my spirit man after I completed my seminary, I was desperate enough for God. I said God if that is my condition I am not going to do anything until I get it right. And for one year I prayed in tongues and I read no book, no newspaper, I didn't even read a Christian book. The only book I read was the bible.
And there are other things that I approach God with that kind of desperation. I remember in my earlier days in my ministry I was learning to pray and take authority over things. I like to experiment things. I remember when I was praying on the beach in the seminary, there was this rain coming. And I don't want to be distracted by this rain and I ran to a shelter. I said, "Jesus please stop the waves. You can stop the rain. I said Lord I am not moving here until the rain leaves. Either the rain leave or I leave. But I am not going to leave. So the rain has to leave if your word is real." I challenged God that way. I don't talk to Him that way now. My relationship with Him has developed. But that was where I began. And the steadiness has been build up. What I call the spiritual muscle.
Remember God has given us everything He needs to give us in Christ. What you will receive in this life does not depend as much on God as it depends on you. You could live and die without realizing everything that God has determined for you to have. God has done everything. It is only we. How much do we really want it? Paul was not kidding when he said covert earnestly the best gifts. If you really want something you got to get some kind of desperation in your life. We need desperation, we need the right relationship and we need the right methodology. You may have the right way, right relationship but if you are using the wrong method, you are also finished. You see Hannah had the desperation and she came to the right place. Although Eli was not a man fully right with God but yet by the grace of God, God used the anointing upon him as a high priest and opened Hannah's womb. I would use the word despite of him. There is proper place and time.
Then we see in First Samuel chapter four. They were desperate but they don't have the relationship but they use the right method, the ark. There is another case in the bible where king David who love the Lord. You remember the story he brought the ark in. He wanted God very much. He had great desire. Otherwise he wouldn't think of that. He had the right relationship with God but he used the wrong method. God said let the priest carry the ark. They made a cart and they didn't have success. When he did it again he said we have learned our lesson let the priest carry the ark. Remember you can never improve on the method God gives. If God tells you to do something in a certain way don't skim around it just do it. He is the author of perfection. You can never improve on whatever He says. If you keep at it in whatever God commands, if He says confess the word by His stripes you are healed, you confess it. Keep at it. You get it. If Jesus said speak to the mountain, you cannot improve any other way to get rid of the mountain. He never said shovel down the mountain. He never said mould down the mountain. He never said bomb the mountain. He said speak to the mountain. You will never improve on any methodology that God has ordained. Just keep at it with the right relationship, with the right desires. And you hit the mountain down. It many mean continually speaking, continually working at it. Thank God it works. We have covered only on the area of conception.
These are elements and principles of conception. We have not covered gestation period yet. Areas of conception, conceiving the things of God until it really builds into us. Learn to conceive. A lot of people think they have conceived but they haven't. How do we know it? If you conceived you know it. There is something growing in you. If a lady comes to you and say I am expecting a baby in one week's time. And she looks like praying mantis. You will say either the baby is that small or you are fooling me. You cannot hide. In the early stages it may be possible to be unnoticeable. When there is a conception, your body starts changing. There are symptoms. And there is no real conception in some people's life. They think they have it but they don't have it. If you are really conceived these elements will be there. You will have a break through in desperation. You would have a relationship with God. You would have the right method.
http://www.eaglevision.com.my/ps5conceiving.htm
The four voices that we all hear
Four Voices or you..
There is within all of us the voice’s we hear and most have many ideas of what they are, where they come from and how to understand where they come from.
The inner voices are: your 1. Flesh (soul) your mind, will and emotions. 2. Your spirit. 3. The Holy Spirit. 4. Satan
1. Your Brain (soul) is your flesh.. It is not going to live forever.. It will die with your body. Your soul is the central control center for your body. Your soul or brain reacts to what your five senses tell it. Your soul is what you sound like when you speak. It is your brain telling your vocal cords what to do. And it is your brain that processes what you hear..
Your spirit, The Holy Spirit and satin all are processed by your brain.
2. Your Spirit. This is the real you. This is “the you” that is born again. This is the new creation within you. When you hear your conscience, you are hearing the voice of your spirit. Your spirit seeks after truth. And your spirit responds to everything that is good and hates everything that is evil. You can know who you listen to with the choices you make. Your Spirit will always let you know what the choices are. Your brain will only react to what is good for the flesh.
When your spirit, or inner man talks to your brain, guess who your spirit sounds like… yes…you, because it is processed through your brain. Your spirit man will not use fear, guilt or intimidation to get what it wants.. It responds and delivers in love. Fear, guilt and intimidation is a fruit of the flesh.. Faith, hope and love are a result of the Spirit.
3. The Holy Spirit of God. John 14:26 says that Jesus sent him in his place to bring peace and to teach and bring remembrance as to all things He has said and taught.
The Holy Spirit talks directly to your spirit.. When God and the Holy Spirit want to really get your attention, He, the Holy Spirit within directly get your brain out of the picture by short circuiting the connection between your spirit and your brain.. This is what is referred to as being “slain in the Spirit”.
When the Holy Spirits speaks to your spirit.. again this is processed by your brain and guess who the Holy Spirit sounds like.. right.. Yourself…and most of the time it is in the language that we know--the Holy Spirit and your spirit becomes one and with His teaching you learn the truth and the truth will set you free.
Jesus said that he had come (John 10:10) to bring life and more abundantly, while the thief comes but to kill, steal and destroy.
The Holy Spirit can only respond and say what the Word of God is and says. Therefore it is very important to read the Word of God so that you know when the Holy Spirit is talking to you and this is in a still small voice. The Holy Spirit does not use fear, guilt or intimidation. He is love and is full of mercy and grace and only judges by the word of God.
The voice of the Holy Spirit is the most easy to recognize and is confirmed by the Word of God.
Then the last voice.. Satan. Satan is the thief; he is a liar and cannot tell the truth. He will misquote scripture and twist it. He will use fear, guilt and intimidation to confuse you from knowing the truth.
He will emotionally abuse you. He only speaks through your brain and your flesh.. He cannot read your thoughts… he guesses…but he can read your signs… Satan is revealed by your knowing the word. Knowing that he uses fear, guilt and intimidation to accomplish what he wants.
Satan’s voice will sound just like you, because everything is processed by your brain. Satan has access to you through your five senses. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting
So the 4 voices are YOU, YOUR SPIRIT, THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SATAN.
If you are to live a wonderful, victorious, fear, guilt and intimidation free life, you must learn how to recognize these 4 voices otherwise you will be in a state of confusion, which is where one is that doesn’t know which “Truth” to believe. Confusion is the place between deception and the truth.
When you know the truth the truth will set you free.
Ron Beyer
Rjbeyer7@live.com
There is within all of us the voice’s we hear and most have many ideas of what they are, where they come from and how to understand where they come from.
The inner voices are: your 1. Flesh (soul) your mind, will and emotions. 2. Your spirit. 3. The Holy Spirit. 4. Satan
1. Your Brain (soul) is your flesh.. It is not going to live forever.. It will die with your body. Your soul is the central control center for your body. Your soul or brain reacts to what your five senses tell it. Your soul is what you sound like when you speak. It is your brain telling your vocal cords what to do. And it is your brain that processes what you hear..
Your spirit, The Holy Spirit and satin all are processed by your brain.
2. Your Spirit. This is the real you. This is “the you” that is born again. This is the new creation within you. When you hear your conscience, you are hearing the voice of your spirit. Your spirit seeks after truth. And your spirit responds to everything that is good and hates everything that is evil. You can know who you listen to with the choices you make. Your Spirit will always let you know what the choices are. Your brain will only react to what is good for the flesh.
When your spirit, or inner man talks to your brain, guess who your spirit sounds like… yes…you, because it is processed through your brain. Your spirit man will not use fear, guilt or intimidation to get what it wants.. It responds and delivers in love. Fear, guilt and intimidation is a fruit of the flesh.. Faith, hope and love are a result of the Spirit.
3. The Holy Spirit of God. John 14:26 says that Jesus sent him in his place to bring peace and to teach and bring remembrance as to all things He has said and taught.
The Holy Spirit talks directly to your spirit.. When God and the Holy Spirit want to really get your attention, He, the Holy Spirit within directly get your brain out of the picture by short circuiting the connection between your spirit and your brain.. This is what is referred to as being “slain in the Spirit”.
When the Holy Spirits speaks to your spirit.. again this is processed by your brain and guess who the Holy Spirit sounds like.. right.. Yourself…and most of the time it is in the language that we know--the Holy Spirit and your spirit becomes one and with His teaching you learn the truth and the truth will set you free.
Jesus said that he had come (John 10:10) to bring life and more abundantly, while the thief comes but to kill, steal and destroy.
The Holy Spirit can only respond and say what the Word of God is and says. Therefore it is very important to read the Word of God so that you know when the Holy Spirit is talking to you and this is in a still small voice. The Holy Spirit does not use fear, guilt or intimidation. He is love and is full of mercy and grace and only judges by the word of God.
The voice of the Holy Spirit is the most easy to recognize and is confirmed by the Word of God.
Then the last voice.. Satan. Satan is the thief; he is a liar and cannot tell the truth. He will misquote scripture and twist it. He will use fear, guilt and intimidation to confuse you from knowing the truth.
He will emotionally abuse you. He only speaks through your brain and your flesh.. He cannot read your thoughts… he guesses…but he can read your signs… Satan is revealed by your knowing the word. Knowing that he uses fear, guilt and intimidation to accomplish what he wants.
Satan’s voice will sound just like you, because everything is processed by your brain. Satan has access to you through your five senses. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting
So the 4 voices are YOU, YOUR SPIRIT, THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SATAN.
If you are to live a wonderful, victorious, fear, guilt and intimidation free life, you must learn how to recognize these 4 voices otherwise you will be in a state of confusion, which is where one is that doesn’t know which “Truth” to believe. Confusion is the place between deception and the truth.
When you know the truth the truth will set you free.
Ron Beyer
Rjbeyer7@live.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
