You need to succeed. The method you use to achieve success may differ from what you think. Hear this:  “The longer you do the right thing in the right way without changing, the greater your chance of success.”

If you are battling with anxiety, here are three truths that will make it DISAPPEAR!

Everybody sets goals, especially in a new year. Some are attainable and some are hopeless. By now, many have abandoned their goals for the year and some never set any! As a pastor for over 40 years, I learned how to set goals that were motivated by faith.

Having been in ministry for over 50 years, I have seen that perspiration is often as important as inspiration! People often think of their successful friends as “lucky” or “more talented.” However, they rarely make the connection between their own work-ethic and their success. A lazy, passive, self-pitying work ethic leaves you negative, blaming, unsuccessful…and usually broke! Nehemiah and his men had a “mind to work” (Neh. 4: 6). Those hard-working men built a huge wall in 52 days! They barely slept, they stayed in their clothing, they built while holding a sword, and they amazed the devil’s crowd.

Everyone is in a panic. We operate more on adrenaline than anointing! We have pressures, commitments, deadlines, obligations, possessions and relationships that require continual maintenance. It reminds me of my first time snow skiing (a big deal for a Louisiana resident). I made it fine on the ski lift, but the moment my skis turned “south” I realized the first principle of snow skiing: “It is downhill and slightly out of control!”

On time is what every airline strives for.  I’m told the Swiss run a news story if a train is a few minutes late!  What difference does it makes to be “on time” and how can you hit that elusive mark?  I can help you with that.

Every Wednesday morning at 7:30 for six years I met our Governor and his staff for a Bible study.  One morning, I WOKE UP at 6:50!  In eight minutes I was up, showered, dressed and out the door!  I walked in breathing hard with five minutes to spare…and learned a valuable few lessons. 

Here they are:

Growth is first internal, then external.

Whatever your job, your business, your ministry, or your finances, you can grow beyond it this year. Change is inevitable, growth is optional. Wouldn’t it feel good to CRUSH that invisible barrier you haven’t been able to penetrate?

Life, family, health, finances, and relationships can all be “broken.” How can you repair them? By putting them back into order.

Do you ever wonder why some leaders are magnetic and others are not? Is the “it” factor something you can learn? Is it a skill that can be developed? I believe it is.

Ephesians 4 and 5 give us 10 indicators that you are finally starting to “grow up.”

It seems that almost daily we are hearing of another personal crash: moral, financial, marital, or physical.

In today’s world, reports are alarming. Dangerous circumstances are described in a way to make us feel unsteady. We can’t see a clear path to WIN.

Here are the top 5 things you can focus on to keep yourself “sharp” during these challenging times:

Let’s face it, people are bored and scared. The endless news reports keep you scared. The endless limitations keep you bored.

Do you ever wonder why some leaders are magnetic and others are not?  Is the “it” factor something you can learn?  Is it a skill that can be developed?  I believe it is.

Here are my top 5 skills to personal magnetism:

It takes much more effort to cut when your ax is dull.

If you stop often to restore your edge, you can fly through your work effortlessly!

How can you maintain your cutting edge day in and day out?

A story was told of two guys in a wood chopping competition.  One never stopped.  The second stopped every few minutes and sat under a shade tree.

When the competition ended, the second man actually had more wood cut.  He confessed his secret:  “When I stopped, I was sharpening my ax.”

Here are my 5 secrets to a “cutting edge”:

Growth is first internal, then external.

Whatever your job, your business, your ministry, or your finances, you can grow beyond it this year. Change is inevitable, growth is optional.  Wouldn’t it feel good to CRUSH that invisible barrier you haven’t been able to penetrate?

“Out of order.”

It’s a sign you often see on a gas pump.  Why doesn’t it just say, “Broken?”  When something has no order, IT IS “broken.”

Life, family, health, finances, and relationships can all be “broken.”  How can you repair them?  By putting them back into order.

Let’s look at some of these areas and see how the principle of order can transform your life:

Everyone loves a “reset.”  I LOVE when the car trip-o-meter goes back to “00000” with one push of a button!  How do you get ready for this new year?  The secret of all growth is to be “reset.”

How do you get reset for the year?

"Stuck like Chuck".   It’s a phrase I use to describe the doldrums,  the “dead in the water” times of my life.  Everything becomes same ol' same ol',  acid-cardboard,  plain vanilla,  predictable and passionless. God is a God of endless variety.  His colors, patterns, and shapes are eye-popping. 

How do you get your creativity moving again?