Mick Turner
If you are to be successful in pursuit of your goals and vision, you need to internalize these cardinal concepts, which I have termed the Five Foundations of Positive Success, into your core character. If one studies the lives of great men and women throughout history it is readily apparent that they, one and all, manifested these positive traits of great character in all that they did. Without a doubt, it was these very principles that led to their successful accomplishments. What are the "Five Foundations of Positive Success?”
Desire – Dedication – Devotion – Discipline – Determination
It is a foundational principle of success that every positive accomplishment that was ever made began as a desire in the mind of an individual. Desire is that initial impetus that gives birth to our dreams and it is desire that motivates us to achieve those dreams. All great things begin with positive desire.
Dedication is an act of the mind. From the outset, make a firm decision to follow your dream, no matter what it takes. If you dream is consistent with the will of God, benefits others, and brings glory to the Creator, then rest assured that it was He that placed this dream in your heart. Make a resolute commitment to believe in yourself and your abilities. It is a fundamental law of spirituality that God never places a dream in your heart without also providing you with the ability to achieve that dream. In addition, keep in mind that dedication is a mental act and is based on positive desire and positive thinking.
Devotion is an act of the heart. You will find that getting your emotions involved in your goals and dreams can be of great benefit. One of the most valuable lessons I learned early on in my ministry efforts is: If you don t fall in love with your vision, you will not advance toward its realization. Emotions flow from the heart and they can provide fuel to energize personal motivation. Emotions have been described as “energy in motion” and that is essentially what they are. Desire, coupled with faithful devotion, is the basis for creating a supportive environment for positive action in your life.
Perhaps the most valuable lesson I have learned over the years concerns the necessity of discipline in all areas of our lives. Without personal discipline, the achievement of Christian success is impossible. Without personal discipline, your dreams will eventually crash and burn so never, ever, short-change the importance of being a disciplined disciple.
Discipline is an act of the will requiring sacrifice and strength of character. It is important to realize that improving your level of competency in any field often necessitates experiencing short-term pain in order to achieve long-term benefit. This is a foundational truth for Christian success. In practical terms, your goals will often require that you, through acts of disciplined will, give up certain activities to devote more time to the pursuit of your vision and success.
Determination combines the mind, the emotions, and the will. In practical terms, determination means facing difficulties with optimism rather than pessimism. It means pursuing your dreams under all kinds of circumstances, good and bad. Determination implies that you keep going even when things get rough. When you possess determination, you maintain a positive attitude even when your progress is slow and particularly when other demands and responsibilities crowd in on your plans.
Determination does not come easy. It requires your conscious attention and consistent effort to apply your mind, your heart, and your will as well as the other four “foundations” of desire, dedication, devotion, and discipline.
The "Five Foundations of Positive Success" form the bedrock upon which the structure of any worthwhile goal is built. Without this quintet of character assets your chances of personal success is minimal. However, at times when we begin to incorporate new, more positive ways in which to approach life in general and our goals in particular, we encounter unexpected resistance arising from within ourselves. When this happens we have to keep in mind that our old, habitual ways of doing things are usually deeply ingrained. Making things even more difficult is the fact that, in spite of our best intentions, we often hold on to these negative patterns of thought and behavior simply because they are familiar. More baffling is our tendency to do this even though these very tendencies of negativity bring us less than positive results.
These deeply imbedded negative thought patterns and character traits are what the Apostle Paul called “strongholds.” Strongholds can be formed in several ways including traumatic, emotionally charged events, repetitious patterns of negative thinking, assaults from the Enemy, or a combination of any of these. No matter how particular strongholds are formed, they are often difficult to deal with.
As Christ-followers, our primary tools for tearing down strongholds, and preventing new ones from forming, are to utilize the spiritual weapons outlined by the Apostle in the sixth chapter of the Book of Ephesians. In addition, we must understand and accept that we cannot deal with strongholds with our own power alone. We need the help of the Holy Spirit and we elicit this assistance through prayer. Ask God to help you tear down an especially stubborn stronghold and also ask a trusted brother or sister in the faith to pray for you as well.
In addition, we must become acutely aware of our patterns of thinking. The reason for this centers on the fact that strongholds are constructed, like everything else, with the building blocks of our thoughts. Our goal is to consistently intercept the negative thoughts associated with particular strongholds and stop them in their tracks. Paul calls this “taking thoughts captive for Christ.” The success of many disciples has verified that the next step in dealing with strongholds is, after intercepting the negative thoughts, is to immediately replace them with positive thoughts.
Bear in mind that this cognitive process does not occur overnight. It took a long time to form these counter-productive ways of thinking and responding to life and it will take time to eliminate them. Yet always maintain your sense of hope and keep in mind that one positive thought overcomes the effect of many negative ones. Just as turning on one light can overcome the darkness in a room, lighting up your mind with a single positive thought can illuminate and eliminate dark patterns of thinking. Remain patient, keep praying, and trust God to provide the help he promised. If you keep at it, your success is assured.
To conclude, we have perhaps now traveled full-circle. In our discussion of the “Five Foundations of Positive Success” we discovered that it was often cognitive and behavioral strongholds that formed much of the resistance we encounter when attempting to put these vital principles into practice. Now, I would like you to understand the fact that, in addition to the spiritual tools outlined above that we can use to deal with strongholds, we can also use the “Five Foundations” as well. Think about it. Desire, dedication, devotion, discipline, and determination are all needed in combating these deeply embedded aspects of our thought life and behavior.
These five key principles we have been exploring are not optional if we want to achieve and maintain success in any field of endeavor. Further, these five principles are in many ways like “mirrors” in that each one of the five reflects the other four. The Five Foundations of Positive Success exist as a unified and interdependent whole. When you apply one principle, you automatically apply all of them in a number of ways.
I encourage you to continue to explore what these cardinal principles of success mean to you and to pray in earnest to the Father to help strengthen each of these vital characteristics in your being. It will be well worth your time and effort.
© L. Dwight Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
Showing posts with label Personal Success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal Success. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The Significance of Personal Vision
L. Dwight Turner
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
(Proverbs 29:18)
The great American Transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau once said that most men “lead lives of quiet desperation.” How true this was when Thoreau lived in the 19th Century and how true it is today as well. Just look on the faces of people as you see them going about their daily rounds and it is obvious that most people are not leading lives of happiness and fulfillment. In a world of plenty, many people are living in spiritual bankruptcy.
What can cause such a phenomenon? What issues and events go together to create such a sense of desperation and emptiness in so many people who, at least externally, seem to have all the material trappings that make a person happy? The answers to these questions are not simple. Instead, the causes of such a state of affairs is largely multi-faceted. Most contemporary research in sociology and social psychology, however, points to the fact that aimless, unfulfilled people with average or above-average intelligence lack one important ingredient for a successful life: a personal vision.
Never – never- underestimate the importance of having a personal vision.
Having a personal vision is a sacred enterprise and the key to having a fulfilling vision is to see life through “spiritual eyes.” On a practical level, viewing life with spiritual eyes means seeing the big picture. In terms of your personal vision, it means gauging the effectiveness of your actions through the matrix of your personal vision. In essence, you have to frequently ask yourself, “Is this particular course of action in harmony with achieving my vision in life? Will this help me become the optimal version of myself?”
Having a personal vision is important for other reasons. A vision consists of our perception of our particular mission in life and more precisely, defines the specific framework within which we will carry out that mission. Vision gives us a sense of direction, acting like a compass when we lack certainty about our direction in life. In this sense, vision gives us a basis upon which we can make positive and effective choices among various options that might be available to us. A personal vision gives us hope and courage, especially when we are feeling overwhelmed or when we are confronted with difficulties or setbacks.
As more people learn about the significance of developing a personal vision for their lives, an increasing amount of material on the subject becomes available. As with most things we encounter in life, this has a good side and a dark side. The positive benefit is that with more material on developing personal vision available, more people will be able to discover books, articles, and other materials that will help them in achieving their goal. On the down side, with the plethora of available materials, many people are becoming confused about vision. This has happened in large part because different authors use different terms to express their ideas. What one author calls vision, another calls mission and yet another calls purpose.
In order to minimize confusion, let me offer definitions of these terms as they appear in this article. When I talk about mission, I am speaking of a person’s overall personal purpose in life. Vision is the specific form or structure that mission or purpose will take and goals become the sought-after objectives in implementing that vision. This process moves from the macro to the micro – from the big picture to the small picture. For example, let’s suppose your mission is to establish a profitable business. You open a Christian Books and Gifts Store; that’s your vision. You do a market analysis and come to the conclusion that it is reasonable to initially expect to make a small profit, say $15,000, during your first year. That becomes your goal. In this process, your mission or purpose gives birth to your vision and you goals are your specific objectives after implementing you vision.
At LifeBrook we describe a universal purpose that God gives to everyone who comes into this world. This is a “universal purpose,” not a “personal purpose.” We define that universal purpose like this:
To become the optimal version of yourself for the glory of God and the benefit of others.
All we do here at LifeBrook is designed to assist people in succeeding in realizing this purpose in life. It is obvious that in order to accomplish this, we must discover, define, and implement a personal vision.
How do I discover my vision? There is no one way to do this, but one thing is true: Start by discovering your personal purpose. Your vision should then flow out of that purpose. Discovery of our purpose (mission) is intimately tied up with our personal vision. One thing I have discovered over the years about uncovering purpose and vision is this: You have to be creative and think outside the box. At first, don’t discount any idea just because it seems impossible. Often God gives us impossible things to do so that we can discover that we need him to do anything of last worth.
Art Sepulveda, Senior Pastor of the Word of Life Christian Center in Honolulu has written an excellent book entitled, Focus: What’s in Your Vision. In this book Pastor Sepulveda gives the following guidelines for envisioning your future:
Expand your horizons by stretching your imagination
Nurture new ideas
Vote for positive changes with a welcoming attitude
Imagine the impossible
Stay ahead of tomorrow
Invent the future
Operate expectantly
Notice unlimited opportunity
The pastor’s suggestions are first-rate and I would encourage anyone interested in kick-starting the process of discovering their person vision to implement his ideas. I think you will discover that developing vision is not nearly as difficult as you have imagined it to be. The reason for this is that you are not so much trying to invent something that doesn’t exist; instead, you are actually uncovering the outline of something placed in your heart by God before you took your first breath.
Think about it.
© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
(Proverbs 29:18)
The great American Transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau once said that most men “lead lives of quiet desperation.” How true this was when Thoreau lived in the 19th Century and how true it is today as well. Just look on the faces of people as you see them going about their daily rounds and it is obvious that most people are not leading lives of happiness and fulfillment. In a world of plenty, many people are living in spiritual bankruptcy.
What can cause such a phenomenon? What issues and events go together to create such a sense of desperation and emptiness in so many people who, at least externally, seem to have all the material trappings that make a person happy? The answers to these questions are not simple. Instead, the causes of such a state of affairs is largely multi-faceted. Most contemporary research in sociology and social psychology, however, points to the fact that aimless, unfulfilled people with average or above-average intelligence lack one important ingredient for a successful life: a personal vision.
Never – never- underestimate the importance of having a personal vision.
Having a personal vision is a sacred enterprise and the key to having a fulfilling vision is to see life through “spiritual eyes.” On a practical level, viewing life with spiritual eyes means seeing the big picture. In terms of your personal vision, it means gauging the effectiveness of your actions through the matrix of your personal vision. In essence, you have to frequently ask yourself, “Is this particular course of action in harmony with achieving my vision in life? Will this help me become the optimal version of myself?”
Having a personal vision is important for other reasons. A vision consists of our perception of our particular mission in life and more precisely, defines the specific framework within which we will carry out that mission. Vision gives us a sense of direction, acting like a compass when we lack certainty about our direction in life. In this sense, vision gives us a basis upon which we can make positive and effective choices among various options that might be available to us. A personal vision gives us hope and courage, especially when we are feeling overwhelmed or when we are confronted with difficulties or setbacks.
As more people learn about the significance of developing a personal vision for their lives, an increasing amount of material on the subject becomes available. As with most things we encounter in life, this has a good side and a dark side. The positive benefit is that with more material on developing personal vision available, more people will be able to discover books, articles, and other materials that will help them in achieving their goal. On the down side, with the plethora of available materials, many people are becoming confused about vision. This has happened in large part because different authors use different terms to express their ideas. What one author calls vision, another calls mission and yet another calls purpose.
In order to minimize confusion, let me offer definitions of these terms as they appear in this article. When I talk about mission, I am speaking of a person’s overall personal purpose in life. Vision is the specific form or structure that mission or purpose will take and goals become the sought-after objectives in implementing that vision. This process moves from the macro to the micro – from the big picture to the small picture. For example, let’s suppose your mission is to establish a profitable business. You open a Christian Books and Gifts Store; that’s your vision. You do a market analysis and come to the conclusion that it is reasonable to initially expect to make a small profit, say $15,000, during your first year. That becomes your goal. In this process, your mission or purpose gives birth to your vision and you goals are your specific objectives after implementing you vision.
At LifeBrook we describe a universal purpose that God gives to everyone who comes into this world. This is a “universal purpose,” not a “personal purpose.” We define that universal purpose like this:
To become the optimal version of yourself for the glory of God and the benefit of others.
All we do here at LifeBrook is designed to assist people in succeeding in realizing this purpose in life. It is obvious that in order to accomplish this, we must discover, define, and implement a personal vision.
How do I discover my vision? There is no one way to do this, but one thing is true: Start by discovering your personal purpose. Your vision should then flow out of that purpose. Discovery of our purpose (mission) is intimately tied up with our personal vision. One thing I have discovered over the years about uncovering purpose and vision is this: You have to be creative and think outside the box. At first, don’t discount any idea just because it seems impossible. Often God gives us impossible things to do so that we can discover that we need him to do anything of last worth.
Art Sepulveda, Senior Pastor of the Word of Life Christian Center in Honolulu has written an excellent book entitled, Focus: What’s in Your Vision. In this book Pastor Sepulveda gives the following guidelines for envisioning your future:
Expand your horizons by stretching your imagination
Nurture new ideas
Vote for positive changes with a welcoming attitude
Imagine the impossible
Stay ahead of tomorrow
Invent the future
Operate expectantly
Notice unlimited opportunity
The pastor’s suggestions are first-rate and I would encourage anyone interested in kick-starting the process of discovering their person vision to implement his ideas. I think you will discover that developing vision is not nearly as difficult as you have imagined it to be. The reason for this is that you are not so much trying to invent something that doesn’t exist; instead, you are actually uncovering the outline of something placed in your heart by God before you took your first breath.
Think about it.
© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
Manifest Your Potential: Keep Your Dreams Out Of The Grave
L. Dwight Turner
It is vital that every person understand that we are responsible for developing the potential stored within us. We must deepen our contact with our divine potential, which I (and our Quaker friends) call our “Inner Light,” and do all that we can to nurture, feed, and actualize our true, God-given potential. Further, we must recognize that as we move forward in developing our optimal potential, we can never afford to stop. In essence, when we travel the Christian journey, we are either moving forward or backward. There is truly no place to stand on the spiritual path.
Spiritual growth is a complex subject and we could waste much time and space exploring the more arcane aspects of personal unfolding. However, I choose instead to try to keep things as simple as feasible, especially in the context of a short article. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a topic that seems to cause many sincere Christians to go off the tracks and race down many enticing but unproductive rabbit holes. I am talking here about the subject of “purpose.” The issue of purpose is intimately connected with potential and it is often difficult to talk about one without delving into the other.
Many of us are so obsessed with “finding our purpose” that we ignore more important aspects of the spiritual journey. Granted, the universe seems to be arranged in such a way that each of us came to this planet with a unique mission. In spite of this, however, all of us share components of a more generalized, universal purpose. In my own journey, I have come to define a central aspect of this universal purpose as follows:
“I must become the optimal version of myself for the glory of God and the benefit of others.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that,” you might say. “But how do I pull it off?”
Good question. Space does not permit a detailed explanation of the complete methodology of becoming the best version of yourself and, besides, I believe that each of us must find our own personal way of unfolding our divine nature. Still, I think we can look at two practical things we can do: define and visualize.
Begin by spending time developing a definition of the best version of yourself. What qualities will your highest self possess? What kind of activities will be a central part of your life and your spiritual development? How will you earn your living? And most significantly, how will you be of service to others? Pray for wisdom, personal insight, and spiritual discernment as you begin this process and continue to pray regarding your purpose on a consistent basis. In addition to prayer, think of successful people who possess the positive traits that you want to develop and that will be essential to realizing your purpose. Study their lives and see what motivated their success.
Turn to the pages of Scripture and through prayerful study and reflection, examine the lives of those characters you hold in high esteem. And above all, look to the life of Jesus, our ultimate guide. Ask yourself, “How did Jesus go about demonstrating the optimal version of himself?” Keep in mind, Jesus was fully human. He was not some strange, ethereal being who was on spiritual auto-pilot. Jesus had to make choices, just as you do.
After spending a couple of weeks on the above exercises, take out a notebook or sit at your keyboard and write out a vision of yourself – a positive, spiritual vision of yourself as your optimal self. Make a list of the character assets you possess. Spend time in prayer discussing these traits with God and asking for the assistance of the Holy Spirit in making them a reality in your life. Finally, write a specific definition of the best version of yourself and how you will serve the world.
Once you have a workable definition, set aside a special time each day and see this best version of yourself in your mind’s eye. See yourself manifesting the qualities described in your definition, engaging in the activities you listed, and serving in your best capacity. This exercise of your imagination is a key component of making the best version of yourself a reality.
From the outset, you must learn to consistently see the best version of yourself and your life unfolding in your inner vision. The power of the mind’s eye is uncanny. It is through our capacity of thought and inner visualization that we are capable of taking something out of the realm of the unseen and making it a reality in the realm of the seen. This requires faith: faith in yourself and your abilities; and faith in the principles of optimal cognition. If you have a problem, see it resolved; if your have a business, see it succeeding; if you have a dream, see it unfolding according to your desire.
Let this positive image become a part of yourself, sinking down into the subconscious mind and your inner spirit, the central core of yourself.
A fundamental principle of human nature is that whatever you keep before your mind’s eye will affect you, either for good or for bad. If you consistently focus on negativity and dwell on your problems, your mindset will become darker and your problems will worsen.
If you focus on limitation, lack, failure, and defeat, this is the kind of life you are going to create. Instead, try focusing your mental energy on success, victory, health, abundance, peace, joy, and happiness. Our innermost spirit, which is one with the Divine Source, has as its purpose the unfolding of your greatest good. Don’t lose sight of that truth. In order to create the kind of life you want, you have to get your thoughts and your inner vision in alignment with the power and purpose of your innermost spirit, your “Inner Light.”
This visualization process is not a fantasy or an escape from reality. It is, instead, based on centuries of practical application and positive results. When life presents you with problems, many times there is nothing you can do about it. However, you can have complete control over your response to any problem life sends your way. You can have greater peace of mind if you just choose to have the right kind of thoughts. Focus your entire being on finding solutions, rather than wallowing in the problems at hand. Work diligently to find the Inner Light, and when you do, continue to take proactive measures to deepen and maintain your contact with this sacred aspect of your being.
The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life that never realized its full potential. You must decide today not to rob the world of the rich, valuable, potent, untapped resources locked away within you. It has been said that the wealthiest place on earth is not in bank vaults, Fort Knox, or underneath Bill Gates mattress. No, the wealthiest place on earth is the cemetery.
Beneath the gravestones lie so many dreams that went unfulfilled; so much potential that was never realized; so much purpose that was never discovered and manifested. I am reminded of the poignant verses of Tagore in the Gitangali:
The song that I came to sing remains
unsung to this day.
I have spent my days in stringing and in
unstringing my instrument.
Be persistent and keep at it in a disciplined, optimistic manner. Before you know it, you will hear your song ringing up from your inner spirit. From that point forward your life will be more positive and meaningful. And when the day comes when you leave this world, you will leave a valuable contribution to those who follow you. Whether great or small, you will leave a positive legacy. And for certain, you won’t be making a deposit in the Bank of Dead Dreams.
© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
It is vital that every person understand that we are responsible for developing the potential stored within us. We must deepen our contact with our divine potential, which I (and our Quaker friends) call our “Inner Light,” and do all that we can to nurture, feed, and actualize our true, God-given potential. Further, we must recognize that as we move forward in developing our optimal potential, we can never afford to stop. In essence, when we travel the Christian journey, we are either moving forward or backward. There is truly no place to stand on the spiritual path.
Spiritual growth is a complex subject and we could waste much time and space exploring the more arcane aspects of personal unfolding. However, I choose instead to try to keep things as simple as feasible, especially in the context of a short article. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a topic that seems to cause many sincere Christians to go off the tracks and race down many enticing but unproductive rabbit holes. I am talking here about the subject of “purpose.” The issue of purpose is intimately connected with potential and it is often difficult to talk about one without delving into the other.
Many of us are so obsessed with “finding our purpose” that we ignore more important aspects of the spiritual journey. Granted, the universe seems to be arranged in such a way that each of us came to this planet with a unique mission. In spite of this, however, all of us share components of a more generalized, universal purpose. In my own journey, I have come to define a central aspect of this universal purpose as follows:
“I must become the optimal version of myself for the glory of God and the benefit of others.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that,” you might say. “But how do I pull it off?”
Good question. Space does not permit a detailed explanation of the complete methodology of becoming the best version of yourself and, besides, I believe that each of us must find our own personal way of unfolding our divine nature. Still, I think we can look at two practical things we can do: define and visualize.
Begin by spending time developing a definition of the best version of yourself. What qualities will your highest self possess? What kind of activities will be a central part of your life and your spiritual development? How will you earn your living? And most significantly, how will you be of service to others? Pray for wisdom, personal insight, and spiritual discernment as you begin this process and continue to pray regarding your purpose on a consistent basis. In addition to prayer, think of successful people who possess the positive traits that you want to develop and that will be essential to realizing your purpose. Study their lives and see what motivated their success.
Turn to the pages of Scripture and through prayerful study and reflection, examine the lives of those characters you hold in high esteem. And above all, look to the life of Jesus, our ultimate guide. Ask yourself, “How did Jesus go about demonstrating the optimal version of himself?” Keep in mind, Jesus was fully human. He was not some strange, ethereal being who was on spiritual auto-pilot. Jesus had to make choices, just as you do.
After spending a couple of weeks on the above exercises, take out a notebook or sit at your keyboard and write out a vision of yourself – a positive, spiritual vision of yourself as your optimal self. Make a list of the character assets you possess. Spend time in prayer discussing these traits with God and asking for the assistance of the Holy Spirit in making them a reality in your life. Finally, write a specific definition of the best version of yourself and how you will serve the world.
Once you have a workable definition, set aside a special time each day and see this best version of yourself in your mind’s eye. See yourself manifesting the qualities described in your definition, engaging in the activities you listed, and serving in your best capacity. This exercise of your imagination is a key component of making the best version of yourself a reality.
From the outset, you must learn to consistently see the best version of yourself and your life unfolding in your inner vision. The power of the mind’s eye is uncanny. It is through our capacity of thought and inner visualization that we are capable of taking something out of the realm of the unseen and making it a reality in the realm of the seen. This requires faith: faith in yourself and your abilities; and faith in the principles of optimal cognition. If you have a problem, see it resolved; if your have a business, see it succeeding; if you have a dream, see it unfolding according to your desire.
Let this positive image become a part of yourself, sinking down into the subconscious mind and your inner spirit, the central core of yourself.
A fundamental principle of human nature is that whatever you keep before your mind’s eye will affect you, either for good or for bad. If you consistently focus on negativity and dwell on your problems, your mindset will become darker and your problems will worsen.
If you focus on limitation, lack, failure, and defeat, this is the kind of life you are going to create. Instead, try focusing your mental energy on success, victory, health, abundance, peace, joy, and happiness. Our innermost spirit, which is one with the Divine Source, has as its purpose the unfolding of your greatest good. Don’t lose sight of that truth. In order to create the kind of life you want, you have to get your thoughts and your inner vision in alignment with the power and purpose of your innermost spirit, your “Inner Light.”
This visualization process is not a fantasy or an escape from reality. It is, instead, based on centuries of practical application and positive results. When life presents you with problems, many times there is nothing you can do about it. However, you can have complete control over your response to any problem life sends your way. You can have greater peace of mind if you just choose to have the right kind of thoughts. Focus your entire being on finding solutions, rather than wallowing in the problems at hand. Work diligently to find the Inner Light, and when you do, continue to take proactive measures to deepen and maintain your contact with this sacred aspect of your being.
The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life that never realized its full potential. You must decide today not to rob the world of the rich, valuable, potent, untapped resources locked away within you. It has been said that the wealthiest place on earth is not in bank vaults, Fort Knox, or underneath Bill Gates mattress. No, the wealthiest place on earth is the cemetery.
Beneath the gravestones lie so many dreams that went unfulfilled; so much potential that was never realized; so much purpose that was never discovered and manifested. I am reminded of the poignant verses of Tagore in the Gitangali:
The song that I came to sing remains
unsung to this day.
I have spent my days in stringing and in
unstringing my instrument.
Be persistent and keep at it in a disciplined, optimistic manner. Before you know it, you will hear your song ringing up from your inner spirit. From that point forward your life will be more positive and meaningful. And when the day comes when you leave this world, you will leave a valuable contribution to those who follow you. Whether great or small, you will leave a positive legacy. And for certain, you won’t be making a deposit in the Bank of Dead Dreams.
© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
Consecration: An Essential Prerequistie
L. Dwight Turner
Did you ever wonder why some people who tread the road of spiritual development seem to soar like eagles while others seem to be walking in thick mud wearing heavy boots? Why is it that some aspirants sail smoothly to their goals and beyond while others stagger along and eventually abandon the search?
Obviously, the answers to these questions are highly complex, covering all manner of reasons why some seekers fall into the first group and some into the second. It is beyond the scope of this brief article to cover this subject in depth. However, there is one basic and simple factor that applies to everyone who commences the spiritual journey. In fact, it is at the commencement, the beginning, of the Christian journey where some individuals lay the foundation for success while others sow the seeds of a less favorable outcome.
I would also advise anyone who seriously considers undertaking a path of spiritual development to consider the fact that one must be serious about the work and make a heart-felt, disciplined commitment to the journey. In a word, if a person desires to advance spiritually he or she must make an act of consecration.
Consecration requires that we make a conscious decision at the outset to deepen our daily contact with God and allow that contact to transform both our character and our way of dealing with the world. Consecration is vital. Without it, the real work of the spiritual journey cannot be begun. Consecration means that we get serious about what we are doing.
Consecrating ourselves to our Christian walk of faith cannot be a half-hearted, half-baked decision. Instead, it requires that we have a willingness to “convert,” to turn around, and, based on that commitment, strive to be all that we can be under the direction of what we here at LifeBrook International call the “Sacred Mind.” The Sacred Mind is basically our own inner light, that personal spirit within us that died when Adam sinned and came to life when we accepted Jesus as Lord of Life.
Consecration requires that we acknowledge and accept. We acknowledge that we are not living at the level we were designed to live at and we accept that a better way exists. Through contacting and connecting with our Sacred Mind , however faintly, we can develop spiritually and begin to live in a sacred manner.
We begin with acknowledgement, which in this context implies admitting to ourselves that we are functioning below our optimal level, probably nowhere near it in fact. In the spiritual context acknowledgement means coming to a living realization that left to our own unaided efforts, we can make little progress. We must admit that we are living far beneath our potential.
If we stopped with acknowledgement, we would be left in a dark place, indeed. If all we did was come to a living realization that we are not what we should be, and did not see any avenue of improvement, we would come to despair. There is, however, hope and that hope lies in acceptance.
After acknowledging our current status, we next need to firmly accept that growth is possible and that spiritual practices can be of immense help in facilitating spiritual development. This may seem simplistic and, in a sense, it is. Many people, however, spend much of their time in limbo, realizing that they are living far beneath their potential but not realizing, at the same time, that there is a way out. Being stuck in this darkness is a dismal affair.
As we move forward in the process of consecration, we come to accept that we live in a universe that is always changing and evolving, growing toward higher and higher levels of functioning. This is a transforming truth if taken to heart. It means that if we can connect with the vital spirit within ourselves, which is a spark of God Himself, we, too, can change and grow. For those who are serious and consecrated to spiritual development, a wide range of practices from various traditions can be of immense help in facilitating this divine connection. Thus, we have the bright hope that by connecting with and cooperating with our Sacred Mind and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to unfold our divine potential, discover our unique purpose in life, and move forward to becoming the optimal version of ourselves.
Once we acknowledge where we are and accept that we can improve, we can truly consecrate ourselves to the spiritual work before us.
Why is it important to make a conscious decision to consecrate ourselves to spiritual endeavor? The answer is simple. We have to commence our spiritual journey with a sense of reverence and seriousness. Let’s face facts. Many people are looking for shortcuts to spiritual development. Many individuals have the dream but not the drive, wanting to manifest spiritual qualities and reach enlightenment but lacking the self-discipline and self-sacrifice that is necessary. It is incumbent upon each of us, from the outset, to accurately ascertain what this path entails, the amount of dedication required to walk it, and decide if we are willing to move forward. If we are indeed willing, then we consecrate ourselves and get on with it.
© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
Did you ever wonder why some people who tread the road of spiritual development seem to soar like eagles while others seem to be walking in thick mud wearing heavy boots? Why is it that some aspirants sail smoothly to their goals and beyond while others stagger along and eventually abandon the search?
Obviously, the answers to these questions are highly complex, covering all manner of reasons why some seekers fall into the first group and some into the second. It is beyond the scope of this brief article to cover this subject in depth. However, there is one basic and simple factor that applies to everyone who commences the spiritual journey. In fact, it is at the commencement, the beginning, of the Christian journey where some individuals lay the foundation for success while others sow the seeds of a less favorable outcome.
I would also advise anyone who seriously considers undertaking a path of spiritual development to consider the fact that one must be serious about the work and make a heart-felt, disciplined commitment to the journey. In a word, if a person desires to advance spiritually he or she must make an act of consecration.
Consecration requires that we make a conscious decision at the outset to deepen our daily contact with God and allow that contact to transform both our character and our way of dealing with the world. Consecration is vital. Without it, the real work of the spiritual journey cannot be begun. Consecration means that we get serious about what we are doing.
Consecrating ourselves to our Christian walk of faith cannot be a half-hearted, half-baked decision. Instead, it requires that we have a willingness to “convert,” to turn around, and, based on that commitment, strive to be all that we can be under the direction of what we here at LifeBrook International call the “Sacred Mind.” The Sacred Mind is basically our own inner light, that personal spirit within us that died when Adam sinned and came to life when we accepted Jesus as Lord of Life.
Consecration requires that we acknowledge and accept. We acknowledge that we are not living at the level we were designed to live at and we accept that a better way exists. Through contacting and connecting with our Sacred Mind , however faintly, we can develop spiritually and begin to live in a sacred manner.
We begin with acknowledgement, which in this context implies admitting to ourselves that we are functioning below our optimal level, probably nowhere near it in fact. In the spiritual context acknowledgement means coming to a living realization that left to our own unaided efforts, we can make little progress. We must admit that we are living far beneath our potential.
If we stopped with acknowledgement, we would be left in a dark place, indeed. If all we did was come to a living realization that we are not what we should be, and did not see any avenue of improvement, we would come to despair. There is, however, hope and that hope lies in acceptance.
After acknowledging our current status, we next need to firmly accept that growth is possible and that spiritual practices can be of immense help in facilitating spiritual development. This may seem simplistic and, in a sense, it is. Many people, however, spend much of their time in limbo, realizing that they are living far beneath their potential but not realizing, at the same time, that there is a way out. Being stuck in this darkness is a dismal affair.
As we move forward in the process of consecration, we come to accept that we live in a universe that is always changing and evolving, growing toward higher and higher levels of functioning. This is a transforming truth if taken to heart. It means that if we can connect with the vital spirit within ourselves, which is a spark of God Himself, we, too, can change and grow. For those who are serious and consecrated to spiritual development, a wide range of practices from various traditions can be of immense help in facilitating this divine connection. Thus, we have the bright hope that by connecting with and cooperating with our Sacred Mind and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to unfold our divine potential, discover our unique purpose in life, and move forward to becoming the optimal version of ourselves.
Once we acknowledge where we are and accept that we can improve, we can truly consecrate ourselves to the spiritual work before us.
Why is it important to make a conscious decision to consecrate ourselves to spiritual endeavor? The answer is simple. We have to commence our spiritual journey with a sense of reverence and seriousness. Let’s face facts. Many people are looking for shortcuts to spiritual development. Many individuals have the dream but not the drive, wanting to manifest spiritual qualities and reach enlightenment but lacking the self-discipline and self-sacrifice that is necessary. It is incumbent upon each of us, from the outset, to accurately ascertain what this path entails, the amount of dedication required to walk it, and decide if we are willing to move forward. If we are indeed willing, then we consecrate ourselves and get on with it.
© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
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