To Your Success Part 3 "Peace and Happiness"

Inspirational quote for today is: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout my journey I also had to learn to “Say and Do God’s word”. In other words, not only did I learn to speak God’s word aloud; I had to learn how to obey it as well. As it states in the book of James “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” ~ James 1:22 (NASB). I believe one way we can position ourselves for God’s blessings is by being obedient and obeying his word. This message is throughout much of the bible, especially in the Old Testament: It says “If you obey God, you’ll be blessed. If you don’t, you won’t”. I believe this scripture is so true. You see God’s word is the truth, and it states in John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (NASB). Over the years, I had to understand the only way God’s truth can be effective for me is by receiving it in my heart and applying it to my everyday circumstances through obedience. In order for you to believe that God’s word is true you have to do the same thing. I also believe if we want God’s word to work in our everyday lives, we need to do more than read, study, and confess; we have to do what God says. I understand this can be very challenging at times when we would rather hold our anger inside of us and we see God’s word saying we must forgive; however, obedience is necessary if we want to enjoy the blessings God has waiting for us. In the book of John it states “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them” ~ John 13:17 (NLT). I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. I will be presenting Part 4 at a later time. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success Part 2 "Peace and Happiness"

Inspirational quote for today is: "Peace begins with a smile" ~ Mother Teresa. Here are a few examples that I’ve used to help me on my pursuit to peace and happiness. The first thing I had to learn was start “living by the word each and everyday”. In other words, I had to start living my life according to God’s word. You see I believe when we honor God’s word in our everyday lives, and making it a priority everyday by reading and doing what God has prepared for us to do good things happen. From my own personal perspective, I love God’s word. It has helped me not only build a better relationship with him; it also given me the opportunity to see how it made remarkable transformations to other peoples lives. In addition, God’s word has been a great source of strength, wisdom, and guidance in my life. Take a look at some of my examples, I’m sure some of these, are to be sure aspects to your everyday life: 1.) Dealing with personal Finances- “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave” ~ Proverbs 22:7 (NASB). “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? ~ Luke 14:28 (NASB). 2.) Choosing our friends- “Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot – tempered man” ~ Proverbs 22:24 (NASB). “Leave a presence of a fool, or you will not discern words of knowledge” ~ Proverbs 14:7 (NASB). 3.) Developing a good work ethic- “He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty” ~ Proverbs 28:19 (NASB). “Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat” ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT). 4.) Raising our children- “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it” ~ Proverbs 22:6 (NLT). “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord” ~ Ephesians 6:4 (NLT). 5.) Dealing with our Anger issues- “In your anger do not sin, do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” ~ Ephesians 4:26, 27 (NIV). “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this; everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” ~ James 1:19 (NIV). I trust you enjoy enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. I will be presenting Part 3 at a later time. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success Part 1 "Peace and Happiness"

Inspirational quote for today is: "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." ~ Dalai Lama XIV In the final saga of the Mind, Body, and Soul series I’m going to talk about peace and happiness. You see I’m going to share with you a few secrets I’ve learned over the years, when it comes to peace and happiness. These are secrets you can implement right now. In my lifelong journey in trying to pursue peace and happiness, I had to learn how to start with God. By building a better relationship with God it makes it necessary for us to go to heaven when we leave earth and to spend an eternity with him, but it’s also important if we want to enjoy our lives today. As it states, in the book of Acts “For in him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, for we also are his children” ~ Acts 17:28 (NASB). In other words, in order to have real life, we need to be in God and establish an intimate heart-to-heart communication with him. Also, we need to begin each day by talking to God, listening to him, and giving him all the glory he deserves. I would definitely encourage you to start your day with him. Make this an everyday habit of meditating on your favorite bible verse or just simply say “Good morning, Lord. I love you. Thanks for everything you given me”. Most importantly, make sure you spend quality time in God’s presence before you begin any activities for your day. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. I will be presenting Part 2 at a later time. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson

To Your Success Part 5 "Loneliness"

Inspirational quote for today is: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". ~ Isaiah 41:10 Make sure to study Biblical Characters- I believe one of the best ways to understand how to overcome loneliness is to study people of the Bible who fought loneliness and won. You see its almost inherent in walking with God is a certain degree of loneliness. The reason is because when we decide to walk with God it requires that we dare to be different, which means at times we dare to walk alone. There are certain individuals such as Elijah (1 Kings 19), David (1 Samuel 30), Abraham (Genesis 12), Job (Job1), the apostle Paul (2 Timothy 4), and Christ himself (John 16:32) experienced loneliness when they dared to be different, and stand alone. However, their relationship with the Father, helped deter their loneliness. We can learn from these men and women of conviction how to be alone and yet not being or remain lonely. Conclusion- The most important thing to always remember and that is God can help you do anything. He can bring people into your life. All you have to do is ask for his personal touch in regards to this matter. Furthermore, loneliness can be overcome. I understand loneliness may be tough at times, but it can be defeated. Just remember this verse “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”~ Mark 10:27 (NASB). I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. Stay tuned! The final saga of this series is going to be about Peace and Happiness. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson

To Your Success Part 4 "Loneliness"

Inspirational quote for today is: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" ~ Philippians 4:13. A life that produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit is attractive. “The fruit of spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” ~ Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB). You see when we implement these and similar attitudes it cause others to want to be with us. On the other hand, a judgmental attitude drives others away. I believe love is probably the cure for any emotional problem, including loneliness. In the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul prayed, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God” ~ Ephesians 3:17-19 (NASB). I believe when we receive the love God imparts it’s not only an outstanding cure for loneliness, but giving love can also be a cure for loneliness. As Solomon recorded, “The generous man will be prosperous, and he waters himself be watered” ~ Proverbs 11:25 (NASB). Furthermore, when we have the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives not only does it produce a positive attitude in you and the ability to love others, but it also produces peace and joy. As God’s children, we can definitely be secured our relationship with him. For example, in order for a baby to grow up without loneliness and mental health, research shows that the child must feel that his/her parents will never forsake him/her and that he/she will always belong to them. You see we as God’s children need to continually remind ourselves of the security of belonging to him. Christ stated: “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also”~ John 14:1-3 (NASB). In closing, we will belong to God for an eternity-never to be lonely again. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. I will present Part 5 at a later time. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success Part 3 "Loneliness"

Inspirational quote for today is: "Always remember this, fear is a habit; so is self-pity, defeat, anxiety, despair, discouragement, and resignation. You can eliminate all of these negative habits by saying I can and I will". ~ Gary R. Johnson Focus on these Three Spiritual Principles- Here is the three key spiritual principles to a meaningful and complete life: 1.) Always walk close with God. The reason is because it gives life meaning, 2.) Also, a life that produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit is attractive, and 3.) Furthermore, as God’s children, we can definitely be secured in our relationship with him. You see a close walk with God gives our life meaning. This is a very important key to the answer to loneliness. As it states, in First Samuel 30 tells the story of David returning home from war to find out the women and children had been taken captive by the enemy. In addition, David found himself in a lonely position because all of his soldiers turned against him. “Moreover, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God” ~ 1 Samuel 30:6 (NASB). In John 16:32 (NASB) it explains how Christ found comfort in his Father’s presence: “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave me alone; and yet I am not alone because the father is with me”. I recall a friend of mine sister who had committed suicide and who not known her father. My friend found comfort in this verse, which illustrates this point well: “Though my mother and father forsake me, the Lord will receive me” ~ Psalm 27:10 (NIV). I believe truly the most basic step in overcoming loneliness is a close walk with God through our daily time spent with Christ. Always remember God loves us and longs to walk with us during our lonely times. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. I will present Part 4 at a later time. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success Part 2 "Loneliness"

Inspirational quote for today is: "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you". ~ Joshua 1:5 Becomes more Active- You see when we become more physically, mentally, and spiritually active this may help you overcome loneliness. In addition, loneliness at times can come from internal issues, and this principle may seem superficial at times, however, it’s certainly a good starting point because when we initiate specific behaviors this may help us to begin altering lonely feelings. Since some feelings which we have (little immediate control over) may follow specific behavior in which (we have maximum control over), one thing that helped me along this journey and it was focusing on a new behavior. I use to ask myself all the time what will I do today to feel less lonely. Once I started to understand this concept I started to repeat a specific behavior everyday. Furthermore, this suggestion may seem inadequate by it self but it’s a beginning for finding your way out of loneliness. Try to be more involved with Other People- There are so many places you can turn to today for support. I’m not necessarily recommending these, since I don’t know many of them personally, however, this list may be generally helpful. Here are a few examples: 1.) your local church and its support groups, 3.) Conferences, 4.) Discipleship ministries and 5.) Conflict resolution. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. I will present Part 3 at a later time. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.