Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 12

Chapter 14 – Self-Confidence and Achievement

The strength of your belief is the key to self-confidence.

Romans 8:31 says “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

No difficulty needs to defeat you. But this must be a humble faith in God, not a bumptious faith in your own power. Faith is the greatest power in the world.

Matthew 17:20 “He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 9:29 “Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"

Mark 9:23 “'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes”

Successful living depends upon acquiring confidence. Practicing faith will free you from your weaknesses and fears, let you see you untapped resources and make possible the releasing of your hidden abilities.

Psalm 118:6 says “The Lord is on my side. I shall not fear” Shift your thoughts from the things that are against you and focus on the vast power that is for you.

God’s will – God centered. Condition your life to His will.

Luke 18:27 “Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Put your problem in the past tense and affirm that God is helping you now. We have to give ourselves to God because when we do He gives Himself to us!

Chapter 15 – Living Above Pain and Suffering

Life can be tough if you have pain. But Dr. Peale says that difficult as it is, pain is not without value. Paul talks about this in the Bible when he says it gives us empathy for others; so we can go out and help them get through what we’ve gotten through. And it also helps us turn to and depend on God.

But Dr. Peale also says you can manage pain a lot with your mind by always picturing yourself as healthy and vigorous. No matter how you feel, keep that picture of yourself in your mind.

Don’t concentrate on the ache or pain or sickness. It doesn’t mean the pain will always go away. His dad had arthritis and told him, “Learn what you can about your disease, know what to expect, learn to do what you can about it and then beyond that just get along with it.”

Sometimes you have to pray for the strength to meet the inevitable with courage. The faith becomes any instrument for getting insight into the fundamental meaning of suffering and for bearing it. In the end, the secret of life isn’t in what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you.

The condition of your body isn’t as important as the condition of your mind and soul. There are many stories of people who rose above suffering: Helen Keller, Joni Erikson Tada, Amy Carmichael… You can live a great life within your limitations. Sometimes you have to get along with your pain and focus on other things instead.

Even if you don’t get rid of your pain completely you can lose it temporarily when you become more interested in something else.

There is an enormous power in the human spirit to rise above pain and suffering when the spirit is determined.