Before we can build something monumental we must lay a strong foundation. Before the foundation can be laid, the land must be cleared and any rubbish or debris removed. All truth is parallel and so what applies in the physical, for say a tract of land, a river or lake, also applies to the human experience, our education, our physical bodies, our spiritual life. To build something new we have to remove the toxic waste of the past. I am not saying all past experience is toxic, there will be much we can bring forward and use out of our past experience. I am saying that we must remove those objects and memories and even relationships which are toxic and are preventing us from moving forward.

Let me give an example from the great City where I have lived for most of my life.

On the East side of Manchester there were thousands of acres of land that had been used for generations in heavy industry, paint manufacturers, chemical plants and so on. There had been steady decline and decay over several decades and the area was one of the poorest in the region. Businesses were struggling, many of the houses were outdated and some were rat infested. Huge tracts of spare land were so contaminated with chemical waste that thousands of tons had to be taken away and replaced before any new building work could be undertaken.

Fortunately the City of Manchester was awarded the 2002 Commonwealth Games and a new stadium was to be constructed for the track and field events. This was combined with the councils ideas for a regeneration project in the Eastlands area. A deal was struck with one of the local football clubs who agreed to use the stadium on a permanent basis after the games were over. It would require a second phase of construction to make it suitable for football but the agreement was that Manchester City Football Club, a part of the fabric of Manchester since 1885 would move from their outdated, although much loved Maine Road Stadium on the other side of the city and become the new residents of Eastlands.  Leaving the old ground was hard for many who had known it all their lives, some just did not want it to happen but the progress train was on the move anyway.

The ideas and the developing project attracted enormous interest and huge financial investment from the UK and abroad. The football club became more attractive and was the subject of a takeover which has changed the face of world football.

It has also changed the whole landscape on that side of Manchester with thousands of new modern houses, a state of the art training centre for the football club but with facilities also being used by the general public. The stadium itself was renamed The Etihad Stadium by the new owners in agreement with their main sponsor.  Local businesses are thriving now and the whole atmosphere on the East side of Manchester has changed beyond compare. The football club even started winning trophies after a barren period stretching back over 35 years. In fact in the 10 years between 2010 and 2020 they have been the most successful club in England. Not bad for what a certain rival manager called the ‘noisy neighbours’.

The physical structure, the body of the area has been rebuilt.  The soul of the area has been renewed with people’s attitudes soaring as they have found new jobs and clean living conditions and this has paved the way for a spiritual revival which we are beginning to see across the whole city.

So much for the example…but how is that going help us to build something special out of our lives. Well that will be the ongoing subject of the Personal Growth Program,  the highlights of which will be recorded here. Lets start with 6 steps to clear the ground.

6 Steps to clear the ground. 

1     Forgive… and that means shut up and move on.

The very first thing, without which there is no moving forward, must be forgiveness. We all need it sometimes and we all need to give it too.

More physical and emotional health problems are caused by the unwillingness to forgive than any other single reason. The bitterness that a refusal to forgive causes spills over into every area of life resulting in addictions, financial problems, fights and arguments, emotional stress and physical illness.  At no time ever is there a positive outcome to the harbouring of an old grudge.

Now please hear me, I understand some people have gone through some terrible experiences often caused by other people, either maliciously or maybe through negligence or accident and life may be damaged as result. But will the refusal to let it go fix it…will it make it better? The answer is always no, it is never yes.

Sometimes the perpetrator of the evil is no longer around so how is hating them possibly affecting them? People hold grudges against people long dead. I always say there is a judge, but it’s not me.

I know two halves of a broken marriage and I love them both and try to be impartial when speaking to either one, which is not always easy.  The lady was a lovely outgoing person who did not deserve to be treated the way she was, but then again who does?  Sadly she has become reclusive and is carrying the rejection very badly, she is consumed by a hatred that she is actually convinced is love. She is suffering terribly with Rheumatoid Arthritis which came on as a reaction to her husbands infidelity. I sometimes ask her how her love/hatred/unforgiveness is affecting him.  Actually I know the answer, it isn’t, three nights a week he is out dancing, he is not a bad man, he made a big mistake and he has also paid a price for it but he has asked for forgiveness and though it has not been freely given he has now moved on.

So who is the bitterness affecting most? You know the answer… and you also know if you need to remove the toxic waste of your own past experience, I hope not, I would not wish it on anybody but if you do let’s start right now.

However deep it goes you need to make the decision to forgive…and it is decision only you can make. Speak out the words that you have forgiven…decide to live to the best of your ability as if it had not happened…every single time the thoughts return say it again out loud… I forgive, I release him or her, or God or myself or whoever it may be that you are bitter against.  Complete release may take time but the enemy inside that’s trying to destroy the rest of your life will get weaker and weaker every time you confess your forgiveness out, until one day soon you will be totally free.

2    Take personal responsibility for  you own future.  

Don’t blame the government or the place you work, or ‘the system’ or anybody else.                     Having forgiven and released the past it’s time to take personal responsibility for the future. It’s your future after all.  Don’t give the power to determine what happens there to anybody else. Repeat after me…If it’s to be it’s up to me… If it’s to be it’s up to me.  Write it on a 3×5 card and carry it with you. Repeat it 20 times every morning and every night until you absolutely know.  It’s up to you.  If you think that’s silly just trust me…it really isn’t.

3   Don’t hold on to things of the past.

Have you ever heard the story of the African tribe that eat monkeys. Them crafty monkeys are pretty hard to catch aren’t they? Well actually they are not…the even more crafty hunter cuts a hole in a tree that’s just big enough for the monkey to get his hand in and grab some shiny object that really fascinates that monkey. Once he wraps his little fist around it he can’t get his hand out. All he has to do to get free is let go…but guess what…he can’t, or rather he won’t and the hunter knocks him on the head and has roast monkey for dinner.

Think of that monkey that won’t let go! What is it you won’t let go of that’s preventing you from receiving what life wants to give you next. It’s time to make another decision, can you let it go? Of course you can…but the real question is…will you?

4   Work hard to keep the unity.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  Don’t just think of this as a religious thing, no-one achieves anything alone…we function best with a life partner…we work best in teams…it’s just who we are. But unity isn’t automatic and there will be disagreements if we are to progress. The best advice I can give anyone and it is one I have always preached and tried to practice. Never show division to anyone outside the team or partnership, have your disagreements, even fights and arguments if it comes to that, behind closed doors. You will work it out, every time, but once someone else is involved they can lose confidence in you and in your ability to achieve the goal. Even worse pride can come in, nobody wants to be first to back down and that can make agreement harder. Chose to work and live with people you can rely on and make sure they are able to rely on you. One thing though and this is important, to rely and to depend are very different things. Don’t ever get in the place of dependency on anyone or anything else and if someone looks like they are becomings dependent on you don’t walk away…run.

5    Never say you can’t when its clear that it has to be done. 

Maybe you think the task is too big, and right now it might be but don’t let failure come out of your mouth.  If it’s ever been done before or if it is possible for someone to do it you can find a way. Why don’t you add this to your 3×5 card, or make another.  I CAN, I WILL, I MUST.

Affirm it until you believe it. If the assignment requires a skill set you don’t have, then find someone who does have it. Nothing is impossible to those who believe. One of the things we will be covering over the coming weeks is how to acquire new skills and to take the skills we already have to a new level. But remember point number 4. No one achieves great things alone,  if it’s going to be an ongoing need and you can’t learn the skills yourself then invite people with different skills to be a part of your team.  If it’s a one off need then pay the best expert you can afford. But never confess it can’t be done…Rather ask the question “How can I?” Find a way to win.

6    Ask yourself,  “Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing?”

There is nothing more tragic than working your way to the top of a ladder to find it was leaning on the wrong wall all along. Do you enjoy what you’re doing? Is it taking you towards your life purpose? Are you good at it which is quite important or at least are you confident you can be? If the answer to any of those questions is no then may I kindly suggest you get off the ladder. Remember the monkey, is it something you need to let go of? If it is you don’t need to just jump and hope. You can sit down and think, discuss with your partners your ideas about the way forward and make a proper exit plan. Don’t move out of something without knowing what you are going to move into. But if you are in the wrong place, the wrong job, harmful relationships or whatever it may be get out sooner rather than later.

If you are in the right place and you have been taking it for granted.  Maybe you have been giving it less than 100% effort. If so it’s time to change…not sooner or later but RIGHT NOW.

Full speed ahead, take personal responsibility for it…even if no-one else cares very much…you be the one to take it to the next level.

If this post has helped you then please share it with others you think might benefit.  

When I was a child my mother told me that every time I told a lie I would get a little black mark on my soul. She truly believed that, she was brought up in a strict Irish Catholic house and although she had long since rejected the religion it had left an indelible mark on her soul.

That was a horrendous picture for me and I really believed it too (doesn’t every child believe their Mum).  The problem was I couldn’t help covering up my misdeeds with those little lies and as I got older they just got bigger. One day I realised that my soul must be completely covered by these little black marks. My conscience was completely severed and I knew there was not much point in even trying to be good any more. After that I made no effort and actually excelled at being bad. I enjoyed the notoriety and I thought it would be more profitable… it may have been for a time but eventually it took me to very low place in life.

I found the way back from that dark place but it wasn’t in any way I could possibly have imagined it would be. It was such a turnaround, such a revelation, so life changing, that it still drives me, nearly 40 years later, to try and help others to grow in every area of their lives. From being a lost sheep I eventually became an entrepreneurial business leader and then a Church Pastor and and my strongest motivation is to teach anyone who will listen how they too can experience Personal Growth.

If you are going to the top and want to stay there for any length of time you have to build on solid foundations. That means starting with a clear conscience before all people. The rest of this short essay may seem to you like it concentrates solely on the spiritual aspect of our growth and if you don’t feel you are a spiritual person then you might assume it’s not for you. You would be right on the first point, I certainly am more concerned for your eternal spirit than for your immediate prosperity but the freedom to choose will always be yours… so on the second point I am asking for a little patience from you. The principles are important even if you have no religious affiliation at all.

To be congruent we must keep a clear conscience with all people and whatever your idea of God, even if your god is yourself, you cannot be at odds with him. You must find peace and agreement with yourself in order to have a clear conscience if you are going to enjoy long term success.

Let’s discuss the events at a real life kangaroo court case held in around 60AD where the main characters are the Jewish High Priest and a lawyer who had once been in total agreement with the High Priest but had changed his point of view to include some new ideas regarding the Messiah they were both looking for. The lawyers name was originally Saul of Tarsus but by the time of this event he had changed it to Paul.  

The bold writing below is taken from the Bible, the Book of Acts to be precise and starting at Chapter 23.

23:1 Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”   Instantly Ananias the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.  But Paul said to him, “God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?”   Those standing near Paul said to him, “Do you dare to insult God’s high priest?”   “I’m sorry, brothers. I didn’t realise he was the high priest,” 

Paul had been brought before the Jewish leaders charged with bringing Gentiles into the inner court of the Temple, a crime punishable by death.  But Paul knew he was innocent and he was ready to give a proper legal defence. The Jewish leaders however were not so keen to give him an honest hearing. They had been dealing with these pesky Christians for almost 30 years by this time and they were just about fed up with them. And in the eyes of the Sanhedrin, Paul and those close to him were the most dangerous faction of all the Christian community.  It was bad enough that people revered Jesus as the Messiah and even worshiped Him as God. But Paul was broadening the movement by taking the Gospel to the Gentiles: the strangers, this was unforgivable! And these people may have been very religious but they had not grasped the concept of forgiveness.

In verse 1 Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”

I would like us to think about that for a moment.  Paul said that he had always lived before God with a clear conscience.  This is the same man who had stood and watched in full approval as they stoned Stephen, the first Christian Martyr to death, as you can read in chapter 6. The same man who breathed out murder against every Christian he could find. What could he mean when he talked about a clear conscience?

How would you define a clear conscience?

One person put it this way.  “An inner freedom of spirit that comes from knowing that you are right with God and all other men, and that no one can point a finger at you and say, ‘You wronged me, and you never tried to make it right.

’”In the first letter he wrote to a young man called Timothy, Paul tells us that next to our faith, a clear conscience is our most important weapon in the Christian life –

I Tim 1:18,19 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.  Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 

Paul was concerned that Timothy should keep his faith to the end, but also that he would maintain a good conscience. Faith in Christ  defines a Christian but Paul puts a good conscience as the next most important thing for Timothy suggesting that if our conscience is not clear we will lose our spiritual battle against Satan.  Is that what Jesus meant in John 14:30 when he said “…for the prince of this world is coming, and has nothing in me.”  Jesus’s conscience was always clear…Satan could not defeat Him. If Satan came for us today, would he find anything in us?…It maybe something nobody else in the world knows, but we know…its on our conscience and that would be enough for Satan to defeat us with it.

Peter tells us that all our telling people about our faith is useless if we don’t have a clear conscience: he writes – Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.  But do this in a gentle and respectful way.  Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.  1 Peter 3:15-16

– You can shout your beliefs from the roof tops all you want to, as we often see happening in other faiths too, but when people sense that you don’t have a clear conscience before men they will have cause to speak badly of you, and believe me, they won’t miss their opportunity to do that.

John says that we can’t even pray and be confident of an answer without a clear conscience – which could be translated, if our own hearts condemn us but he writes in his first letter.  1 John 3:21-22 – Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

I will come back to 1 John 3 to look at those commands but first I want to look at a couple of objections I often hear from Christians who want to enjoy the Christian life don’t want to get right with someone with whom they have a problem. One lady recently pointed out that she had not been a believer at the time of the offence and that she had asked God to forgive her for the things she’d done, and as far as she was concerned, it was under the blood of Christ and so it was over and done with. The other person was not even a Christian, they still carry the emotional wounds of her misdemeanour and quite frankly they don’t care whether God has forgiven her or not. I wonder how she thinks her refusal to make restitution or even to apologise might affect that persons view of the God she now claims to serve?

In the very next chapter of The book of Acts Paul says, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people. Acts 24:16  All people he says, not just Christians, and Paul is saying that it is not enough to have a clear conscience before GOD; we must also have a clear conscience before all PEOPLE.  Remember the story Jesus told of the prodigal son who had wasted his inheritance and found himself starving in the pig sty

Luke 15:17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!  I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,  and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”

’When he returned home, he used exactly the same wording he had rehearsed in the pig sty, which is a good lesson for us about the importance of carefully planning what we are going to say when we want to repent, apologise and offer restitution in order to gain a clear conscience.  The prodigal son didn’t assume that because he had made things right with God, everything was automatically right with his father. He knew he must get right with his father too if he was to truly have a clear conscience.

There was once a notorious tax collector named Zacchaeus who wanted to see Jesus when He was passing through Jericho one day? He was a short man and he couldn’t see over the crowd so he climbed up into a sycamore tree.  Jesus saw him up in that tree and told him to come down.  The Pharisees ridiculed Jesus because they said he ate with tax collectors and sinners, and they were right, He did and He was not ashamed of it.

Jesus admitted it, He said he did not come for the righteous but for sinners and so He went to have lunch with Zacchaeus house that very afternoon. Zacchaeus met with God in his own dining room and his life was changed for ever, and the lives of quite a few others as a result.

As the tax collector he had over-charged people as often as he could because he got to keep for himself anything above the official tax.  It had made him rich. When he was converted his eyes were opened to see God but he could also see that he needed to make things right with all those people he had cheated as well. In Luke 19:8 we read: Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”     It was then that Jesus responded…in the next verse  “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.

It wasn’t until Zacchaeus resolved to clear his conscience with those he had overcharged that the reality of his salvation was evident.  The truth is that we can’t truly have a good conscience before God if we don’t have a good conscience before man.  Thats why Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount  “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Matthew 5:23-24  Jesus was saying if you don’t have a clear conscience with another person, then God will not recognise your sacrifice to Him until you are reconciled with that person. Once you have a clear conscience on the horizontal level, with men,  you can enjoy fellowship with God on the vertical level.  Thats why Jesus taught in that same seminal sermon,  when you pray say, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…and since forgiveness is an act of the will, we must also determine to make restitution and seek forgiveness from any against whom we have trespassed…as Zacchaeus determined to do. It’s only when we do this that we can experience full blessing in our lives.

Coming back to 1 John 3,   earlier we read verse 21  Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.  but let’s carry on now… verse 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.  back in verse 16 John had written  This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

It’s no small thing to lay our lives down for one another, but it is all we have to do.  Paul couldn’t make restitution for Stephen’s death,  but he willingly laid down his own life more than once in the same cause…like Stephen he was also stoned and left for dead on at least one occasion…maybe he was dead…maybe he wasn’t… I don’t know, but I know God raised him up… The important thing is this…when Saul persecuted the church he honestly thought he was serving God. I believe there are those today who persecute members of other faiths in various ways, in some places even to the point of murder who honestly believe they are serving their God. The identity of their God is a question for another time but it cannot be the God who laid down His life for all mankind and commands us only to love Him and to love one another.

Actually Jesus had known this would happen. In John 16:2 He said… “They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.” so Paul could honestly say  “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”  because he did believe he was doing the work of God by trying to wipe out what they thought to be  a heresy that was being called “the way.”  But as soon as he knew the truth he became responsible to live a different way.  Christians are called to live a different way. We are all stewards of the revelation we have as soon as we have it and we must live according to it.

Look how the high priest responded in our passage.  Acts 23:2 Instantly Ananias, the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth. But Paul said to him, “God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?”  Those standing near Paul said to him, “Do you dare to insult God’s high priest?”   Listen to Paul’s answer.  “I’m sorry, brothers. I didn’t realise he was the high priest,”

Paul new perfectly well who he was…he was dressed like the high priest…he was sat in the position of high priest…everyone was gathered round in reverence for him because he was the high priest…so what was Paul saying?  “I’m sorry, brothers. I didn’t realise he was the high priest,”  Why? Because his words and his behaviour were not those of a high priest.  

What about us? Will people say, I’m sorry I didn’t know you were a Christian.This is purely for the believers of course, if you don’t yet have the revelation of who Christ is you can only be responsible for the revelation that you do have. However , if you are refusing to believe because you don’t want to know: that will not exonerate you at the last judgement. We will all be judged, but those who admitted their guilt on earth and asked for God’s forgiveness in Christ will have the price of all their confessed sin paid for by the death of Christ. If that is still too hard a concept for you to grasp let me recommend you read Lee Strobel’s book “The Case For Christ” or if you are feel the book might be a stretch you can watch the film on DVD which is readily available on Amazon.co.uk for less that £8.00. It could be worth much more than money to you.   Back to the Christians, will people say of you, I’m sorry I didn’t know you were a Christian?

We have an advantage over the High Priest…He didn’t have the Holy Spirit to help him because he was not saved… all he had was his Jewish law…but even the high priest was not able to keep the law… That’s why Paul said What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?  According to Paul the high priest was under a curse…he wrote to the Galatians.   For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”  Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, Galatians Chapter 3:10-12

Sadly the high priest was not redeemed…he was trapped under a law that he couldn’t keep. So what then was the purpose of the law. Paul tells us in Galatians 3:23-25

But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.  Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Christian Faith, the kind that changes lives and saves souls is synonymous with Christ. The Bible says there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.  People try all their lives to keep the law and fail…you may have tried to live by rules and regulations…and it just isn’t working out, you are not alone…all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, even the high priest…but there is an answer, there is a power that can change your heart in a moment, A transforming power that will continue to work in you for your lifetime.

It’s the same power that hit Zacchaeus that afternoon in Jericho.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead…

And its available to you right now.

It is only a sincere prayer away from any of us. If you believe in your heart that God did raise Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that He is Lord over all but especially over you. If you confess your sins and ask Him to forgive them he promises to forgive you that instant. If you resolve to leave the past behind and follow Him, He will give you guidance and the ability to get right with all people.

And if you do that I would be so blessed to hear about it.

I am sitting by the pool on the 24th floor of a Las Vegas hotel as I write today.

Just ruminating and coming to the conclusion that if we want different results to those we have been getting then we are going to have to do some things differently to what we have previously done and maybe some totally different things altogether.

There is no point in telling most people we have to change this, that or the other thing, they already know that. Together we are going to discover exactly what needs to change and more importantly, HOW to make the changes and sustain them for the long haul.

I USE ANCIENT WISDOM A LOT, ESPECIALLY THE BIBLE. I won’t be changing that but don’t let that stop you from being totally honest in your comments should you feel the need to make any.

In Psalm 37:1,2 King David wrote Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

Davi’s son, King Solomon wrote Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you. The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, and waste your pleasant words. Proverbs 23:6,7
So the message is don’t envy a wicked man or eat with a miserly avaricious person. To sit down and eat with someone really meant much more in ancient cultures than we understand in our fast, modern fill ’em up and move ’em out society. In some cultures today, hopefully more and more in our church life, it means fellowship, not just sharing food but sharing our lives.

So when Solomon says don’t eat with that kind of person he is thinking on the same lines as Paul the Apostle, who wrote to the Corinthians “Don’t be misled, bad company corrupts good character.” 1Cor 15:33.

They both agree, these wise men living 1000 years apart, they give good advice, don’t hang about with ungodly people, don’t wish to be like them or envy their possessions.
Not everything is as it seems… his smiling face might be hiding his true character from some people, but God is not fooled, and the Spirit of God will give you discernment too, if you are careful to read and meditate on the Word of God.

The wicked may appear to have more material things than you have right now but it is better to be content with however little you have than to be rich and still not satisfied.
David has much more to say about it in Psalm 37…just one example in verse 10 he says Soon the wicked will disappear.  Though you look for them, they will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.

It’s OK to prosper. In fact it’s the theme of one of the permanent pages on this site. But its good to note that while money can be a good servant it can be a harsh master. However much the men described have they can never be satisfied, they will always want more and they will never be filled… and worse they can never properly enjoy even what they do have.

It’s still Ok to prosper. Its not wrong to have money…Solomon said in another place
A good person leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, but the wealth of the wicked is reserved for the righteous. Proverbs 13.22

Most people have heard the saying, ‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he’, but perhaps they don’t realise it goes all the way back to bible times and the wisdom of King Solomon.
James Allen’s wrote his seminal book which he called “As a Man Thinketh.” in 1903

John Maxwell in his own book ‘The 15 invaluable laws of Growth’ says he read it in 7th grade and almost a dozen times more before the penny dropped with him that he was responsible for his own growth .
We are all responsible for our own growth.
Solomon’s statement… As a man thinks in his heart so is he…embraces the whole of a man’s being, and reaches every condition and circumstance of his life.
God created Adam in His own image and God provided all that Adam needed for himself and his beautiful bride to enjoy a perfect life.

Sadly they chose their own way rather than walk the path that had God planned for them and so man’s character was forever flawed.
A division came between Adam and God…the relationship was broken…and all of Adams offspring were to be born slaves of a principle within themselves, which the bible calls sin.
Many people in our modern society would like that word removed from our language…but there is no other word for it…mans inbuilt desire to serve himself before pleasing God is called sin…it is not the selfish acts themselves, if it was we could just stop doing wrong things and we could save ourselves…it is the force within a man that drives him to act in ways that are contrary to God’s will for us.

King David said “Teach me your ways Oh God”…and he was sincere, he wanted to keep God’s ways…but he couldn’t…and before anyone points the finger at David…no-one else has ever managed it either…except for Jesus.
God never gave up on man and has made a way for him to be completely restored, a way which begins with receiving forgiveness of sins.
Paul wrote in Romans 2:4 Do you have contempt for God, who is very kind to you, puts up with you, and deals patiently with you? Don’t you realise that it is God’s kindness that is trying to lead you to Him and change the way you think and act? (God’s Word Translation)
God in His kindness draws us to the cross on which the Prince of Glory died.
There is no other way, there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,… but at the Name of Jesus Christ every knee must bow and every tongue must confess that He is Lord of all.
It is not complicated, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. Yes, it is a big decision, one some people are not willing to make. They think more highly of what this world has to offer. But Jesus Himself tells us, “If a man found a very valuable pearl in a field he would sell everything he had so he could go and buy that field.”
It may well be the start a hard road, a narrow path, but you are not called to walk it alone, the very Spirit that raised Jesus from death will be with you all the way and and for that alone it is worth it. Jesus is the way, the only way to God and to heaven. No amount of work will do it, no religious ritual will earn it, no money can buy it…simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. I know…it’s just too simple for most people.

Now having said that…and knowing we cannot deviate from that at any time our purpose here today is to discover how a man’s character is literally built out of the complete sum of all his thoughts, and that holds true whatever his religious or belief system, or even if he has no religion at all.

If you don’t believe in Christ you are the sum of all your thoughts…and if you do believe in Christ, you are the sum of all your thoughts, but when you commit your life to Christ He sends the Holy Spirit to lead you in to all truth…and if you will cooperate with Him you will be renewed in the spirit of your mind. You thoughts will change and your life will change.
That’s why Paul writes to the Romans in chapter 12:2 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. New living Translation

Just like a plant springs from, and couldn’t exist without the seed, so every act of man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them.
Actions are the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruit; so whether for good or ill we have all made our own circumstances and our own environment.

Our family moved into a vicarage a few years ago, the garden reminded me of the children’s story Sleeping Beauty. Remember she had been asleep inside the castle for so long the trees and bushes around it had grown so thick, the woodcutter had to take his axe and hack his way through it so rescue her… with a kiss.
Well our garden was like that and I had to take a machete to it and it was a long old job.
It had been neglected for years. Thick bushes had been planted around the edges, maybe on purpose, maybe they had seeded themselves, I don’t really know, but over the years thick roots had travelled under the ground sending up this wall of dense scrubby bush maybe 15 or even 20 feet thick in places. Nothing of any value or use was growing anywhere in that garden.

There was what had probably once been a vegetable patch alongside the house, you could only tell because it was laid out with paths of flagstones: but the soil was as hard as the flags, we broke it up, dug it over, planted vegetables but the first year nothing grew, not even potatoes. The second year there was a very small improvement, the third year it was a bit better…as I write we are in the fourth summer…a couple of time this week we have eaten our own potatoes and some broad beans, and raspberries, gooseberries and strawberries.
We have tended and cared for it and now we have dominion over it. I say we, but I really mean My wife Stephanie.
Why am I telling you about our garden?
Because your mind is very much like a garden. Any persons mind is.
A garden can be intelligently cultivated, and it will, in time bring forth good fruit and beautiful flowers.
OR
It can be allowed to run wild and eventually it will come to ruin and no good thing will grow there.
But one thing is certain, whether cultivated or neglected, it will bring forth something.
If no useful seeds are purposely planted there then an abundance of useless weeds will take root and quickly begin to take over, the birds will bring some, the wind will carry others, some, like our scrubby bush will travel secretly in the darkness underground and believe me, the only goal that bush had was world domination.

We reap what we sow.… and that applies to every area of our lives.
Cause and effect are as certain in the realm of thought as they are in the visible and material world. A sincere prayer to God uttered in faith and according to His will is guaranteed to be heard in heaven. Guaranteed…we know that He hears us and that we already have the answer. We may not be able to see the answer with our eyes yet but if we see it clearly with the eye of faith, and if our words are congruent with that faith it is on the way. No need to trouble ourselves with how, we must only believe and not doubt.
I did say whatever we ask must be in agreement with the will of God. Sometimes we do not have because we have simply not asked and at other times it is because we ask selfishly. If we are sincerely trying to develop godliness and a noble character we will ask according to His will. A noble character is not given as a gift neither does it come by chance. It is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of sustained, God-like thoughts.
By the same process a disreputable character is shaped by continual, habitual thoughts of a negative nature.

For good or ill the character of man is made by his own thoughts: he can forge the weapons by which he destroys himself or the tools with which he builds for himself a castle of joy and strength and peace.
With a majority of good choices (we all make some poor ones) and the application of right thought, man may rise to great heights and will look back upon a life blessed with many splendid accomplishments. It is important for him to know there is no limit to what a man can do except the limits he places upon himself.
It is wonderful to me that God created man in His own image but did not make him a puppet. God did not preordain what a man should do or put any limits on what a man could do if he so desired.
God made man the master of his own thought, the moulder of his own character, and the maker of his condition, his environment and his destiny.
As people of power, intelligence, and love, and as the master of our own thoughts, we hold the key to every situation, and we have within ourselves the power and the knowledge that we can be whatever we will to be.
Want to be is not enough, will to be is more than that. It involves deep, concentrated thought.

God has endowed mankind with great power, if we search for understanding of certain laws, which work for the righteous and the unrighteousness alike, we will become wise stewards directing our energies and thoughts with intelligence and passion into only fruitful enterprises.
Good fruit will be brought forth by diligent application, continual self-analysis and the accumulation of all our life experience. As a Christian I have found that God can use even small, seemingly trivial, everyday occurrences to teach us more about himself and about ourselves and how much He loves us.
We must co-operate with the omnipresent, omnipotent Spirit by cultivating positive, godly thoughts and so we will gain understanding, wisdom and power for living godly, fruitful lives, highly successful lives.

Whatever we build in the inner man, what the mind conceives and believes, what it constructs in the world of thought the mind will then find a way to build it in the physical world and the forces of heaven will cooperate in the work.
But we must understand it works both ways…prolonged negative thinking will bring its own reward…

A man does not become destitute or find himself in prison by accident, fate or circumstance.
I led a prison study group for a number of years. To meet a man who would admit he was the only one responsible for his being there was rare. The stories were many and varied and sometimes very creative but they had been repeated so often to themselves in their inner thoughts and to others in spoken words that they genuinely believed them to be true.
But this is the real truth. They all got there by a well trodden pathway of unworthy thoughts and base desires. And if they would take responsibility they could learn to replace them with better thoughts and more wholesome desires and they would certainly rise up from whatever depths to which they had fallen.
Pure-minded people don’t fall suddenly into criminal acts, or immoral circumstances because of pressures placed upon them from outside themselves; thoughts of greed or avarice or envy or lust have for a long time been secretly fostered in the heart, nurtured and meditated upon….and when the day of opportunity comes to reveal its gathered power: the trap is finally sprung.

In the book of Genesis 4:7. we read that the bloodless offering of Cain was not acceptable. He was jealous of his brother and angry at God because of this and it showed on his face. The thoughts of our inner man show on the outside, and if not checked they result in actions which manifest the fruit of suffering. You may know the way the story of Cain plays out but do you realise that had he only listened to loving correction and been obedient to the words of God it could have been a very different story.
God said to Cain In Genesis 4: 6  “Why are you so angry?” … “Why do you look so dejected?  You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Sin is crouching at the door in all our lives. It begins with sinful thoughts and if they are dwelt upon and not substituted with good thoughts, sin can bring about the fall of even the best of us. In the case of Cain and many men since, the fall has been great and still they wake up and ask “How have I come to this?”.
Circumstances did not make the man this way…they revealed his inner man. The man he has created by his own habitual thoughts.
No one descends into vice or criminality and the sufferings it brings upon themselves and their loved ones except by vicious, avaricious, or lustful inclinations,
And no one becomes virtuous and attains the happiness which is the fruit of it without the continual cultivation of good and virtuous aspirations. Man is the master of his own thoughts, and the author of his prayers should he choose to share his thoughts with God. By those thoughts he is the designer and manufacturer of his own character and ultimately the architect and builder of all his circumstances and his physical environment.

You might ask where is God in this?
The fallen man has no hope and seemingly no power to overcome. Even if he can obtain release from the prison bars, he cannot break free from the prison of his mind.
In truth some unbelievers do very well in life and many Christians do badly and to me this is ample proof that God is fair to everyone. He has given all of us powerful tools within ourselves and is available to help and advise all those who choose to seek Him and commit their lives to Him.
Sadly not all people who profess religion are positive people, some have no idea of the freedoms and abilities they have locked away in their religious boxes.
But what does the Bible say about those who are in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:16 For, “Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
or again in Ephesians 4:22-24 …throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

(Notice that lust and deception are thoughts and they can be replaced by better, purer thoughts.)

23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

In Philippians 2:5 Paul says…Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

and then in Philippians 4 he gives us a lesson in how to…

how to have the mind of Christ…

how to let the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes….

how to let God transform us into a new person by changing the way we think.

Paul knows the law of substitution…we can only think of one thing at once…don’t try to resist the bad thoughts, that only makes them stronger…substitute them with good thoughts.

Jesus knew about the law of dual thought…that means there are two ways to look at every situation…when we are abused or persecuted we can sometimes adopt a victim mentality but Jesus said in His great sermon

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

the Monty Python team wrote a song about that…”always look on the bright side of life” some Christians were up in arms at the time, they said it was blasphemous, I am sure Jesus saw the funny side…He is not as stuffy as some of us think…there’s always two ways to look at everything.

Lets finish with a look at Paul’s how to in Philippians 4

verse 4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

So what is Paul telling the Philippians to do here? Think…think joyful thoughts. Choose to be joyful. And it really is your choice.

verse 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

But you might not feel like being considerate and here is Paul telling you to let everyone see how considerate you are…how are you going to do it?…Paul tells you how…He says remember the Lord is coming soon. Think about Jesus, direct your thoughts towards Jesus…focus on Him…and His soon coming…and then you will find it easy to be considerate to others.

verse 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

There are good thoughts and bad thoughts…He says ‘don’t worry’ why? because that’s a bad thought…it is not trusting…it is not faithful… it is positively harmful spiritually, mentally and physically…worry leads to stress and stress is responsible for many serious illnesses. My doctor told me… stress is a killer.

So try the good thoughts instead…pray about everything…tell God what you need and give thanks for what He has done.

You might say I prayed…He hasn’t done anything yet.
Gratitude is the cause, God knows what you need before you tell Him and His provision will be the effect, the reward of a grateful heart.

verse 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

What is peace…it’s thought isn’t it…tranquil thoughts…your heart will beat slower… your blood pressure will come into line…you will experience a greater feeling of well being.

That’s why Solomon says “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

But back to Philippians 4 verse 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.
Fix your thoughts…Paul is clear that you can choose whatever you think about…and He is aware that you can only think on one thing at a time. He knows you can’t pray with gratitude and worry at the same time. Which is why he says…Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
verse 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Putting into practice means action and keep putting into practice means continual action… remember action is the blossom of thought, and peace will be the fruit of it.

Then the God of peace will be with you.

so finally…from Numbers 6:24-26

‘May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favour and give you his peace.’

God told Aaron to bless the people in that way and He promised that whenever he or the priests that come after him did so then God Himself would indeed bless them. The way I understand it everyone who believes is a priest…but even if you don’t believe right now I want to leave you with this thought…. God has promised to bless you and He always keeps His promises…just meet Him half way…use the law of substitution, get your thoughts right and your words congruent with them and watch how quickly your fortunes change.

This is a bigger than normal post and I thought long and hard as to whether I should publish my thoughts here…I know that to some they will be controversial but I am sincere in the hope and the belief that they will help some find new light. That is my prayer.

I have gained immeasurably from the Master Key by Charles Haanel and other writings were suggested to me in the course of studying it…yes I see some flaws in Haanel’s work some of which he may well have brought up to date with the benefit of later science…but they are not so significant when I compare them to the overall benefits of the knowledge gained.

It also shone light on flaws in my own previously held dogmas and being set free from them has helped me help others powerfully in areas where I was previously impotent.

The recent re-reading of ‘As a man Thinketh’ has been done in a new light and I have thought of it in a way that puts God back on the throne but does not in any way bring down the power He invested in man.

We Christians have been afraid to talk about the power of thought in some cases even suggesting it may be occult.  (Haanel deals with the dangers inherent in the occult side of these things very well).  On the other hand there are people who talk about the Universe as if it had designed and created itself and are afraid of using the Name of its Architect and Builder lest they offend those who have no concept of God. Haanel says the infinite designer made an infinite environment for himself and this is thrilling to contemplate. For those without God I am not offended at your views and I trust if you cannot accept mine you can at least engage in peaceful discussion without taking offence.

We ARE eternal SPIRIT beings, we HAVE a SOUL which consists of our mind, our emotions, our will and for our time on this planet we LIVE IN this wonderful earth ship we call our BODY. Some like to talk only of the body, some talk only of the Soul and others retreat behind the walls of theology and suggest that only the spirit is of importance. We are whole people and I have come to see that more clearly than ever before…I will post my thoughts from ‘As a Man Thinketh’ in a few instalments here over the coming days…

In Psalm 37:1,2 King David wrote Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

His son King Solomon wrote Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you. The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, and waste your pleasant words. Proverbs 23:6,7

Don’t envy a wicked man or eat with a miserly avaricious person, don’t wish to be like them or envy or desire what they have.  Not everything is as it seems… his smiling face might be hiding his true character from some people, but God is not fooled, and the Spirit of God will give you discernment too.

The wicked may appear to have more than you right now but it is better to be content with what little you have than to be rich and still not satisfied.

Money is a wonderful servant but it is a harsh master. However much the men described have they can never be satisfied, they will always want more and they will never be filled… and worse they can never properly enjoy even what they have.

Those words of King Solomon prompted James Allen to write a famous book in 1903.  called.  ”As a man thinketh.” and most of us have heard the well known aphorism ‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he’, perhaps without realising it goes back to the Old Testament writings of King Solomon, a man who asked God for wisdom above all else.

I am  going to borrow some of his thoughts. A church group I am a part of has been reading John Maxwell’s  The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth as we are watching his Leadership videos’s.  He mentions James Allen’s book in the first chapter saying he read it in 7th grade and almost a dozen times since.  I am going to borrow some of my thoughts from it in the hope that it will help us all to grow.

Solomon’s statement As a man thinks in his heart embraces the whole of a man’s being, and reaches out to every condition and circumstance of his life.

God created man in His own image and wanted a perfect life for him and his beautiful bride. Sadly they chose their own way rather than walk the path God planned for them and so man’s character was forever flawed. God never gave up on man and has made a way for his complete restoration, which we may get to later.  But our first purpose here is to discover how a man’s character is literally built out of the complete sum of all his thoughts, and that holds true whatever his religion, or belief system.

Just like a plant springs from, and couldn’t exist without the seed, so every act of man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called “spontaneous” and “unpremeditated” as to those which are deliberately executed.

Actions are the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruit; so whether for good or ill we have all made our own circumstances.

Cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the spiritual realm of thought as they are in the visible and material world.

A noble and God-like character is not given as a gift neither does it come by chance. It is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts.

Let me show you what I mean from Scripture. Look at Philippians 4 with me…from verse 4

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

So what is Paul telling the Philippians to do here? Think…think joyful thoughts. Choose to be joyful…rather than miserable, and it really is your choice.

5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

But you might not feel like being considerate and here is Paul telling you to let everyone see how considerate you are…how are you to do it?…Paul tells you how…He says remember the Lord is coming soon. Think about Jesus, direct your thoughts towards Jesus…focus on Him and what He has already done…and look forward to His coming again…and then you will find it easy enough to be considerate to others.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

There are good thoughts and bad thoughts…He says don’t worry because a worry is a bad thought…it is not trusting…it is not faithful… it is positively harmful spiritually, mentally and physically…worry leads to stress and stress is responsible for many serious illnesses. Not to beat around the bush… stress is a killer.

So try the good thoughts instead…pray about everything…tell God what you need and give thanks for what He has done.

You might say I only just prayed…He hasn’t done it yet.

Gratitude is the cause, God knows what you need before you tell Him and His provision will be the effect, the reward of a grateful heart.

7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

What is peace…it’s thought isn’t it…tranquil thoughts…your heart will beat slower… your blood pressure will come into line…you will experience a greater feeling of well being.

That’s why Solomon says  “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Go back to Philippians 4 verse 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. 

Fix your thoughts…Paul is clear that you can choose whatever you think about…and He is aware that you can only think on one thing at a time. He knows you can’t pray with gratitude and worry at the same time. Which is why he says…Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Putting into practice is action… and remember action is the blossom of thought. And peace will be the fruit of it.

Then the God of peace will be with you.

By the same process an unworthy, or a disreputable character is shaped by the continued, habitual thoughts of a much more negative kind.

For good or ill the character of man is made in the laboratory of his own thought: he either forges the weapons by which he destroys himself or the tools with which he builds for himself his castle of joy and strength and peace. With favourable choices and the application of right thought, man may ascend to great heights and look back upon his many splendid accomplishments. Between the extremes of the great and the deplorable are the multitude who think more of less average thoughts and lead unremarkable lives and who may be very content to do so. That is a matter for each man to decide but it it is important for him to know there is no limit to what he can do save the limits he places upon himself.

It is wonderful to me that God created man in His own image but did not make him a puppet or pre-ordain what a man should do or put any limits on what a man could do if he so desired. God made man the master of his own thought, the moulder of his own character, and the maker and shaper of his condition, environment and destiny.

As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and as the master of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself power and the knowledge that he can be what he wills to be.

When he begins to reflect upon his power and searches diligently for the law upon which his being is established, he becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. This fruit is brought forth in due season by diligent application, continual self-analysis and the accumulation of every experience, using even the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself which is understanding, wisdom and power.

However low a man has fallen there is a great hope…there is redemption for the man who will turn around…there is a God who will forgive every truly repentant heart and if your heart is open and you want to start again please know he will restore you to the place He originally intended for you…His Name is Jesus Christ…He will listen to you cry out to Him…and He will not do it all for you but…He will help you build a whole new life from the remnants of your broken dreams…

I was sitting by the pond in my garden …just idly watching the fishes enjoying themselves, playing under the waterfall… and wishing I could join them, they seem so relaxed, how big they are getting. Like the grass they don’t even try to grow, they just grow. Well it is 28 degrees, which in Manchester is pretty hot and we are just not used to it… I reckon I could get used to it though with very little effort, and it was all very relaxing as I was trying to think through something someone told me a few days ago.

“I work best under pressure,” he said, “I must have a deadline to do my best work.”

Well I have been reading through his work, and if I am going to be blunt about it, it’s not that great. In fact it would be difficult to hide the signs of the shortcuts he had forced himself to take because he left himself so short of time to do the job properly. I mean I do agree that a deadline is important but do we have to do all the work in the hours approaching that deadline? Wouldn’t it be great if those final hours were saved for last minute changes suggested by a subconscious mind relaxed in the knowledge that the task has already been completed.

But the truth is he really believes he works best under pressure, and he really believes his rushed efforts represent good work and actually he seems quite proud of it. That’s a shame because it will be my job to shine the glaring light of reality on the situation.

I will do my best to bend and shape him without breaking him and hopefully we will see both of us grow through the situation. Really that will be more up to him than me, will he be teachable or will that pride cause him to harden his heart? I have seen both examples with others in the past and it really can be a ‘sliding doors’ situation. It comes to all of us sometimes, doesn’t it: none of us are perfect and we must learn if we want to grow. The real question is, Do we want to grow?

But what have I gained out of this as I relaxed gazing at the fish whilst talking to God amid the beauty of our creation? That was the first thought, I noticed all the variety of colours, so many greens and yellows and purples. I used to think there was just green or just red but it is the infinite variety of God’s palette that has allowed him to paint such beautiful pictures. And then I remembered what the garden was like four years ago when we first moved in, I even had a glimpse at the old pictures that are saved on my phone.

And I felt God smile and whisper, “We did this together. I created you in my image and I gave you the ability to create too. You thought about this all by yourself, it came from a blueprint that I put inside you but you saw it before it was ever here, you saw it clearly in your mind just like I saw you before I made you.  You had to see it first and then you were able to take the action to create it. I did add the finishing touches of course; you would have struggled to make a fish by yourself. Thats why we work together, that’s why I called my disciples to be fishers of men: we are partners.”

Well that was good, it thrills me when God speaks back in my times of prayer and meditation and it would have been worth taking the break and sitting in Gods presence just to hear that, but what about this ‘working to a deadline’ challenge I was facing? What could I learn about that?

My young friend is not alone in claiming he works better under pressure, and I have to be honest, I have often left things to the last minute and stayed up into the wee small hours to get them finished myself but lets see what actually happens here.

Looking back we recognise the enemy is procrastination. The time just seems to melt away, but actually it doesn’t melt: we freely choose to spend it on less important things knowing we will invoke the old habit of cramming just ahead of the deadline. The pressure we think we work best under is really the optimum amount of tension that we can take between giving up on the job altogether or what we need to move us to overcome that procrastination and its resultant inertia.

The best work I have ever done, and I know I am not alone, has always been in the times I have been enjoying myself, when I have been excited about the task, where I could anticipate the satisfaction of the breakthrough, the new learning, the job well done and yes, I am no different from anyone else, the recognition that would result. “Pride cometh before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction,” says the ancient scribe, but I know he did not mean that I should not do such a good job that I cannot look on it with the satisfaction of knowing I did my best and enjoying the pleasure or profit it has given to myself and others.

I will try harder now to serve my young friend, if I bring positive input as I gently correct him I am sure I can help him to be teachable. If I can show him the benefits, that he can feel and actually be more positive, that if he will meet the challenges early he can tackle them with optimism and not with fear, that he can enjoy the doing, not just the end result, that he can delight in the journey and not flop down exhausted at the destination.  If he is relaxed, he will learn along the way, he will perform more often, spend more time in what some of us call ‘the zone’ and his results will be far above what he can even imagine right now.

He will be satisfied and whilst it will all be his work I will be satisfied too. One of the most amazing things God can ever say to us is that He is satisfied with us. He is not disappointed, he is not angry, he knows the journey is not over by any means but as we sit by the way for the moment, even as Jesus came aside for a while to think and to pray He says in this moment h his satisfied.

I think He appreciates that the feeling is mutual. I am satisfied with all He has done in my life until now and still I am excited to know that the journey must go on. I don’t have to try to grow, if I say in His presence I will just grow.