GOLD NUGGETS 10

GOLD NUGGETS 10
By

Tommy Franks, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2007 Tommy Franks
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
All rights reserved under International Copyright Law.
International Standard Book Number: 0‑926044‑57‑5

Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations
are taken from the KINGS JAMES VERSION of the Bible.

Due to the Author's prerogative, some words are in small letters and some are capitalized for clarity and emphasis and not necessarily in accordance with standard grammatical practice.

Whenever pronouns or gender references appear in this book, they refer to both male and female unless otherwise noted.
Second Printing 2007

DEDICATION
I dedicate this book "GOLD NUGGETS 10" to my family, friends, and all who read this book.

INTRODUCTION
Since I have been blessed so abundantly by Our Maker God, I want to again share some of these joys, pains, agonies, ecstasies, and blissful experiences with you in the next few minutes. Meantime, enjoy the gift of LIFE.

First Words
In brief, you were born for GREATNESS. You are the "APPLE" of God's eye. May you always be blessed with success, good health, and healthy emotions in your every day life. This book "Gold Nuggets #9" will assist you in the areas of virtual reality and quality living.

When Deeds Speak, Words are Nothing!

The above African proverb is so true. Recently, I heard the following story. Read on...

It seems that this beautiful young girl (age 17) was battling the dastardly disease of cancer. She was undergoing chemotherapy and had gone home to
rest. She knew that her medical bills were piling up; therefore, she decided to make some extra money. She looked around. The only thing that she owned was a snow white lamb.

However, Jane loved this lamb. When little Lambchops had been sick a few months earlier, she had nursed it back to health all by herself. Jane did not want to sell Lambchops, but she also knew that the money would help pay a little on her medical bill.

Soon the day came for Lambchops to be auctioned off at the livestock market. The auctioneer introduced the little lamb to the people for bidding. He also mentioned the lamb's owner and her battle with cancer. Then the bids began!

Little Lambchops sold for over $12.00 a pound which is indeed high for a sheep.
After the buyer paid for the lamb, he gave the lamb back to be sold again. The people saw what was happening. Excitement was in the air and in the arena. People began to shout, "Resell, resell!" Families were buying the lamb and then immediately giving it back for resale. This continued until Lambchops was sold over 36 times for a total of $16,000.00. This was a good start for Jane's new medical fund.

Jane's mother was crying. Jane was crying. The auctioneer was red eyed...and oh, by the way, the last bidder that bought Lambchops...gave her back to Jane for good! Jane hugged Lambchops and Lambchops said, "BAAAAH, BAAAAH"...which upon closely interpreting means the following:

"My dear Jane...I told you not to worry. There are still a lot of decent and good people on this earth. Everything is gonna be all right. You took care of me when I was sick. Today, I am helping to take care of you...BAAAAH!"

It Pays to be a Good Neighbor!
Several years ago a hard working tax paying family had a dilemma and sad crisis. It seems that one of the sons was sick and about to die. The dilemma: The father and mother lived in the state of Texas, but the son was in
California and the parents had no money to go see their dying son. The father (farmer) called all of his friends, but they were in the same boat as he. They had no money either. Since the weather had been especially terrible just prior to harvest time, it looked as if there would be very little money to live on for the next several months...and now this emergency!
Old John, the honest farmer, did not even have the money to call his son or the hospital in which he was a patient. This was a sad occasion for John and
his hard working family. John went to the near-by community service station and explained to the manager the situation. The station manager said, "John, you can use my phone as long as you like...and there will not be
any charge to you. Go ahead. It's over there on the wall."

As the farmer started to dial the number of the hospital, a young man approached him and said, "I couldn't help from overhearing your conversation with the store manager. I know your son. I went to school with him. I heard you say that he is really sick. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is. I'm trying to call the hospital now. My wife and I are going to try to get out there if I can somehow raise the money." With that being said, Farmer John went ahead and completed his phone call.

Afterwards, he approached the proprietor and assured him that he would pay for the phone call as soon as he could. The station manager, however, said, "No, the call has already been paid for. That young man that was in here earlier gave me more than enough money to pay for the call. He also asked me to give you this envelope."

The sad looking farmer appeared dazed and greatly surprised. He accepted the envelope and looked inside to find a note that simply stated: "Mr. John, you
have always been a good neighbor. Years ago, you were the first trucker that I ever traveled with...the first hard worker that my father trusted enough to let me tag along. I was barely five years old when you bought me a Snickers Bar. You taught me some good basic principles about life and moral integrity. I'll never forget those intangible gifts. Therefore, enclosed is a BLANK check. You and your lovely wife go see your son. And Neighbor, when you see him, give your son (my good pal) a Snickers Bar too!"

YOUR TIME ACCOUNT!
All of us do business with a bank or with several banks. We deposit money. We take out money. We write checks. We use bank cards or debit cards. Banks are a way of life.

Just imagine this for a moment: Let's say, every day your account is credited with $86,400. You will not be allowed to carry over any type of balance the following day. You must spend the entire $86,400 or it will be canceled and the balance will revert back to the bank.

Therefore, it would behoove you to spend all the money
every day...save it, invest it, use it, or give it away.
Before long, you would be a wealthy person!

Now that I have your attention, you do have a very
important resource deposited into your account every
single day...86,400 seconds. It's called "time".
At the close of the day, every second that you did
not use (or use wisely) is gone forever. You cannot
store the seconds up. You see, time carries no balance.
It allows for no overdrafts.

However, the good part is: Every day, a new deposit of
86,400 seconds is again credited into your account.
If you fail to withdraw and use the day's deposit wisely, the loss is inevitably yours and not the loss of bank of the universe. Time is running out rather quickly. Soon
time will be no more. We as good stewards must make
wise withdrawals from our resource account daily.
Time Management is IMPORTANT.

Howard Hughes tried to buy more time with his $billions, but when he tried to make one more withdrawal, there was none. His account was empty. For most of us, our time accounts look pretty good right now, but one day the books will be balanced for the last time. The Chief Banker of the universe will say, "It's time to go. It's time to wrap it up and come up hither. Your days have been numbered and it's time to make the
transition from time to time-immemorial".

One day, we will all have to give an account of the
way we spent out time on Planet Earth!

THE DECREE OF SUPERNATURAL DEBT CANCELLATION
Let us receive the supernatural debt cancellation. We are the children of Abraham through Jesus Christ. We must humble ourselves and accept a concept that does not make any sense to the natural mind. We must embrace supernatural debt cancellation as part of the gospel message. We must receive the "acceptable year of the Lord". We must take our bills and demand that they be cancelled. Some may be led to write creditors, and demand with a bold/ humble attitude that their debts be "forgiven". We must walk as if it were a year of jubilee, free from all debts, free from obligation to man to serve God. We must keep our natural diligence and responsibility, but we cannot be limited by it.

We cannot be limited by our past experience or the terms and conditions of this present world system. We are to exercise our dominion over Egypt and its bondage. We are to demand that the wealth of Egypt be delivered into our hands. We are to become bold as a lion. We are to shout out specific verbal confessions of our deliverance. We are to be ruthless in our disdain of any form of financial bondage.

Make a covenant between God and yourself to be faithful to the word. Know that everywhere that your foot treads, that portion will be yours to possess. You are to tread on the ground of financial freedom and possess it by faith.

Deliverance is just step one, but it is the most important step. It is part of your blood bought salvation, part of the blessings of Abraham that you inherited through Jesus Christ, part of the decree of the year of jubilee. You will receive what is rightfully yours by original inheritance. You will be forgiven of all debt. You will eat of the fruit of the earth without human effort.

This is a once in a lifetime decree. Embrace it! Shout about it! Allow yourself to rejoice exceedingly in Jesus. Rise above the doom and the gloom crowd! This is a time of great joy and celebration. This is a time to show the world system an "in your face" authority that will change lives, rock the nations, and send the lost residents of this planet running to the church for both spiritual and temporal answers. Amen.

MORE ON THE DECREE OF SUPERNATURAL DEBT CANCELLATION
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The bible says that the unrighteous man stores up wealth for the last days. We are certainly in the latter portion of the last days. The wealth of the sinner has been kept in spiritual warehouses (banks and bonds), waiting for those walking in the righteousness of God to decree their release. Note: this wealth is not solely for our own personal use, but God always allows a residual portion of the wealth to "stick".

After receiving the wealth of Egypt, God asked His people to contribute some of the Egyptian gold and silver to building His house, the tabernacle of the arc of Gods' presence. It wasn't long before Moses had received too much of this wealth, and asked that the giving cease. Such is the abundance that we are called to demand from this world’s system. We will demand, we will receive, and we will give until there is no more need. Bill Gates is just a repository of God's wealth to those that seek to do Gods' will in these last days. The estimated 3 million dollars a day that he makes on his investments will come in handy in the hands of the Lords' advancing church.

As I talk to other computer professionals, it is clear that the technology level is approaching a consolidated world economy. One of the topics of the recent "Summit of Eight" held in nearby Denver was to find ways to "better integrate our economies".

Many who do not profess Jesus, are concerned about the scope of some of the ongoing projects. They see first hand the ability to control, and the potential to lose personal freedom. We all laugh at "BIG BROTHER", yet we feel the heat of his breath on our neck. We are growing numb to this, not so gradual, "give away" of national sovereignty.

I kept thinking over and over on this point as we celebrated the recent 4th of July. A proud nation, like a frog being slowly boiled in a pot of water, not able to even feel the demise of its own uniqueness. This "Global Economy" seems to have a life of its own…and an ever clearer agenda for the peoples of this planet.

Many Christians praying to be "raptured out" will be engulfed by this world system like a tidal wave. Yes it will leave its mark. Many already have the mark on their minds, because they do not live in a realm other than the natural.

Those with the escape mentality will be deluded into not preparing themselves spiritually in the things of God. I'm not talking about bomb shelters, or stock-piling food. Again I say, the time of preparation is not optional! We must learn to move in the supernatural realm of the Holy Ghost now...If not for our own sakes, for the sake of our children, and our children’s children. We must learn the lessons of receiving supernatural PROVISION. As cattle, gold and silver become devalued, the ability to buy and sell with these materials will also diminish. What I am talking about is entering into the realm of the supernatural, similar to our Lord Jesus. If we need tax money, we go fishing. Cast your net over here…Remember the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Jesus tried to teach His own disciples about supernatural provision, but they were very slow to learn. The Body of Christ, for the most part, is not even aware of the criticality of learning this lesson NOW!

If our treasure is in heaven, we will understand that genuine prosperity has nothing to do with the size of our natural bank account, or for that matter, the possession of things. (Although I must confess, I do like
having certain "things"). It has everything to do with FLOW, and little to do with DOUGH. It is the size of your supernatural bank account that matters…how good your credit is with God, how confident you are going
forth, and manifesting God's calling for your life.

Yes, Jesus had a natural treasury, because He moved into a natural world. We will still have natural affairs that will require natural goods and services. Jesus did not seem too worried though, about His natural treasury. He discerned that Judas was a crook well before the end of His ministry, yet He left Judas responsible for His treasury. Imagine that, allowing a known thief to manage your financial affairs? Would you trust a robber as your banker?

Jesus knew that always, in every way, there would be provision for every financial need. His flow came from a heavenly source.

It says in scripture that Abraham was wealthy in three areas, cattle, gold and silver. Abraham sought blessings that came from God, and showed patience by not accepting natural substitutes. When the King of
Sodom offered the spoils from a battle to Abraham, (who had rescued his nephew Lot), Abraham refused this "substitute blessing", because it might appear that he had been made rich by the King of Sodom.

Abraham was not a materialist. He wanted God's blessing, or no blessing at all. He wanted prosperity that he could not create…A prosperity that would allow him to be a blessing to all the nations…A prosperity that did not rust or decay, that came as a direct result of a supernatural heavenly blessing.

I'm certain that Abraham was a diligent man, and received a certain degree of blessing simply from his diligence. But diligence can only take you so far. It brings you a degree of personal blessing. But Abraham was called to bless the nations. The spirit of his prosperity far exceeded the immediate cattle, gold, and silver that he possessed. His prosperity was a prosperity born out of the fullness of GRACE through the agency of faith.

As we see the worlds' monetary systems continue the "grand consolidation", we must take every opportunity to respond to the prophetic voice of our deliverance. When Moses decreed deliverance to the captive Jews in Egypt, what did they do. They went to their captors
and demanded, (the KJV says "borrowed"), that they deliver unto them their precious metals and jewels. They demanded and took the wealth of the unrighteous that had been stored up until the appropriate season of collection.

If you believe that we have entered into a last days orchestration of movement within the Body of Christ, then you can understand the necessity of responding to God in line with any current point of emphasis, revelation or decree.

We can no longer wait for the termination date of a 30 year home mortgage. We cannot wait, trying to squeeze pennies to pay more than the minimum payment on the credit card debt...We cannot just apply diligence to our faith (though we must apply diligence in all of our affairs). There are times when we need a supernatural decree…A Divine intervention of grace.

We must raise the brass serpent high, gaze upon it, and be healed now, or we perish. Some decrees run over time, and some decrees are to be responded to immediately. I sincerely believe that this message of Supernatural Debt Cancellation must be responded to in kind. It must be believed, it must be confessed and it must be professed. It must be embraced immediately.

You know, we can, as suffering servants, take up our cross daily. Yet isn't it better to be a joyful soldier EMBRACING our cross daily? Likewise, wouldn't it be best to embrace the truth of Supernatural Debt Cancellation whole heartedly, without reservation? After all, this decree is all about grace. There is nothing you can do to bring this about, as it is impossible in the natural. You have nothing to lose if you are one in bondage to debt already. You may think... What…receive 100% debt cancellation? Nothing is impossible with God, and certainly nothing is impossible to those that believe according to the will of God. I am 100% certain that it is God's 100% will that you and I be 100% out of debt, free to serve God, blessed to be a blessing, able to meet every need, able to joyfully participate in worthwhile ministries we encounter, able to use our excess funds, (and the time provided by freedom from all debt), to do the work of the ministry.

As you might recall, the year of jubilee occurred every 50 years. Each individual would return to their original family inheritance, even if sold to another. All debts would be cancelled. No natural sowing or reaping could take place. The ground would lie fallow, and the citizens would enjoy the fruits of the field that God would supernaturally provide from existing plantings. It was in
essence, a year of absolute grace, a "once in a lifetime" experience. Jesus preached, "the acceptable year of the Lord", as part of His "salvation" message. The poor would be preached the good news, "you can
be free from your debts!". The saying: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" has a financial as well as a spiritual meaning. The parable Jesus used to amplify this truth involved money. Some scholars
see a clear link with the phrase, "acceptable year of the Lord", and the old testament decree of a year of Jubilee. I concur with this understanding.

THE WHISKER OF THE TIGER
Most of you have heard of the "Eye of the Tiger", but have you heard of the "Whisker of the Tiger"?

It seems that this soldier had gone off to war and returned home as a "shell" of a man. He was mean to his wife. He was crude and belligerent to people all around him. In other words, he had seen too much anguish, battle casualties, and war...had internalized most of his disappointments and had retreated into a shell.

His lovely and wonderful wife finally went to a counselor for assistance. The elderly advisor (an old man) gave her some strange advice: He told
her that she needed to bring him a whisker from a tiger and then he would give her additional instructions. The woman asked, "What in the world? Where would I get a whisker from a tiger? Why...this strange request?"

The old man replied, "I'll give you further instructions when you complete this mission." He then told her "goodbye".

After many days of pondering this strange request, the beautiful lady thought, "Well, what have I got to lose? My husband is getting worse by the day. I'll do this thing."

Night after night, she went out to a nearby mountain to attempt to find a tiger. Finally, she found a tiger in a cave, but did not get too close the first night. The second night with a bowl of rice and meat, she got a little closer. This went on for several weeks until the tiger got accustomed to her presence. Eventually, as the tiger would be feasting on the bowl of food, the woman would pet the tiger without fear or apprehension.

Inevitably, she eventually got a whisker from the tiger. She immediately went to the old man who gave her the advice and said, "OK, here it is...the whisker of a tiger."

The wise man asked, "How did you do it? Tigers are ferocious. This is remarkable. Tell me!"

The beautiful young wife replied, "Well, I approached the tiger with caution at first. Then, as I slowly won his confidence, respect, and admiration, he became my friend. All fear from the tiger and from me dissipated. We developed mutual respect, admiration, and appreciation for one another."

The old man looked at her and simply said, "You now have your answer!"

You see, that soldier was me. I was almost bankrupt in every area of my life. I had put up a shell around my life mentally, physiologically, and emotionally. I was depleted as a man and as a human being. In other words, I was a basket case.

My confidence and self-esteem had long vanished. I had seen so much tragedy during my short life until I had become one…a tragedy. I had lost my mother at an early age…I had buried three of my children by my first wife due to child birth complications. I was given up to die at the age of 24, but somehow I lived by the grace of God. By the time I was 26, I had been involved in 10 vehicle accidents. Some of my friends did not come back from Viet Nam. I didn't trust anyone anymore! I was truly a basket case. Then I found Him…Jesus Christ. He restored me back to life. He restored my soul. He healed me. He saved me. He rescued me. He made me whole again!

ALWAYS KEEP A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR

It seems that two hunters had gone hunting for elk up in the mountains for a few days. The chartered plane returned the following Saturday to pick up the successful hunters who had killed 6 elk.

The pilot explained to them that the plane could only carry 4 elk on the return trip. One of the hunters replied, "Listen, last year the pilot allowed us to load six elk. He had the identical same plane as you have."

Eventually, the pilot conceded and agreed to carry them
and the elk on the return trip; however, as they attempted to gain altitude over the mountain range, the plane crashed on top of one of the peaks. All three miraculously survived!

Hunter #1 asked, "Do you know where we are?"

Hunter #2 replied, "Yes, we are about a mile from where we crashed last year!"

Moral of the story: Wisdom comes from learning from past mistakes...not repeating them. Isn't it something how we go through life many times repeating the same mistakes again and again...until we get it right?

SUCCESS STOPS WHEN YOU DO!
Recently, Jackson Brown said, "Success stops when you do!" This morning on the way to the office as I was listening to an FM radio station, I noticed that they were singing, "What the world needs is Jesus." As the beautiful music was playing, I also noticed the bright sun coming out and the crispness of the air. Then I immediately thought of two good friends of mine,
BJ and Chuck Wyatt. They are currently living somewhere in Texas. Chuck retired from the Navy in 1981. They immediately went to Africa (Upper Volta) as missionaries.

They have traveled all over the world helping people. They seem to be as happy as a lark. WHY you ask? Because they are doing what they want to do. They continue to be involved in ministry for their community.

Chuck could be working for just about any Blue Chip company in America, but he and his wife BJ…rather have chosen to work in the vineyard for a higher authority. Their returns are much higher than any of our returns in the stock market.

Are they successful? Are they still going forward and helping the less fortunate? Are they teaching Godly principles to some previous Godless people? Are they caring for the sick and poor? Are they making a better world for those around them? YES! Emphatically YES!

Question? How do we measure success? Is it by the home we live in, the clothes we wear, the auto we drive, the size of our bank accounts? I think Not. One day, we will ALL leave this planet and we will leave ALL of our belongings and toys behind...And our ALL will be in the hands of the Man who took a STAND to ransom ALL mankind.

Therefore, continue to move forward. As long as you are moving forward, you will be successful. PERIOD!

HONOR IS BETTER THAN HONORS!

Think about it. Many people (men and women) have been given different types of honors, sometimes at ceremonies such as the Oscars, Grammies, Football Hall of Fame, a Star on the sidewalk in Hollywood, etc. But many of these individuals have NOT honor! Why? Because they are/were ONLY seeking praise and honor from fellow humans.

Now, do not misinterpret what I am saying. There is
absolutely nothing wrong with receiving gifts, plaques,
awards, promotions, and various honors. I believe we
should see more of this type of thing, especially among
our young people and senior citizens. However,
there is a vast difference between having honor which
means: esteem, respect, integrity, character, good
reputation, moral fiber, and admiration, etc., than just
having a banquet to honor an individual because he/she
was the star in a particular game or season. Sometimes,
these may go hand in hand when an individual is in fact
an honorable person, but in today's society, this may not
be the case. Have you watched a basketball, football,
baseball, or hockey game lately? Have you watched
a boxing match lately or car race? Most of the people you were watching are millionaires. Are they honorable? Do they receive honors?

Do you get my drift today? Case in Point: My father
only had a seventh grade education. He worked hard
to feed his family of nine. He was a simple carpenter
who had blisters on his hands at times. He never made
much money, but he never took a welfare check nor
received charity his whole life. He never cheated
anyone. He refused to lie. He gave 10% to the church.
He would hug us and cry with tears when we would
depart after a home visit. Love was in his hands and
in his big heart. He often told me, "Tommy, whatever
you do in life...Always keep a good reputation. A good
name is better than all the money in the world. Be
good to others and they will be good to you. And
whatever you do in life, when you get married, you take care of and provide for your family. Be a man! A man provides for his own family."

When my father died in 1978, the entire church was
full of honorable people. WHY? Because Daddy had
surrounded himself with honorable people...because
he was and is an honorable man. Period! Therefore,
to have honor is much better than to receive honors.
Can you have both? Yes...and that is the way it should be.

SUCCESS!
Someone recently said,
"Success does not discriminate. It is an equal
opportunity employer. It is always available to
those who will pay the price."

Hard work will take you and I a long ways on our
earthly journey. Of course, success is MORE THAN
talent. A person with talent without discipline
is like a new beginner on skates. The new skater
has all kinds of movement...forward, sideways,
backwards, upside down, etc. But discipline,
hard work, and talent all go together.

If you strive for success and erase mediocrity out
of your life, you will be successful. Someone said,
"Opportunity dances with those who are already on the
dance floor!"

We are NOT born heroic or brave. We are not born as
leaders! Success and leadership are a direct result
of good decisions. We must make good choices.
Leadership is based on noble principles, courage to
do the right thing, and propelled by commitment.

We are clay vessels that are still under construction.
We are clay containers. We are filled with a huge
reservoir of dynamic potential. This potential
when ignited with goals, aspirations, and dreams...
will explode into harnessed and usable energy. You
will move mountains or tunnel through them or fly
over them...but you will conquer the mountain that
may be hindering your journey. A true leader will not turn back, give up, or run out of fuel. He/She will find a way to reach the summit.

In the old days, my mother would put yeast in the
flour to make the biscuits rise. She would mix
the dough in a large wooden bowl and then
place each one individually on the round tin pan...
and then into the pre-heated oven at 350 degrees.
Soon, big beautiful, delicious biscuits would
emerge. All nine of us would sit down at the kitchen table and partake of the mouth-watering brown biscuits. The trick: yeast.

All leaders have yeast (energized potential) in
their character. What happens to a biscuit without
yeast? It remains flat, tasteless, blasé, non-
appealing, and non-appetizing. SO, it is with
individuals who have dormant or inactive potential...
They become mediocre, lethargic, and quiescent.
That's why we need to maximize our potential to
its full capacity. Then we can motivate others
to do the same thing. Will it happen overnight?
NO...It took God 80 years to develop these
traits in Moses...who became a giant of a man...
a leader of leaders. It took Christ 3 1/2 years to develop leadership in His followers upon His death and resurrection. How long will it take you to activate the yeast?

POSITIVE WORDS AND POSITIVE THOUGHTS

NEVER...NEVER...NEVER say, "Well, if I don't make it, I will...Well, what if I fail...What if I lose..."

Never say these words. The very moment you start talking about what you are going to do if you lose...fail...don't make it, you are doomed for failure...and you will lose!

Say things like: "This is what I am going to do the very
moment I win...and I will win...I will make it...I will be
successful...I will get the promotion. I am in the process of winning!”

This is called "self fulfilling prophecy" which normally (99% of the time) comes to pass. Enthusiasm also has a lot to do with it. Nothing great has ever been accomplished without it.

Someone recently said, "No champion is embarrassed by his scars." Many of you in the game of life will develop scars along the way. It's inevitable. Scars will come to you as you move toward your goals, aspirations, purpose, and destiny. Most all veterans of various wars will very readily show you their battle scars and will even fill you in...on the valiant and courageous details as to how they received them.

In the Notre Dame locker room, there is a sign that
reads, "Play like a Champion." Whether you feel
like it or not...Go out there and play the game of
life like a champion...because YOU ARE!

The Chinese have a saying, "The precious gem cannot
be polished without friction, nor any man perfected without trials."

Have you experienced any friction lately? Do you
have any sparking reflection (brightness) that is
projected to those around you? If so, then you have
been exposed to friction of some magnitude in your
life. You will become a better person because of it. Keep a good attitude. Be positive. Never give up! Keep the faith. Have faith in yourself.

Recently a survey was made to find out what man's physical body is actually worth. Guess what? Your physical body is worth millions and
millions of dollars. They decided because of all the latest inventions in state-of-the-art technology, that all the chemicals, minerals, and ingredients
found within the human being...is worth millions of dollars...if used in modern technological equipment and tools! REMEMBER back when they said
the body was worth only $2.98 in the 1960s?

Well, that's all changed now. The price of human real estate just went up. Actually, you are priceless and have always been priceless!
And someday...will live forever!

REPLACE FEAR WITH ACTION!
That's right...Yes, there are times when every individual
on Planet Earth has fears! I do not care how brave you are or brave you've been in the past, there will come a time when fear will raise its head. What can you do? You fight fear with ACTION! In other words, you DO something; i.e., when I was a child, I had the fear of poverty. How did I handle this fear? I got a job...I worked…I made some money...paid my bills. The harder I worked, the more money I made...the
less fear of poverty I had.

I almost died in 1971. Great fear engulfed me. I did not
want to die at such a young age. The doctors did all that
they could do to combat the dreaded virus of encephalitis that had invaded my physical being, but I was dying anyway. Remember, hundreds of people died of this virus, nicknamed "sleeping sickness", during the 1960s. It was caused by a mosquito bite. At that particular time, I was living in Zolfo Springs, Florida...which was plentiful in mosquitoes.
What did I do? I decided to do something...replace fear with action. First, I decided that I was not ready to die...in more than one way. Second, I decided that I really wanted to live, not die! I cried out to a Higher Power (God). This is what I said, "God, I'm too young to die. I am only 24 years old. Listen, either come down and touch my physical body or take me on to heaven now...I will not continue to suffer pain like this another day."

I had stared death in the face and knew that without outside help, I was gone. I also believed in prayer! But whether I lived or died, the fear of death departed!
From that moment on, my body began to amend and improve. The pain left. My appetite returned. The virus cleared up. Within a few short days, I walked out of that hospital in good health...never to be bothered with that type of thing again.

Teddy Roosevelt said it best, "Credit belongs to those who are in the arena, who strive valiantly, who know great enthusiasm, who know triumph...and if they fail,
they fail while daring greatly...(and) their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Mediocrity has no place in the lives of leaders! Do I still have fears at times? Yes. Do I sit there and do nothing? No. Conquer your fears through love, faith, acceptance, ACTION...and continuing to march until your destiny is fulfilled.

Have no fear. Fear stands for "False Effects Appearing Real". Remember, you are never alone!

LAST WORDS
Let us advance with confidence toward the fullness of Christ. Let us embrace the heartbeat of our destiny…for the Lord delights in His children…and you are one of His kids. All we will ever want…need…or desire is found in Jesus Christ. If we lack power, wisdom, or prosperity, we will find it in Him. He is all that we will ever need. He has all that we will ever need or asked. We have no lack in Him!