Low Rider

Did you know that Hepatitis is a disease that affects the liver? Most people are actually unaware of what the disease does. Although a lot of people have heard of Hepatitis most people are not sure what it is or how you get it.

The infection is simple inflammation of the liver and if left untreated can lead to cirrhosis of the liver which leads to death. Because of the low awareness of this disease, the infection spreads quickly and many people are unaware of the risks and ways of catching the disease. World Hepatitis Day is a campaign that has been launched and is on the 19th of May which is in aid of promoting awareness of the disease and trying to decrease the number of people that leave their infection untreated.

To support the campaign sign up at www.aminumber12.org.

Did you know that of the 25 million people in the United States that consider themselves writers only 5% of them will ever be published?

If that seems an astonishing figure it should also point to an opportunity for those who create business or industry related ezines.

How is this an opportunity?

If you are like most business owners you may have trouble locating fresh content. You may borrow from industry publications (with permission of course), you may try your hand at writing content yourself from time to time or you might use a free-article directory to make your ezine sparkle. However, you can also work to foster an atmosphere where struggling writers can add to their portfolio while providing fresh content for your ezine.

How can you do this?

Well, this can be accomplished through multiple avenues. Let’s take a look at a few.

1) Posting a classified notice within your ezine. Let your subscribers know you’re open to receiving reader content. If they are reading your ezine they probably already have an interest in the subject matter you address. You may have one of those multiplied millions of writers just looking for an opportunity reading your online publication.

2) Visiting a writer’s forum. In many of these forums you can post a freelance opportunity alerting writers to the fact that you have a need for material. You can determine what you can pay and either state it in the body of your need or let the writer know when they contact you. If you are not able to pay the writer then you should consider providing a byline and website link as a way of thanking them for their contribution.

3) Go on an intentional search for a writer. Many writers’ websites will feature writing samples from members. Look for a style you’re interested in and a writer who may have some understanding of your industry.

It’s possible to nurture writers from these three sources as you seek to grow and diversify your ezine. Many of these volunteer writers may have creative ideas to make your ezine better.

You might even suggest a writing contest as part of the ezine. This can be enhanced with the offer of free gifts and or business products. Many individuals respond very well to contests and, as evidenced by the opening statistic, there are a lot of aspiring writers looking for the type of opportunity you can provide.

Ezines can be both informative as well as a spiffy looking tool for marketing your business. Why not use the development of an ezine to help you fulfill your dream of an upwardly mobile business while offering an aspiring writer the opportunity to fulfill a few dreams of his or her own. The result can be mutually beneficial.

Inviting others to share in your dream can benefit your business and help lighten the production load. The diversity in the content can allow you the opportunity to improve readership and instill a greater sense of interest in your ezine.

Nurture the inner desire most writers have and provide an avenue of publishing that can help them reach their goals.

There’s a story about a boy who came from a wealthy family. His father had built a large, multimillion-dollar business from the ground up. As this father approached retirement, he brought his son into his office and told him that he wanted him to take over his company. The son was excited to take over his father’s multimillion-dollar empire and asked, “When are you going to give it to me?” The father replied, “I am not going to give you anything, you must earn it.” The son replied, “How am I supposed to do that?”

The father answered, “First, you must earn $10,000 to purchase a small portion of ownership in the company. After this is accomplished you will get your next instruction.” As the son left the house to being his quest, his mother grabbed him and thrust $10,000 into his hand and told him to give the money to his father. Thrilled by his good fortune, he ran to find his father. His dad was sitting by the fireplace reading a book. The son approached his father and said, “Dad, Dad, here’s $10,000 for the business.” Without even looking up, the father grabbed the $10,000 and tossed it in the fire and watched it burn. The son stood frozen in amazement. As the money burned, the father said, “Come back when you have earned the money!”

As he left the room, his mother once again thrust $10,000 into his hand. This time she instructed him that he needed to be more convincing in selling his father on the idea that he had actually worked for the money. So the boy scuffed himself up a little, jogged around the block a few times, and then went to find his father again. His father was again sitting in front of the fireplace reading a book. The boy approached his father and said, “It sure is tough earning money. Here’s the $10,000. I really do want to own the business.” Once again the father took the $10,000, and without even looking up, tossed the money in the fireplace. As the money burned, the son asked, “How did you know I didn’t earn the money?” The father replied, “It is easy to lose or spend money that is not your own.”

At this point, the son realized he wasn’t going to get the business unless he actually earned the $10,000. He wanted the business, so when his mother offered him money again, he declined her offer. He went out and picked up some odd jobs. His jobs required him to get up early and stay up late, but he worked and worked until he finally earned $10,000. Proudly, he walked into his father and presented him with the money. Like before, his father was sitting by the fire reading a book. Again the father took the money and threw it in the fire. As the money hit the flames, the son dove to the floor and risking burns and pain stuck his hands into the fire and pulled out the $10,000. The father looked his son in the eyes and said, “I see you really did earn the money this time.”

Many parents make the mistake of provided damaging financial assistance to their children. Their motives are usually good. They want to help their children get started in life or assist when a financial need rises. Unfortunately, the result is often opposite to the one desired. Instead of helping children become self sufficient, they become dependant. Rather than sparking initiative and discipline, the children become idle and indulgent. Instead of being achievement oriented they become entitlement oriented, ungrateful and demanding. “Children who always get what they want will want as long as they live.” Research has shown that “in general, the more dollars adult children receive [from their parents] the fewer they accumulate, while those who are given fewer dollars accumulate more.” How can we make sure our children grow up with the earning mentality rather than the entitlement mentality?

While starting my first business, I often relied on one of my business partners and mentors, who was a multimillionaire, for advice. My business was growing but struggled to turn a profit. I continued to work hard but things were getting tougher and tougher for me financially. I went to my rich partner and asked for a loan to help me get by until the business was profitable. He declined to give me any assistance. I was a little frustrated and said, “You are making millions a year and I am struggling to stay alive. Please help me.” He looked at me and I could tell he wanted to help me. He was close to giving in to my plea when he replied, “If I take away your struggle, I will also take away your victory.” He then shared the following story.

“There was a young boy who came across a caterpillar hanging in a cocoon. He went to see the cocoon several times each day waiting for the butterfly to emerge. After a few days, the young boy began to see the cocoon move as a butterfly struggled to come out. The boy a little impatient and wanting to help ran home and got a pair of scissors. He returned and carefully cut open the cocoon and out fell a partially developed butterfly. This caterpillar would never fly. The young boy innocently killed the butterfly he was trying to help.” At the time, I didn’t find this advice helpful, but today I am grateful to a wise partner and mentor who resisted the temptation to cut open my cocoon and take away the struggle of life while starting a business.

One of the best ways to create an earning mentality in our children is to teach them how to work. Work helps get rid of the idea that one is entitled or has the right to something. I have identified 3 important factors that help teach children good work ethics. Parents need to look for opportunities to assign or create chores and work for children that have the following characteristics:

1. Purpose

The job assigned must have real life purpose. As a child, there was a large vacant plot of land behind my house that was very proficient in growing weeds. Dad sectioned off the plot and gave each child a section. The instruction was simply to keep the weeds down by pulling the weeds by hand. I can remember hating this job because it was always hot and dusty and the weeds grew fast and tall. I finally asked my dad why we had to keep the weeds down. Dad then explained that it was to make sure the weeds don’t spread into the yard and garden so the grass will be soft to play on and the garden will grow lots of good food to eat. This explanation gave my sweat and pains a purpose that I was willing to work for. I still didn’t like weeding my section but, now understanding the purpose of the job, I had motivation to make sure my plot was free of weeds.

Sometimes as parents we give chores that simply have the purpose of keeping our children busy. These chores are probably better than letting children sit in front of the TV or play video games all day. However, jobs with real life purpose, once accomplished, will ignite a feeling of true accomplishment and contribution to a collective or greater good. The feelings of purpose and accomplishment are feelings everyone desire. It is wise to use these feelings to fuel future assignments with purpose.

2. Consistency

Parents need to be consistent in assigning chores. If making the bed is an important skill or chore you want your child to learn or accomplish then you as the parent must be consistent is giving the assignment everyday and just as consistent in following up and making sure the job is done and done well. If you are as consistent in assigning a chore and just as consistent in following up and helping the child accomplish the chore then the child will progressively and consistently accomplish the chore alone.

The job that teaches good work ethics is one that is on a consistent schedule. Punctuality is important in the work place and in life. It wasn’t until I got a job my first job out side of the home that I realized the importance of consistency. While in Junior High I worked at a local grocery store where I was required to be at work on time. I’ve found that those who had jobs outside of the home while still in high school have a stronger work ethic than those who did not. Having noticed this trend leads me to believe that teaching a child to work is not simply teaching them how to do a few jobs but it’s teaching a way of life.

3. Perseverance

One of the hardest parts of life is to continue to do something when it is no longer fun or when it never was fun to begin with. The world would teach our children that such uncomfort or pain should not be tolerated. The world would go as far as to teach that if pain is felt then what ever is causing the pain is bad and should be avoided. It is on the contrary that good work ethics are learned. It is important to teach our youth to continually work past the point of comfort. Not many reach this point regularly, but it is here that character is permanently built. Learning good work ethics takes persevering through the uncomfort and beyond the pain of work.

Right out of High school I worked at a lumber mill in Idaho. My job was to stack lumber as it came off the saw. This was the most physically demanding job I’ve ever had. At the end of every day I was physically drained from being baked in the saw mill from the summer sun and from keeping up with the mill as it relentlessly kicked out lumber to be stacked. It was just a miserable job. I remember asking myself during one of my short breaks if this job was worth the pain. The thought and answer came back that “It wouldn’t be called work if it wasn’t work!” Well, that didn’t really help me feel better but it did help me understand that not all work is fun.

Business owner and church leader, Spencer W. Kimball said “I remember some years ago, a young man and his wife and little children moved to our Arizona community. As we got acquainted with them, he told me of the rigorous youth he had spent as he grew up. He’d had to get up at five and six o’clock in the morning and go out and deliver papers. He’d had to work on the farm and he’d had to do many things that were still rankling (irritation/resentment) in his soul. Then he concluded with this statement: ‘My boys are never going to have to do that.’ And we saw his boys grow up and you couldn’t get them to do anything. They [sluff] off their church activities and nothing seemed very important to them.”

If you protect your children from struggle and responsibility, you will also prevent them from growing. Help you child learn how to work and earn by assigning work that has real purpose, consistency, and requires perseverance. Good work ethic and the earning mentality cannot be purchased with money but are developed through experience, responsibility and education. The Entitlement mentality is a form of bondage for it is simply living off of others —for if you take from a person his responsibility to care for himself you also take from him the opportunity to be free. Do not simply give your kids money, give them education and opportunity and teach them how to work. It costs a lot less and will develop the productive, self sufficient children you desire.

The decision to bring a pet into your home for you and your family should not be taken lightly. A pet will become a member of your family and not just a fixture in your home. Pets are not meant to come and go, but to remain as part of your home for years to come. Unfortunately for some, pets are disposable items that will be moved if they are an inconvenience. This should be avoided since unstable homes can make unstable pets.

A checklist for pet care can be an essential tool when you first bring home your new pet. For many people, a new pet is their first experience at being a full-time pet parent, and for those this list will be most useful. Preparing yourself, your home, and your pet for those first few months in a new environment will make the change go gracefully and help everyone adjust easily.

1. The first thing you want to be sure of is that your pet has all of their vaccinations up to date. It is important that your new pet is protected from such outside irritants as fleas, tics, ringworm, or many other ailments such as distemper or rabies. The health of your pet is one of the most important aspects of ongoing care. Wellness exams each year are important for your pet. A veterinarian will perform a thorough exam on your pet looking at such things as their vital signs, ears, eyes, mouth, the heart and lungs, as well as the reproductive organs and their skin. This step is a very important preventative measure for your pet each year.

2. Getting your home ready for your new pet can be a big task, but one that is essential for the big day that your new friend comes home. If it is a small caged animal, a small space that is quiet is fine for them to be used to their surroundings. You will not want to take your new friend out just yet, but let them get used to the sounds and smells of their new home before you start introducing them outside of their immediate surroundings. If it is a larger, self-sufficient animal such as a cat or dog, you will want to make sure that they have their own space, a blanket or pet bed for retreating to, out of the way in case they are too overwhelmed at the beginning.

3. Regular physical routine is essential for any pet. This is their exercise routine since they are not like us and do activity regularly without the help of us. Larger pets such as dogs must be walked every day, smaller animals like cats, ferrets, guinea pigs, and birds can be trained to play with anyone in the family. Toys such as balls, bells, tubes, or even apparatuses are useful in helping your pet achieve physical activity during the day while you are away or even you interacting with them while they are exploring.

If you follow some simple guidelines, your new pet is sure to adapt to his new family in no time at all. Regular checkups, physical activity and preventative measures can not only make your pet more comfortable, but also extend the life of your pet. A pet is an investment so you will want to be sure to take care of him for the benefit of everyone.

Are both of you crazy? If you both keep up the gender and race issues, you just might as well hold the door open for President McCain as he moves into the White House. I am so disappointed in both of you. I am one of the unheard voices that I expect both of you to be listening to. But you can’t be listening if you are so busy apologizing for your campaigns! Can’t you manage the people around you? Well, if you can’t, how can I trust either of you to manage the White House? I am having immense doubts on this point with both of you.

Maybe it is better that we only have white males to run for this high office because it has become obvious that if you are black or a woman, you can’t stop name calling!

Senator Obama – Ms Ferraro was correct – if you were a white male, you would not be running because you do not have enough experience. And don’t throw that “I had the judgment to be against the war before anyone.” If you were so against the war, why have you voted for every funding bill that the President has asked for? Why did you vote “not present” on 140 votes in the Illinois legislature? Besides being against the war before you were for the war, what exactly have you done? Show me your good judgment because after this last week, I am beginning to doubt that judgment.

Senator Clinton – I am so very disappointed in you. Send President Clinton on a vacation until the convention. He is not doing you any good in the role he has been given. And how could you throw Ms. Ferraro under the bus? Stand up to the people who are managing your campaign and stand up for yourself. Jeri Ferrero paved the way for you and other women just so that you could have the right to be running for the position that you are and you turn your back on her?

Oh, by the way, please make sure you clarify what you have done in your career because I am tired of having to go thru your career for my family and friends. If you want their vote, you tell them what you have done because I believe you have changed our country in many ways but it is not up to me to tell others – that is your job. I have enough problems just keeping my head above water economically right now.

Also, I have the solution for who should be our party nominee. It is not the popular vote or how many states you have won – it is the Electoral College votes that counts. Add the Electoral College votes for every state that each of you have won and use that number.

Most of all I can’t believe that this simple answer has to come from me – who is not getting a paycheck from either of your campaigns.

Good night and good luck!

Bowling balls are always a hot topic. Not only novices but also advanced players every now and then go out of the way to buy a bowling ball. Why? Specific purpose. Not only bowling balls avail to suit a playing style, some bowling balls are best suited for specific conditions such as dry lanes. Reactive balls afford more hooks than a plastic ball, but with a much too dry lane, a hook could lead the ball straight instead to the gutter.

Given that balls can get real expensive and it is quite tricky in selecting the right ball, a good choice must be made. If you’re not careful, the ball may end up unused in the attic for a long time, and that would be nasty. There are dozen of sites that provide excellent bowling balls and here’s a few of them:

http://www.bowling.com
Phone orders: 1.800.441.2695
They offer an outstanding catalog of bowling balls that ranges from $100 to $300. From clear balls to high performance ball, this site is suited to satisfy any bowling need. Check out their featured bowling balls, it is quite a selection. They also offer various bowling equipment and accessories that would interest any avid bowler. Their catalog includes bags, shoes, accessories, clothing, books and videos relating to bowling needs. The cool thing about this site is that they are an authorized retailer of elite PBA balls and bags. Another cool feature of this site is the option to shop items by brand, a real handy option for loyal followers of a certain brand name.

http://www.bowlersparadise.com
Phone orders: 1.888.969.2695
Bowlers Paradise is another huge name in the bowling equipment online retailers and is also an official retailer for PBA. Like Bowling.com, the site has a variety of bowing equipment in their catalog, and they also have the cool option of shopping by brand. Wow, this site offers bowling ball drill service. What a cool option for recreational bowlers who do not currently have their own custom fit ball.

We all have the ability to attract love anywhere and everywhere. We just have to know how!

The secret to attracting love online is…

Knowing! Knowing who we are…Knowing what we want…Knowing where to find what we want!

Do you know who you really are? If not take the time needed to find out before going any further. Once you know who you are, you will need to know what you want. Can you honestly say you know what you want? The majority of the Singles go online without a clue as to who they are looking for.

Once you know the “who” and the “what” then you have to know the “where”.

The secret to attracting love online…is finding exactly where they are. You want to be patient enough to take the time needed to browse, and browse until you find the Singles that fit the specifications of who and what you are looking for.

Begin by browsing the largest online dating sites. I would pick 2 or 3 sites to work with.

You may even want to pick a few of the “specialty” sites. The ones that cater to more specifics based on age, race, religion, etc. You might want to pick 1 or 2 of these sites also.

With all of the online dating sites you decide to use, keep notes. Within your notes, list the site and the User Names of the Singles that catch your attention.

At the end of your free trials, review your notes. You want to join the site/s that has produced the best results for you!

Do you know how to Find, Catch & Keep the love of your life in 7 days? If not, please get your copy of:

For A Limited Time Only – Free Internet Dating Course ($27.00 Value)
http://www.realinternetdating411.com/FreeDatingCourse.html

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates, Psalm 11:3-5.”

Most of us begin dreaming, at a pretty early age, of the kind of life that we’d like to build. We consider the relationships we’d like to have, the house we’d like to own and the car we’d like to drive. We may dream of positions, possessions and accomplishments.

As we grow older, we adopt actual patterns of building. Some people take the pieces that they’re handed, and try, the best they can, to fit them all together. Others are more proactive and selective. They patiently search for just the right building materials, planning carefully, down to the finest detail. It’s doubtful, however that most people give much thought to the foundation that everything will be built upon.

Foundations in a physical building are mostly underground. What can be seen is often unsightly. Unless there are obvious shifts and cracks, the average home owner may pay little attention, other than to paint or conceal them from view.

Structural improvements made to the foundation offer little, in the way of immediate reward. They may seem unworthy of any cost that might be incurred. Time and money are usually devoted to projects bringing more immediate pleasure. It’s much easier to get excited about additions, renovations, or even redecorating projects. Structural integrity in the foundation often goes unnoticed, and is vastly unappreciated until the time comes that it is tested.

When it comes to life, you are not only the “home owner,” but also the contractor. Any wise and conscientious contractor knows how essential the integrity of the foundation is. Improper foundations are sure to crack and give way under the weight of the structure and the pressure of adverse environmental conditions. “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).

There are three essential ingredients to a healthy and purposeful life. They are:

- A God-centered sense of self-worth
- A God-centered sense of security
- A God centered sense of significance

These three essential ingredients are like the three legs of a stool. If one is shortened or removed, everything else becomes unstable. Without them we become needy and begin to grope for people and things to fill the perceived void in our lives.

These three life-pillars are not formed accidentally. They must be shaped intentionally and they can only be done so when there is a solid foundation in place to form them upon. A proper foundation is essential to structural integrity that can support growth.

The Lord loves us so much that He does not want to see us build a magnificent LOOKING life upon a faulty foundation. Our free will allows us to do so if we want to, but God allows tests that are designed to draw our attention towards these structural weaknesses.

It’s better to experience a crack or “cave in” before much of the house is built then for these faults to go unchallenged. Obviously, damages and subsequent costs are directly proportionate to the size and splendor of what is built upon the foundations when pressure is applied.

There is only one immoveable foundation upon which to build our self-worth, security, and significance. This is the basis and foundation of all true relationship.

Jesus Christ is the only unshakable foundation

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.”

This means that Christ is not content being part of our lives. He wants our lives to be completely built upon our faith in Him.

The relationship between Christ and the Bible

1. Christ is the Word of God.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men, John 1:1-4.”

2. The Bible is the perfectly inspired and written Word given for our teaching and instruction.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16.”

The Bible was written by God, through men, as He inspired them by His Spirit. The word “inspired” means “God-breathed.” Through both the Old and the New Testaments, God breathed His anointed inspiration into chosen writers in order to reveal Himself to man. He has protected the integrity of His Holy Scriptures and they are the infallible and authoritative rule of faith and conduct that we are to build our lives upon. God honors and magnifies His Word, even above His name (Psalm 138:2).

Through the Old Testament, God concealed the mysteries that He would reveal, through Christ, in the new. When the Old Testament is read and understood through the revelation of the new, it becomes a wonderful, and unified compilation containing many “types and shadows” of the coming life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Word made flesh. Through His life, He personified God’s will to man through the Scriptures. As we approach God through humble and child-like faith, the Spirit of God unites with the written Word to reveal the person of Christ to our hearts. His illumination eradicates any seeming inaccuracies or contradictions that we may perceive as we try to understand the infinite God through fallen and finite minds.

Men often make God’s Word ineffective in their own lives through their proud approach to God and their adherence to their traditional way of doing things. God’s Word, however will never return to Him void, but will always ultimately accomplish the purpose for which He sent it. Heaven and earth will eventually pass away, but not one letter of God’s Word will fail. (Psalm 138:2, Isaiah 55:11; Matthew 5:18; 24:35; Mark 7:13; John 1:14; 2 Timothy 3:15, 17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).

3. The foundations of our life will be tested to determine if they are built upon the Word.

“Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, Hebrews 12:26-28.”

“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times, Psalm 12:6.”

4. We are the furnace of earth. When we place our faith in God’s grace by asking Christ to live in our hearts, the Word of God comes inside us. Then He leads on a journey designed to test, remove and replace our faulty foundations.

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great, Luke 6:46-49.”

5. Notice in the above passage that hearing the Word is not enough. We must recognize the Word as our final authority for life and practice. We must demonstrate our faith in the Word by building our lives upon it!

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does, James 1:22-25.”

6. Many believers focus more one the issues of life (projects, programs, causes) while the enemy subtly seeks to erode our foundation. This is not a new tactic and we should not be ignorant of his ways.

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil, Genesis 3:1-5.”

Here are some common lies that the enemy uses to erode the foundations of God’s Word from our lives:

- Humanism (You will be like God.)
- Liberalism (There are no absolutes. God’s Word cannot be taken literally. Absolute morality is intolerant and its discipline is abusive.)
- Situational ethics (Right and wrong are determined by current circumstances and by the conscience of society.)

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, 2 Timothy 3:1-4!”

These three things are constant in life:

1. The Word of God is an unshakable foundation
2. Everything else in life can be shaken
3. The storms of life will prove what our lives are really built upon

Here are some things that you can do to strengthen your foundations so that your life becomes “storm-proof.”

1. “Hide” the Word in your heart on a consistent and regular basis. The Word is pre-programmed to produce Christ’s image and likeness through our lives when we take care to plant it in the right soil each day.

We may not always feel the immediate benefit at the time that we are reading it. The Word however is like a seed that will sprout under the inspiration of the Spirit at the exact moment that we need it.

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You, Psalm 119:11!”

2. Tend the soil of your heart.

“The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred, Mark 4:14-20.”

- Some are distracted from hearing the Word
- Some give up during tough times
- Some are lured through cares or through pleasures
- Some are faithful to maintain an environment conducive to growth

Our diligence to maintain the right heart determines whether the conditions are right for God’s Word to grow within us.

3. Rely upon the wisdom and strength of God’s Word to pass life’s tests. Stand upon it to fight against distraction, persecution, anxiety and lust. Each test that you pass will strengthen your foundation.

4. Exercise your faith in God’s Word daily. Strength always comes through exercise. Don’t wait for the storms of life to come to you. Challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone. Identify your fears and weakness and face them head on. The more pressure that you put on your spiritual enemies the less pressure they will be able to place on you!

The law of attraction tells us that you bring into your life that which you put your attention on. The secret to life is to put your attention on what serves you and take your attention away from what does not serve you.

Does your spiritual growth come from the television? Does television spew forth spirituality information? We know it uses religion a lot to send its messages but is that the same as spiritual enlightenment? We often create a habit of watching television no matter what it is that we are watching.

We get into a habit of talking bad about others and ourselves and it just seems normal to us. Our environment seems to encourage us to play a role in life that has nothing to do with who we really are. We get feedback daily from the television that encourages us to make decisions that stifle our thinking and therefore our creativity. Our non-conformity conforms to the marketing plans that bombard us daily.

Hey, here’s a novel idea. Don’t turn on the television. It’s just an idea but think about it. The immutable universal law of attraction tells us that we attract into our life that which we put our attention on.

If you watch three to four or more hours of television a day you are putting a lot of attention on whatever it is that you are watching. If you just did this for one day it wouldn’t affect you much, but if you do this every day and maybe a little more on the weekends, then you can begin to see the cumulative effect that this has on the overall input into what you think.

Let’s just take one aspect of television and examine how it influences our lives. Remember these are just words. These are words that we are receiving through our physical sense of hearing with the addition of a visual context that adds emphasis to the overall message.

We are going to look at the national evening news. It doesn’t matter which network you are tuned to because they all say the same things. Every night we are subjected to the lead story, which is the most sensational story of the day. My dictionary defines sensational as: 1. Arousing intense interests 2. Intended to shock, thrill, etc. (Kind of sounds like a carnival show)

Let’s examine this daily input into our thoughts. The commentator has been carefully selected and programmed to create an image of fairness and trust. We are supposed to trust this fair-minded person who is relaying the news of the world to us in an unbiased way. That is the image that they all project to us.

We are lead to believe that they are doing us a great service by reporting to us the information, that puts into summary form, what has happened that particular day that they feel is important to you. Have they ever asked you what is important to you? Or are they trying to tell you what is important to you?

This is how subtle it is and how easy it is to influence collective thinking. Just the mere fact that you are listening to the news means that you are going to be influenced by the news. You may not have had a thought about being sick but the nightly news report tells you there is a national epidemic of the flu going around and, all of a sudden, you begin to wonder if you are going to get the flu. You feel fine but you now have a thought in your head that you might get the flu.

They take a commercial break and the first advertisement is for flu medicine. You didn’t have a thought in your head about being sick just five minutes ago but now you are thinking to yourself that you should probably get some flu medicine tomorrow. You are susceptible to the flu, the nightly news just told you the flu bug is going around and you were fortunate enough to see an advertisement for flu medicine.

The next morning you wake up with a sniffle. You tell yourself, via your thoughts, that you are getting the flu. You go to work and tell a co-worker that you have the flu and will probably miss work in a few days because that is how the flu works on you. Lo and behold, you develop more flu-like symptoms and you become so sick that you can’t go to work for a couple of days.

That’s how subtle it is and that’s how powerful our thoughts and words are. The flu example is bad enough but we are being fed much more sensational news than the flu bug. We are being fed huge doses of fear daily. Morning, noon, and night we are being told, via words on the news that we must live in fear of just about everything that is happening in the world.

We are told to fear the weather, fear earthquakes, fear the flu, fear the poor, fear our enemies, fear our school systems, fear foreigners, fear our food, fear children who commit crimes, fear the environmentalists, fear just about everything. This is the “news” that we subject ourselves to daily.

Now, I am not saying if this is right or wrong. I am only saying that in my observation this is what is so.

One final observation. I will let you answer this yourself since you are the only one who really matters here. Do you believe that the television news is based mostly in fear or in love? What is your answer?

Here’s the kicker question. “Does that serve you?”