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Understand The Term – Peer Pressure

Age does not matter when it comes to this issue (peer pressure), it affects almost everyone. The effect may be negative or positive, however, it affects virtually everybody either directly or indirectly.

A peer is a person who is the same age or who has the same social status as you, as defined by the seventh edition of the Oxford English Learners’ Dictionary.

The peer group is a group of people of the same social or age status as defined by the same lexicon.

Peer pressure is however viewed based on the afore explanations as the influence exerted by a peer group that encourages individuals to change their behaviors, attitudes, or values, in order to abide by the group’s rules.

As stated above, adolescents are not the only ones facing the issue of peer pressure. Whether you are young or old you’ll still experience peer pressure. This pressure is the influence people around you have on you.

Read and Learn More How Leaders Can Cultivate Patience in an Impatient World ?

These people could be your colleagues at work; they could be your neighbors; they could be your classmates in school as well as your mates in the neighborhood or city.

The special thing about peer pressure is that the individuals within the group always spend time with themselves. They do things together.

Prayers of perseverance – Peer Pressure

Their status is the same. This group of individuals seems to have micro-culture within the range of their influence. This entails that age does not interfere with or stop peer pressure.

You may be 60 years old and still experience peer pressure from your peers.

Its effects are more felt by adolescents because they are still fragile, but in the case of older people, they can make decisions and stand on them no matter what.

Individuals whose age ranges are between 10-19 years are adolescents. These sets of people are experiencing puberty or they have experienced it.

A period where a person grows from childhood to adulthood is known as puberty. During this time, noticeable developmental changes will occur in both girls and boys which in turn affect their psychological and emotional reasoning.

As stated at the beginning of this book, lack of ‘willpower’ in making decisions is one of the noticeable traits in the life of any adolescent. They can’t make a decision and stand by it.

They interact with their friends and peers than those who gave birth to them. This is one of the reasons they become more vulnerable than others who are in another age bracket.

The good thing about adulthood is the ability to think and reason things ahead, adults think thoroughly, make possible decisions, and stand by them.

The case is different for average adolescents; they don’t think ahead, make decisions, and stand by it. The most pressured people by their peers are adolescents.

Prayers of perseverance Self-Confidence

What Self Confidence Means

To me, self-confidence is the ability to discover one’s self, love one’s self, and do things without feeling inferior or stressing yourself about what people will say or think about you.

It is the ability to have respect and love for your own self. It means that an individual does things without feeling nervous or shy – even when he feels nervous or shy, he still does what he has to do nonetheless, he uses willpower to do it.

It is an act of showing courage and boldness even when in the midst of hundreds and thousands of people or when facing some challenges and obstacles.

Read and Learn More Prayers of Perseverance

A lot of people like or love confident individuals. If you’re not confident, you won’t be able to achieve great things, because your shy state will keep you in your shell. You can get things done by being confident.

Note: it is not a bad thing to be shy, but it becomes bad and abnormal when you allow it to stop you from achieving great things in life.

Your parents and siblings will not be pleased. The society is also not left out. You’re not inferior; you can achieve anything you set your heart to.

Prayers of perseverance Self-Confidence – The Reason Why You Are Shy

There are some factors that can lead you to become shy. You may be familiar with those factors and you may not be aware of some. Below are the reasons why you are shy;

1. Inheritance

Yes! Shyness can be inherited. You can inherit it from your mother or your father, in this kind of situation, shyness is hard to overcome because it is in the blood.

However, with constant practice (which this book is going to reveal to you) – if you fall into this category, you’ll overcome timidity.

A mother can be shy and her son or daughter may end up inheriting the shyness from her. Her children may become extremely shy because they are young and very fragile. Read further to discover how to overcome timidity.

2. Rough childhood experience

Though, I inherited shyness from my mother (she is shy) – when I was a kid, the trauma I went through because of my father’s brutality made it worse.

I was so shy and timid that I hardly came out and a few times I do that, I end up messing up. But it is all in the past, I’m now free from the grip of timidity.

Parents should try their best to treat their wards and children fairly because some of them don’t have the ability to handle emotional trauma.

The effects of harsh and abusive words on children are very dangerous and disastrous to their fragile minds. It leaves them frustrated.

3. Peer Pressure

This, right here, is part of the reasons why some people are shy. Some friends are very harsh with their words – when it comes to interacting with each other. It is not everyone that can take harsh words.

In addition, when an individual is not doing well in his endeavors, his friends who are doing great can address him in a very bad manner because of his situation – this also.

This can lead an individual to become shy and have low self-esteem and depression can also set in. Friends are to look out for each other but reverse is the case at times.

4. Lack of good things in life

This is mostly common with people who don’t have much; they become shy when they are not wearing the best shirts or putting on the best shoes.

To come out of their closets will become difficult because they feel like they’d embarrass themselves. Are you in this category? If yes, you can overcome shyness and timidity by pursuing your dreams.

When you pursue your dreams, you’ll not think about what you don’t have, you’ll focus on only having a better future.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, learn one or two things that can benefit you and mankind. My dear, you’re great!

5. Lack of knowledge

At times, if you don’t know what to say in a conversation you may decide to hold back and mind your business, and when asked to drop your own view, you’ll feel embarrassed, because you don’t know anything pertaining to what is being discussed.

Next time you’ll feel ashamed to come there and if it continues this way, you may fall deep into timidity. What are you supposed to do, to avoid this? Read further to discover the secrets.

Prayers of perseverance How To Develop Self-Confidence

Whatever we do in life, we need to be confident because without it, we can’t achieve tangible goals. If you are running from developing self-confidence you are running away from success.

Numerous benefits are derived from being confident; you’ll have more friends, in business, you’ll excel, people will love to do things with you, and the list goes on and on.

It is something you should crave for. Now, let’s check out the tips on how to develop self-confidence and say goodbye to shyness and timidity.

Tip 1: Fake it until you’re perfect

Though no one is perfect, everyone has one or two things they don’t like about themselves (their insecurities) – the above tip is very helpful and it should be seriously considered when it comes to developing self-confidence.

What I meant by fake is that you should keep trying and practicing even when you don’t seem to make progress.

It can only take time, challenge yourself to do that thing you are afraid (shy) to do, go to that event, interact, and talk to people even though, you may be feeling nervous.

In life, people who make things happen are mostly the winners. Those who sit in one corner afraid to make mistakes end up not achieving anything.

Force yourself, you may feel embarrassed because of how you speak, but as you continue you’ll get better and perfect. So, whenever you want to speak in a gathering, you should not hesitate; to speak out – though you may feel nervous.

After evaluating what you want to say, if it is right, go ahead and say it. Don’t ever feel inferior because you are not! You’re a special being and you are courageous.

No one becomes an adult in a day; we all grow to become one. One of the common things about shy and timid people is their inability to dare. So, dare, there is nothing to lose.

Tip 2: Equip yourself with knowledge

Here, I’m not referring to academic works only – it should go beyond that; listen to the news and watch TV programs. Also, read entertainment, sport, politics, travels, gist, etc. on blogs and websites.

In addition, pick a pen and paper and write down the things you’ll love to learn either on the internet, book, or offline – after that, schedule time to learn everything about them one after the other.

If you can follow this advice you’ll not lack anything to say in a conversation, you’ll become an orator and people who knew you before to be shy will be surprised.

The saying “knowledge is power” is very correct – an individual who has knowledge about many things can never be shy, because he knows his worth, he is not inferior.

He is a go-to – people come to him to draw from his well of knowledge. So, instead of worrying about how you look or speak, equip yourself with knowledge as much as you can.

Tip 3: Keep your head up

Do not look down at your feet whenever you are walking on the street, keep your head up. This will help to boost your self-confidence.

If you do the opposite i.e. look down, people will have the impression that you are shy and thereby treat you as such. No matter the urge to look down, do not give in – keep your head up and walk straight.

It may seem difficult at first, but with constant practice, you’ll prevail. Each day, you can start by practicing this for 30 minutes.

Whenever you are walking on the street, dedicate 30 minutes of your time to keeping your head up i.e. you’ll not look down at your feet for 30 minutes.

As time goes on you can increase the duration, until you’ve mastered it. Constant practice and daring to do things are what counts when it comes to developing self-confidence.

Tip 4. Have a positive outlook on life

Don’t be negative about all things, most especially yourself, don’t think or say bad things about yourself. Always remind yourself how awesome you are.

Don’t judge yourself harshly. Because when you do that, you’ll become nervous, sad, shy and depressed. Always see a reason to smile and be happy.

There is power in the tongue, you should be careful what you say about yourself. Always say good things concerning yourself, it will help to boost your self-confidence.

Negative words will only lead you to more frustration, depression, sadness, shyness, timidity, and so on.

5. Engage in exercises

It has been discovered that exercise helps to calm the nervous system, when you exercise – you’ll feel relaxed and comfortable. So find one or two exercises you can engage in daily.

I engaged in pushups and sit-ups exercises and it is very rewarding. Apart from helping you overcome shyness and nervous feelings it also helps you to keep fit, makes you stay healthy and you’ll have a stronger immune system.

You can start by doing 5 press-ups a day and you should keep increasing it daily. When I started out, I started with 5 pushes a day and I kept increasing it.

Now I can do 50 push-ups each day, apart from that I engage in other exercises. But I’m planning to increase it to 100 push-ups each day. But it depends on how your strength can carry you.

6. Be clean

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Try to be clean, wear nice clothing, and spray some nice-smelling perfumes. This will help to boost your self-confidence. You’ll not worry about how you look if you are always clean.

7. Practice how to speak in public

A saying goes thus; “practice makes perfect” It is true, I’m a living witness – anything you dedicate your time to practice all the time will eventually become part of you.

Do you have stage fright? Are you shy or afraid of talking to a girl? The solution to all these is “practice.” Try to make friends with people who are bold and courageous and learn from them.

It is not a must to practice how to speak in a public place when starting out – you can learn how to, from the comfort of your room.

How do you go about this; place your big mirror on the wall, then face it, start talking to it while you look at yourself eyeball to eyeball, and continue like this each day.

If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can spend more time practicing but if you are busy, try, even if it is 10 minutes just do it.

When you finally venture out to speak in public you’ll be amazed to see how well you’d perform. Also, consider making videos of yourself teaching one thing or the other.

When you are comfortable on screen, you’ll be comfortable too in real life. Each day, endeavor to make a video of yourself – make use of the selfie camera.

8. Learn how to control your emotions

Our mind can trick us at times; it will tell us what is not true. Now, with this knowledge, it is up to us to do its bidding or do the opposite.

Control your mind; don’t allow it to control you. Sometimes our mind can trick us into believing that we are inferior, but don’t allow it.

In your mind or you can possibly say it out, always proclaim these words “I’m bold” – you can achieve a lot if you are able to master and control your emotions.

9. Don’t watch porn or masturbate

You may be surprised to see this tip, but don’t be. I’ve heard a lot of stories of people who masturbate; they said that immediately they engage in the act, they will feel inferior, and low self-esteem will set in.

But for some, the narrative is totally different. Do you engage in masturbation? If yes, do you feel inferior whenever you engage in the act? If your answer is yes! Then you should consider quitting the habit.

In my next book, I’ll write on how to quit masturbation addiction. If you’re addicted to watching porn and masturbating, the book will help you to quit the habit in a short time.

10. Join a group

It can be your church group (choir, usher, youth clubs, etc.), or a nongovernmental organization.

Find one group and join – with this; you’ll be opportune to develop your confidence whenever you’re called to deliver a speech on the stage. You can also learn from members of the group.

Prayers of perseverance Self-Confidence Bonus

Extra Tips On How To Develop Self-Confidence

Congratulations on taking action – you’ve successfully conquered shyness and timidity, below are some extra tips on how to develop self-confidence:

1. Read biographies of very successful individuals who were once shy before they conquered it to get motivated.
2. Don’t be too conscious of yourself.
3. Take a deep breath whenever you feel nervous.
4. Don’t harbor bad thoughts, keep your mind clean.
5. Always pray for God’s intervention in your life.
6. Read the Holy Bible (I prefer Proverb) – there are lots of life secrets in the bible that will help you to overcome timidity and be successful in life, generally.
7. Don’t do drugs. Stay away from it.

Prayers of perseverance Self-Confidence Conclusion

We started by laying more emphasis on how to overcome peer pressure, after that, we talked about how to embark on the journey of self-discovery and finally, we talked about developing self-confidence.

It is now clear that we have covered a lot – what is required of you now is to go through all the tips and follow them up with action. Practice the things listed there, for they are those things that saved me from timidity.

To conquer peer or life’s pressure, and timidity and live a successful life- what you need is willpower to make good decisions stand on it no matter what, and take action when necessary.

Growing Outside Of The Box

A lot of us are limited, and we are only limited due to the fact we aren’t seeking the more we actually need.

And I love God so much for this because he will let you fight for something you don’t need until you get to the point that you break down and finally decide to reach out to him because you’re tired.

The only reason I love this is because most of us have to get to a point where we have to see for ourselves that we have no clue what we are doing.

We usually stray away from God because we give him a chance and then when he starts.

We immediately become uncomfortable and so then we panic and immediately say God you know what I got it and God is literally sitting on his throne like and sits back like “ok, Im here if you need me”.

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As much as we would like to think, He doesn’t force the relationship and these things we think God is sending as “a test” or as “punishment for not obeying”, most of the time they are just reactions to us seeking and striving for the wrong things.

“Free will” means “FREE WILL”. He will let everything fall apart until you gather the fact that YOU DO NOT KNOW! We all want to be all-knowing but if we are honest, we have no clue what the heck we are doing.

A lot of us get to places that we think are our best and we get into it still trying to figure out “Why am I not yet satisfied, why am I not yet feeling whole” It’s because we thought we knew.

God’s grace and favor and covering are just so unmatched during these times because he knows we will all go through this moment in our lives.

This is why through every season I went through where I should’ve been locked up, dead, insane, I came out better than the plan the enemy had planned.

This is why there will be no other God before him, because even though we fall so hard he has the proper cushion to where the bones don’t break

But we have a little scar that heals but still remains visible because we need the remembrance of where we came from so that when we get tired and weary.

We have that visual within that scar of where you once were, and the older it gets the more you realize you just came too far to just sit down!

We oftentimes see our family and friends reaping things that we also emulated and to just simplify a lot of this conversation You won’t fit in their box, you won’t grow properly in their box.

Your kids aren’t the same as their kids, your parenting has to be different from theirs because you were given different cards What you felt was your destiny, IS NOT YOUR DESTINY!

Their box will not be able to fit you. Not because you’re bigger but because their measurements and the diameter and the sides do not fit the shape that God created you to be.

I must start growing outside the box! I must stop trying to emulate my bloodline and start creating my own flow!

Remember to pull your head back to eye level because you will never be greater or better than anyone, because you will never possess all the gems of the world, no one will.

Yes, you may have the money, but they might have had a life experience and have more knowledge in an area that you may not have. There always be someone with just a little bit more!

Because truth be told someone is always older, someone will always experience something you did not, it’s just impossible to be top of the world!

Grow outside of the box, ask God for the location and area, and grow. Stop seeking familiar things, and stop trying to recreate and revise old things. Ask God to open your eyes to YOU!

It’s time to step out of the box and become uncomfortable for a while to gain what it is God needs from us!

Say this to yourself daily

“Even though it seems heavy, it’s building muscle, even though it seems tough, it is building stamina. I will be able to take the lesson from the circumstance, I will not be confused again when going through it.

I will gain control of my mind to focus on what’s happening, along with processing what needs to be processed. I will no longer be just functional, but I will be fully effective in my life.

I will rid away the spirit of offense and gain what I can from all situations. And What the enemy meant for evil WILL ALWAYS BE FOR MY GOOD!

Growing Outside Of The Box Instructions

I struggled so badly with not being able to understand the bible, and it being so many versions and interpretations.

I prayed so hard one day that God didn’t allow me to stray away due to misunderstanding, but to gain understanding in the least painful way possible.

One day I was studying the scripture Death and life are in the power of the tongue” And I was saying to myself how do we have the power of life and death and people keep dying so prematurely?

And I don’t know but the theory of Maybe life and death is a state of being opposed to a state of living!

What if speaking life means we will not worry and we will go through life with a healthy mind as opposed to being suicidal and worrying all the time which would be death?

I don’t know but this was just my theory of the scripture and THE ONLY REASON I produced this theory is because of the simple fact that everyone has a death date regardless of what we do and how we go about life we still have a content death date.

So I felt as if the power of the tongue controls a state of being, and little do we know the mind is healthy and able can stop a lot of illnesses due to the way we think and us making better choices! But that’s just my theory.

Now when people ask me about different things in the bible, I quickly ask the question “Have you ever felt offended by the bible, and if so then what area produced your offense”?

Because in my mind I can’t give you my take if you’ve already developed a clear rejection of the bible.

But my overall description of the bible is a clear description of a guide book and once you get the chance to actually read and study.

My only advice would be to pray for the correct interpretation because I also believe there is no one interpretation.

Where everyone lives different lives, and the scriptures can have different meanings for different people.

I honestly do not believe that the bible wasn’t written to control you but it was written to warn! Don’t drink to get drunk.

Don’t have sex before marriage, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt have no other Gods before me, and so on and so forth.

These things are not selfish and are not to control, these things are to warn you.

People love to say all the time when talking about fornication that “marriage doesn’t last either” Yeah because many of y’all have sex before marriage and you don’t fall in love with the person.

Actually, get to see the person for who they are because the satisfaction of the flesh has consumed you both.

Now the sex has gotten old and now you’re both just too busy to have it and then you’ll start to see that there is no real attachment to each other besides the sexual contact!

Now one is trying to force the only connections while the other is becoming increasingly uninterested! Not saying you know I’m so clean because I have 2 kids out of wedlock, so I’ve lived all of this!

Every person I know that waited with their partner to have sex, saw exactly who their partner was before they got married. They see the red flags clearly.

Because there was nothing else there to really attach them to each other, other than true personality.

Yes, the flesh is weak, but you have to have some type of control! It seems controlling because you have no control over your own flesh or self.

This is why you must remain moldable and covered, which is why the church is important because the right church will supply the structure that is needed to stay focused!

When your life has no real structure, then you will have a weak mind! And once your mind becomes weak then everything will follow.

It takes so much effort to begin the cleanup journey, it may even almost seem impossible but once you take that first step, you have to realize this reality, it isn’t that the temptations come on stronger it’s just this time you’re trying to ignore them.

So it seems overwhelming because your flesh is fighting against your mind, and it isn’t the enemy trying to bribe you even more it is truly your flesh not having any type of structure.

We think that once we speak salvation and Go under the water, every type of desire goes away, and God warns us here in Romans 6:12 saying ” Do not let sin therefore reign in your mortal body so that you obey the body lusts”.

God knows how controlling your flesh is, it’s like a child, you have to train that thing up, children don’t listen at first and sometimes you want to give up on them lol because it becomes so overwhelming.

But I’m here to tell you it’s worth keeping on! The flesh is only attracted to what you train it to be attracted to.

Imagine your flesh is like cancer where once it has control over the body just one chemo treatment will not make it go away, just one day of dieting will not make your body get back together.

You have to stay consistent with it all to even have a chance to survive. And sometimes some people do not come back from it because they keep slipping and dibbling.

And dabbling and some don’t catch it quick enough so now your body has things going on that just can’t be wiped away.

THIS IS THE REALITY! THE FLESH IS WEAK, THE FLESH IS WEAK, THE FLESH IS WEAK. Your mind has to be stronger than every part of you The bible tells us in Colossians 3:2 To

Are You A Runner Or Are You A Fighter

Many of us seem to be deterred when trouble arises, like the unnecessary troubles of the world that we feel like nope I’m going to fight to get away opposed to fighting through what comes.

I used to be that person, just running away from every ounce of problem because I just felt I did not have the capacity even to uphold myself during that uncomfortableness while also already dealing with an extremely uncomfortable season.

For me through a lot of seasons, I used to say “God I didn’t like how that made me feel. And I am upset that you even allow that hurt and pain to occur and then I’d play the traumatized victim roll “As you owe me, God, “Like God every time you allow it to come I leave angry and even more bitter”

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And God sat me down in one season and said to me “You prayed these prayers and hate how it has to be received, thinking you know yourself better than the one who created you”.

I sat back like God woah, in that moment I had finally figured out what “God knows best” truly meant. God knows exactly how to open our eyes; he knows what we take seriously and he knows what we will play around with.

Comfortability causes a lot of time and laziness. You don’t fight when you’re locked in comfort, you lay around! The world is truly indecipherable.

No matter how hard we try to make it make sense, there will always be a big or small flaw within the theory.

Which is why the bible speaks about so many things to warn us. Many of us do not get how the bible works due to only having a surface vision as opposed to developing a more In-depth vision.

We run when we do not understand and when we begin to feel the conviction of the running, we become what many may say “attacked” and begin to become blasphemous.

And transgressing because we refuse to understand anything that is within the structure of correctness.

And we then begin to create the idea that they’re wrong and are attacking me for who I am opposed to you actually grasping the concept of being uncomfortable for a while to become better.

Of course, people shouldn’t judge you but there is a huge difference between opening your eyes and being corrected than actual judgment, and becoming closer to God will open your eyes to the difference.

To be completely honest, This is something I had to learn the hard way. Even if it is judgment, I had to sit back to evaluate am I actually wrong.

Because regardless of how the message was packaged, are they actually correct about me? So when we get corrected by someone we dislike or someone says something to us that we take offense to.

We tend to change the issue to the presentation as opposed to what I’m doing improperly, and if we open our bibles more we will know if what they presented to us was from the spirit of preference or if was it biblical!

We focus so much on it being delivered perfectly that we miss the lesson.

YOU HAVE NO CLUE HOW YOU NEED TO BE TAUGHT! YOU JUST KNOW HOW TO BE EMOTIONAL! You know what will satisfy your emotions as opposed to what is effective for you to change! Do you really know you?

But due to us living so offended we did not really want to dig deeper into what was God really trying to tell us. Anyone who has authority over you, FOLLOW DIRECTIONS! Because this will gain favor in their eyes.

The word slave yeah isn’t a term we want to be used, BUT if we are all honest with ourselves; whether you work for yourself or someone else you still must answer someone.

Self-employed people you still must answer clients and the government same with being regularly employed if you follow correct directions favor will always run your way.

Even when it does not come quickly enough it will come. You can’t give up mid-way and want your harvest. The Bible says in Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap.

If we faint not” and be completely honest with yourself, is that you want respect, or is it that you dislike unknown structures and you have control issues?

Because mine was I had serious control issues and most of my control issues stemmed from things happening tragically out of my control.

So are you actually projecting traumatic control onto your life and the people in it? Because there’s a difference between creating imaginary drama between you.

And one person because you aren’t in charge and you dislike the orders they give, as opposed to someone actually doing you wrong. SO again Are you overcoming or are you running?

I had to learn that just because it was not my preference does not mean it is an actual issue. Sometimes what we think we need, is not what we need.

It’s extremely hard to let go and be wrong, it’s extremely hard to start over because we know what we are attached to is not gaining us it only maintains us, and it’s only a placeholder.

Maintaining placeholders isn’t bad, but it’s not the end game, and when you want more you must shake off some things about yourself to get the more you need and desire!

You can’t want better FOR you if you have yet to master a better you. Stop running and learn to push through.

Pressurized Faith Gaining Yourself Introduction

How can you sustain your faith when your life doesn’t seem to be sustained? How can you gain the strength to keep going when you feel as if your tongue has no power? How do you still believe when there is no sight of a foundation?

Pressurized faith

What is Pressurized faith to me? To me, Pressurized Faith is the pressing of your faith, that then turns into an oil of anointing that can’t be reversed.

Many ask me why I chose the word “pressurized” and I just remember one Sunday sitting at my church listening to Pastor Andy speak about the pressure olives must go through to get the oil out of them.

He said there must be a certain type of pressure that must occur for the right consistency of oil, and ever since that day Pressurized faith ran through my head!

It is personal to me and my story because the things that I endured from my childhood having ADHD, to my child having autism and just being put in a position I had never experienced, that alone was something.

I had my own vision of how I wanted my adult life to be and having a child with a disability at the severe level it was, knocked things into a type of perspective I just didn’t want to be in!

I hated the season but the season created a version of me I prayed for. Sometimes we hate what we are enduring not understanding the pressure behind the pressure!

And many say why would God even take you through those things and why do you still choose to participate in that and I say to myself often man ”

WHERE WOULD I BE IF I NEVER WENT THROUGH THE FIRE” I wouldn’t be as effective as I am now if the fire never came!

Where I was at 19-20 having my first child, that part of me could never compare to the person I am at 26 years old.

Pressurized faith is more than just a description, it’s more of a verb that means more than you think.

Decipher

While doing my daily readings I came across and it gave me the list of the works of the flesh so I’m going to place them here for your understanding and I will give brief explanations of each one

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1. Adultery: Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse
2. Fornication: Having unmarried sex
3. Uncleanness: Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander
4. Lasciviousness: Seducing being a flirtatious person in inappropriate manners and spaces.
5. Idolatry: Extreme love or reverence for something or someone.
6. Witchcraft: The practice of magic, especially for evil purposes; the use of spells
7. Hatred: Intense dislike or ill will
8. Variance: A bitterly mean spirit that is so consumed with its own self-interests, and self-ambitions that it would rather split and divide than admit it is wrong or give an inch to an opponent
9. Emulations: trying to imitate others’ success
10. Wrath: Extreme anger
11. Strife: Angry or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues
12. Seditions: Raising strong actions against authority (Sometimes you just have to go with the flow the reaping of this harvest is showing itself every day, Let God handle the battles of the land)
13. Heresies: Belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine
14. Murders: YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. DON’T BE KILLING!!!!
15. Concupiscence: A strong desire and hunger to do evil or be around evil
16. Covetousness: The feeling of having a desire for the thing that other people may have

These are the ones that I saw were so important to see because a lot of us think flesh is sexual, when in fact flesh is more than just sex!!! And a lot of us live doing these things.

We hate secretly, we try to recreate others’ success for our own selves, we sometimes produce a variance, we carry wrath, and we try to teach the government a lesson with how they operate.

We desire others’ lives especially when we are in a space that doesn’t suit the dream that our surrounding society creates. the dream that our surrounding society creates.

12 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” This scripture is SO important when you’re trying to grow.

You can’t just make a decision to give your life over to Christ and not pray some prayers and quote some scriptures.

Earthly water won’t clean your spirit only God and the willingness to change and be different will!

We must overcome, and we must be understanding in order for us to overcome!

I speak healing, sane mind, strength, endurance, stamina, growth, loving heart and mind, and overall FORGIVENESS!

You are covered, you are loved, you are amazing, and you will overcome! This is only a season and seasons all end, every season has a label, but they are not similar. Be uplifted, be open-minded, and be steadfast (firm) within your growth!

I really hope you absolutely enjoyed this read and I hope to come out with more soon!

Life Is Tough

Life can be tough, but you can be tougher. You have probably heard this cliché before. Naturally, everybody wants to have a happy life. Who does not want a happy family, a successful business, or a great job? No one wants to live alone or in poverty all their life.

However, life is never easy!

Everybody wishes to have a good life, but this looks different to everyone. Your friend’s definition of a good life may be different from yours. For one person, a good life may be having all the material things that he wants. For another, it may be living a life without problems.

While every person’s definition of a good life may differ, no one would dismiss the desire for a stress-free life. People would like to have a life devoid of suffering.

Read and Learn More Prayers of Perseverance

Unfortunately, life is not all rosy. It has ups and downs, and the challenges can even prevent you from enjoying life. People work too hard just to give their families a good life.

It can be overwhelming to think about paying the mortgage, sending your kids to school, paying the bills, and putting food on the table, not to mention giving your loved ones all the material things they want.

The point is not to stop working or to lessen your desires but to understand life is full of experiences that should be experienced, not passed by. You fail to enjoy life when you let struggles overpower you.

Reality Check: Life is Difficult.

It is difficult, yes, but you cannot change it if you continue to feel defeated without taking steps to get past the struggles and challenges. The moment people begin to accept and understand that life is hard it becomes less so.

If you want something in life, you have to work for it. You cannot get much without putting some effort into it. Fame and fortune do not land on your lap. Even winning in a lottery needs a little effort: you need to shell out some cash to buy a lotto ticket.

Life may be hard. You have a difficult boss. You may have a challenging job, and your lazy officemates do not help. Maybe you receive too little compensation for your work.

It is difficult. You may have a challenging family life, with difficult kids, a demanding spouse, or meddling in-laws. On top of that, you struggle to pay for the mortgage.

Or maybe you run a business that has encountered some tough times. It makes less money than you expected. You do not have a loyal client base.

When pondering the difficulties in life, the list is endless, but this is not meant to discourage. Enumerating possible life challenges simply serves to show how truly difficult life can be.

How To Cope With Challenges

Accepting that life is hard does not mean you have to give up and be dragged along for the ride. Definitely not! Remember, there are always two versions of a story, two sides of a coin.

On one side, there are the words life is hard, but on the other side, the words say you can make it better!

You Have the Power to Make it Better

Have you heard the saying, “If life hands you lemons, make lemonade?” It is true! One of the beautiful things in life is that you can make your situation better.

Read and Learn More How Leaders Can Cultivate Patience in an Impatient World ?

You may have a hard life but how you respond to the challenges spells the difference.

So, accept that life is hard but also realize you have a responsibility to make it better and the power to make it great.

You can become a good employee, a good spouse, a good parent, a good friend, and a good person in general.

No one can do that except you. You have complete control of what happens and does not happen in your life. You can make things happen, just as you can prevent them from happening if you continue mulling over your hard life.

Your boss, officemates, spouse, children, and friends will not change just because you are having a hard time. If you become a better person, they will take notice, and the people around you will be able to relate more to you, leading to enhanced communication.

Remember, you always have a choice: either continue making your life miserable or make it better! Life is not always fair, but you have the power to turn it around.

When the Going Gets Rough

Accepting the challenges in life troubles many people. You might have heard words like, “I hate my life” or “I wish I had a better life.” It is normal for people to feel that way.

You may have uttered these words yourself. Sometimes, people make their lives more dramatic than they need to be. It has always been simple but people tend to make life overly complicated.

How do you think people with terminal illnesses cope with their lives knowing that anytime they might just go? When you are struggling, first remember that you are not the only one. In short, cut the drama.

Acknowledge The Problem Or Issue.

You have worked hard lately, but you seem not to improve at all. You still struggle from paycheck to paycheck, so you continue to work hard just to provide for the basic needs of the family.

Working too hard eventually takes its toll on your health and you fall ill. Here, you have a decision to make.

You can pretend nothing is wrong and just deal with whatever happens as a result of the illness. Or, you can acknowledge that there is a problem and face it head-on.

Act!

Once you accept the presence of the problem, it is time to act. Do you continue working in the office that causes you enough stress to make you sick? Or should you let go and find a different job?

Think about it. In this technological age, so many opportunities have come up. Take the case of Emma, a single mom with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder that stemmed from the stress of working for a demanding boss.

Although she is a single mother, she made a bold decision to resign from work and begin working at home.

Emma also began taking care of her health. She began consulting with a meditation teacher who taught her how to accept everything. The meditation teacher taught her effective techniques to handle stress and anxiety.

When changes happen in your life, you have to pause and remember that you always have a choice. There are easy and difficult choices, but you are never lacking in options.

Learn to open your eyes and mind to all the possibilities. The answers may be so obvious that you fail to see them as they are presented to you. You may need to see things from a different perspective to make the appropriate choices.

There are no right or wrong choices, only appropriate ones – those appropriate for your situation.

Ask For Help.

Many people struggle to ask for help because they assume it shows weakness. However, you must realize that no one can do it alone.

There are people who hesitate to ask for help because they do not want to bother anyone. When you ask people why they help one another though, they answer along the lines of wanting to help.

People feel good when they can help other people, so do not beat yourself up. Instead, ask for help when you need it.

Some experts say that helping other people can help you achieve true happiness. Plus, asking for help may help the other person even more than it helps you.

Take Responsibility.

There came a point for Emma during the treatment when nothing was happening. She assumed her doctor and therapist were not trying hard enough to help her.

She felt that they did not understand her because they did not listen hard enough. Emma had to struggle with her illness, and she thought the people meant to help her did not help much after all.

That is, until Emma finally realized that doctors and therapists can only do so much. The change must come from within.

She was frightened at first, but she knew she had to face the demons in her mind and be responsible for her own recovery. Hard work was the only way to guarantee a recovery.

Realizing she had to change within herself was all the motivation she needed. While her therapist has been helpful, if Emma did not acknowledge her responsibility for her own body, she would not have overcome her illness.

Change What You Can, And Accept What You Cannot.

Emma made some drastic changes in her life. While she lost her job, she regained her life! She accepted the challenge of changing what she had control of.

She also acknowledged that she could not control everything, meaning sometimes she had to let go. Acceptance is an integral part of overcoming challenges and adversities.

A Look Into The Lives Of People Who Persevered

Before giving you techniques and strategies on how to become successful by sheer perseverance, this chapter presents you with inspiring success stories of people who relied on their inner strength to achieve their dreams.

The people on this list understand how to fail, stand back up, and persevere until reaching success.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs found success at the age of 20 when he started Apple in, of all places, his garage. In as little as 10 years, the company became a $2 billion empire.

Read and Learn More Prayers of Perseverance

However, the company board of directors fire Jobs around the 10-year mark. There he was, age 30 and jobless, fired from his own company!

Instead of succumbing to depression after losing the company he built, he used this time to re-evaluate his life. In an interview later on, he said getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to him.

A man who knew how to persevere soon founded a software company called NeXT. Not too long after, he founded Pixar, the production company that created one of the most popular movies of all time, Finding Nemo.

In a seemingly unexpected twist of fate, NeXT was purchased by Apple. Jobs reunited with his former company, bringing more impact than ever.

He was instrumental in creating the gadgets that have made Apple such a sought-after brand today.

Aside from acknowledging that part of his success was because of his family, he believed that he would not have become successful without being fired from Apple when he was 20 years old.

Thomas Edison

When he was a young boy, Thomas Edison was pulled from school by his parents. His teachers told him that he was, “too stupid to learn anything.”

He was later fired from many jobs, and even when he began inventing, he still failed. Did you know he made 1,000 attempts before he perfected the light bulb, a necessity that people still depend on today?

His famous quote, “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”

Vincent Van Gogh

He is one of the most popular painters but he died not knowing how he would inspire people. Van Gogh surprisingly sold only one painting in his lifetime, and it was a friend of his who bought it.

Yet, this disappointment did not dampen his love for painting, and he went on to finish more than 800 pieces. Today, his paintings are very sought after, with some currently valued up to $142.7 million.

J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling is the author of the famous Harry Potter books and is now said to be the second-richest female entertainer in the world, just behind Oprah Winfrey.

Success did not come easily for Rowling. The first Harry Potter book she wrote back in 1995 was rejected by 12 different publishers. Even Bloomsbury, the publishing house that eventually purchased her manuscript, told her to, “Get a day job.”

While Rowling was writing the first book, her life was not all that rosy. She was in the middle of divorce proceedings, living in a small apartment that she shared with her daughter where they survived day-to-day on government subsidies.

Her mother also passed away around this time from multiple sclerosis.

Those hardships did not hinder the writer from writing one of the most successful books and movies of all time.

She said she turned all the challenges in her life into positive energy. She devoted most of her free time to completing the series and now the brand name continues to make billions of dollars around the world!

Walt Disney

Walt Disney was the man behind the popular Disney Company who also had his share of adversities. He was fired from the Kansas City Star Newspaper for lack of creativity.

Instead of finding another job, he created an animation company called Laugh-O-Gram Films. He used his natural salesmanship skills to raise about $15,000 for the company, but his distributor went out of business, leading to his only company’s dissolution.

He was broke and could not even earn enough money to pay rent and buy decent food. Despite his struggles, he did not let the challenges defeat him.

In an apparent leap of faith, he boarded a train to Hollywood with his last few dollars. He always knew his misfortunes were far from over.

In 1926, Oswald the Rabbit was born, a cartoon character of his own creation. Universal Studios, the cartoon’s distributor, secretly patented the Oswald character.

Universal continued with the character and hired Disney’s own artists away from him. Disney ended up without a cent for the use of his creation.

Distributors rejected his cartoons. When he was about to release the first Mickey Mouse film, he was told that his venture would fail because the mouse would terrify women.

Another classic, The Three Little Pigs was also rejected because distributors wanted more characters. Pinocchio was shut down while in production and Disney was asked to rewrite the entire storyline.

Other classics like Fantasia and Bambi were misunderstood during that time, but these movies have become classics and favorites everywhere.

A classic example of Disney’s perseverance can be seen when he decided to adapt the book Mary Poppins in 1944. The author, Pamela Travers, was not interested in selling her book to Hollywood.

Disney did the unthinkable to win her over. The author was based in England, and to convince her, Disney repeatedly went to visit Travers at her home for the next 16 years!

It took a decade-and-a-half for her to agree to produce the movie, and Mary Poppins is now one of Disney’s timeless classics!

His Disney Company purchased ABC in 1996. ABC was then owned by Kansas City Star, the same newspaper that once fired him for being “uncreative.”

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan has been hailed as the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball. In spite of his giant success, he has been quoted saying, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career.

I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Perseverance Why You Need It

Perseverance is working through a task despite encountering challenges. You do not achieve success overnight, and there are no shortcuts. You have to work for it.

Perseverance is all about pursuing a higher goal. It is developing the ability to effectively deal with adversities and setbacks that you encounter throughout life.

It is a combination of having the proper mindset and good habits, and it means having the endurance to keep making good choices, working hard, staying focused, and learning how to deal with challenges.

However, perseverance is not a miracle worker. It cannot give you success, but you can never reach success without it!

Read and Learn More Prayers of Perseverance

A person who perseveres should be able to set the right goals, have the right mindset, and possess good habits.

Do Not Be A Quitter

The first part of the book explains to you that life is hard. No one has become a success without working for it and dealing with the setbacks that could have hindered their success.

Thus, before you achieve success, you will experience a good number of disappointments and failures. You will feel defeated. Some people give up in the face of failure and stop working for their dreams. They succumb to their disappointments instead of fighting back.

Are you a quitter? For some people, quitting is the easiest way out of their misery. Quitting is giving up the opportunity to grow and develop your character. Setbacks can shape you if you learn how to handle them.

Persevere. Do Not Be A Quitter. Here Are The Reasons Why:

It Is Not Always The End Result That Matters, but rather, what you become when you go through the process of failing, getting up, and eventually succeeding.

You will never know what you are made of until you go through troubling times. You cannot know whether or not you are capable unless you succeed, so you have no excuse to quit.

Success Does Not Usually Happen On The First Try. Unless you practice persistence, you can never achieve success. Look back at the story of Thomas Edison. He had to try 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb.

It is easy to get discouraged at the first sign of failure, but you have to learn to fight back. Try and try until you succeed, right? As cliché as it may be, it is the truth!

Most people lose out on success because they quit after just one failure. You do not have to be that person who quits.

It Is Not As Bad As You Think. Until you cannot get up on your own or you cannot support yourself, your situation is not as bad as you think.

Have you heard of the story of Sylvester Stallone before he became a successful movie star? When his wife left him, he had to sell his dog for $50 in order to pursue his dreams of becoming a big star and screenwriter.

He kept going and hardships did not prevent him from realizing his dreams. He later on found an inspiration to create Rocky, probably his most popular character, and his popularity only soared to greater heights.

Therefore, one failure does not mean you should give up. You may feel beaten because of your current situation, but take comfort in the fact that many people have suffered the way you suffer now.

Think about other people, with situations much worse than yours, who continue to live and reach for their dreams.

What Are Your Thoughts? What are the questions you keep asking? Negative thinking does not help you in any way.

If you keep asking questions like, “Others can, so why can’t I?” or “Why does this have to be so hard?” You may not notice it, but your subconscious also gives a negative answer to those negative questions:

“Simply because you are no good!” or “You are a failure, so you do not deserve it.” If you think negatively, you’ll get negative answers.

Here are the questions you should ask yourself instead: “How can I make things easier?” or “How can I keep on going?” Change your frame of mind, and you change your life.

Remember the Law of Attraction? You attract what you think about, so to attract the good, you have to think only of the good.

When You Quit, you automatically judge yourself. The moment you quit, you tell yourself you cannot do it and that you should give up. Quitting creates an inner conflict that breaks you down.

Every human being has hopes and dreams. If you are not true to them, you can never reach the fulfillment you deserve to feel. You have to practice self-love.

If you quit, you only prove to yourself that you are not worthy. If you cannot believe in yourself first, how do you expect others to?

Pursue your own goals in spite of all the difficulties you encounter. This way, you can prove to yourself that you believe in your own abilities to weather any storm and emerge victorious.

Quitting May Become A Habit. When you get used to quitting and eventually become comfortable compromising on what you want, it might become a habit, which can be hard to break.

You may even stop caring if you get what you want. You might develop beliefs like, “I don’t care if I do not achieve my goals. It does not matter anyway.”

The truth is, what you want does matter! Everybody wants to be happy in life and you can be happy by achieving the hopes and dreams you have for yourself. You cannot completely be fulfilled if you quit.

Quitting should never be an option!

You Are Probably Thinking Of Quitting because you have not sought counsel from a successful person. Seek the advice of someone who had to go through tough challenges but emerged victorious.

If you do not know anyone, the last chapter listed some of the most recognizable people who found success despite struggling early on in their lives.

There Is No Excuse

Successful people move on from failures because they know they deserve to be successful. No amount of setbacks can keep them from getting what they want.

You must persevere because success does not come served on a silver platter!