Seven Elements for Realizing our Dreams
February 15th, 2007 | Michael Pink
There are seven elements related to faith that I believe we need to examine if we want to grow in faith. Over the next few weeks, I will be developing these elements and looking for your feedback. (I get a lot of help from your comments and if you are not checking in on the blog to see what others have posted, you are missing out.)
The 7th element is the RESULT we are looking for. Most results are the product of HABITS (#6) or consistency or perseverance. Habits, of course, are the product of individual ACTIONS (#5). The 4th element consists of our WORDS. When we speak, not only do we steer our actions, but we also affect our HEART (#3) where our feelings and emotions reside. Our heart is fed by our THOUGHTS (#2) which are dominated by our INPUT (#1), what we allow in through the eye gate, ear gate, etc.
So what do we allow in? What do we read? Who do we listen to? What do we watch? All these things affect the results we are after. If you don’t like your results, look behind you. There’s a trail of choices that ultimately lead back to the input we allowed or the input we didn’t choose, but should have.
Don’t get on a guilt trip. Simply recognize where you are and how you got there and begin making better choices about your input. It will take some time, but good input will stimulate good thoughts that cook down to faith in the heart. Out of the abundance of your faith filled heart will come words, actions and habits that produce the desired results. It’s not complicated. I think we too often want quick results, miracles, etc because we are too immature as saints to learn obedience by the things we suffer and we fail to become “sons” who bear the Father’s heart, work where He’s working and co-create with Him.
To be continued…
P.S. I have two events to tell you about. I am speaking at the BusinessLeadershipSchool hosted by Strategic Christian Services and my mentor Dennis Peacocke in Santa Rosa, CA Feb 22 – 24. See www.scsbusiness.org for details.
On that same weekend in San Antonio, TX is another great conference geared towards folks who want their own family business operated online. Some remarkable speakers with phenomenal success stories and how-to applications will be there as well. See http://pink.familye-biz.com for details.
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February 15th, 2007 at 7:04 am
I’m in the mortgage business and am listening to a series from an industry expert named Jim McMann. He made a statement that is interesting and applicable to our discussion on faith.
paraphrasing…”Somewhere are the age of 3 each of us had the revelation that the sky was blue and we never doubted it again, each of our parents believed that we could walk and never put us back in the crib and said it’s useless…”
The point that he was making was that there are certain truths that once grasped should become fact in our lives.
I was recently watching an Anthony Hopkins movie “The Edge” and after being stalked by a man eating grizzly and faced with kill or be killed he made the statement that “what one man can do another can do”. He used this to dispel doubt, disbelief and insecurity.
Scripture has much to say about who we are in Christ, who God is and what His promises are for us and for those who are against us. It also has much to say about those who have submitted themselves, in faith in God not themselves, to God.
But faith does require action. It requires us to believe in our minds and hearts that despite the outward visable “facts” that God is in control, we are more than conquers, no weapon formed against us will prosper and that God is the Alpha and Omega.
Dwell on that. Before time began God knew that you would give your life to Him, that you would contiue to sin and that you would be facing the exact circumstances today that you face. Yet, he still chose to die for you and to invite you into fellowship with him. He even knows the outcome of your deciisions today, both good and bad.
Be blessed and let your faith groe.
February 16th, 2007 at 5:13 am
…and co-create with Him.
co-create or re-create?
February 16th, 2007 at 8:53 am
7 steps, are the same as Creflo 8 steps (he added character between habits and results). Who is the source? You, him or a third party, who?
February 16th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Creflor A. Dollar, google creflo, overflow, destiny.
February 16th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Thank you for your post, Michael. It brought to mind the following: “Thoughts are the threads that bind us to deeds. Deeds are the ropes that bind us to habits. Habits are the chains that bind us to destiny.”
- inspiration inscribed on the West Wall at the palace in Maygassa
February 16th, 2007 at 9:27 am
Hahaha It didn’t like the quotation marks!
February 16th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Hi Raul… By co-create I meant that when we create things, we do so with God’s help and in His will.
February 16th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Hey Phil… I have not read Creflo’s 8 steps. I have read about the character thing between habits and results but that was not synchronous to my point. There are lots of things that could be added but what I wrote is simply an understanding of what is easily discernable if you think about it. You could come up with this yourself if you simply thought about where thoughts come from and what happens when they are processed. Blessings my brother.
February 17th, 2007 at 1:00 am
I enjoyed the steps provided; From the blog comments, I derived that revelation of the truth of Truths is evidence of unity, not plagiarism. To quote C.S. Lewis on this issue, as friendship should not be competitive:
For this reason Lewis sees Friendship as the least jealous of all loves. Two friends are more than happy to be joined by a third, if of course the third is %u201Cqualified%u201D (shares the same interest on which the friendship is based) to become a real friend. When an additional friend is added, the love isn%u2019t divided at all; indeed it is multiplied. In this way Lewis sees Friendship as having a strong resemblance to heaven. According to Lewis, in heaven all the blessed look upon God and see Him in their own unique way; they see special facets of Him that no other can see! Certainly then the community of the blessed communicate their own unique vision of God to the others, making the heavenly experience all the more wonderful; we may recall Isaiah%u2019s vision of haven
where all of the blessed cry %u201CHoly, Holy, Holy%u201D to one another. %u201CThe more we share the heavenly bread among us the more we all shall have.%u201D
Blessings my Bro’.
February 17th, 2007 at 1:54 am
Thanks Randall for your excellent commentary. I especially liked how you began your comment because that is exactly what I thought (only better articulated). Thanks!
February 17th, 2007 at 8:09 am
I couldn’t agree more. When I was a baby Christian I was amazed by the truths that God was revealing to me through scripture and Christian literature. It surprised me, and somewhat saddened me when others weren’t as amazed at these truths. Often it was because they had already been given revelation of these by God though scripture or others.
I found that I was often given revelation of real biblical truth through incorrect intrepretation of a particular scripture. Upon further analysis, including Bible College and seminary, I realized that I had arrived at a correct truth through an incorrect avenue. But God shows grace.
He’s less concerned about how we arrive at truth as long as we arrive at it and apply it.
Now, I’m excited when others arrive at a truth. Their eyes have been opened to an aspect of the glory of God. If it’s an aspect that I’m aware of then it’s exciting to see how they arrived there. If it’s an aspect that I’m not aware of, or not fully walking in then I’m even more excited since my eyes have just been opened farther.
Yes, we cannot create anything that hasn’t already been created, but we can build with Christ or attempt to build without him. God may still allow us to build and take credit for it, but he was still involved in the sense that he allowed it.
If we studied all Christian, and other religious and worldly writing, we would most likely find the truths of faith in many similar forms.
There are many biblical truths that are being discovered all of the times. God may or may not be given credit. But truth is truth.
I have heard these steps of faith from several different speakers, and none of the Creflo Dollar. I wonder where Creflo got them. Most likely all have there root in God and a college Psych 101 class.
What amazes me about many of the posts is that thye seem to not be looking for what they can learn and apply out of these, but they seem to be looking for what is wrong and attempt to tear down.
Sorry about the length.
February 17th, 2007 at 9:14 am
I have been working on controlling my thoughts since I realize that is really what determines which way I will respond, in faith or in fear, doubt . If I allow my mind and I do mean allow my mind to accept the negatives of why I can’t do this, and why I am not farther along in where I believe I should be then I will become discouraged, depressed and waste hours or days feeling sorry for myself. I am consciencely paying attention to what I think. If I start getting off of the I can do all things through Christ path, more than conqueror, greater is he that is in me path. My Path is going to follow what I feed on, what I think on, what actions I allow, and what I have to say about how things are going in my day, and
February 17th, 2007 at 9:16 am
utlitmately to what kind of results will I get. I am going for the Victory in Jesus.
February 18th, 2007 at 2:50 am
Thanks Larry and Sereda for weighin in. Your contribution is always welcome and substantive. Blessings.
March 5th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Creflo’s 8 Steps listed in the Destination Overflow chapter are a direct rip-off from Casey Treat’s book “Renewing the Mind: The Foundation of Your Success.” Even in the same exact order (p127 & 128). I appreciate the content but I’m pretty bothered that Creflo didn’t give props to Casey. It is obvious these aren’t just similar ideas- these are in order, nearly word for word from Casey’s book.