Topic: The Audacity of FAITH!

I really needed to read that!
Thanks for sharing, bro.

The road to success is never straight or easy. On it is a curve called failure, some bumps called friends, red lights called enemies, and caution signs called parents and turnings called distractions. But if you have spare tire called determination, an engine called perseverance, a driver called Jesus Christ plus a Road Guide called the Bible, you will make it to a place called success.


Remember that the distance you are destined to cover and the level of success you are meant to achieve will determine the fierceness of the opposition just like that of Joshua in the Bible.


May God help you to get to your Promised Land in Jesus name.


----- Pastor Bimbo Odukoya (www.facebook.com/pastorbimbo)

PERSERVERANCE, PATIENCE, AND PREPAREDNESS

Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham Lincoln. If you want to learn about someone who didnt quit, look no further. Born into poverty Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. The eight elections, twice failed in business and had a nervous breakdown.

He could have quit many times - but he didnt, and because he didnt he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of USA. Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House:


- 1816: HIs family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.

- 1818: His mother died.

- 1831: Failed in business.

- 1832: Ran for state legislature - lost.

- 1833: Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying of his debt.

- 1834: Ran for state legislature again - won.

- 1835: Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died, and his heart was broken.

- 1836: Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.

- 1838: Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - lost.

- 1840: Sought to become elector - lost.

- 1843: Ran for Congress - lost.

- 1846: Ran for Congress again - this time he won - went to Washington and did a good job.

- 1848: Ran for re-election into Congress - lost.

- 1849: Sought the job of land officer in his home state - rejected.

- 1854: Ran for Senate of the United States - lost.

- 1856: Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national convention - got less than 100 votes.

- 1858: Ran for U.S. Senate again - again he lost.

- 1860: Elected president of the United States.

SOME OF HIS FAMOUS AND INSPIRING QUOTES

It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.

I will prepare and some day my chance will come.

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?

I don't think much of a man who is not wiser than he was yesterday.

If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.

If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend.

It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.

No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.

Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.

That some should be rich, shows that others may become rich, and, hence, is just encouragement to industry and enterprise.

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.

There has never been but one question in all civilization-how to keep a few men from saying to many men: You work and earn bread and we will eat it.

Whatever you are, be a good one.

When you have got an elephant by the hind leg, and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run.

Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.

You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

You may deceive all the people part of the time, and part of the people all the time, but not all the people all the time.

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.

The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read.

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?

A house divided against itself cannot stand.

A woman is the only thing I am afraid of that I know will not hurt me.

Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.

When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.

I'm a slow walker, but I never walk back.

Hmm. Quite loaded. Nice guys

calebcj you are really a motivational institution. Keep it up. Nice nice nice

Nice one bro

Originally Posted by calebcj

…Let us run with patience the race that
is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of our faith…
(Hebrews 12:1-2).


God has a unique plan for your life,
different from that of any other living
person. His plans and purposes for
your life are distinct, because He
doesn’t have, has never had, and will
never have a replica of you! You’re the
only “you” that God has and will ever
have. So, take pride in who you are
and in what God is doing in your life;
sing and celebrate your uniqueness.
Sometimes, there’s the temptation to
feel discouraged when others around
you seem to be making more progress
than you. However, such a feeling is
absolutely unnecessary, because you
don’t measure your success with the
success of someone else. Rather, you
measure your success with how much
you’re walking in the will of God for
your life. That someone else is
succeeding doesn’t mean you’re failing,
for God has called us to fulfill different
areas of His vision.


John the Baptist, for example, was
filled with the Holy Spirit while he was
in his mother’s womb and was
described by Jesus as the greatest of all
men born by women (Matthew 11:11).
Yet, his ministry as the forerunner to
the Messiah lasted only six months.
This was God’s purpose for his life, and
he fulfilled it.


Learn to celebrate your uniqueness!
Refuse to compete or compare yourself
with someone else. Focus on your
calling; sing and make melody about
your uniqueness in Christ; work on
outdoing your past and not somebody
else. This consciousness will make your
life full of rest, as you learn to look at
yourself and measure your success
through God’s Word. Hallelujah!
Take advantage of this platform to sing
about your uniqueness today!

----- http://www.christembassy.org/blog/ch...living/?p=1082

When fear knocks on your door send faith to answer, and no one will be there.

Worry is like a rocking chair: it keeps you busy but it never gets you anywhere.

God can take "Plan B" and make it better than "Plan A" ever would have been.

If you want a testimony, you are going to have a test.

Keep praying and watch God turn your mess into a miracle!

Learn to pray more and say less.

Our dependence has to be on God, and God alone.

Faith causes us to step out and say or do what God places in our hearts, but fear causes us to timidly stay under control and domination.

What do you do when disappointment comes? You can either let it press you down or you can use it as a stepping-stone to better things.

My hope is in God who never changes. Nothing is impossible with Him. He is a big God, and I'm believing Him for big things.

God will help us get where we are going, but He can’t drive a parked car.

Take a firm grasp on God’s sovereignty and trust His love even when you don’t understand His purpose.

Faith begins when we say, “I trust You, God.” (Psalm 31:14)

Pray about everything and fear nothing.

Your worst day with Jesus will still be better than your best day was without Him.

When God brings an “unwelcome disturbance” into our lives, He never asks if it is convenient. The Lord expects to be trusted.

Your Future Has No Room For Your Past!

Fear is the greatest enemy of your future.

God wants us to love Him for who He is, not what He can do for us.

Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in your life.

Challenge yourself to never give up. Even if you have days when you’re not very successful, keep believing. I think it makes the devil furious when we keep saying, “I believe that God is working and I am free.”

If I will do what I can do, God will do what I cannot do.

God doesn’t just see where you’re at, He sees where you’re going to be.

Discipline is your friend, not your enemy.

Don't give up! God has not given up on you.

Having faith is not complicated, it is simply leaning on God in trust and confidence.

We don't grow when things are easy; we grow when we face challenges.

Trust requires unanswered questions.

Criticism weakens people. Compliments give them the power to overcome their weaknesses.

We've all got a past, but you can't let the sorrows of your past determine your future.

There is a timing for all things in our lives, and there is safety in being in God’s perfect timing.

You may feel lost and alone, but God knows exactly where you are, and He has a good plan for your life.

We often make the mistake of thinking that if we hurry we will be at our future sooner, but it only causes us to lose the present.

You don’t have to know everything. You know the One who does know—and He’ll tell you when He wants you to know.

Decide today to not let your circumstances control your attitude.

Just because you are in a certain situation right now doesn’t mean you have to stay there for the rest of your life.

God cares about you and is with you all the time, not just when you go to church.

We all will fail in life, but that doesn't mean that you are a failure.


----- Pastor Joyce Meyer (https://www.facebook.com/joycemeyerministries?ref=stream&hc_location=stream )

Human wisdom, brilliance, insight - they are of no help if the LORD is against you.
You can get horses ready for battle, but it is the LORD who gives victory. [Proverbs 21:30-31 GNT]

I feel great going through these piece of motivational quotes and write-ups. Thanks to all contributors.

Great one there,quite motivating and inspiring piece.

When I Was Younger, I Wasn't Aware I
Was Blind - Cobhams Asuquo Gives
Inspiring Speech on the "gift of
blindness"

Song writer/music producer per
excellence Cobhams Asuquo is one man
everyone needs to listen to!
CEO/ Head of Productions of CAMP
(Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions),
he was responsible for Asa's highly
acclaimed international album ASA and
has graced countless artists sleeve credits
as producer and writer.

In this revealing piece, Cobham talks
about his life as a blind man and the
awesome lessons he's learnt being blind.
I’m a dreamer, and fortunately for
me, a lot of things I have dreamt
about in my life have come true. I
believe strongly that one of the
strong elements that fuel my very
strong sense of imagination and my
ability to dream is the gift of
blindness. And I’m going to share
with you, a couple of things that I
have leant and a couple of life
lessons that could be invaluable to
you as well that I have learnt from
Blindness.

So to start with, I will state the
obvious fact that I was born blind.
No one else in my family of six
children is blind. There’s no known
cause. No links. No explanation.
Just the reality that I cannot see
with my eyes.

I was born and raise in the other side of
the military barracks. I lived in a small
block of 18 two bedroom flats. I shared a
flat with my two parents, my three
siblings and whatever stray pet came out
way at a time. As well as my father’s
Honda Roadmaster 180 Motorcycle,
which slept in the living room with me
and my siblings for fear that one of its
mirrors might be stolen by morning
In my neighborhood there were always
something to look forward to. My
mornings were characterized by news of
whose pumping machine had been stolen
by morning or squabbles between
neighbours over who had eaten their
chicken. Actually some people try to
resolve the chicken situation by tying to
attach a piece of red things on their
chicken legs. I don’t know how well it
works…

Now, blindness does not have any
physical, psychological or social
meaning. Since I’ve never experienced
sight, I wasn’t aware that I was without
sight. And so, I indulged in the innocence
of young boyhood. I ran downstairs,
jumped over gutters, played hard. Fought
even harder. And got into any imaginable
trouble that a Skinny young child could
get into.

On a number of Occasions, I ran into
walls. Ran into people. Ran into
furniture’s so hard that that observers
will shake their head and say in Pidgin
English:
‘Person wey we dey feel sorry for, e no
dey feel sorry for himself.’

Of course my response to such a rebuke
was to scurry off and catch up with my
friends and hide whatever stray bruises I
had sustained away from my mother’s
disapproving eyes.

Initially, scoffed at other people’s well
meaning concern and pity, because I do
not understand what the force was all
about. As I grew older and I gained more
understanding of the intricacies of living
as a sightless person in a world designed
for sighted people, I was faced with the
looming possibility of failure in my life.
But what I actually considered to be
much worse was people were ready to
excuse my failure because of my
disability. Which brings me to my first
lesson.

Do not Excuse Failure, for
any reason on any account

When I turned 10, I was enrolled in a
Primary Boarding School for the Blind.
Fast forward to graduation day, teachers
and other well wishers were giving us
advice on going into the outside world.
We were forwarned that we would come
across people who be genuinely mean to
us. People will snatch away our guide
canes, pull out our typewriter ribbons,
not give us the correct change, and
generally just take advantage of us
because we are blind.

And from my experience, and I’m sure
most of you must have discovered, not
all public opinion is correct opinion.
So, I personally decided that I didn’t
want to want to worry myself about
Guide Cane Snatchers, Ribbon Type
writer thieves, and the likes. I decided
not to take that advice. I don’t know if it
was conscious, but decided to just trust. I
figured that there was so many
unfortunate things in life that has
happened to you regardless of whether
or not you were blind. So, why should I
heap on an extra burden of worry on
myself just because I’m blind.

This is my second lesson,
and it’s a tough one, to
Trust.

I have learnt this from blindness to trust.
Sometimes, even when I have no reason
to.
Now, as a child I was quite a Kid to have
fun with and play little pranks on. My
older brother taught me how to jump
over open street gutters so anytime I was
walking with friends and they inform me
that we were approaching a gutter, I
would jump – No questions asked.

Pretty soon, I discovered that my friends
were telling me to jump even when there
were no gutters. Just so they could have
a laugh. But even after I found out, I still
continued to jump. I chose to trust them
because quite honestly, staying out of the
smelly sewage gutters was very very
important to me.

Now some people might ask. Can’t a
person be too trusting? But I think trust
has no expiration date.

Blindness has
taught me to keep trusting. To keep
hoping. To keep believing. And by the
way in case you haven’t heard,
technology came along, thankfully. And
not only did it take the rhythms from the
typewriter, it also took away the
typewriters themselves and replaced
them with computers and screen readers.

And as for my guide cane story, I’ve yet
to meet one friend of mine whose had
their white canes snatched from them.
As a matter of fact, at some point I got
too desperate and I went ahead in my
first year in the University to buy myself
a Mercedes Benz Wagon. It broke down
on the first day I bought it. And I
remember my friend, we were trying to
change the tire, and anyone who called
me I will say, you know what, I’m having
a little car trouble. And thankfully, we
can afford better cars and I have a
faithful driver, and he’s under the
watchful eyes of my wife. So no guide
cane ‘stealers’ and all of that.

Be blind to be focused

Now some time ago, my wife and I, we
walked into a duty free shop at an
Airport. We wanted to buy a bottle of
water. Before I knew it, she had stopped
by to browse through a magazine, had
picked up a book… seemingly normal
actions for her but I found it quite
alarming.

Now, here we were. We went in to buy
an item but ended up browsing for other
stuffs. And that was when it hit me.
Sight, sometimes, is a distraction. Now, I
have to say that when my wife goes
shopping, no matter how good her
intentions are to purchase only the items
on her list, she somehow manages to
come home with extras.

Good Deals! She will like to call them.
She knows a lot about good deals, and
sales and half sales. And I have to say
my wife is a fantastic wonderful woman.

Now don’t get me wrong, sight is a
precious gift. But on your way to your
destination, what you see, can also be a
big distraction from your goal. So, I have
learnt that you have to be blind in order
to be focused. Focus is blindness in a
sense. Im sure you can relate to this
because you have been focused on your
goal and attained your successes by being
blind to several things in your life.

Now, we live in a culture that esteems
sight over blindness. And associates
blindness with weakness. Yet, blindness
in all of its weakness, I have drawn some
key strength in my life’s journey.

When I love the veil of childhood
innocence, the brutal reality of blindness
stared me in the face. Self pity, and
failure loomed over my shoulder. Some,
I’m sure would have excused me if I
became a failure. But I found it more
fulfilling to break away from the
expectations of mediocrity. To
successfully navigate and negotiate my
way through life. Even if it ruffled the
feather of those who genuinely cared
about me.