As it is said, the past is a canceled check, you can’t get it back yet so many of us, keep allowing it to keep us from our future. Why?

We are all afraid to unlock that little box that holds our family secrets and issues. All of us. For many years I pretended as if it didn’t exist. But finally I wanted liberation. I was so sick and tired of using my past as an excuse. If I had a nickel for every time I said, “But because of how I was raised, I do things this way.” I would be Oprah rich. The excuses, which are nothing more than the tools that incompetent, people use to keep them bound to the issues that they are defending got old. I realized that it was time to put on a pair of big girl panties and deal with my past.

After all, you cannot conquer what you refuse to confront. If you don’t deal with it, it lingers and festers. It starts to stink and when you have an odor, everyone knows. And usually, no one tells you so you just walk around thinking you are cute yet smelling a hot mess! And I don’t have to tell you, that is not cute or productive.

Bondage is not going to get you closer to the Incredible You. You have to free yourself.

We have all had things happen to us in the past. Big deal. It is over. You cannot change the past. In fact, the past is a canceled check. It is no longer worth anything of substance. Why allow it to keep you from getting to where you want to be? There is no good reason why.

It was years ago. Release it and trust that God will ease the pain in your heart. When you hold onto the issues of the past, you are the one who suffers. The one who wronged you is over it, if they are even aware that they hurt you at all. Let it go and walk into your future.

I love what II Timothy 2:21 says, If a man cleanses himself from the latter [the past], he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. Need I say more?

Seriously though, when you get past what is behind you, you can be used for good things and be an example for others of the goodness of forward motion and thought can be. Dealing with my past brought me to a place of praise. It was my way of helping others to realize that there is a praise on the other side of your past. Life gets better when you let things go. In fact, life becomes Incredible! Your mind is clear and void of confusion and your heart is whole, absent of anger, contempt or defeat. When your mind is clear and your heart whole, Incredibleness is just around the corner and all you have to do is walk toward it.

When I think about the storms of my life, I get excited because they were all catalysts to my destiny! Had it not been for that betrayal, that abuse, that financial downfall, I would not be the Incredible person that I was born to be. I am able, by the grace of God to be excited about the things that I have been through. The trials and tribulations only made me stronger.

Think about Marvin Sapp’s Never Would Have Made it. He can only sing that song and you and I bob our heads and raise our hands in praise, if we let the past go. Think about it. If you are here and you are alive and healthy, you ought to be praising right now. You have already proved that you can make it through other life trials. So get excited that you will come out of the past stronger, wiser and better. So get excited and let it go.

I have decided to PRESS or to Persistently Run Expecting Supernatural Success. A woman in my church, Sheila, shared her testimony with us and said that she realized that in order to make it through, she had to PRESS and she created this amazing acronym. Sheila is amazing and through this acronym she will bless so many lives.

Pressing is moving forward regardless of what is coming your way. It is important that you press persistently. It means that you have decided that you will not give up. You will keep going no matter what comes your way. Running is about action versus standing still and letting this happen to you; running allows you to be proactive to change and stress. Standing still is the sign of completed work, where as running is about the realization that the work is not yet done but deciding that you will embrace the change and embrace it with a supernatural expectation.

Wow, if you are not empowered now, I don’t know what to tell you. Success will be yours when you decide to take action against the problems, trials and tribulations that come your way.

The Incredible You is just over the horizon from the past hurts, failures and strife that is already over. PRESS toward the future, PRESS toward the Incredible You. Don’t you want to meet the Incredible You?

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13,14

If You Understood My Past, You Would Understand My Praise

n/a (Illustrator). Incredible One Enterprises Publications 2008, Paperback, 238 pages, $12.39

I am always disturbed at just how rude Christians can be in the name of advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ. You’ve seen these people I’m sure. They are the ones who are invited to a company party and scold a person for having a beer. They are the ones who at the same party remind everyone that they are a Christian and don’t do the things the rest of them do. Their very presence is annoying at best and when they discover that people do not like them too much, they tell everyone what a martyr they are for Jesus. You might think I am exaggerating here but this happens all too often in many different scenarios in both the workplace and social gatherings. A Christian should live a separate life and not partake in the sins of the world but a Christian should also be a diplomat when it comes to advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ so his or her word might be listened to and respected rather than just shut down.

Let me illustrate this. In Acts 17:21-31 the Apostle Paul in his journeys visits with some folks in Athens on Mar’s Hill (KJV). Paul notices that the people in Athens are very religious and seeking something to believe in. They had on display many items that they worship (or “devotions” as it is referred to in the KJV). And just to cover all bases, they had a devotion to the UNKNOWN GOD. Paul seized this opportunity to share the gospel in verses 22 and 23 (KJV):

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

Take note of how Paul used diplomacy to be a witness. Other translations of the Bible use the word “religious” instead of “superstitious.” Paul gave these people respect and in doing so he was able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.

Being a diplomatic witness does not mean you do the same things others do when they are partaking in illegal, unhealthy, or immoral behavior. It means that you are tactful or use strategy that is considerate of others. The Old Testament is full of stories of those like Joseph who did their best to be tactful with the rulers that were placed over them even though they would not abandon their faith.

Being a diplomatic Christian goes a lot farther than being a rude Christian. Think about it.

Every month we’ll have a free giveaway with our Commenting Party.

What is a Commenting Party?  Glad you asked.

A Commenting Party is simply a one week (7 Days) event each month where if someone like yourself were to leave a comment(s) on a  article listed on our website, TheProsperMagazine.com during the specified time & dates and you’ll be enter in to our drawing to win a free gift from us.  Sounds like a good deal, right?

Basically, you get rewarded for what you already do, commenting on great articles!

Here are the rules:

1. Return to our site between the time & dates of 12:00 a.m. July 19th through 11:59 pm July 25th est.
2. Read any article and leave a comment of at least 2 sentences.
3. The winner will be announced on the comment section of this posted July 26th.
4. Each time you comment your name will be enter into the drawing (i.e. you comment on two articles, you name will be entered in twice which increases your chance of winning)

Number Ones

Michael Jackson. Sony 2003, Audio CD, $5.00

Good Luck!  Happy Commenting!

What do we mean by a flexible Christian? We mean the Christian who can take the waves and winds of life and not break. Life is full of problems and just because you are a Christian it does not mean you will be problem free. Your reaction to the problems when they come is what is going to either defeat you or allow you to keep going. Some Christians get extremely angry and “lose it” with those around them when they are hurting while other Christians will respond to situations through prayer and trust in God. This is also known as the reaction to stressors and different reactions can produce different results. Always having an angry reaction to stress can cause health problems not to mention hurt your relationship with God. The Christian must be flexible in order to weather the storms of this Christian journey.

Few of us have been through the storms weathered by Job in the Old Testament. Job lost his entire family except for his wife and lost all his riches in one day. Most of us lose these over time if it happens to us but he lost pretty much everything all at once. Was he heartbroken? You can be sure of that. Was he full of grief? Yes, absolutely. Did he have sin in his life? If you read the first part of the book of Job you will see God was very pleased with him. Did Job pray for God’s help? Yes he did. Did he see answers right away? No he did not yet God was still working. Job’s response when this tragedy happened was found in Job 1:21 (KJV):

And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Wow! What a reaction. Few of us react that way when life’s storms hit but it should be something we as Christians try to model. And God had a purpose in this and it was to show Satan that Job was strong in his faith even when blessings were removed from him. The whole experience probably made Job stronger too.

One of the great things about being in a church among a group of believers is that many times there will be prayer groups that get together and pray for those they know in need, having a difficult time, or sick. If you are in a church that does not encourage prayer for those suffering you might want to seriously consider changing churches. But let’s just assume you are in a church with an organized prayer program. Typically what happens in these prayer meetings as they are called is a leader will have people share prayer requests and then everyone breaks off an prays. But did you know that if you are not careful, you could be actually be sharing gossip about someone in these meetings? We are told in the Bible not to gossip and not to be busybodies. Be careful how you present prayer requests because they could be gossip.

It’s Okay to Have an Unspoken Request

If making a prayer request would reveal too much embarrassing information about the subject of the prayer then present it to the group as an unspoken request.

Don’t Reveal Personal Information about a Subject

It’s okay to tell everyone that so and so is in the hospital after being in a serious automobile accident and they need prayer. It’s not okay to tell everyone that so-and-so is dealing with a drug or alcohol problem and needs prayer. You will destroy that person who is trying to overcome a bad habit for the better.

Don’t Talk About Your Kids’ Faults

Most every parent is going to have to deal with the rebellious child. It is a helpless feeling and naturally the Christian parent wants help for his or her child through prayer. But all too often we think because we are parents that we can air our dirty laundry about our kids with everyone. Don’t embarrass your children. It does not help to embarrass them.

The church should be a place known to care about people—not embarrass them so much that they never return. Everyone has problems and when you have problems you will certainly want the church to pray for you. But think about how you would feel if you confided in a Christian friend and this same friend gossips about your personal and private problems to everyone in the name of prayer. You wouldn’t like it much would you?