Napoleon Hill said, “No man can afford to express, through words or acts, that which is not in harmony with his own belief, and if he does so he must pay by the loss of his ability to influence others.”

• Do you believe what you say?
• Do you say what you believe?

As followers of Christ we should speak and act out of our faith not our fears. I don’t know how many times I have heard people say, “I know God is in control, but…” or “I know what I need to do, but…” Buts do not get you anywhere except on a couch sitting wondering what could have been. We need to get our BIG BUTS out of the way and stop wasting energy on why things won’t work and start spending our energy on how things can work. When we allow our BIG BUTS to get in the way, we block the path of faith filled belief.

When our lives are not in harmony with our faith there are consequences. However, when our faith is lined up with our words and actions we are in the sweet spot. The way we talk will be the way we live, and the way we live will be the way we talk. Do you live with enthusiasm or excuses?

Here’s how you know…

1) Are You A Reporter Or A Forecaster?

Reporters live by the facts, forecasters live by faith. We are not called to simply report on situations, we are called to believe the impossible. We cannot reflect our situation we need to speak into our situations. When life gets crazy do you find yourself making excuses because of the facts or do you forecast the power of God to show up strong? We are called to emulate God’s character so check this out…

Romans 4:17b (NKJV)

“…God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” 

Do you operate from this faith of place? Do you live by calling the things which do not exist yet as though they did? This means you speak life by forecasting God’s ability to use you to make a difference even in the midst of the storm.

2) Are You Willing To Work?

We do our very best and God does the rest. We are called to partner with God, that means we have a part to play in this thing called life. We are called to do good works, not sit around making excuses. We cannot sit back and think that if something is God’s plan it will just happen without our involvement. Can do things without us? Sure! But, that is not an excuses to sit around doing nothing. God chooses to partner with us and use us to advance His Kingdom on this earth. He has and will always be about working His plans through us His children. We are ambassadors of Christ, not armchair spectators.

2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Do not make excuses and try and take shortcuts in life, stand firm and start doing what God has called you to do without complaining or apathy.

3) Are You A I Can Type Person?

President Ronald Reagan had a sign on his desk that read…

It Can Be Done.

I love that statement. The sign “It CAN Be Done” on his Oval Office desk was Ronald Reagan’s constant reminder that great things, impossible things, were within his grasp. Reagan came into office on the concept of three basic ideas: defeating Communism, cutting taxes, and shrinking the size of government. While he will be celebrated for his leadership and strength in these areas, history will show his greatest achievements to be his rejuvenation of the American spirit, and the cultivation of American pride. I remember when I was growing up there was a popular education system called “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” This was based on the idea just like the president’s sign…There is always a way.

What you believe is what becomes a reality. Your belief is a self-fulfilling prophecy. We don’t see the world as it is, we see the world the way we are. So if you want to see greater things in your life, you have to believe that greater things are possible. You have to have the “How Can I?” type mentality rather than a “Can I?” mentality.