(Be blessed by this DWOD for March 04, 2014 by guest contributor Sam Williamson)

AVOIDING THE PAIN OF REGRET

Last week I heard an old quote: There are two types of pain you will go through in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.

I asked myself what “tons of regret” weigh on me. So I made a list, bulleting every substantive regret I could remember. I listed words I’ve spoken, decisions I’ve made, actions I’ve taken, and relationships I’ve harmed (or not formed).

It took less than an hour to fill two pages. I regret never doing this before. (There’s another one for the list).

Then I examined my list for underlying themes. What triggered each regretted action? Why had I said “X” inappropriately (or not said something needed)? Why did I act as I had? What were the common causes?

The ache of regret arises when the pain of our action is paired with the painful disclosure of our self-deception. For some reason, we bowed in fear before Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, and we now stand alone in the furnace of an ugly self-revelation.

My deepest regrets are relational. Oh sure, I also made bad business decisions that cost money or prestige; but years later, that money or prestige matters little compared with the agony of relational hurts:

• I never addressed a serious distress in my family when I was in High School.
• I was silent about harmful practices in a large prayer group that I belonged to.
• My marriage experienced deep adversity because of my passivity.

The biggest mistakes of my life would have been avoided—at least minimized—had I practiced the discipline of being real. I regret it. I bet your regrets have the same root. I wish that I had shared openly in my family, in that prayer group, and in my marriage. I regret not being real.

I don’t mean uncontrolled gushing of emotions. I mean disclosing my beliefs, questions, doubts, affirmations, and disagreements. I mean open expression; no more hiddenness.

I could have prevented terrible pain to my wife and kids; I could have protected dozens, maybe hundreds, of people in that prayer group; I could have forestalled relational shallowness with a sibling…

If I had only been real. But I cowardly kept quiet. And I regret it.

I no longer wish to live with such regrets. This life without regret will take courage, a bit of self-disclosure, a sense of what’s happening in our own hearts, and a leap of faith; the leap that knows the pain of being real today is better than the pain of regret tomorrow.

Let’s jump. Shall we?

(Raised as the son of a pastor, Sam Williamson has served overseas in missions and operated a successful software company in Ann Arbor, Michigan, before leaving the business world to speak and write. This abridged post is from his blog: http://beliefsoftheheart.com)

(Be blessed by this DWOD for March 03, 2014 by guest contributor, Lance Wallnau)

Jesus said He is like a man “going to a far country, who left his house and GAVE AUTHORITY to his servants, and to EACH HIS work…” (Mark 13:34)

It is YOUR work and no one else can do it. It’s the devil’s business to stop you—if he can. He is good at his job—be equally good at yours.

Satan will seek to hinder you. The more dangerous your call, the higher the rank of demonic opposition. But you can exasperate him. You can embarrass the demon assigned to you.

AUTHORIZE ANGELS

Put your authority to work and you AUTHORIZE ANGELS. Lay your heartache before the Lord, but don’t stop there. Set your angels up for a good fight. What’s that? A fight they can win. (Give them something to talk about later when you meet them…lol!) It’s a fight of faith because it starts out as a fight over your faith…

ENDURE THE CONTRADICTION

The book of Hebrews says of Jesus, “He endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself.” Powerful. During the period of contradiction, Hell will assault you with slander, torment you with false accusations, set you to work defending yourself, employ pious persons to repeat rumours about you, even hire editors and journalists to assail you.

When God’s work seems slow, Hell will give a worldly offer, an open door. A fast-track to a better life.

You may have Pilate and Herod, Ananias and Caiaphas all combined against you, with Judas standing by jingling a better offer in his pocket. All he had to do was agree with your enemies….and you have many.

And you wonder “Why are all these things happening?”

Can you not see that the whole thing is brought about through the cunning of the devil? Don’t you see it’s a trap designed to draw you off from your work? A snare to discourage your confidence?

CLICK YOUR HEELS, DOROTHY!

USE THE AUTHORITY given to you to get things done. Stop looking for miracle money and unrealistic big breaks and the next prophetic word, dream or conference. Don’t look for the “sure” thing. Seek wisdom.

Stop wasting time, caught up in chasing other people’s rabbits. Get away from “empty talkers” and find the “doers.”

Do YOUR work. Cultivate YOUR garden. Work YOUR field. See to it that the devil does not distract you from fulfilling the work God has given you.

WISDOM IS PROFITABLE

God didn’t call you to sweat over making money, either. That’s the wrong part of your field to always focus on. Heaven called you to something higher than that in your business. Think of Abraham. Sharpen your sword. Wisdom is a spirit as well as a gift, did you know that?

Put Wisdom to work and this spirit will go forth and get you the wisdom you lack! Wisdom attracts wisdom. When wisdom shows up “Wisdom is PROFITABLE to direct.” Wisdom generates profits.

YOU MAY BE assaulted, insulted, slandered, wounded and rejected. You may be chased by foes, abused by strangers, forsaken by friends, rejected of men…

But it will all work to your advantage if you make it your life mission to say: “I HAVE FINISHED THE WORK WHICH YOU HAVE GIVEN ME TO DO.”

Why? It’s like the old success author once said: “EVERY ADVERSITY CARRIES WITHIN IT THE SEED OF AN EQUIVALENT OR GREATER BENEFIT OF SUCCESS!” That’s a powerful statement. You can convert the currency of any attack into an equal currency of promotion. How? Make it deepen your “life message.” Even your sins and failures can work to your advantage when they produce wisdom and pathos. (That is especially maddening to the devil)

Handle the contradiction correctly and your battle will make you an Oracle!

You are no plastic Christian with a pasted-on smile and disingenuous handshake or hug. You carry a supernatural voltage and it ‘hums.’

(Dr. Lance Wallnau is a world-class trainer and consultant whose students span the globe. From bestselling authors, pastors, and billion dollar CEO‘s, he has helped to transform the lives of thousands. Please check out his resources at www.lancelearning.com)