–adjective
1. constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything: a diligent workman.
2. done or pursued with persevering attention; painstaking: a diligent search of the files.

The diligent man is free to work;
a lazy man must have constant oversight.
Proverbs 12:24

The Diligent

• Become leaders.
  Proverbs 12:24 – The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
• Obtain wealth and prosper.
  Proverbs 13:4 – The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
• Have a definite purpose and objective.
  2 Peter 1:10 – Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
• Work even when it is inconvenient, in order to reap the reward.
  2 Chronicles 15:7 – But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!
• Will be successful and stand before kings.
  Proverbs 22:29 – Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Everything yields to diligence.
-Antiphanes

The Opposite of Diligence? Laziness

Just as diligence has its reward, laziness has its consequences and includes the following definitive characteristics.

The lazy man:

• Has trouble starting his work.
  Proverbs 14:23 – In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
• Has trouble finishing his work.
  Proverbs 12:27 – The slothful will not roast his game; but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
  Proverbs 20:4 – The sluggard does not plow in autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
• Makes an idol out of leisure.
  Proverbs 21:17 – Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
• Is undisciplined in his sleep.
  Proverbs 20:13 – Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes and have plenty.
• Is prone to making excuses.
  Proverbs 22:13 – The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!”
• Is restless with unsatisfied desires.
  Proverbs 13:4 – The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
  Proverbs 21:25 – The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
• Is wise in his own eyes.
  Proverbs 26:16 – A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.

Few people understand protocol, yet it is one of the most powerful relational principles that can impact your life. Protocol is what allows ACCESS to you. No one has an inherent right into your life.

When you open the gate and allow someone into your life, you are inviting his or her influence, his or her possible request or demand, and perhaps his or her instruction.

Every person you allow into your life will have an affect upon it, but not every relationship will be a positive one.

It is important that you establish a standard of protocol for your personal community. The information you share is being broadcast throughout the community, so it is important that you are very careful what you share. It is also important that you monitor your community for those who qualify to STAY in your community.

Access is first a reward, then a continual test.

Remember, not everyone has a right to be in your life. If you determine someone no longer warrants access, close the gate.

Access authorizes a person to assess your true value.

Access is a two-way street. While you should carefully monitor what you allow into your life, remember that others will be doing the same with the access they have granted to you.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

Access is a gift, not a right.

You must monitor the line of respect and familiarity. If a person crosses that line you must either push back or eliminate the gift of access.

I recently had someone boldly rebuke something that I had posted. My statement was not just an opinion but also a scriptural principle. This person’s exclamation points and abrasive words were incredibly out of line. (His sloppy misspellings didn’t help his case either.) After attempting to reason with him, I realized he was not looking for wisdom but for a fight. I simply unfriended him. No more access. Gate closed. Problem solved.

The restoration of access must follow protocol.

If a person offends you it is important that you honor the system of forgiveness; however, most people are flippant when extending forgiveness. They simply say, “Well, I must forgive.” Forgiveness should also follow a process of protocol.

A former employee who had stolen from me called me out of the blue, apparently thinking a trivial phone call would gain my forgiveness of his trespass. When I answered the phone he said, “Neil, I am in the hotel lobby and I have a few things I need to say.” He was expecting me to drop my schedule and grant him immediate access. That wasn’t going to happen.

I replied, “No, you do not have access to me. You need to practice protocol. Write me a formal letter expressing your request and I will read and reply in kind.”

When this gentleman wrote the letter, I was able to reply with a complete release of his debt to me. Few people understand this level of protocol but it is vital to operating in true forgiveness.

So, as you enlarge your community, realize that access is a gate that must be opened and closed. For a Biblical example of allowing and restricting access, study the chapter of John 10, where Jesus said, “I am the gate.”

You could almost hear the ticking, the countdown before the eruption of uncontrollable outrage. John attempted to suppress it but it just kept building and growing until the sweat on his forehead, the clenched jaw, and his narrowing eyes foretold the upcoming explosion.

John’s anger had caused damage to personal possessions, started fights with strangers, and broken relationships with loved ones. Society, with all of its checks and balances, began to resist his reputation of rage. Family members began to isolate themselves from his temper tantrums. His sudden outbursts had caused so much pain they simply didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

John’s coworkers no longer made excuses for his outbursts. His tenure on jobs became more and more short term. Once he was considered a high producer, but now his increasingly volatile temper was causing his productivity to plummet. He even began to blame potential customers for his inability to make the sale on their “ignorance.”

John’s face began to reflect his anger. His eyes had yellowed. His mouth turned in a constant frown. His brow wrinkled with forceful intensity. He was no longer a young man fighting for a better future; he was an embittered, old man frustrated with his life.

Anger is usually caused by unmet expectations. You see it commonly displayed in the checkout line of the local grocery store. Children burst out in childish rage, hoping to get the attention of their distracted parents. They want something, and they want it now.

Unfortunately, a lot of men never grow out of the tactic of clenched fists and stomping feet. As adults, their intimidation no longer works, and their anger boils.

“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV

Do not allow the day to pass without ridding yourself of anger.

Going to sleep while angry can cause delusions. Our nemesis will use anger to get a foothold on us through unchecked emotion. Anger digs deep into the soul of a man. It can draw out buried emotion from years past in an instant. It is very important that we distinguish the different types of anger, and extinguish the harmful emotions it brings.

THE FOUR FACES OF ANGER

• RAGE is an anger that causes us to flurry about with over-expressed gestures, clenched jaws, and boisterous words, even calling down curses. This kind of anger typically comes from frustrated expectations. Expressing rage causes people around us to stare in disbelief, confusion or embarrassment.
• FURY is a stronger type of rage. This destructive form of rage often leads to a depraved mind and delusional violence. Fury is motivated by evil. Fury often results in physical harm to others, sometimes even in murder.
• INDIGNATION is a righteous anger caused by witnessing or experiencing injustice, shame, or evil done to innocence. It is the correct use of the emotion of anger. Indignation motivates us to protect and risk our lives for the cause of others.
• WRATH is the godliest form of anger. It is an anger that responds to evil with pure judgment. Wrath is what causes men to correct a wrong and to rid the earth of evil.

Some men have been taught to sequester their anger, to be stoic in their emotions; yet anger does have a role to play in our lives, if our motivations are pure and our response is disciplined.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20 NIV

Many of our problems with anger arise from a lack of communication. We fail to listen and then fail to express what is causing this pent up frustration. Our inability to communicate becomes a weakness to express our emotions.

Paul explains this “frustration” in Romans 8 when he talks about the frustration of birth pains that the earth is suffering. Out of its inability to communicate the earth quakes, trembles and suffers violence. It is awaiting its redemption from decay, longing for the “sons of God” to be revealed.

In the same way, we ourselves groan inwardly when we see the world with its “unmet expectations.” Frustration builds, and our weakness is revealed. We do not know what to say or how to respond.

Paul says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” This is a holy frustration. It is a frustration that causes us to pray for God’s purpose to be revealed upon the earth.

As men, we must realize that the help of the Holy Spirit can correct our lack of communication. It is only then that we can actually see the will of God work “all things for the good.”

Getting involved in the process of establishing God’s will on the earth, especially into our own lives, our families, and careers will allow us to properly direct those things that frustrate us.   We will properly manage those frustrations, actually understanding that it may just be a holy frustration, prompting us to pray.

So, the next time that you find yourself building up anger, ask the Holy Spirit to help you in your weakness to pray to the perfect will of God so that His purpose can be fulfilled upon the earth.

“It Always Looks Darkest Just Before It’s Totally Black.” – Charlie Brown

The interviews of Charlie Sheen are bizarre to say the least.  His incoherent thoughts ramble out of his cigarette infected throat – thoughts glorifying his narcissistic self, his romps with whores, his drug trips as performances – all the while pushing back on his father for judging him, attacking those who paid him $1.8 million dollars an episode for being able to read a script!

The problem with Charlie is simply this:  He is a boy that never received an education, never had a day of discipline in his life and never actually had to work (unless you call acting work.) So now as a man he is exposed to the extremes of wealth, fame, and sin, having been divorced three times and paying enormous sums of money for sex.

The amazing thing is that he is living the life that is promoted in every men’s magazine, and grunted out of every half-baked adolescent male.  This is what happens to men who live without purpose and according to the original intent of manhood.  They chase the extremes in their meaningless life – “eat, drink, for tomorrow we die.”

The media vultures hover around his decaying persona waiting for his demise, hoping for the interview to be timed just right to be his last interview.  They are complicit in his stupidity.  They are equally insane to think that he deserves the time, while the world is in turmoil and on the verge of collapse.

Manhood is more than this.  Manhood is noble, dignified, honorable, respectful, and disciplined.  Manhood needs a resurrection in our time.

Self-knowledge has always been the key to preparing for competition. Knowledge of your attributes, abilities, interests, strengths, weaknesses, and traits is essential to riding the front end of the wave of change into the new century. To fully assess your own talents, realize that studies confirm that what we love and do well as children continues as our latent or manifest talent as adults.

Examination of your weekend or evening interests might reveal a gem of potential you can apply to your vocation. I strongly suggest you don’t unthinkingly relegate what you love to do for yourself solely to hobbies. You might make it, or at least integrate it into your life’s work.

The acquisition of knowledge, which is the new global power, is a life-long experience, not a collection of facts or skills. Not long ago, what you learned in school was largely all you needed to learn to secure a career. With knowledge expanding exponentially, this is no longer true. Hundreds of scientific papers are published daily.

Every thirty seconds, some new technological company produces yet another innovation. Your formal education has a very short shelf life. Life-long learning, once a luxury for the few, has become absolutely vital to continued success. Continue gaining expertise and avoid thinking like an expert.

Action Idea

An excellent benchmarking exercise is to spend a weekend with key associates or family members and dust off your childhood memories. Remember what you really enjoyed and wanted to do most as a child. The next activity in assessing your interests is considering your current ones. What do you most enjoy after work? What do you most want to do on weekends and vacations? What are your hobbies? Can you bring more of what you enjoy into your business life?

Action Step

Increase Your Reading, Writing and Vocabulary Proficiency.
One of the most important qualities of successful leaders is an ability to express thoughts and knowledge. Research by management and human resource experts confirms that no matter what the field of employment, people with large vocabularies – those able to speak clearly and concisely, using simple as well as descriptive words – are best at accomplishing their goals. Well chosen, carefully considered words can close the sale, negotiate the raise, enhance relationships, and change destinies.

In a world of email, instant messaging, voice mail, sound bites, concise reports, business plans, and meeting briefs, the individuals who can articulate their goals, substantiate their claims, and support their visions, will own the future. In the 21st Century, literacy will be the major difference between the haves and have-nots.

Why do fewer than 10 percent of the public buy and read nonfiction books? One reason is that many would rather get home than get ahead. They are motivated to get by and get pulled along by the company, the economy, or the government.

Another reason is that many individuals believe that information found in books, computer programs, and training sessions has no value in the business world. How self-deluding!

As the new tools of digital productivity continues to expand exponentially, the people who know how to control the new technologies will acquire power, while those who thought that education ends with the diploma are destined for low-paying, low-satisfaction jobs. In almost the blink of an eye, our society has passed from the industrial age to the knowledge era.

Increase your reading by 100 percent. Decrease your television watching, and that of any children in your family by 50 percent. Surf the Internet and subscribe to book summaries, or download free chapters from different sources. By reading book summaries, you can gain the essence of all the top business books in a very brief period of time.

Action Idea

Read at least one book each month, and listen to at least one additional audio book or education series during commute or down time.

Knowledge is the new power. And literacy is the door to knowledge.

Reproduced with permission from Denis Waitley’s Weekly Ezine. To subscribe to Denis Waitley’s Weekly Ezine, go to www.deniswaitley.com.

2011 Boren Mentoring Honoree and 2010 National Big Brother of the Year

“I can do that by myself!” was my familiar exclamation when I was growing up. I always believed that asking for and getting help was a sign of weakness. I didn’t know how wrong I was. I have learned over the course of my life that being pig-headed about not seeking help made whatever task I have faced harder.

Of course, it is understandable that I would insist that I did not need anyone’s help because, as a child, I had an abundance of help. I grew up with several mentors including my older brother, my uncle and my teachers. Because they were there for me, I was confident that I was capable of doing things myself even when I wasn’t really doing them alone. Although I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, they were there all along, providing me the support and encouragement I needed.

More than nine years ago, I was matched with 7-year-old Victor Ornelas as his mentor in Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Tulsa. Victor had no adult male role models in his life. He was growing up in a neighborhood rife with poverty and violence. He had just been diagnosed with a learning disability and had been held back in school. His future did not look bright.

Once I got to know Victor, I quickly discovered that he was quite intelligent and capable of succeeding. My task as a mentor was to help him recognize and nurture those talents that were there all along.

Over the past nine years, his transformation has been remarkable. Victor has graduated first in his elementary school class, been admitted to highly competitive middle school and high school programs, been recruited by Duke University and has taken high school courses one year ahead of the normal curriculum.

As a 10th-grader, Victor is enrolled in Algebra II, Chemistry and the International Baccalaureate program. Despite his reading disability, he has read such challenging books as “Catch 22” and “Catcher in the Rye.” Regardless of what challenges he faces, I have encouraged Victor that he can do anything if he applies himself – and he has.

Victor now plans to be the first in his family to attend and graduate from college. Although many of his peers have taken to gangs, dropped out of school and fathered children out of wedlock, Victor has focused on working hard in school and being a loving son to his mother. When we began our relationship, Victor was painfully shy. Today he is outgoing and confident. He even relishes public speaking.

Mentoring matters; and I’ve seen its transformative power in Victor’s life. When I was a kid and declared “I can do that by myself,” I was just displaying immaturity. In reality, I did not do it by myself; and being a mentor means a child will not have to either. It takes no special qualifications to be mentor: just being there and caring. To learn more about mentoring opportunities in your community, log on to www.okmentors.org or call (405) 410-1523.

About The Author

University of Tulsa Professor Arthur Rasher will be honored Jan. 25 as the recipient of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence’s 2011 David and Molly Boren Mentoring Award, which recognizes an outstanding Oklahoma mentor. In 2010, Rasher was named National Big Brother of the Year by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America.

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Additional Resources

• January is National Mentoring Month.
• MENTOR
  For more than a decade, MENTOR has been leading the effort to connect America’s young people with caring adult mentors. MENTOR is an advocate for the expansion of mentoring and a resource for mentors and mentoring initiatives nationwide.
• America’s Promise—The Alliance For Youth
  The mission of America’s Promise is to mobilize people from all walks of life to build the character and competence of our nation’s youth by fulfilling five promises: ongoing relationships with caring adults, safe places with structured activities, a healthy start, marketable skills, and opportunities to give back.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
  Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) works closely with parents to match every child with the right Big Brother or Big Sister. Each potential mentor is screened, trained, and supervised to ensure that the relationship will be safe and rewarding for everyone involved. Today, BBBS serves hundreds of thousands of children in 5,000 communities across the country.

Dear Dave,

I’ll be starting college next fall. Is it okay to take out student loans if you have no other income to live on while you’re in school?

Mandy

Dear Mandy,

Wait a second! What do you mean you don’t have any other source of income to live on while you’re in school? Didn’t anyone ever teach you about a little thing called work? I worked 40 to 60 hours a week all through college, and I still graduated in four years. Nowadays, many people would call that child abuse. It’s absurd!

Don’t try to box me into a corner with the ridiculous notion that you have to take out student loans to go to college. You do not! Did you know that only 57 percent of people who start college actually graduate? That means 43 percent don’t. And guess what they have? Student loan debt and no degree!

Here’s what I want you to do. First, apply for every college scholarship you can find. Next, get a job! You may even have to take a couple of part-time jobs, but so what? Once you’re there, live in the dorm and eat dorm food, too. It won’t kill you. And a state college, where you can get in-state tuition, is always a good idea. If there’s one close by you can save even more money by living at home.

Is a college education important? Sure, it is. It’s a great thing, and I recommend going to college. But is student loan debt a necessary part of getting a degree and achieving success in life? Absolutely not!

— Dave

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Dave’s Thoughts On Pre-nuptial Agreements

Dear Dave,

My fiancé is from a wealthy family. The other day, her father suggested a pre-nuptial agreement. I’m not sure what to think about this. What’s your opinion on pre-nups?

Jeremy

Dear Jeremy,

It sounds like her family values its money more than it values their relationship with you. That could be a problem. If your bride-to-be feels the same way, then you shouldn’t marry her. In most cases there’s just a really bad spirit that goes along with pre-nups. It’s basically planning your divorce in advance. And in most cases, what you set your eyes on is what you’ll end up getting. One of my daughters just got married, and I never even thought of suggesting a pre-nuptial agreement.

There may be one exception to this rule. If you’re fiancé was already wealthy on her own, I might change my answer. Extreme wealth has a tendency to attract a whole lot of weirdness and dishonesty. I’ve even gone so far as to tell my wife to get a pre-nup if I die and she marries again. This is different than just the potential to be wealthy, like your case.

You can still have a wonderful marriage, even if you don’t see eye-to-eye with her family on this. But both of you need to be on the same page and of one mind. That’s why I think it would be a really good idea for you guys to address this before the wedding with a heart-to-heart talk and some pre-marital counseling!

— Dave

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Bogus Real Estate Offers

Dear Dave,

I’ve been seeing a lot of hand-made signs along the road here in Dallas lately. They say “Seeking real estate investor apprentice –$20,000 a month.” It also has a phone number listed. Do you know what this is about? It sounds too good to be true.

Jerry

Dear Jerry,

Of course it’s too good to be true! If someone’s offering a legitimate job making $20,000 a month do you really think they’re going to post it on a hand-made sign next to the road? I think your advertising budget will involve a little more than poster board and a stick if there’s really $20,000 a month involved. Give me a break!

It sounds to me like they’re trying to sell a questionable real estate seminar. A lot of these things are marketed as “real estate boot camps.” The premise is that over the course of a weekend they’ll teach you to buy and sell foreclosure properties. Some of them charge anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000, with the promise that if you follow the “guru” and his advice, then the “guru” will help you by buying the house with you. They’ll furnish the capital! Of course, seldom if ever do they even buy any houses, and if they do it’s the best possible deal that you might not want to share, anyway.

Anything that sounds too good to be true is too good to be true. It’s not any harder than that. Beverly Sills had it right when she said, “There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.” Becoming wealthy isn’t easy. It takes lots of hard work, sacrifice and the willingness to live on less than you make.

Even the Bible talks about this kind of thing. Proverbs 28:20 says, “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.” Remember that, Jerry!

— Dave

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Time To Grow Up!

Dear Dave,

My husband and I have been married for about a year, and in that time we’ve been blessed with several financial gifts from our parents. We keep having this recurring discussion on how to use the money when it’s given to us. I came into the marriage with some debt we’re trying to pay off, but he feels like we should use this gift money like found money and have some fun. What do you think?

Katie

Dear Katie,

Unless the giver has very specific thoughts on how they’d like you to use the money, then it’s really up to you guys. If the giver wanted you to use it for something specific, though, they probably should have said so or just bought you the item in the first place.

Other than that, I think it’s time someone grew up a little bit and realized it’s not a birthday party when this kind of thing happens. It’s simply money that has come into your household—like a paycheck you’d get on the job, in other words. You don’t go out and blow $100 or whatever on toys or other fun just because it was handed to you by mom and dad. That’s how a 10-year-old behaves.

If there’s something you need, and you agree on it together and choose to buy it as a couple, that’s cool. I’ve got no problem with that. But you guys are just starting out, and you’ve got debts to pay. I’m sure he’s a good guy, but it’s time for him to start acting like an adult about this stuff and work with you on getting your financial lives in order!

— Dave

* For more financial help please visit daveramsey.com.

You may have had this happen to you as a boy. Your curiosity and sense of adventure gets you into a mess. Then you get into terrible trouble because you didn’t know that it was wrong, or dumb, or foolish.

A few years ago, I became frustrated at one of my children because they did something so obviously foolish that I couldn’t believe they did it. I wanted to explode in my anger, but the Spirit began to instruct me saying, “Neil, did you ever instruct your child about this? When did you teach them a principle concerning this? Never discipline whom you’ve not discipled.”

I learned that I had a responsibility to teach my children. This is not something that I can pawn off to others and expect the results that I want. I can’t shrug off this duty. Yes, I can employ a school and entrust them to be raised in a church but it is my calling to train them in the way they are to go.

Did you know that Abraham was chosen to be in covenant with God because of his teaching ability? That’s right, God chose him because, “he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised to do.”

God actually assigned His covenant blessing to Abraham because he could be trusted to teach.

Children are insatiable learners. If we as parents do not teach them they will get their wisdom from someone else. Unfortunately, they often will go to the unknowing for knowledge. The knowledge that children learn from the world or from their friends is often the knowledge of good and evil. It can be sinful and wicked. You don’t want to relegate your responsibility to others.

Notice, that Abraham’s teaching would ensure God’s promises. God said, “I will bring about for Abraham what I have promised to do.”

If you want to ensure that your child does not depart from the way of God, you must teach them. Here is the simple, three-step strategy I use to teach:

Precept

A precept is an established authority. It is immovable, eternal, foundational truth. When you read the Word of God, look for precepts. When you start with a precept, your teaching is based upon foundational truth and authority. It isn’t because you say so but because it is established. An example of a precept is, “Do not muzzle the ox while he is treading out the grain.” This is an agrarian and ethical treatment rule to allow an ox to graze while he is working.

Principle

A principle is the universal truth and application of a precept. This principle should direct my behavior, belief system, and conduct. Our example of, “do not muzzle the ox while he is treading out the grain” helps us understand that we should employ ethical treatment of an animal that is under our care or in labor of use.

Practice

Practice is taking the precept, converting it to a principle, and applying it to my life. I may not have an ox, so is this precept irrelevant to me? It would seem not, but in fact, the Apostle Paul used this example to teach that ministers of the gospel should receive their financial salaries from ministering the gospel.

We are created with a deep desire to learn and receive knowledge. We should always be looking to expand our mind, to learn, to think. As men, we don’t want to participate in useless exercises based on theory. We want to know what works. Call it street smarts or common sense, but men want practical, real-life applications. Your children are no different. They need real-world knowledge, too. Your children need to know how to make and invest money. They need to know what to do if the car breaks down or they have an accident.

Practically speaking, I teach my children as we go in life—when we’re driving, playing golf, eating, etc. Don’t try to over-structure your teaching time with them. Do it as you do life together.

When God created Man, he placed within him a deep reservoir of purpose. Flowing within that reservoir is a commodity worth more than gold. It truly is the currency of your life. If you can gain understanding of it, you will never again be concerned about the subsistence level of living – clothes, cars, and cottages. You will be able to focus on what really matters – which is the purpose of your existence as an authentic man.

This is what Jesus referred to when he said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) Most men are in a constant struggle with simply meeting the needs and a few desires of their families. It’s an honorable step. It is also a basic requirement before going further into the purposes that you were created to do. However, don’t stop short. Once you’ve understood this level of achievement, it is time to move on to deeper currents.

The deep waters that Solomon suggests we have as men is an internal counsel which helps us formulate plans. You’ve recognized this counsel before when needing to make a decision and something deep within you whispers wisdom. Don’t let this take you by surprise. Embrace this inner counsel. You are being instructed by something more than your education or experience can provide.

In the book of Genesis, we are told of a river named Pishon that flowed out of the original garden. The name Pishon means increase. Within this river were precious materials like gold and onyx. But these precious items did not just flow into the hands of men, rather men had to dig deep into the river bed to harvest the increase contained within.

Tools for Digging Deep

Look Within

Stop looking outside of yourself to find your purpose. Study 1 Corinthians 2 for an understanding of the secret wisdom that God has for you.

Rid Yourself of Envy

No need to be jealous of what others have. God is a God of abundant resources and He has created you for good works. Ephesians 2:10 says that you are the workmanship of God. This should eliminate any competitive envy or insecurities that you may deal with.

Develop Your Skills

Understand that your potential is buried deep and is only useful if you draw upon it. Potential is unproven skill. Potential doesn’t pay the bills; skill does. Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, “A dull ax means harder work. Being wise (sharpening your skills) will make it easier.”

Use This Reservoir For Personal Advancement

You may currently exchange your labor for an hourly wage or a salary, but until you personally understand how to tap into your real purpose you will never know the incalculable wealth God has placed within you. Draw upon these deep purposes to advance in all areas of your life.

An entrepreneur told me how he had lost a very lucrative patent due to failed legal diligence on his part. Rather than whine and complain about how he was wronged, he isolated himself on the shore of Mobile Bay and prayed, asking God for a new idea. He spent a considerable amount of time digging deep into his purpose. The idea came like a gusher – exploding out of his spirit. That single idea allowed him to employ hundreds of people with their own businesses and allowed him to deposit seven figures a month into his bank account.

George Washington Carver lifted a hand-full of peanuts into the air and said, “God, Creator of the heavens and earth, reveal unto me the secrets that you’ve housed in the peanut.” Carver went on to discover over 300 economically viable uses of the lowly peanut.

What do you have flowing deep within you? What is your personal currency?

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, leaving 85% of the city under water, many wondered, would the city ever come back? And with their stadium transformed into a makeshift refugee camp, forcing the Saints to play their entire 2005 season on the road, people questioned, would the Saints ever come back?

It takes a special person to turn adversity into success and despair into hope—yet that is exactly what Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees has done—and with the weight of an entire city on his shoulders. Coming Back Stronger is the ultimate comeback story, not only of one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, but also of a city and a team that many had all but given up on. Brees’ inspiring message of hope and encouragement proves that with enough faith, determination, and heart, you can overcome any obstacle life throws your way and not only come back, but come back stronger.

Drew’s new book is now available on Amazon and other stores. (Affiliate link.)

Here also, is a great interview Drew had with ESPN recently to discuss his book. Click here to view on ESPN.