Do It Afraid

Today, I’d like to talk about courage.

If you want to fulfill your dreams, you’ve got to have courage.

Because what stands in between you and your dreams are your fears.

Read carefully: Your fears can either be a Wall and a Way. 

For many people, fear is a Wall. When they smell fear, they run away. They give up their dreams.

For some people, fear is a Way. It’s a door to a whole new world of abundance and blessing. When they smell fear, they know that abundance is near. All they need to do is walk through the door of their fear. 

Thank God For Fear!

Does being courageous mean not being afraid?

Not at all.

God gave us fear for a purpose. That purpose is to take us out of danger. 

For example, I thank God I’m afraid of snakes. If I see a cobra in front of me, I won’t stand here and say Hi. I won’t go religious and pray in tongues and cast out the spirit of snakeness from the snake. 

You’ll see me running away as fast as I can.

Thank God for fear.

But be careful with fear. Because when fear becomes overwhelming, it’ll control you. When it does, fear won’t only take you away from danger and death and destruction. It’ll take you away from your dreams too.

You’ve heard this many times. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is doing the right thing in the midst of fear. 

When your heart is pounding. When your knees are shaking. When your sweat is dripping. And you do the right thing anyway. That’s courage.

Last week, I defined commitment as “Doing the hard stuff”.

Today, I define courage as “Doing it afraid”.

Unless you do it afraid, you’ll never achieve any success.

Perhaps you’ve failed in your business. Perhaps you’ve been rejected by people. Perhaps you’ve been booted out of your job. So right now, you’re afraid of being rejected again. My word to you? Do it afraid. Trust God and go out and try again. And believe that God has something great in store for you.

Are you single? Perhaps you’ve been hurt by a man before. Perhaps he used you, walked out on you, and chose someone else. Right now, you’re afraid of being hurt all over again. My word to you? Do it afraid. Learn from your mistakes. But trust in God and open your heart to the new person that He will give you.

Once upon a time, there was a woman who “did it afraid”…

How A Woman Saved A Nation

Let me tell you the story of Esther.

Esther was a beautiful Jewish woman who became the wife of the King of Persia.   But Persia had a wicked Prime Minister named Haman who wanted to kill all the Jews. He was like an ancient Hitler who wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth. 

The Jews’ only hope was Esther. She was the only one who could stop the massacre.

Married women might say, “Oh, that’s easy. All she has to do is tell her hubby to throw out the prime minister. Or it’s the couch for him tonight.”

It didn’t work that way 2500 years ago in ancient Persia.   

They had this crazy law: It was a crime against Persian law for anyone to appear before the King uninvited. Even if you’re the queen. Anyone who does so will be executed.

But Esther was a woman of courage. She told the Jews to fast and pray for her. She said, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. If I must die for doing it, I will die. (Esther 4:16)

In fact, this was what almost happened. When the King saw Esther in front of him uninvited, he got very angry. But he took pity on her and asked her to come to him. When Esther told him about Haman’s evil plan, he had Haman executed—and the Jews were saved.

God says to you, Be determined and confident.  Do not be afraid of them. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

What Are You Afraid Of?

       Think about it.

The same person, the King of Persia, could execute her or save her people from annihilation. The King was both the source of her fear and also the source of her freedom.

       Remember my lesson earlier: See your fear as a door. It’s not a Wall, but a Way. Walk through the door of your fear and you’ll walk towards your dreams. Everything that you want in life—happiness, friendship, abundance, blessings—is right after the door of fear.

       Let me say it again.  Esther didn’t get rid of her fear. She just did it afraid. She did the right thing even when she was still afraid.

       But that’s the secret to overcoming fear and achieving great success.  Esther’s love for her people was bigger than her fear. That’s why she faced the King of Persia at the risk of losing her life.

       In the same way, make your love bigger than your fear—and you can do anything. You can reach your dreams.

When your fear is the biggest thing in your life, you get stuck. You don’t grow. You remain there for the rest of your life.

Do you feel as though nothing is happening in your career?   In your spiritual life? In your relationships? Do you feel stuck?

Find something that’s bigger than your fear, and you’ll be able to walk through the door of fear.

What Is Bigger Than Your Fear?

In my preaching ministry, I had to “do it afraid” many times.

       The first time I had to talk to 10,000 people at the Araneta Coliseum, I was afraid.

       I was 16 years old. While waiting for my name to be called, I was literally shaking in my knees. My heart was pounding in my chest so loudly, I wondered if the people beside me were hearing it.  “Uh, excuse me, those bongo drums you’re hearing is just my heart beating.” I was behind the big stage, awed at the massive audience around me. 

I didn’t help that at 16, I looked like a malnourished refugee. I was so thin, if the fan blew in my direction, I had to hold on to something.

I asked myself, “What am I doing here? What was I thinking saying yes to give a talk to this humongous crowd? For crying out loud, I’m 16 years old.  I have nothing to tell them!”

       But I remember what I told myself that day. I said, “I’m here to love them, not impress them. Let them laugh at me. Let them boo me off the stage. It’s okay. I’m here to love them.”

       My name was called. I stepped on stage. I did it afraid and loved them. Before I knew it, my fear was gone.

       The secret to courage? Make your love bigger than your fear. Make your dream bigger than your fear. Make your God bigger than your fear.

       That wasn’t the last time I did it afraid.  There were many more occasions in my preaching ministry.

       The first time I spoke to an international audience (it was in Canada), I did it afraid. 

The first time I gave a talk to a roomful of Executives, I did it afraid.

The first time I gave a talk to roomful of Judges, I did it afraid. (They looked so stern. And none of them were laughing at my jokes! It was like they were, uh, judging me.)

The first time I gave a talk to a roomful of Bishops and Priests, I did it afraid. I asked myself, “What did I know that they didn’t know? Whatever I’ll tell, they already studied about during their 4 years in Philo and 4 years in Theo!”

       But each time, I stepped on stage and told myself, “Yes, I’m afraid. But I’ll love them.”

       Here’s what I noticed. God expanded my ministry to the degree I was willing to “do it afraid”.

       It’s the same with all of life.

       Your life will only grow in direct proportion to your willingness to “do it afraid”.

You can’t even follow God if you won’t do it afraid.

It Takes Guts To Be Good

Courage is the basic ingredient for any virtue.

Without courage, you can’t follow God. 

It takes guts to be good.

Without courage, you can’t be loving, or loyal, or humble, or honest, or committed, or faithful…

Let me give you an analogy. If the different virtues are different flavors of ice cream, courage is the milk in the ice cream.    You can’t have ice cream without milk. It’s in all flavors. In the same way, you can’t have virtue without courage. Courage is in all the virtues.

He Said, “I’ll Do It God’s Way”

       My friend Tom was a Med Rep for a Pharma company. Tom told me that in his province, it was S.O.P. that Med Reps drank with the Doctors and gave them women. 

In fact, his own Boss told him that he wouldn’t succeed in his job if he didn’t drink with the boys and offer girls to his clients.

       Being the rookie in the job, he felt ashamed to decline. Even if in his conscience, he knew it was wrong.

So he went along with the drinking. He’d try to drink only two or three bottles at the most. And while his companions would take their bargirl to a motel, he’d just talk with the bargirl the entire evening.

       But one day, he asked himself. “Am I more concerned about ‘loss of face’ or ‘loss of soul’?” Mustering enough courage, he went to his boss and said, “Sir, I won’t join you and the guys tonight. And I’ve decided I won’t be drinking and offering women to my clients anymore.” His boss was shocked. He asked, “Are you crazy? Why?”

He said, “I’m a Catholic.”

The Boss said, “I’m Catholic too. But this is our job.”

Tom said, “I’m a renewed Catholic. I can’t go against my faith.”

“Mark my words,” he told Tom sternly, “You’ll lose your job.”

       Tom said, “Watch how God will work.”

       The next day, Tom gave Kerygmamagazine to the Doctors. The next day, DidacheBible Guide. The next day,Companion Bible Journal. He also worked doubly hard.

Result? In three months, Tom became the top-selling, top-performing Med Rep in the entire region.

Simple Examples Of Courage

Without courage, you can’t even do something as basic as tithing. It takes courage to give 10% of your income to God each month. And then believe that God will stretch your money to meet your needs. 

When I was earning P10,000 a month, I found it easy to give P1000 a month. But when I started earning P50,000 a month, I had to swallow hard when I put P5000 in my tithe envelope. I wasn’t used to giving P5000! Through the years, I kept tithing—and saw my income go up.

It takes courage to volunteer in a ministry, sacrifice your time—and believe that God will multiply your time.

It takes courage to disciple someone—loving the person until the person grows in his spiritual life.

It takes courage to die for someone.

It takes courage to live for someone…

Love Even If You’re Afraid

       I love telling my favorite story of courage.

When I was 16 years old, I won a trip to Jerusalem from a Bible Quiz on national TV. Not the “Trip to Jerusalem” where kids circle around chairs. (That’s how Filipinos call the game “musical chairs”.) I really won a trip to Israel.

It was the first time I was going to travel, and I was going to travel all by myself for 41 days, visiting 20 cities all over Europe.

Obviously, as a 16 years old backpacker, I was scared and excited at the same time. My mother sewed a hidden pouch on my socks and inserted my dollars there. Because they were very few. Her instructions to me, “Don’t stay in hotels, stay in convents. Don’t eat in restaurants, buy your food and eat on park benches.” 

My first stopover was Athens, Greece.

I sat in the airport, waiting for my flight to Israel, when a somewhat plumpish woman (okay, really plumpish woman) came walking towards me carrying two huge suitcases.

I ran to help out. I said, “Madame, can I help carry your things?”

She didn’t understand a word I said.

I knew a little Spanish, so I asked, “Puedo llevar tus cosas?”

She also didn’t understand.

Being charismatic, I was tempted to speak in tongues. But decided against it. Instead, I used the universal language. 

I held up my hands as though I was carrying two suitcases.

Immediately, she understood. She handed me her suitcases, thinking perhaps I was a porter.

I then moved my hand like it were a plane, made the “whoooo” sound, and said, “Jerusalem.”  

Her face lit up. She did the hand action of a plane, the “whoooo” sound of a plane, and said, “Jerusalem!” We were going to the same place.

We walked to the airline counter. I gave my ticket and the kindly gentleman gave me my boarding pass. I was ready to fly.

It was the woman’s turn. She handed her ticket with a smile. The man read her ticket, shook his head, and said, “I’m sorry Ma’am, this is an invalid ticket. You can’t ride this plane.”

“Lord, What Do You Want Me To Do?”

She couldn’t understand him. 

They had to get a translator, what language I have no idea, to tell her that she had to buy a new ticket if she wanted to fly.

Tearfully, she told them that she had no money. And that this was a stop over for her too, so she was stranded. The man behind the counter raised their hands in surrender, telling her they couldn’t do anything about it.

She picked up her suitcases from me. She walked to a corner of the airport, sat down, and wept loudly.

I watched her from the distance. How could I leave her like this? But what could a 16 year old kid do?

So I prayed, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

I learned that was a very dangerous question to ask. Don’t take it flippantly.

Because in my heart, I felt God tell me, “Buy her a ticket.” It was absolutely nuts! Didn’t He know that my dollars was in my socks?

I walked up to the counter guy and asked, “How much is a ticket to Israel?”   He said, “$256”.

Gulp. 

But I knew in my heart that I had to do it. 

A Miracle Happens

I walked up to the weeping lady. 

Through sign language, I told her I was going to buy her a ticket. (I tapped my back pocket and did my plane hand action again.) She understood me immediately. She literally jumped for joy and hugged me. I disappeared in her embrace.

Gently, I brought her down. I checked for broken bones and found none. We both walked to the counter.

“Sir,” I announced, “I’m buying a plane ticket for this lady.”

The man gasped. He asked, “Do you know her?”

“No, I don’t. I just met her here.”

He shook his head. “Are you rich?”

I smiled. “No. But my Father is rich!”

He didn’t want to sell me a ticket. He called his big boss. In a few minutes, the man marched in and they both argued our situation.

Finally, when our flight was about to go, I thought I heard the big boss sighed in exasperation and said, “Okay. Let the lady fly. But don’t let this stupid guy pay!”

I couldn’t believe it. They were letting her have a free ride. My dollars remained safely in my socks.

Both of us boarded the plane. We even sat beside each other and prayed together.

I was sixteen when this happened.

All through my life, there have been many times when I did it afraid.  I believe it’s the secret to all of my breakthroughs.

My friend, do it afraid.

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

The Magic Sauce Of All Success

I’m a semi-old man today. 

I’m 45. (According to my wife, I’ll always be her young boyfriend forever, but that’s another topic.)  

The older I get, the more I believe that commitment is the magic sauce of all success. It’s the secret ingredient. There can be no success without commitment.

What is commitment?

       Let me throw away complicated and boring definitions. Let me give you my very simple, homespun, easy-to-understand definition: Commitment is doing the hard stuff. 

All success comes from doing the hard stuff.

Why do we have cellphones? Once upon a time, there were no cellphones. We used clunky, heavy landlines. (For those my age: Do you remember we even had partylines? We used to say, “Excuse me partyline, it’s our turn to use the phone.”) 

We have a cellphone today because there was one man by the name of Martin Cooper who committed himself to make it happen. He was an engineer in Motorola, and he sat down in front of thousands of tiny electronic spare parts and told himself, “I’ll make a cellphone. I won’t stop until it’s done.” And he made it. He did the hard stuff.

Sure, it was as huge as a brick. It was as heavy as a brick. And it was as expensive as a gold brick. (The first commercial cellphone was worth P150,000 each.)

The easy stuff you enjoy today—the phone, the car, the computer—exists today because someone did the hard stuff. 

Another example?

We call our prayer meeting a Feast.

Three years ago, there was one Feast.

Today, there are 29 Feasts in 21 locations in Metro Manila and suburbs.  (Many more around the world.) We make it easy for people to find God. But that’s because our army of volunteers do the hard stuff—preparing, practicing, coming early, serving God’s people week after week after week…

Here’s my message: If you want to succeed, you’ve got to do the hard stuff.

I’m not discounting God’s power. In fact, I’m counting on it. Without God, we won’t succeed. But from experience, God’s power works through our commitment.

Daniel Did The Hard Stuff

In the Bible, Daniel was committed to his work. He did the hard stuff.  Because of this, the King wanted to promote him as governor of the entire kingdom.  (When you do the hard stuff, get ready for promotion. And if your boss won’t promote you, don’t worry. God will promote you, if not in your company, then in another company.)

But Daniel had enemies. Some of the King’s other advisors didn’t like him. They said, “What’s this foreigner doing here? Who does he think he is?” Their insecurity fueled their envy. And envy blinded them. They hated him so much, they wanted to kill him.

I want to warn you. When you do the hard stuff, get ready for promotion. But get ready for persecution as well.

Because when you do the hard stuff, you stand out.  You make waves. And you attract enemies. Why? Because you live in a world where everyone likes to do the easy stuff. When you do the hard stuff, you make everyone else look bad.

So Daniel’s enemies manipulated the King. They flattered him. They told him, “You’re so handsome, King. Your shirt fits you.  We like your hair. You smell nice. You know what?  You’re not a man, you’re a god. Oh King, decree a new law and prohibit anyone from praying to any god except you! And anyone caught should be executed.” It was a trick to kill Daniel. They knew that Daniel wouldn’t stop praying to his God.

       And that was exactly what happened.

       Daniel was committed to God. In fact, the reason why he was committed to his work was because he was committed to God.

God Honors Our Commitment

Praying was easy for Daniel.

But when that crazy law was made, praying became hard.

But Daniel kept doing the hard stuff.

That was commitment.

       And Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den.

       In a miniscule way, I can relate. When I went to Bangkok, I walked into a cage with a real live, gigantic Siberian Tiger. (Oh, the crazy things we do to get a photo to post on facebook!) Yes, there was a chain around his neck, held firmly by his trainer, and the big cat probably took a couple of sleeping pills. But it was still scary.

       But Daniel was thrown to a pit with hungry lions.  (Plural.) Perhaps there were 10 ferocious beasts that hadn’t eaten for a week.

       But God rescued Daniel. He turned those lions into kittens. He shut their mouths. All of a sudden, they weren’t hungry. I don’t know what Daniel did. Daniel was vegetarian so he probably lectured them on vegetarianism. (That never worked because after a few hours, the lions ate his enemies.) And Daniel was saved.

       The point? I believe that God honors those who are committed to Him.

       Today, you may feel as though you’re in a pit with huge, hungry lions around you. You’re surrounded by big problems that are ready to eat you alive. You feel you have no hope.

But friend, God honors your commitment to Him. God will shut the mouths of lions. God will rescue you. God will see you through. God will deliver you. You’ll overcome. You’ll win. Remain committed to Him. And you’ll witness how God will honor your commitment.

God Cannot Fully Use You Without Commitment

Let me give you an analogy. 

You’re the boat. God’s power is the wind that will push the boat. And your commitment is the sail of the boat. It’s your commitment that catches the power of God. 

The power of God is always available to you.

But are you using that power?

Mind you, without the sails, the wind can still push the boat. But it’ll be very slow. It’s your commitment that uses the power of God to do great things.

God cannot fully use a person who isn’t committed.

Do you want to do great things?

Be committed to your dreams.

Every success in the world happens because of commitment.

Henry Ford is known as one of the richest men in history. But five times in his life, the man failed in business and became totally bankrupt. But Henry Ford didn’t stop. He kept doing the hard stuff. Finally, he built the Ford Motor company—now the second biggest carmaker in America. What made Henry Ford succeed? Commitment.

Rowland Macy failed in 7 businesses. Can you imagine how depressing that was? But he had commitment. He didn’t stop. Finally, he built a store named Macy’s in New York. The rest is history. Macy’s is now the largest department store in the world. It has 800 giant stores in America. What made Rowland Macy build his store after failing 7 times? Commitment.

Col. Sanders was rejected 1009 times by restaurants who didn’t like his fried chicken recipe. He later built KFC, which has 20,000 restaurants all over the world. What made Col. Sanders go knocking on the doors of 1009 restaurants, selling his fried chicken recipe? Commitment.

Stephen King submitted his book manuscripts to 30 publishers. All rejected his book. He was so discouraged, he threw away the manuscript in the trashcan. But his wife picked it up and mailed it to another publisher. They accepted it. Today, Stephen King has written 49 books and has sold 350 million copies. What made Stephen King submit his manuscript to 30 publishers? And what made his wife pick up the manuscript from the trash to submit it to one more publisher? Commitment.

Friend, it’s always commitment that will make you succeed.

Here’s another definition: Commitment is stickability amidst difficulty.

What dreams in your life have not yet come true?

Do you want to be wealthy? You need to be committed. You can’t be wishy-washy. You need to be committed to increasing your financial IQ; You need to be committed to living simply, discerning your wants vs. your needs; You need to be committed to investing a part of your income every month for the next 20 years.

Do you want to be healthy? You need to be committed to eating fruits and veggies. You need to be committed to exercise. You need to be committed to avoiding useless stress.

Do you want a fantastic family? You need to be committed to spending time together. You need to be committed to communicating from the heart, expressing love in practical ways, and forgiving each other.

Do you want to be successful in your spiritual life? Same thing. You need to be committed too.

Relationships Die Without Commitment

       The world avoids the hard stuff.

       We worship the god of convenience.

Proof? In America today, the average marriage lasts for 8 years. Sadly, where America goes, the whole world goes.

For many, marriage vows are no longer “till death do us part” but “till boredom do us part.” If you bore me, I’m out. If you stifle my personality, I’m out. If you hinder my plans, I’m out.  If you pull me down, I’m out.  If you make me do the hard stuff, I’m out.

       But no relationship will flourish without commitment. 

Let me talk to singles. If your boyfriend says, “I’ll love you as long as I feel like loving you,” will you marry him?

I hope not. Run away from someone who can’t commit. Because the basis of a successful relationship isn’t compatibility but commitment.

       And as a Christian, you need to be committed to two very important relationships…

First: Be Committed To God

For many people, God is like the fire extinguisher at the corner of their house. He’s only there for emergencies.

When there’s a fire—or intense problems in their life—God becomes the go-to guy. He suddenly becomes the most important person in their world.

But when there’s no fire, God is forgotten. He collects dust. He’s taken for granted.

Today, I invite you to commit to God. 

God isn’t a fire extinguisher. God is water. He just doesn’t put off fires. You need water everyday to drink, to bathe, to wash, to nourish the plants…

Be committed to God.

       Here are a couple suggestions:

1.Connect With God Daily

I have a great marriage. (I didn’t say perfect. No such animal this side of the universe.)

And when people ask me, “Can you give me one tip to make my marriage better?” I tell them, “Have a romantic date with your spouse at least once a week.”

I swear by this practice. My wife and I have been married for 13 years, and we’ve never missed a date. 

That date is written on stone: Tuesday night is hers. It’s sacrosanct. I won’t cancel it except for a few exceptions. First, if the Pope will call me on a Tuesday night to consult me on some Theological issue he doesn’t understand. Or if President Obama will ask for a conference call on a Tuesday night, to ask for my advice on how to solve the economic recession in America. Otherwise, I won’t cancel.

Because relationships thrive on commitment.

Commitment is the oxygen of relationships.

Without commitment, the relationship dies.

In the same way, your relationship with God needs commitment. Commit to spend time connecting with God daily.

Even if there are days when it’s hard.

It’s really up to you how you’ll connect with Him.

If someone tells you that there’s only one acceptable way of connecting to God, don’t believe him. 

I’m convinced God has given you a unique prayer language based on your God-given design. It includes your personality, your preferences, your passions…

Examples?

Because I’m a writer, I love writing my journal everyday and writing my thoughts to God. That’s how I pray. 

My other favorite way of praying is walking around my village and chatting with God, going over my day with Him.

One of my friends loves music.  He prays by listening to his iPod and singing worship songs. He swears by this way of praying. He simply loves it.

My other friend is a quiet person. She loves sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament for an hour. In that beautiful silence, her soul is transported. She tells me that she meets God this way, and I don’t doubt her.

For 60+ years, my parents connected with God by going to Mass every morning.

I don’t know what your prayer language is. Commit yourself to connect with God daily using your prayer language.

I also encourage you that you read God’s Word daily. Nourish your soul. My recommendation is to use a Bible guide, such as Didache, Companion, and Sabbath.  I hear that the guy who publishes these devotionals is brilliant, handsome, but prone to delusions.  (These are available in all major bookstores around the country. You may also order online at www.shepherdsvoice.com.ph)

2.Connect With God’s Family

Connecting alone to God is wonderful.

But it’s not enough.

Because He created you a social being. 

Face it. I need you and you need me.

That’s why God invented spiritual communities. Church is His idea, not ours.

For over 30 years now, I’ve been part of a Catholic spiritual family called Light of Jesus. It’s been my lifesaver. I meet with my friends each week for Worship and Word.

Last week, I felt very encouraged. After the Feast, a woman came up to me and said, “Bo, I can’t thank you enough. Ever since I’ve attended the Feast, you can’t imagine the blessings I’ve received. My family is stronger. My husband loves God. My kids are serving in ministry. I’ve been promoted twice in my job. You’ve changed our entire lives!”

I smiled, “I’m happy for you. But sorry, I didn’t do that. You and God did all that. You were committed to come to theFeast. And God honored that commitment.”

She nodded her head. “Bo, do you know that even if there’s a storm, I’m here. But it’s funny how my friend doesn’t attend just because it’s drizzling…”

I laughed. “I know of someone who doesn’t come to theFeast because the air is moist…”

Here’s the reality: If you don’t want to come, you’ll find a reason not to come. But if you want to come—and receive God’s Blessing—you’ll find a reason to come.

Be committed. Do the hard stuff.

Second: Be Committed To God’s People

God didn’t create you for you.

God created you for others.

You’re not here in this planet for yourself.

You’re here to be a rich blessing to others.

The Bible says He’s prepared good works for us to do already. God wants you to bless specific people He has brought to your path. These people are your “God-assignments”.

Obviously, He has assigned you to bless your family.

But you have other “God-assignments” that aren’t part of your family.   Officemates.   Business associates. Gym-mates. Former classmates. Facebook friends.

Here’s my recommendation: In a small card, write down the names of 7 people whom you believe you can bless and bring closer to God.

Here are the 7 things you can do for these 7 people:

1. Pray for them daily

Put the card in your wallet or handbag. Pull it out and pray for them everyday. This, by itself, is a huge blessing to them.

2. Serve their needs in practical ways

Call them up. Visit them. Meet a need. Give a useful gift. Serve them in a small way.

3. Listen and respond with empathy

Sometimes, the best gift we give to people is our presence and our acceptance. Don’t speak first. Don’t give advice first. Listen to them first, understand them first, and show empathy.

4. Share your experience of God’s Love

You have a personal story to tell. Perhaps it was when God became real to you. Or when God answered your prayer. Inspire them.

5. Pray with them

Invite the person to pray with you. Don’t use big words to impress, such as, “Thou art Almighty, transcendent beyond illumination…” Talk to God instead using the simplest words.   Pray for the person’s need.

6. Invite them to your spiritual gatherings

Don’t rush this. But at the right moment, when you feel the person is open to it, invite him to your spiritual events. Because you want to give the person a spiritual family that will help him grow in his faith.

7. Ask them to be a blessing to others too

Invite him to pay it forward. Invite him to share God’s Love to others too. In the same way that you blessed him, tell him to bless others as well.

God Honors Your Commitment

       Friend, God is committed to you.

       His commitment to you is like a rock.

       Yes, He’ll do the hard stuff for you.

You may fail in your commitment to Him, but He’ll never fail in His commitment to you.

God isn’t a fair-weathered friend. He’s here for the long haul. He’s here for keeps. He’ll never give up on you. No matter what.

But here’s the truth: When we’re not committed, it’ll be very difficult for us to receive all His blessings. We’ll receive some blessings. But not all. Because many of His blessings only come to those who are committed.

My Story In The Lion’s Den

Many years ago, I felt like I was thrown in a den of lions.

For 20+ years, I was a broken man. I was locked up in a shame-based personality. 

Each morning, I woke up ashamed of myself. It was so bad, I was ashamed that I even existed in the world. I didn’t like myself. I was ruled by my fears. I was afraid of what people will say about me. I would bend over backwards just to make people like me. If I learned someone didn’t like me, I’d panic.

I was a big mess.

My lions weren’t physical lions. My lions were in my mind. They were eating me up. I was dying inside.

But God rescued me from the lion’s den. God shut the mouths of the lions in my mind. And God told me, “Son, there’s nothing to be ashamed of anymore. And what if people will not like you? It doesn’t matter. I like you. More than you can imagine…”

Here’s the miracle.

If you told me ten years ago, “Bo, one day, you’ll be preaching to 5000 people in PICC every week,” I’d tell you, “Haha. Nice joke. Nah, that’s too big a dream for me…”

But that’s what God did. He took someone who was very broken—and used him to bless the world.

Friend, maybe life has not worked out for you. Maybe you’ve recently gone through crushing disappointments. Maybe your marriage failed. Or maybe the person you thought you’d marry didn’t work out. Or maybe you didn’t get the job you’ve been praying for. Or maybe you feel stuck in your finances.

Here’s God’s word for you: Don’t give up. Don’t think small. Say it out loud, “God will rescue me.” 

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez