Quit fooling yourself

Do you get up every day and think you have a handle on life? Do you stack the deck in your mind to make your thoughts and actions appear favorable? Are you ignoring the facts by embracing the opinions of others who do the thinking for you? Have you jumped on the bandwagon without knowing where the bandwagon is going? Then, quite frankly, you are fooling yourself. The psychological definition of being delusional is maintaining a false belief that resists reason or is revealed when confronted with an actual fact. Do you still believe in things even though they have been proven to be wrong? Then you are delusional.

Let’s take for example the political rhetoric we face every day on the TV, radio and Internet. One side says one thing, the other side counters and everyone ends up confused. But what are the facts? Truth is relative and depends on one’s perspective. In a sea of reactive opinion we are treading water and not addressing the issues of humanity. But is there an absolute truth? Any action and behavior that supports life is based on an absolute truth of growth and expansion. Are you selfish about what you have earned and unwilling to share in the bounty of life? Do you reject those who haven’t benefitted from life simply because they don’t have the material bounty or the good breaks you might have?

An interpretation of Matthew 25:33-46 in the English Revised Version (ERV) is as follows: “The Son of Man will put the sheep (good people that give) on his right and the goats (bad people that are selfish) on his left. Then the king will say to those good people on his right, 'Come. My Father has given you great blessings. Come and get the kingdom God promised you. That kingdom has been prepared for you since the world was made. You can have this kingdom, because I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your home. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me.' "Then the good people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our home? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?' "Then the king will answer, 'I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.' "Then the king will say to those bad people on his left, 'Go away from me. God has already decided that you will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever. That fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. You must go away, because I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your home. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me.' "Then those people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty? When did we see you alone and away from home? Or when did we see you without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not help you?' "Then the king will answer, 'I tell you the truth. Anything you refused to do for any of my people here, you refused to do for me.'"Then those bad people will go away. They will have punishment forever. But the good people will go and have life forever."

Are you buying into the rhetoric that says look out for number one and number one alone? If you do, you are fooling yourself. Jesus embraced the poor and downtrodden and gave them hope. He said that whatever we do to the least of these, we do to him. If someone shows up at your door in need and you slam the door in their face you have done it to Christ. His door was open to all to raise the consciousness of all mankind. In John 6:37 Jesus says, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Or, as the Good News Bible (TEV) says, “I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me.” Are you fooling yourself by thinking that you are better than others? Do you think that others who don’t have what you have are not worth helping? What has truly made this country great are neighbors helping neighbors. People go out every day and dedicate their lives to helping those who haven’t had the opportunities or blessings that they have. They don’t posture about who’s right or wrong; they act. They don’t prophesize about some end time when things are going to get worse and then better; they make it better now!

Step out of your comfort zone and extend yourself to help those in need. Whether they need food, shelter, counseling or a loan. Live what Jesus taught us and give your time, money or wisdom to help those who desperately need it. In the Wilmington community there are many churches, missions and organizations that reach out daily to help those in need. Visit their websites, call them, reach out to the community and give of the blessings that God has bestowed on you. He will reign down His blessings on you and your family for the love that you have given. Quit listening to the power mongers and their message of doom and gloom. Quit fooling yourself and bless yourself with the wisdom of God. Contribute to the expansion of life and the growth of your community, whether locally or globally.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. Please visit my Eschatology Refutation Blog. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." ©2009 Dean A. Banks. All Rights Reserved. Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

RSS Feed

Make thanking God the first thing you do everyday

It is has been said by many successful people that the first thing you do to accomplish your goal is to set the tone for your trip by taking the first step. How many of us dream of our goals and yet, no matter how hard we try, never reach them? Why? Is it because we don’t have the skills to accomplish what we seek? Is it because we aren’t lucky? Or is it because we don’t set the tone for our trip by giving thanks for our blessings? This seems to be the best starting point for any trip toward your goals.

Giving thanks for your blessings allows you to humble your spirit and acknowledge your connection to God. Since everything comes from God giving thanks accepts the fact that we are an extension of the Almighty. God, from His point of stillness, emanates 144 octaves of energy known as the electromagnetic spectrum. Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it just simply changes form. Matter is a denser form of energy. It vibrates slower than sunlight. The only thing that separates matter and energy is its rate of vibration. Check out the current discoveries in quantum physics to corroborate these observations. We are always connected to God whether we see it or not. If you want to change your life for the better and manifest your dreams you need to start where you are right now. Don’t wait for some fantasy time in the future when all things are perfect, because that time doesn’t exist. The only time you truly have is NOW! Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’ll get it together tomorrow. You might not have a tomorrow; we are all one breath away from death. Make good use of the time you do have.

When you start your day by giving thanks to God for your blessings you are setting a positive tone for your day. You will be surprised how things fall into place, how people interact with you and how problems roll off your back. Don’t allow others to “rent space in your head” with their skew on life or their problems and attitudes. Set the tone for God to guide your steps throughout the day by giving thanks to Him the first thing everyday. Make your gift of love and thanks to God a priority. Blessings will abound when you make the time to respect your creator. Be true to God and yourself!

Life is a process of keeping what you want and getting rid of what you don’t want. The only thing that truly matters is what you think about yourself; not what others think about you. If your focus is upon how much better, smarter or more incredible you are than others, than you’ve missed the point. It’s not about competition; it’s about creation. God has given you talents and gifts in specific combinations only for you to manifest. Will you do something with those gifts or will you sit on them? If you sit on them it’s like telling God He didn’t know what He was doing when He created you. There hasn’t been a human being ever alive that knows what God knows. Human arrogance is so foolish. Don’t buy into the humanistic top-of-the-food-chain crap that some religions feed you. They too are missing the mark. We are extensions of the Most High God and we are His prized creation. Shouldn’t we be acting like we are?

Respect of God and His creation is the first and foremost step to achieving peace, harmony and abundance in this life. Without it, we are lost. Focus on the blessings. An old church hymn says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.” When you recognize that God has created this universe with everything you need to survive and thrive, why not be thankful for it? What would you do without the air you breathe? You would die. It’s that simple. This planet and the life it gives is in such delicate balance that it couldn’t have happened by chance. And who’s to say that evolution was not the process that God chose to manifest His creation? Whoever does needs to examine the facts and not blindly rely on myths and stories to the contrary. God emanates life to each and every one of us; the plants, the animals, the universe. Respect that balance by giving thanks to God everyday.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Giving Thanks

In the spirit of this Easter holiday and the Golden Rule, I would like to recognize and give thanks to certain individuals in my community who have dedicated their lives to making a better life for others. Following, are individuals who have a burning desire and definiteness of purpose to serve their community with passion and faith. Their individual missions have influenced many other lives through their positive example.

Pastor Dr. Christopher Curry – I was retained by Dr. Curry to design the website for his church, Ezion Fair Baptist Church in Wilmington, DE. During the course of two months I was blessed with the opportunity to work with such a dedicated and giving man. I observed the willingness and action of his church to feed the community with physical and spiritual sustenance. The joy and happiness of his congregation was bestowed on my fiancée Elizabeth Sutor and me when I came to videotape his service one Sunday morning. I was truly blessed watching this man preach. His passion and fire for God is unique. He has been preaching and helping his community since he was 8 years old! To find out more visit the EFBC website.

Justen Wright, City Councilman at Large – I was retained by Justen Wright to design his website during his campaign for City Council. Justen made me aware of the pressing issues in Wilmington concerning our youth, seniors and neighborhoods. He won his council seat at age 25 and has a bright future ahead. His dedication at his age to his community is unparalleled. Justen and his family runs the House of Wright Mortuary in Wilmington, DE. To find out more about Justen, visit his website or his business website.

Pastor Dr. Benjamin “Twin B.” Brown – I have been aware of Dr. Brown’s Spiritual Revival Hour program on Local Comcast Channel 28 for some time. This program has been alive for over 46 years! I was recently introduced to Dr. Brown and have made several appearances on his program. His dedication and service to the Wilmington community and their youth is extraordinary. He has conducted free video workshops for inner city youths for many years. His motto is “Making the Positive Outshine the Negative.” I have recently joined forces with Dr. Brown by designing Wilmington’s first Web TV Station called Channel CCC. Community programs are being run 24/7 and can be viewed at CCC Media TV.

Earl Woodlen – Earl runs the Harriet Tubman Safe House on the East Side of Wilmington. Many prisoners when released from prison haven’t anywhere to go. Earl provides a safe haven where these former prisoners can be integrated back into society. I met Earl at a Mastermind Group discussing “The Secret” hosted by Sue Davis, Nancy Lopez and Mitch Dugan. His energy and passion to help those who have paid their debt to society is very stimulating. Earl has spent most of his own money on providing a safe house for those in need. To learn more about Earl and the Harriet Tubman Safe House visit their website.

Tammy Curry, Life Success Consultant – Tammy Curry is Dr. Curry’s sister. She had contacted me after I designed the website for her brother’s church. I invited Tammy to “The Secret” Mastermind Group and she volunteered to teach the group the 8 week course of Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich.” Her focused insight into the teachings and inner passion about manifesting your dreams are most refreshing. Her personal story of rags to riches inspires the group at every meeting. Her lofty, yet reachable goals have awakened our group to the possibilities we all have. Tammy has volunteered to teach the men at the Harriet Tubman Safe House about “The Secret” and “Think and Grow Rich.” For more info on Tammy Curry, please go to her website.

The individuals listed above are some of the movers and shakers in the Wilmington community that, as Dr. Brown says are “making the positive outshine the negative.” If you know of others who have dedicated their lives to positively affecting our community, please contact me by email and I will be glad to interview them and feature them in upcoming articles. Being spiritual is not just about praying and meditating, it is also positively affecting and serving your community with the blessings you have received.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.