Be Prepared

Our whole lives on this planet is a testing ground, a time of preparation and we are being prepared for eternity.

At the beginning of our creation we were created to live forever.  In the garden of eden we had access to the tree of life. However because of sin that access was cut off:

Gen 2:9  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 3:22  And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man has become as one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever,

Gen 3:23  therefore Jehovah God sent him out from the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he had been taken.

Gen 3:24  And He drove out the man. And He placed cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Man’s choice to sin caused death to enter into the equation, whereas before then it was not there.

Our choices have consequences and the consequence of sin is death:

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

However God is so gracious that he provided a way back to him through his son, but he still left the choice up to us and this is why our lives are a testing ground and preparation for eternity.

Our greatest test in our lives is to defeat ourselves, our own impulses and urges to do what is wrong. The reason why this is our biggest challenge is because we will always find reasons to justify our actions and if we are charismatic enough, we can get people not only to believe us but also to follow us into those same mistakes. This is the origin of all false religion.

The power behind the truth is that the truth causes freedom and not bondage; it causes people to feel liberated and not held back. It does not place a weight on your shoulders but it lifts the weight off of your shoulders.

This is why Jesus says: Joh 8:32  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

And he also said: Mat 11:28  "Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest.

Mat 11:29  Place my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Mat 11:30  For my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light."

Our choices in this life will cause us to either be prepared for eternal life with Jesus or eternal death away from the presence of God which culminates in the lake of fire:

Rev 19:20  The beast was captured, along with the false prophet who had performed signs on its behalf. By these signs the false prophet had deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

Rev 20:10  and the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were. They will be tortured day and night forever and ever.

Rev 20:11  Then I saw a large, white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.

Rev 20:12  I saw the dead, both unimportant and important, standing in front of the throne, and books were open. Another book was opened-the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books.

Rev 20:13  The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to their works.

Rev 20:14  Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. (This is the second death-the lake of fire.)

Rev 20:15  Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Our lives are all about choices and our choices help to prepare us for our final resting place, our ultimate Sabbath.

When Joshua was speaking to Israel, he said made a very profound statement and it is a statement I will leave with you:

Jos 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Parallel Principles Most people if you ask them why they are building their Reliv business, they will tell you it is because ultimately they want to be financially free.

Now depending on how true that is, this will govern their choices. However there is a disconnect between what people say and what people do.

To truly want to be free is a strong emotion, one that causes massive action and starts with the truth about a person’s current situation and an understanding of what will happen if nothing changes.

The truth really does set you free:

 it frees you from excuses,  

it frees you from procrastination

it frees you from moaning because you understand that when you go through things it is just part of your testimony and without a test all you have is the moanies!

In our business we are going to face many challenges, but it is going to be our choices when we are facing these things that will determine whether or not we succeed or fail.

We are being prepared for financial freedom with good character, however if you choose to fail and failure is a choice, then you will be back on the same road of financial hardship you were on before you joined.

I will make a similar statement to Joshua as it pertains to our business:

“If it seems evil to you to work your business and build towards financial freedom, choose you this day, whether your job, which you are doing right now or the other business opportunities that try to entice you away from Reliv or the all the nah Sayers, that talk negative about either Reliv, Nutrition or the Network Marketing industry: But as for me and my wife, we will build our business, with God at the centre.”

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Jason Gregory Business Coach & Mentor
www.team-visionarys.com
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