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Life Supernatural
Land of A Thousand Excuses

WEEK 1

LAND OF A THOUSAND EXCUSES

By: Lynetta Dent

www.thesiloamconnection.org

" Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure." - Don Wilder

Please read the following article.

Why People Fail

If you study the psychology of the average person, you will find one common and prevalent theme locked within their mindset: excuses. Excuses gives a person comfort and shelter to hide from failures. It is used as a shield to redirect responsibility, to divert the reasoning behind their failures. People who continue to fail do so because they are continually making excuses to why they cannot achieve a certain goal or a specific dream. Excuses are the things that hold back the average mediocre person, while the other guy gets ahead in life. Excuses are what separates unsuccessful people from successful people in this world, not any inherent skill or ability. If you observe closely, you will notice that successful people are rarely reluctant to make excuses. They understand that they alone are accountable for the results of their actions and decisions. Unsuccessful people, on the other hand, are quick to make excuses on why they failed or why they cannot achieve. They fail to realize that their inability to succeed lies within their own mentality, so instead they point fingers and blame others on why they cannot accomplish. People who fail love to bring down others with them. Because they couldn't do it, they tell others they can't do it as well. So be forewarned, don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something!

There are tons of excuses that people use to defend why they can't move forward. Some of the most common excuses are:

Health Excuse - People feel that because of their physical handicap, they are incapable of achieving their dreams. Not true. There are thousands of people who failed to achieve greater success, prestige, and happiness because they used their health as an excuse. Doctors believe that every individual has some sort of physical ailment in some ways, that no person is physically perfect. Successful people refuse to surrender to health excuses or let any physical disability get in their way.

Intelligence Excuse - Many of us feel inadequately inferior to others in regards to intelligence and brainpower. When comparing IQ's, the majority of people feel that they lack sufficient formal education or knowledge. We tend to overestimate other people's intelligence, while we underestimate our own brain power. Truth is, we are all capable of learning new things and increasing our knowledge equally. It is our thinking behind our intelligence, however, that is more important than the amount of intelligence that we hold.

Age Excuse - Everyday, hundreds or people predetermine their failure because they believe they are not the right age. We either feel too old or too young for the task at hand. Learn to look at your age as a positive advantage, not a disadvantage. Understand how to plan your remaining time left to invest in what you want to do. Instead of regretting how you could of started years earlier, tell yourself you will start fresh now. Age is just a number. Don't let it block your way in achieving your dreams.

Every successful person could have used the same excuses unsuccessful people used as a defense when faced with failure. The difference between the two is that successful people choose not to indulge in excuses. Understanding that our failures are a hundred percent our responsibility is a first step to overcoming the devastating mentality of excuses. If we are to get ahead in life, we must first begin by learning from our mistakes and to see how we could do better next time. Whether we succeed or fail is entirely up to our attitude.

Posted by Justin

2008 is going to be an awesome year IF we decide today that we will no longer make excuses!!! For years many of us have sat on the side lines of life chanting loudly, “ I want to do it, BUT, I don’t have enough money, I don’t have enough education, I don’t have enough help, I don’t have a husband or wife, I don’t have good credit, I don’t have this and I don’t have that”. My God STOP THE MADNESS!!!!. This is your life and it’s time to take it back. It’s time to move out of the land of a thousand excuses and into the land of accomplishments.

Failures always come up with a lot of excuses to explain why they can't succeed in life.

Make a list of some things you would like to accomplish but haven’t been able to because of fear or some other hindrance.

Now let’s make a list of the excuses that pop up everytime you decide to move forward in the above stated areas.

Now let’s take a moment and look at what you wrote. Do you know what you want to accomplish? Have you identified the excuse that’s stopping you from achieving success in that area? Ok, great let’s move forward.

I want you to say the following confession seven times:

If the Word of God says it, I have no more excuses for it

What does this mean to you?

”And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net broke. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” Luke 5:1-11

Please take note: Although these men had been toiling all night and had not caught anything, Simon was smart enough to replace an excuse with a promise. What do I mean? Notice what Simon said, Nevertheless (regardless of my prior failures, regardless of what has happened to us in the past) at thy word I will let down my net. Well what happened as a result of Simon obeying the word? They caught so many fish that they had to give some to their partners.

When you decide to lay aside excuses and replace them with the Word of God something amazing happens. You will step into an overflow and have to bless others because you will have more than enough.

Now, what I want you to do is to list your excuses again. List them in the same order as above. But this time I want you to find a promise in the Word of God that can replace the excuse.

Excuses God’s Promise To Me

WORD OF ADVICE:

Ecclesiastes 11:4 says that, whoever watches the wind will never plant. Whoever looks at the clouds will never harvest! In other words, the one who neglects the necessary works of sowing and reaping, because the weather is not exactly suitable to his desires will lose his harvest. I call this the convenient season. The convenient season is when a person wants everything to be perfectly laid out, with no difficulties, no adversities, no hindrances. They want everyday to be sunny and the temperature to be just right before they decide to change their lives.

Don’t live in the land of a thousand excuses this year. Make preparation for a better tomorrow, a better future. Get in the Word of God and find out what He says about you. Believe what He says and speak what He says.

BIBLE EXERCISES:

The following scriptures address great men and women who had plenty of excuses. Study them and learn from their mistakes.

Luke 14:16-35

Exodus 4:1-31

Judges 6:1-17

Jeremiah 1:1-10

Lynetta Dent