Strategic Discipline Blog

My journey through Acute Myeloid Leukemia continues with Chapter VI from CANCER CURED – Support

(Previous segments of CANCER CURED are available here:  CANCER CURED BOOK -to read from the beginning, you’ll need to scroll through to the bottom to find CANCER CURED – What Do You Feed?, which is the first in the series.)

Many of you have a walk with God. You may speak, pray, even argue with Him! I’ve always felt the voice in my head was me speaking to God. When I became aware, I could speak to Him through my thoughts, it was a wonderful blessing, albeit a discomforting feeling as well. Yes, I can communicate with God directly. At the same time, he knows my thoughts before I even act upon them.

I love this poem by Jerry Buchanan, Living and Giving -or- The Law of Life

How powerful thoughts are is conveyed in Buchanan’s, “Our thoughts are broadcasts of the soul – not secrets of the brain, Kind ones bring us happiness – petty ones untold pain.”

An awareness of God being within me awoke when this verse in Mark 3:28–30 was explained to me: “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”

For a long time, this verse dumbfounded me. I questioned why Jesus would say someone who condemns the Holy Spirit is guilty of an eternal sin.

A minister explained to me this sense of God within us is the message Jesus intended. God’s inner spirit dwells within each of us; God/Universal Power dwells in everything on earth. It is His Spirit.

When Jesus says whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness and is guilty of an eternal sin, He is saying when we condemn ourselves, we commit this eternal sin.

When I say, “That was stupid! How could I do such a dumb thing? Or that’s what you always do, Doug; you’re a major screwup!” It’s my self-talk. I am condemning and blaspheming Myself.

This sin is eternal. Unless or until we change, we are destined to diminish ourselves and limit our God-Given potential. We eliminate the Presence of God in our life, His Power to change us from within, to bring miraculous gifts and healing to us.

Use this Power correctly, and this is not just self-confidence; it’s God-Confidence. It’s a belief, God can do anything, and so can we. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14: 12-14

One of the keys to understanding this quote is the mistake the biblical translators made in what Jesus said.

The truth of Jesus' actual words is shared in Breaking the Ten Commandments: Discover the Deeper Meaning by Eric Butterworth

How biblical translation has confused this issue! A case in point: John 8:24. The various authorized versions of the Bible render this: “Except you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” The italics indicate that the “he” has been a problem. When we consult the “Emphatic Diaglott,” the line-by-line translation from the Greek, we can see why, for it clearly indicates that there is no “he” in the original. It was obviously added “for clarity,” for it seemed to call for a predicate. This addition has had a profound influence on Christian theology. It has been made to appear that Jesus was saying that there is no hope for humanity unless we believe that “I am God.” He was saying, “Unless you get this conviction of the basic ONE, the I AM awareness, you are bound in your consciousness of limitation, which will inevitably lead to deterioration and death.”

Significantly, there is no predicate for the “I AM.” This has caused many problems for those who have tried to understand the words without insight into the code. To predicate anything implies a special aspect of it, thus implying limits. It is not possible to apply a limiting predicate to the ONE, the allness of God, for there can be nothing outside of it.

Jesus wasn’t saying unless you believe in me; he was saying unless you believe in the “I am,” the principal God revealed to Moses at the burning bush when Moses asked God to tell him His Name.

Jesus revealed the presence of God within each of us, which is why he said, “12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14: 12-14

Once again, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Is incorrect. It means, ask for it in the name of “I am!”

When we ask God from the awareness of His presence within us, we are fully expressing God’s divinity in and through us.

Understanding this, I believe, provided me with the God-Confidence to believe I can and would be cured of my cancer.

By this, I don’t mean that I have the Power of God; rather, I believe the Power of God is within me. When I live and experience his presence, when, as I said earlier, “When our behaviors match our intentions, when our actions are equal to our thoughts, when our minds and our bodies are working together, when our words and our deeds are aligned … there is an immense power behind any individual. This congruency of behavior, thoughts and actions, means we are in union with the spirit of God within us.” ~Dr. Joe Dispensa, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

This sense of God being within me isn’t always present. Any of my basketball friends who have watched me get upset at an official’s “wrong” call knows I fail to act in God’s presence at those times. But it has allowed me to never feel alone. I’ve always contended, if you don’t like being alone, just change who you are. If you don’t like being alone, you don’t like yourself.

I’ve learned to like myself. One of my ways to achieve this is through positive affirmations.

Two affirmations I would read every morning during my early morning inspiration/motivation times are:

• Fear - Worry is a Sustained form of Fear caused by Indecision
• Worry is Negative Goal Setting

Once you decide, fear and worry evaporate. Your focus must be on the actions you’re responsible for to achieve your desired outcome. In some cases, it may only be to remain positive and worry-free.

In my situation, I would repeat an affirmation until my fear vanished. Several I used were:

“Is anything too hard for Jehovah?” Genesis 18:14, the angel's answer to Abraham when he questions whether he is too old to have a son.

This is the affirmation I used when I faced Michelle’s initial rejection.

It doesn’t give assurance of a miracle in terms of how, when, or what is going to happen.

It provides assurance God is in control. Our part is to believe He’s in control and allow him to work out the perfect details for whatever it is He plans for us.

I know what you are thinking: “Doug, I’ve known plenty of people who have done this and not had the miracle or result they hoped for.”

I can’t enter the mind, spirit, soul, or heart of others. I know from experience, we often say prayers or affirmations and continue to doubt or be fearful. I have. If we continue to doubt, worry, or remain afraid, we are giving power to our fears and not to God.

Faith needs to be your partner. Your ever-present assurance of God’s Will for you is the best. Remember this definition. God’s Will equals “loving thoughts!” Negative thoughts and emotions are not loving thoughts.

Emmett Fox discusses this in his recognition that everyone has a different understanding and definition of God.

My God can help me find a job or new customers. Deliver me from financial distress. Cures cancer.

Yours does not.

Fox shares these prescient thoughts in his book, The Ten Commandments: The Master Key to Life.

When you are afraid of anything, you are worshiping it. Whatever you fear, you bow down to. So, when you let yourself be scared by the front page of the newspaper or by what is happening in the stock market, whether it is going up or down, you are bowing down and worshiping an idol.

Further, he states:

And so, when you believe in limitation, you are saying God is limited. You are denying His Godhood. Now, whatever you believe in is going to happen to you, not the things you think you ought to believe in, not the things you say—we often say what we think is correct, what we think is expected—but it is what you really believe in that happens to you.

Each of us has our strengths and weaknesses. One of my weaknesses is naivete. I trust people too easily.

This naivete may have allowed me to believe I would be cured despite impossible obstacles. In this case, my weakness became a strength.

You may know people who are always positive. People who walk around with an endless degree of Pollyanna.

I feel I am optimistic most of the time. I can also see reality; I just see the glass half full.

One more element to add. Thinking positive is not enough. Plenty of people think positively yet feel negative. The most critical factor in helping the Creator produce a miracle in your life is feeling grateful for it before it appears.

It’s "The Miracle Question“ by Linda Metcalf. Dan Heath refers to this in several of his books: "Suppose tonight, while you sleep, a miracle happens. When you awake tomorrow morning, what will you see yourself doing, thinking, or believing about yourself that will confirm that a miracle has taken place in your life?"

What matters most in achieving the outcome you wish is how you will feel.

Call to Action

Challenge your team, your business, yourself. Contact Positioning Systems to schedule a free exploratory meeting to challenge, inspire, and ignite purpose and passion in your business!  

Create an environment where everyone is inspired to give their best.

Growth demands Strategic Discipline.

As a business owner, I didn’t realize the power and value of systems until after I had sold the radio stations, of which I was part owner, in 1996. In the hospital, I followed a system, a formula I learned from an audio tape sermon How to Cross Your Red Sea by John Rosemurgy. Next week, I will share this formula, which aligns closely with my meditation process.

Building an enduring great organization requires disciplined people, disciplined thought, disciplined action, superior results, producing a distinctive impact on the world.

Discipline sustains momentum over a long period, laying the foundations for lasting endurance.

A winning habit starts with 3 Strategic Disciplines: Priority, Metrics, and Meeting Rhythms.   Forecasting, accountability, individual, and team performance improve dramatically.

Meeting Rhythms achieve a disciplined focus on performance metrics to drive growth.

Let Positioning Systems help your business achieve these outcomes on the four most Important Decisions your business faces:

Positioning Systems helps mid-sized ($5M - $500M+) businesses Scale-UP. We align your business to focus on Your One Thing! Contact dwick@positioningsystems.com to Scale Up your business! Take our Four Decisions Needs Assessment to discover how your business measures against other Scaled Up companies. We’ll contact you.

NEXT BLOG – CANCER CURED - CHAPTER VI – How to Cross Your Red Sea