Strategic Discipline Blog

My journey through Acute Myeloid Leukemia continues with Chapter V from CANCER CURED – The Most Powerful Force in the Universe

(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.)

This is Chapter V – The Most Powerful Force in the Universe. This is the 5^th segment from this chapter; GOLDEN KEY: Don’t Think About Your Problem, Think About God.

GOLDEN KEY: Don’t think about your problem, only think about God.

My brothers and I grew up Catholic. Our father was Lutheran but didn’t practice his faith until after he retired. He agreed to bring us up Catholic, which was my mother’s faith. She practiced her faith dutifully, devoutly, and zealously. She expected the same for her three boys.

My brother Gary had a strong faith. My brother Jim, perhaps not as much, yet as he knew death approached, his foundation in faith resurfaced.

When it comes to religion and my faith, I am an explorer. In my 20’s and 30’s I largely ignored my faith exploration, attending church, yet not fully believing or practicing much of the principles. At 33, when I lost someone I was deeply in love with, I began to explore my faith more. When I became concerned about the outcomes I was producing, I began to look for reasons. It meant exploring more how the Universe and God specifically had a hand in my outcomes.

In 1986 the girl I was dating asked me to marry her, I didn’t feel I was ready since it was less than a year since I’d been divorced. She felt rejected and found someone else. It took losing here to realize how much I had loved her, and to move me to begin exploring my faith more rigorously.

Shortly after this, visiting a bookstore I discovered a book inspiring my curiosity, and my desire to improve my financial standing. It led me to a path of profound spiritual growth. The book was Catherine Ponder’s Prosperity Secret of the Ages.

It opened new meanings to the metaphysical interpretations of the Bible. For the first time, the bible was interesting to me. Suddenly there was more to the Bible than the words. There was meaning underneath the words and stories. I discovered insights and the power of affirmations. At that point, I hadn’t done much more than a cursory read of the bible.

The book opened a meaningful understanding of the passages and words.

Affirmations were something I’d heard other personal development, and sales trainers share; however, I’d never used them in any consistent fashion. The book also made me decide to start tithing.

Why tithe? I hadn’t given it much thought or even considered it before this. If we truly feel God is the source of our supply, if we feel He is most important in our life and responsible for all the good that flows to us, then we should make Him first with our money.

I hadn’t given God much serious thought to that point in my life it turns out. Perhaps, like many of us who say we’re Christian, or whatever faith we follow, we say we are, but our actions don’t fit our profession of “faith.”

Tithing to me, says, God, You’re most important in my life.

No matter what the challenge I’ve faced, by tithing I feel confident God has my back, and that no matter what the outcome is, it will be with His blessing. I believe this gave me great confidence and faith when I faced cancer.

The first check for 10% of my gross income was difficult. It was hard to adjust to having 10% less each month to do what I wanted with it. Yet over time, I found it made me much more diligent and disciplined in all my investing and spending.

From 1986 until 2012 I tithed every month. When I discovered Michelle had interrupted that flow, I got upset and demanded she renew our tithing to the two churches we were attending at that time.

In addition to the metaphysical interpretations in the Bible, Ponder’s book also shared a spiritual concept called the Golden Key by Emmet Fox.

The book's essence is, “Don’t think about your problem, think about God!”

From Emmet Fox’s The Ten Commandments

"Never sit down under your limitations. Never say, “Well, I have to put up with it.” Turn to God instead, and do not take “no” for an answer.

You will find that the idea of the adulterous woman who is unfaithful to her husband constantly means the human soul, is turning away to some other god. In those days it meant running after one of the heathen Egyptian or other gods. Today it does not mean that. To us, it means giving power to outside things, saying, “Well now, prayer will not overcome this because of this and so.” That is giving power to a false god. “I cannot do things because I am too old,” or “I haven’t got money or influence,” or “I can’t live in this climate,” or whatever it may be, is the modern form which unfaithfulness to God will take.

As a matter of fact, no one has anything that does not come directly from God. God’s supply is infinite, and the very thing that your neighbor has, God has an infinite amount of and will be glad to give it to you if you will furnish the consciousness through which it can appear.

Even if you’re coveting never leads you to take anything that does not belong to you, it undermines and ultimately rots your soul. It shuts you off from God. Why? Because to covet something means that you do not understand the Law of Being. You do not understand that you cannot steal. You do not understand that whatever you are getting or lacking is the out-picturing and expression of your consciousness. Until you understand that you cannot be saved.

Until men and women understand that nothing can ever happen to them—that nothing can ever come to them or be kept away from them—except in accordance with the state of their consciousness, they do not have the key to life, and they cannot be saved. How can you be saved if you do not know the law? Until you realize this truth, which is on every page of the Bible, that it is your state of mind that matters, that it is your state of mind that puts you into that house, or into that job—or walking the street without a job, or that gives you a sick body or a well body; that it is your mind and your consciousness that rule your life; then there is no hope for you. You do not have the key to life."

Our state of consciousness either limits or expands our spiritual and financial wealth here on this earth. If we’re not healthy or lack anything, we only need to change our conscious mental condition to change it. It’s why Dispensa’s book, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One made so much sense to me.

When we face any challenge, we only need to look within for the solution. I don’t mean to say I have the power to fix it. In truth I do, yet it is only through the miraculous field of Love and Energy that surrounds all of us, which the Creator nestled the world in. When we join with this Unlimited Power, when our thoughts combine with God’s thoughts, we can achieve anything our consciousness has the faith to believe.

This is the affirmation I used from the Golden Key: There is no Power but God. I am a Child of God filled and surrounded by the perfect peace of God. God is Love, God is guiding me now, God is with me Now.

No matter what I’ve faced, whenever I’m stressed, or emotionally upset, saying these words repeatedly calms me and allows me to put my trust in the Creator. It’s more than that though. When I’m faced with a challenge and I repeat this affirmation, I discover insights and guidance. Right actions appear. In some cases, the perfect person, or event spontaneously appears. This is not a coincidence. It’s the Power of Faith. We all carry a magnetic field that attracts or deflects the energy we are.

It’s our state of consciousness that brings into our lives those things we need to grow and work through.

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.

I believe LOVE is the most powerful force in the universe. Love creates! Many people have difficulty being vulnerable and sharing their love. My father was one such human being. We’ll explore how my father shared his love for me next blog from Chapter V of Cancer Cured – My Father’s Love.

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.

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NEXT BLOG – CHAPTER V - My Father’s Love