TEN LIFE RULES:

I have received a lot of flak for my view on these ten rules. I wrote them in the event I were to go to the Lord before my children were grown, and this is what I felt would be a good summary of what I have learned in my life and a way to pass it on to them, a way to live by if you will. Life has not been easy for me and I have run into quite a few characters along the way… so here is how I have learned to deal with it… after tonight, I am even more convinced that this is a good legacy to leave for others to follow…


1) KEEP YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT:
Nothing is worth having or doing unless it pleases and brings Glory to God. Anything else is a waste of what little time He has given you on this planet!
This does not mean that you can not enjoy the moments in between and use what He has provided for personal pleasure. Personal pleasure is not a vacation from God or a way of escaping Him. If you have the right feelings of Love for your Father then even your personal pleasure is more enjoyable with Him not away from Him. (Just like the feelings you first had in dating your first love or your spouse) you would never have dreamed of personal pleasure apart from each other, you wanted to include them in every possible aspect of your life. These are the same feelings that God wishes for you to have towards Him. If your thoughts throughout the day are not; “is what I am doing pleasing God”, and the last thought when you lie down at night is not; “how have I lived to please God today”, and when you wake up, if your first thoughts of the day are not; “how am I going to live to please God today”, then you do not have your priorities in the right order. Following God should not be a waypoint in your week or "just part of your life". It should be the very core, the center of your life that everything else should revolve around.

2) DON’T EXPECT MORE FROM THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE THAN THEY CAN GIVE:
People you trust and love are imperfect just like you and can and will make horrible mistakes that can hurt you. The only one you can trust completely is God.
You may trust those that you love but always be prepared for them to let you down, either because they did not understand your expectations or could not meet them. Always be willing to forgive their mistakes whether they ask for it or not. When you forgive then forget; other wise it is not forgiveness.

3) BE CAREFUL OF PEOPLE YOU KNOW OR MEET:
Most people you meet or know are motivated by selfish desires, and some can be very deceitful and mean. Expect to be hurt at some point and in some way by most of them.
Always allow someone to prove themselves first by their actions, then remember who they are and deal with them accordingly. Give every one an honest opportunity to succeed or fail, but always be prepared and willing to lose whatever you trust them with. Whatever you lose write it off and forget about it; God tells you to freely loan to others what He has given you and not expect repayment; I believe you should place the trust you give others in this category as well. More times than not people have some sort of personal agenda and it will always take precedence over their feelings about you. A good way to think of it is: "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me".
Do not shun people or harbor grudges or feelings of resentment towards them because of what they have done, you make mistakes too and need their forgiveness as well. If you do not forgive them it gives them control over you. Instead look for the positive things in them that you can enjoy together and understand them for who they are, then deal with them on that basis. Other people’s actions should not be the sole factor in determining your response. Neither God nor you can control or are responsible for the decisions they make for themselves. You are only responsible for your response to them. Regardless of your initial response make sure your final response is what pleases God, people may not be willing to forgive you and give a second chance but God always will.

4) NEVER REJECT OR EXPLOIT THE WEAKNESS OF OTHERS:
This is one of the most horrible traits that we possess as a society. Do not participate in taking advantage over another by exploiting or rejecting them for what they lack. Gods pounds His nails and you never want to experience His reversal of circumstances so that you experience what you have done to others. Instead champion the weak and defend the defenseless. There is no worse feeling than the rejection or exploitation by your peers of what you already recognize as inferior in yourself and are powerless to change. Always make sure to treat others the way you want to be treated, see the view through the eyes He looks at you through.

5) NEVER QUIT ALWAYS FINISH:
No matter how many times you fall or how much it hurts always get back up and try again. You are never beaten unless you quit! He never told us; "You won't fall", what He said is, "Don't worry when you do, I will be there to catch you".

6) DO NOT PLACE MORE SIGNIFICANCE ON THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD THAN THEY DESERVE:
Heaven is your true home. The unseen things of Eternity have more significance and are more real than the world you see around you. Time and space are the temporary place God created for you to live and prove yourself in. There is nothing that can happen to you (good or bad) on this earth that will have any significance to you when you finally go home. The only thing that will matter is your response to it. Do not spend the time God has allotted for you building things that exist inside of time, instead invest the time you have building what will exist after time ends!

7) ALWAYS TRUST GOD:
God has never let me down or broken a promise to me! No matter how bad it looks God is ALWAYS faithful and will do EVERYTHING He has promised. Even when it looks like all hope is lost never give up.

8) ALWAYS THANK GOD:
Always thank God that He selected you. Nothing compares to being one of mankind’s few, chosen by God to become His child out of the sea of humanity. Be thankful for everything He has given you, and for choosing to Love you.

9) NEVER FORGET YOUR ENEMY:
Satan rules this world and will exploit any and every circumstance of weakness in your life, so always be on your guard. Look towards and trust God completely to deliver you. Everything that happens is for Gods Heavenly purpose not your earthly benefit. Use each event to learn what He wants to teach you. Find and cover each exposed weakness so that you will grow stronger. Don't look at every bad thing that happens as an attack, some adverse things are from God so that He can demonstrate His faithfulness to you or discipline you. Examine your life for things God is pointing out that are not pleasing to Him, when they are discovered remove them IMMEDIATELY. In this way Satan will never be able to gain a stronghold in your life.

10) FIND HIS PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE AND PURSUE IT:
If you still have a will then God can't show you His. You can only understand your life after you discover Gods purpose and then wear blinders in pursuing it. You can never decide to commit so much of yourself to God that it becomes too much. All that you can give is never enough. There is no such thing as an over committed Christian. Do all that you can to find Gods purpose, and then give all that you are in service to Him alone! Every Minute spent outside of Gods will is useless and wasted, not one breath taken in pursuit of life outside of Gods will is profitable. Remember that we are at war; and as Gods soldier you should live as such!