Brian Gosur

Advice and Strategies That Will Take You Out of This World

Tag Archives: Truth

Do You Believe?

According to the dictionary, the meaning to the word, “believe” is; to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.

When you were a kid, did you believe in Santa Claus? I remember those days of wonder and excitement, writing your letters to Santa and waiting to see if you were good enough to get what was on your list, but as I got older and I listened to what my friends were saying, and some little things that I noticed on my own, It started to make my belief in Santa a little bit shaky. I wanted to believe, but the truth in the evidence of the existence of Santa just wasn’t there anymore. So I have come to the terrible conclusion, at the age of fifty seven, that there really is no Santa Claus. I hate to be the one to tell you that.

On a more serious note, do you believe in yourself? Remember that believe means to have confidence in the truth, the existence or reliability of who you really are. Do you know who you really are? I think that sometimes we hide who we really are because of the people, or the things that those people around us, have told us about ourselves. You will become a product of your environment, even if your environment is lying.

I grew up in a very unloving home. It was a home where we were never encouraged or given pats on the back for our successes. We never really had to many, and when we did they were either not acknowledged or we were ridiculed for even trying to do them. I was always told that I would never be able to achieve anything worthwhile.

But there was always an uncontrollable drive to compete, be competitive, and win. This stir was noticed by a coach and teacher in one of my schools, that took me under his arm. He worked with me, encouraged me, and told me that I was good at sports and I should go out and tryout for some of the teams. This man gave me the hope and stirred the belief in myself, that I am good at things and if I work hard I can achieve success.

Well it took a long time but that seed of belief he planted in me started to sprout. I started to play sports and I realized that I could run fast, and I could hit the ball pretty good too. My confidence in the truth of who I really was, and not the lies that everybody else told me about myself, started to make me stronger, more confident, and more persistent in my drive to succeed.

Where are you? Your potential is a picture of what you can become. Your believing in that potential helps you see it more clearly, and gives you the strength to reach out, grab it and make that truth a reality.

97% of the worlds population live in a box that was molded by what everyone else said about them, and only 3% ever get out of that box, and reach for that truth that they know and have living in themselves. If your reading this article, you are apart of that three percent.

Don’t believe or listen to what someone else said or is saying about you and your dreams. Take a long look in your own heart. What do you see? What do you want to achieve? What is there? Take that inventory of yourself, then take the necessary steps to training and moves you need to do to get on that road to the success you deserve.

Do you believe? I believe. I believe in you and I know that you can do it.

Please leave your comments and let me know what you are doing and the road that you’re on.

I want to leave you with a short video from the movie, “Miracle on Ice”. It’s about the men’s hockey team who won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. This was a team made up of young college players and they were going up against one of the best hockey teams in the world, from the Soviet Union. This Red Army team was made up of men who did nothing else but play hockey. It was one of the greatest moments in sports history, and the video clip is from the speech, coach Herb Brooks, gives to his team before they go out to face, what everybody else told them would be an easy Red Army win. Listen to what he tells these boys and take it as if he is talking to you.

God bless

“The Miracle on Ice”

As I Was Praying

LAST WEEK, GOD OPENED A new window on what He and I can do together. I was in the middle of preparing for a class I’m teaching at church when God reminded me that He is life. As in, “I have come that they may have life” (Jn. 10:10) and “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were” (Ro. 4:17).
Then He invited me to join Him in the business of bringing life. “In any situation where there is ‘death’,” He said, “You get to pray and ask me to bring life.”
Whoa. That’s a prayer focus that had never occurred to me. I’ve gotten so used to living with realities such as “Too good to be true” and “Going from bad to worse” that it doesn’t occur to me to notice where elements of death are at work in a situation—they’re like background noise.
But God’s invitation has nudged me to look at situations from a death-and-life viewpoint. Sometimes it’s obvious where life is needed, as when a friend is grappling with cancer. In other situations, I’ve had to look a little harder. I’ve sat in meetings and conversations wondering, “Is there an element of ‘death’ in what we’re talking about—maybe through an attitude, an emotion, a way of thinking, or a practice?” And I’ve sent up little prayers, “Father, would you bring life here?” or “What would you like to do here that would bring life?”
Looking around and realizing, “I get to ask God to bring life,” has been fun—mostly. You see, this prayer has had an unexpected consequence: It’s revealed I’m not always eager for God to answer it. How can that be?! I’ve tasted life and know how wonderful it is; why wouldn’t I want that touch on everything around me?
Truth is, I don’t. In one situation, I’ve gotten used to the dynamics; I can navigate them just fine. If that situation were brimming with life, I’d have to grapple with the change. In another situation, I’ve been chagrined to find myself thinking, Why bring life and let them off the hook? They made their bed; they can lie in it.
Oh me of small heart and small faith.
And, apparently, even smaller vision for what God might want to do.
And even smaller reverence for His sovereignty! All He’s invited me to do is ask for His life. I don’t remember Him asking me to determine when and how He should bring it.
So I ask for forgiveness for my small heart, and continue praying my new prayer, that the King of Life will bring His “Midas” touch to those around me.

God bless you all.

“…You Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Set You Free.”

You don’t see much of that around anymore;… truth. We live in a world where truth is relative. What is true for you may not be true for me.

The man that I quoted the title of this article from lived a very long time ago. He had, as I believe and many people believe, a lot to say about truth

and He had the qualifications to speak about the subject of truth also. But not many listened to him.

It used to be where a person could close a contract with another person and all they had to do was shake hands and give their word on it. That was

all that was needed to seal the terms and close the contract. Bam! It was law. Wow, have we come a long way from there.

What is a persons word today? It is based on the character and the quality of the individual giving it. Think about all the times we give our word to

someone and never follow through with it or never have any intention of following through on it. But yet we smile and say; ” you can count on me”,

” I won’t let you down.” ” I’ll be right there, just call me. ” ” I promise next week we will go for sure.” Sound familiar.

The number of students who cheat on exams is increasing, and when asked if they think it is wrong to cheat on an exam, many say no,

“because everyone is doing it.” People lie and cheat on resumes to get the job they want. People lie at the alter before they take their wedding

vows, and some have cheated on their fiance’ before they even got to the alter. Anybody remember Enron? Is it any wonder that we have no trust

in our society today?

With truth comes trust. Yes trust. That too is in short demand in our world. No one trusts anybody anymore. We don’t trust our government nor

the people, who swore an oath, and we elected to run that government. We don’t trust our neighbors, our spouses, our kids, our clergy, teachers,

and police officers. My mom always told me that if I ever got lost, I was to find the nearest policeman, and he could be trusted to get me back home.

The list could go on and on. Now I’m not saying that we can’t trust our police or government officials or any of these, all I am saying is that we have

come, to what I believe, is a crossroads in this country for truth and justice and doing what is right, no matter what the cost, and this, and only this,

will built trust in our hearts for each other. You see, it has to start from within. You can’t fake it.

What will built back the trust that we so desperately need?…….truth…… We are right back where we started……truth….. How? How do we get the

truth? How does everyone start telling the truth all of a sudden? Like I said before, truth comes from within. It starts in the heart.

The man that I quoted the title of this article, who lived a long time ago. His name is Jesus Christ. Here is the full quote of what He had to say.

“While he was saying these things, many people believed in him.
Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:30-32

Brian Gosur  10/17/08