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    In grade school, college, and even in seminary, I barely scraped by.  My grades were mostly C's and low B's, but then I took the challenge and when I went back to college after been out of school for about twenty years and competed with twenty year old students.  I made mostly A's.  Then when I finished my work on my Ph.D., I had a 4.0 (A average).  What made the difference?  Keep reading.

    At one time I was ministering in the Eden Detention Center, showing Christian movies once a week and seeing two or three men get saved each week.  Praise the Lord!  However, I became hungry to see more men get saved.  When I prayed about it, God said, "I have already told you what to do."  Therefore, I took the challenge and the first week we had seven men get saved.  For three months straight, we had from seven to fifteen men get saved each week. Are you ready to take the challenge?  Keep reading.

    Our oldest daughter and her husband went to Thailand for one year to do mission work. Upon  returning to the US our daughter and her husband brought back a thirteen year old Thai girl on a student  visa. They attempted to get her into the regular school system, but the girl spoke little English and was not able to make the grade.  They put her is special education, but she was about to flunk out.  This would mean that she would lose her student visa and be deported back to Thailand.  My daughter asked me what to do. I told her and she did it.  The young girl began to pull up her grades and within one year was able to be moved into regular classes. Are you ready to take the challenge?  Keep reading.

    There was a couple who brought a young teenager to me for counseling.  He had become the big bully in school and was about to fail his grades.  I told the couple what to do but they at first refused.  Things got worse with the young man.  They returned for more counsel.  Again, I told them what to do, but they responded, "We can't make him do this."  My response was, "Well, you make him go to school don't you? Which is more important?"  They finally got the point and began to make the youth do what I had suggested.  About a month or so later, I received a call from the mother declaring that they could hardly believe the positive change in their son.  Are you ready to take the challenge?  Keep reading.

    To whatever degree my counseling to others is a success on my end, it is because I put in practice what I am about to share with you.  If I happen to get too busy counseling or in other church work to do what God had told me to do, then all of a sudden, I find that I don't have any clients.  This gives me more time to get back doing what God has challenged me to do.  Then God starts sending client to me for me to minister to them.  When I come across an extreme difficult case and fulfill the challenge, them God gives me insight and direction to counsel the individual.  Are you ready to take the challenge?  Keep reading.

    Before I give you the challenge, I should first explain what "success" is.  Success is not becoming an instant millionaire.  Success begins with hearing and obeying God's voice. There is nothing greater that one can do than to hear and obey the voice of God. However, success moves from that to being manifest in whatever areas of your life in which you are seeking success. The promise is, "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all" (I Timothy 4:15).   Success may be manifest in school, work, ministry, or relationships.  Are you ready to take the challenge?  Keep reading.

    If you take the challenge, it will make you wiser than your enemies. You will have more understanding that your teachers.  You will have understand more than those who have gone before you. ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE CHALLENGE?

    Here it is, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8).  Whatever comes out of your mouth should be according to the WORD of God.  However, what you put inside is what comes out.  Therefore, to get God's Word to come, we must put God's Word on the inside.  We do this through "meditation" on the Word. God promises if we will MEDITATE upon His Word day and night and obey it, then we will make our way prosperous and then we will have good success.

    Remember that success is simply hearing and obeying the voice of God. David wrote, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Psalm 1:1-3). Again, note that one is to "MEDITATE" upon the Word day and night.  Then he will be productive and prospers.

    It is said, that we are like sheep (Psalms 23).  The sheep has four stomachs (or four compartments within their stomach).  The sheep nibbles the grass near the ground, partially chews it, and swallows it.  Then later the sheep belches it up and chews the cud.  The sheep turns the cud over and over in its mouth to get all the nutrition out of it. Meditation may be described as being like the sheep to eat of the Word of God (memorize it) then recall it and turn it over and over in our minds to get all the insight from it.  I also see, meditation as being like taking a diamond and holding it up to the light to view closely each facet of the diamond.

    For some practical exercises in getting started please see: Practical Exercises.  I would also strongly suggest journaling.  Journaling is not keeping a diary, it is recording God working in your life by using an outline. For more information see: Finding Peace of mind.  For some wisdom on meditation please see: Preparation for Meditation.

    1. "Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me" (Psalm 119:98).

    2. "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation" (Psalm 119:99).

    3. "I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts" (Psalm 119:100).

Someone may say, but I can't learn:

     "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple" (Psalm 119:130).