The Tailored Life Sample

I Think I Can

In him I live, I move, and I have my being. Acts 17:28 is one of my favorite scriptures. It is the foundation scripture for The Tailored Life concept. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being in him. Even when you make mistakes, even if you stumble, fall, or take a dive, do it, in him. His strength is made perfect in our weakness, not in our perfection. What a wonderful life it must be, what an amazing feeling it must be to live life inside of God’s will. How do we get there? How do we stay there?

I have a plan for you. Will you try it? It is a widely accepted view that it takes 21 days to start or break a habit. The best way to break a habit is to start a new one. So I encourage you to participate in my 21 for 21 challenge. What’s that, you ask? It's committing to working productively toward living in God’s will and working on one of your goals for a minimum of 21 minutes a day for 21 days. Use the #21for21 and #TailoredDreams hashtags to allow us to see your progress and so we can support you on your journey. Post on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and I will be watching and cheering you on. I want you to join me in living this Tailored Life.

When it gets hard along this 21-day journey, just remember the children’s story about the little engine that could. That engine hauled a load that should’ve broken him, but he kept repeating an affirmation. He kept saying "I think I can, I think I can," and he did. He did the impossible by training his thoughts, by repeatedly saying I can do this. You are the little dreamer that could. Just keep saying “I think I can, I know God Can.” Repeat that repeatedly. When fear creeps in, say “I think I can, I know God Can.”

Finally, I encourage you to purchase a surrogate for your goal. For example, buy a plant, a beautiful plant, but you only get to provide proper care for that beautiful plant when you follow through on completing action items for your goals. So if you watered your dream, you can water your plant. If you starve your dream, then starve your plant of something like sunlight.

We need to begin to view our dreams as living things. You need to know the answer to the great question “what happens to a dream differed.” You need to see that illustrated by how you impact the health of that beautiful plant of yours, because really your dreams need the same things that plants do: water (commitment), sunlight (hard work), and good soil (faith in God).

Remember, you are not a prisoner of your past, because God is the architect of your future.

Prayer Starter: Lord, today we ask you to allow us to dwell in your presence forever. Help us to rest in the shadow of the almighty and to live out our lives inside your will. Keep us from things that will deter us from completing your will for our lives. Over the next 21 days, help me to break habits that keep me from being totally committed to you and to create habits that bring me closer to you. Help us to take every thought captive in the Holy Spirit and to remember that you can do anything but fail. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen.

Go to www.danielchristianbradley.com to purchase your copy of Tailored Dreams or to subscribe to The Tailored Life blog.