Meditations for Blessings, Health and Prosperity 7

Ps. 26: l  I never slide because I walk in integrity and trust the Lord.

Ps. 26:2, 3  The Lord examines me, proves me, tries my reins and my heart for His loving kindness is before my eyes and I walk in His truth.

Ps. 26:8  I love the habitation of God's house and the place where God’s honor dwells.

Ps. 26:12  My foot stands in an even place and in the congregations will I bless the Lord.

Ps. 27:1  The Lord is my light, my salvation and the strength of my life.

Ps. 27:4  The one thing I have desired and seek after and have received is to dwell in the house of the Lo rd all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.

Ps. 27:24  I wait on the Lord, I am of good courage and He strengthens me.

Ps. 30:2  The Lord has healed me. I have perfect eyesight. I have perfect health.

Ps. 30:6  In my prosperity I am  not moved for I stand in Christ.

Ps. 34:9, 10  I fear the Lord and have no want. I seek the Lord and do not want any good thing.

Ps. 34:20  God keeps my bones and not one of them is broken.

Ps. 35:18  I give thanks to God in the great congregation; I praise Him among many people.

Ps. 35:27  The Lord has pleasure in the prosperity of me, His servant.

Ps. 36:8, 9  I am abundantly satisfied with the fatness of God's house and I drink of the river of His pleasure for God is the fountain of my life.

Ps. 37:3  I trust in the Lord and do good and verily I am fed.

Ps. 37:4, 5  I delight myself in the Lord and He gives me the desires of my heart. I commit my way unto the Lord, I trust in Him and He brings it to pass.

Ps. 36:9, 11  I wait upon the Lord and  I inherit the earth and delight myself in the abundance of peace because I am meek.

Ps. 37:23  My steps are ordered by the Lord and I delight in His way.

Ps. 37:34  I wait upon the Lord and keep His way and He exalts me in my inheritance in Christ.

Ps. 40:4  I am blessed because I make the Lord my trust. I do not respect the proud or turn aside to lies.

Always Have A Plan B

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance. Because many things don’t go as well as we would like them to, it’s a great idea to have a “Plan B.” Having fallback plans can’t help but make you feel better about the  outcome  of  any  situation,  and  it  is  a  common denominator among very self-confident people.

Anyone  who  has  had  more  than  one  failure  in her  life  can  tell  you  that  having  another  path  to  take probably saved her bacon a time or two. I’m a big one for  contingency  plans.  If  you  are  an  entrepreneur,  in the  arts  or  media,  or  you  have  all  your  eggs  in  one basket, a Plan B is essential.

Knowing that if you lose the farm you have a condo you can go to makes you feel safer in the world. I know a number of people who have motor homes, and one of the reasons they do is, as they jokingly say, it’s their “in case” home. During the last big earthquake here in Los  Angeles,  many  people  who  had  them  were  very grateful—and those of us who didn’t were envious.

With the world economy in turmoil, creating some kind of additional income stream is also a good idea. The jeweler who is also a great designer or builder, the computer  geek  who  can  also  teach  school,  or  the  PR person  who  is  a  closet  novelist  can  all  find  a  way  to thrive even if their current position disappears.

Backup  plans  don’t  have  to  be  new  ideas—I continue  to  use  aspects  of  everything  I’ve  ever  done. My days on stage playing guitar have made me a better public speaker, which makes me a good radio host. The energy  I  put  into  songs  and  poems  has  helped  them become columns and books.

The years I spent running my  own  business  give  me  the  insight  to  help  others streamline theirs. 

And all of my experiences have made me  a  confident  and  successful  therapist.  Every  talent and  ability  you  have  can  be  built  upon  and  also  used again.  Not  that  I’d  ever  again  want  to  be  on  a  tour bus with six smelly guys for eight weeks, but if I had to I could still put food on the table by humming and strumming.

There’s  another  potential  upside  here:  Sometimes your  original  plan  and  your  backup  can  work  at  the same time. I still counsel, consult, write, and speak to groups all over the world. In years when the speaking business  got  very  slow  (such  as  after  9/11  and  then the  financial  crisis),  I  spent  more  time  writing  and counseling.

When  there  was  a  lull  between  books, I  put  more  energy  into  my  radio  show  and  business consulting, and did pro-bono events. Having multiple options gives you the sense that, if any one thing went away, you’d have other gigs that would more than fill the gap.

So get a little creative. Look at your past accomplishments and your current talents. A Plan B is only an idea away. By the way, this Plan B thing works in life, but not in relationships. Having a backup mate is only going to erode your current relationship and cause heartache for everyone involved. Enough said.