What You Can Conceive, You Can Achieve

May I bless your year?

Here’s my prayer for you:

In 2011, you’re not going to experience a drizzle of blessings. You’ll not experience a quick and light rain of blessings. In 2011, you’ll experience a downpour of blessings.

God doesn’t want you to get moist. God doesn’t want you to get damp. God doesn’t want you to get a little bit wet. God wants you to get drenched by a downpour of blessings in 2011.

       If you want to be drenched by blessings in 2011, you need to do 4 things, which I’ll tackle each week (every Monday).

Week 1: See the Blessings

Week 2: Speak the Blessings

Week 3: Grow the Blessings

Week 4: Enjoy the Blessings

Today, let me share with you God’s big message for you:

What you can conceive, you can achieve. 

Unless you see the blessings, you won’t receive the blessings. Unless you see the blessings in your mind, you won’t be able to hold the blessings in your hand.

I learned this crucial lesson from Elijah…

Your Problems Are Temporary

There was a drought in Israel. 

For three years, it did not rain. 

Have you experienced a drought in your life? When God seemed silent and blessings were scarce?

Perhaps when you got sick. Or when you lost a job. Or when your son or daughter was hanging out with the wrong crowd. Or when your close friend betrayed you. 

We’ve had all these difficult times when you looked up and you could not see a single cloud in the sky.

But today, God is telling you that every drought ends. Every problem–no matter how big–will pass away.

Elijah told King Ahab, Now, go and eat. I hear the roar of rain approaching. (1 Kings 18:41)

Was there really rain? None. The sky was empty.

Because after that, the Bible says that Elijah prayed and asked his servant to see if the storm was approaching. The servant said that there was not a cloud in the sky!

Six times, Elijah asked him to look again–and six times, the servant told him there was nothing.

How many of you will get discouraged at this point?

       “Oh no, why isn’t God answering my prayer?”

       I realize that our problem isn’t just a lack of faith, but a lack of patience. Nagmamadali tayo masyado. Some of your biggest blessings will come only through time. Have faith and be patient–and your blessings will come.

       But on the seventh time, the servant saw a small cloud.

       Seven is very important in the Bible. God created the world in 7 days. God gave a seven-fold blessing to Israel. Seven is the symbol of perfection. And when it refers to time, it symbolizes God’s perfect timing.

       Don’t rush. The best fruits are ripened on the branch. Are you waiting for an answer to your prayer? Wait for God’s perfect time.

Extraordinary People See Blessings

Where Ordinary People Cannot

 

       But the cloud was incredibly tiny.

       So tiny, the servant may have actually told Elijah (my paraphrase), “Don’t put your hopes too high, Elijah. It’s so tiny, it’s no bigger than my fist. Forget it.”

       But Elijah answers, “Go to King Ahab and tell him to get into his chariot and go back home before the rain stops him.”

What makes the difference between ordinary and extraordinary people? Extraordinary people see blessings where ordinary people cannot. 

They’re looking at the same thing. But one sees a miracle, the other doesn’t. Because ordinary people see with their eyes. Extraordinary people see with their faith.

The servant of Elijah could only see a small cloud. Elijah saw gigantic storm clouds within that small cloud.

       The extraordinary person is someone who can see big blessings within small blessings.

       Let me tell you a story I love sharing to people.

Do You Want Big Money? 

Start With Small Money

 

       Early last year, I taught my maids to invest in the Stock Market. They started by saving P2000 a month.

       A few friends laughed at me. Someone asked me, “What can happen with their P2000 a month? That’s so small.”

       But that’s why people remain poor. They don’t see the big money in the small money.

Today, one of my maids has P72,286 in her Stock Market account. The other one has P88,069 in her account. These amounts may mean nothing to you, but to them, they feel very rich.

They started with a small amount. Just P2000 a month. But when they discovered how investing worked, they were hooked. So when I gave them a raise or gave them a bonus, they didn’t spend it. They invested it.

Here’s my fearless forecast: I have no doubt that in less than 10 years, my maids will be millionaires.

Huwag mo smallin ang maliit na blessing. Lalaki rin yan!

       My point? Unless you see the big blessings in the small blessings, you’ll never receive the big blessings. Because every small blessing has a big blessing waiting to come out.

Be A Blessing Expert

My friend is a bird expert. 

He can spot a bird from far away, tell you its breed, its lineage, its migratory timetable… (I told him I only know 2 kinds of birds. Small bird and Big Bird. Yes, the one who lives in Sesame Street.)

I have another friend who is a plant expert. 

She can spot a plant a mile away, and tell you its scent, and its scientific name. She won’t just say, “Sampaguita”. She’ll say, “Sampaguitatious Beinte Pesosis” or something like that.

I have another friend who is a Star expert.

Not the astronomical stars. But the showbiz stars. She can spot an artista (actress) a mile away. When she does, she’ll tell you the star’s latest movie, latest song, latest boyfriend, latest liposuction treatment…

       Me? I’m a Blessing Expert.

       I can spot a blessing a mile away. I know a blessing’s shape, smell, color, sound… Because of this, I see blessings everywhere.

       Blessing Experts are happy people.

       But I know people who are Problem Experts.

       Believe me, you don’t want to hang out with them. To them, everything is a problem. Including you. They’re miserable people and they’ll make everyone else miserable.

       When you’re a Blessing Expert, you see more blessings. And thus, you receive more blessings.

Athletes call this the power of visualization.

Imagination Is Powerful

Ask any champion in any sport. Olympians. Serious athletes. Whether they’re runners. Or swimmers. Or boxers. Or weight lifters. Or golfers. Or bowlers. All of them will tell you that they practice visualization.

What is visualization? It’s doing your “sport” over and over again in your mind, with the “right moves” and the “right results”.

Many years ago, I was talking to a basketball coach. What he shared to me was fascinating. He said that coaches all over the world are now realizing that they need to train the player’s imagination.

If you were a serious runner today, even before you stood up from bed, you’d already be visualizing your perfect run. You’d picture yourself crouching on the starting block, hearing the starting gun, and launching yourself from the starting line. You’d imagine yourself burning the track like you’re the Flash. 

It’s a complete multi-sensory picture: You smell the freshly cut grass, you feel the gust of wind on your face, you hear the roar of the crowd on the bleachers. You see yourself crossing the finish line, snapping the tape with your chest. You picture yourself receiving a gold medal around your neck.

       Why do all champions do it?

       Because visualization works.  

       Mind you, it doesn’t only work in sports.

       I realize I use visualization all the time.

I use this in my work too. 

Before a meeting, I picture in my mind a successful meeting. Before I start a project, I picture in my mind a successful project. And before I preach, I picture in my mind a successful talk…

And speaking of preaching…

Before I Preached To 30,

I Already Preached To 30,000

 

A lot of people know that when I was 13 years old, I gave my first talk. It was a prayer group of 30 people. It was a very biased audience: Half of the seats were already filled by my parents, my 5 sisters, my 4 aunts, my 4 cousins…

But a lot of people don’t know this fact: That before I gave a talk to 30 people, I already gave a talk to 30,000 people.

How in the world did that happen? In my mind.

One day, as a 12 year old kid, I woke up and saw myself preaching in Araneta Coliseum. I was holding my Bible, preaching in my Pajamas.

Whether that was a vision from God or from my playful imagination, I don’t know. But all of a sudden, I knew it was a desire of my heart.

Today, that dream has come true again and again.

That’s why I believe God has given you the power to make your dreams come true.

       Let me tell you the story of my friend Rudy Torres.

The Story of The Electric Fan

When Rudy got married, he was so poor, he couldn’t even buy an electric fan. He and his wife were renting a tiny room for P90 a month. And this tiny room got warm during summer, and without a fan, it got really hot.

       But even in his poverty, Rudy believed in his dreams. 

He was also a great believer in having pictures to remind him of his dreams.

So he did the ridiculous. He got a newspaper, cut out a photo of an electric fan, and pinned it on their wall. And each time he saw the photo, it reminded him of his great goal in life (at that time): That he’d be able to buy an electric fan for his beloved wife. 

Whenever he saw beads of perspiration on her forehead, he’d go to the photo, and “press” the switch of the fan. He focused on his dream.

       Four days later, Rudy heard a knock on the door. 

When he opened it, he saw his neighbor holding an old electric fan. The neighbor said he was moving out and wondered if Rudy wanted to buy his old fan for P50.

       Rudy was overjoyed. “Yes!” he said.

       In four days, the real fan now replaced the photo.

       The next photo he pinned on the wall was a beautiful white van. Foolish, right? How in the world can a poor man who couldn’t even buy an electric fan now dream of buying a van? 

       But he kept on dreaming for that van and worked hard. The white van came. And so did the larger homes. Both here and America.

       Today, Rudy is a multi-millionaire.

       His secret? He saw the blessings in his mind before he received them.

The Story of Anawim

       Many years ago, I had a dream: To build a home for the poorest of the poor.

       It was simply an idea. But I used my imagination to the hilt. I saw myself living with the poor, serving God’s favorite people. In my mind, I saw a huge track of land with many homes.

       And I saw myself living in a bahay kubo. In my mind, I saw myself surrounded by a rice field, fishpond and coconut trees.

       All that came true!

       Anawim was a huge track of land in Montalban, and in 12 years, the center welcomed and cared for hundreds of abandoned elderly people.

       Anawim was beautiful–with 10 nipa huts on it.

       But unknown to me, nipa huts were very expensive to maintain. Because of storms, they got destroyed easily.

       Last year, because I wanted to focus on Light of Jesus, I felt it was time to pass on Anawim to other people. And God sent my friends Aida Dy and Linda Reyes.

       Last year, at the Feast (our weekly gathering), I asked people to draw a Dream Board. Aida and Linda showed me their Dream Board. It was an amazing Dream Board. I noticed it didn’t contain anything about their children or grandchildren. Their Dream Boards were all about Anawim!

Both of them told me, “Brother Bo, Anawim will look like a resort. The elderly people will think they’re in Baguio or Tagaytay. (Note to non-Filipinos: These are vacation places in the Philippines.)”

       Their dreams were far better than mine!

       Two weeks ago, we blessed 4 beautiful homes in Anawim. They’re so beautiful, they indeed look like the homes in Camp John Hay in Baguio! Their dream has become a reality.

       In the first version of Anawim, we had nipa huts. Why? Because that was what I saw in my mind.

       In the second version of Anawim, we now have these beautiful resort-like homes. Why? Because that was what Aida and Linda saw in their minds.

       Remember, your reality is only limited by your vision.

What you hold in your hand is only limited by what you see in your mind. Your inner world will always manifest in your outer world.   Here’s a fact: Your imagination is a blueprint of what will happen in your world. 

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

PS. Last Call: I’m giving a How To Be Truly Rich Seminar on February 5. It will change your financial life! There are very few seats left.   To join, click the link below:

Yes Bo, I Want To Know More About The Seminar on February 5

PS2. Not living in Manila? Sorry, but I don’t give this Seminar anywhere else. But there’s a solution. I’m personally inviting you to become an exclusive Gold Member of the TrulyRichClub–and I’ll send my seminar to you online.   For more information, log on at www.TrulyRichClub.com now.

 

PS3. Can you help me? Your stories and ideas are needed.  I’m looking for volunteers who will contribute ideas for my future messages. I created a special website just for this purpose. For more details, log on at www.AssistantPreacher.com now.