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We make them all day long in a million situations, so why are some choices so easy and some so hard? Complexity, weightiness, timing, cost, opinions, repercussions, collateral damage, so many factors can be in play. So how can we do this well?

The choices we make today shape the direction our lives take tomorrow.

Choices, big or small. We always want to make the correct call, right?

There are tons of factors and influencing voices involved in decision-making. All in all, they are still our choices to make. I remember a trip to Russia the summer after the wall came down. I was shocked at the almost total inability of the people there to make even the smallest decisions on their own. Seventy years of being told every single thing to do and never having the freedom to make their own choices had very obvious effects upon the people. They were very well versed in history, art, and science. All seemed to have some level of education in these areas, but in what we call common sense or decision-making, they were stifled or undeveloped. Today I see this same thing in overprotected children that never are allowed or encouraged to make their own choices. Today in the USA we have college-aged kids who do not possess the power of making good choices on their own. Like the Russians in the first years of freedom, these students are being exploited because of this inability to make wise choices. They soon have overwhelming student loans and credit card debt looming over their heads and hopelessness gripping their lives. They are not being prepared to make decisions at home or school. We have so many immigrants coming into our country who take the base level jobs. Our kids used to hold those jobs that developed their work ethic and decision-making skills.

Not that immigrants are bad, I am just saying that things are different today compared to even a decade ago. Therefore, we must work to train our children and ourselves how to make better and wiser choices. Decisions are not only in the daily things of life but also in spiritual things as well! Four decades ago most kids knew how to milk a cow. Today, most kids do not know that milk comes from a cow! They are afraid of it if it’s not “organic,” even though they have no idea what that means! We fill them with fear, not wisdom, or experience. Someone might respond, “Well, they all have the internet!” That may be a big part of the problem. If the internet was actually the infallible word of all wisdom that might work, but it leads them to a million and one bad choices while they are looking for the right choice! This brings me back to those spiritual things!

Most generations of Americans were raised with an understanding of one absolute authority that would never fail them. There is one real infallible truth that built our country’s base moral fiber and held us in a common unity up until the last few decades of American history. That truth was inscribed on the walls of our justice system and the halls of our Congress. It was written into our establishing documents and ratified with the blood of the brave men and women before us. The Truth! The Word of God! The Bible! The present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit! This is the ultimate standard by which wisdom is gained.

The Word of God is the one true source of how to live, love, invest, treat people, and win in life by making great choices. It’s your choice! What will you use to help you make the next choice? The internet or The Truth?

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV)

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; …… Your call! Today it is your choice! Your kids are watching! You also influence others; they are watching, too.

I am not trying to be condemning, I am trying to point the way to making great choices in your life and teaching others how to do the same.

Your Choices are so important! They link together and reveal your true heart and integrity. They define your destiny.

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

We make them all day long in a million situations, so why are some choices so easy and some so hard? Complexity, weightiness, timing, cost, opinions, repercussions, collateral damage, so many factors can be in play. So how can we do this well?

The choices we make today shape the direction our lives take tomorrow.

Choices, big or small. We always want to make the correct call, right?

There are tons of factors and influencing voices involved in decision-making. All in all, they are still our choices to make. I remember a trip to Russia the summer after the wall came down. I was shocked at the almost total inability of the people there to make even the smallest decisions on their own. Seventy years of being told every single thing to do and never having the freedom to make their own choices had very obvious effects upon the people. They were very well versed in history, art, and science. All seemed to have some level of education in these areas, but in what we call common sense or decision-making, they were stifled or undeveloped. Today I see this same thing in overprotected children that never are allowed or encouraged to make their own choices. Today in the USA we have college-aged kids who do not possess the power of making good choices on their own. Like the Russians in the first years of freedom, these students are being exploited because of this inability to make wise choices. They soon have overwhelming student loans and credit card debt looming over their heads and hopelessness gripping their lives. They are not being prepared to make decisions at home or school. We have so many immigrants coming into our country who take the base level jobs. Our kids used to hold those jobs that developed their work ethic and decision-making skills.

Not that immigrants are bad, I am just saying that things are different today compared to even a decade ago. Therefore, we must work to train our children and ourselves how to make better and wiser choices. Decisions are not only in the daily things of life but also in spiritual things as well! Four decades ago most kids knew how to milk a cow. Today, most kids do not know that milk comes from a cow! They are afraid of it if it’s not “organic,” even though they have no idea what that means! We fill them with fear, not wisdom, or experience. Someone might respond, “Well, they all have the internet!” That may be a big part of the problem. If the internet was actually the infallible word of all wisdom that might work, but it leads them to a million and one bad choices while they are looking for the right choice! This brings me back to those spiritual things!

Most generations of Americans were raised with an understanding of one absolute authority that would never fail them. There is one real infallible truth that built our country’s base moral fiber and held us in a common unity up until the last few decades of American history. That truth was inscribed on the walls of our justice system and the halls of our Congress. It was written into our establishing documents and ratified with the blood of the brave men and women before us. The Truth! The Word of God! The Bible! The present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit! This is the ultimate standard by which wisdom is gained.

The Word of God is the one true source of how to live, love, invest, treat people, and win in life by making great choices. It’s your choice! What will you use to help you make the next choice? The internet or The Truth?

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV)

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; …… Your call! Today it is your choice! Your kids are watching! You also influence others; they are watching, too.

I am not trying to be condemning, I am trying to point the way to making great choices in your life and teaching others how to do the same.

Your Choices are so important! They link together and reveal your true heart and integrity. They define your destiny.

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

It seems that DIY (Do It Yourself) is a big thing these days. Some examples I have seen are working and others, perhaps not. I enjoyed a video made of a young woman who had escaped a cubical desk job as a photoshop editor. She bought a camper-trailer and took her photography and photoshop skills on the road. Her travels take her all over the USA, and she seems to be complete and doing what she loves to do! she has less money and has no personal bathroom or kitchen, but she has the great outdoors. It might not be appealing to everyone, but for this DIY’er life is good!

The question that begs to be asked. DIY-Happy or Normal-boring? Sounds like an easy choice, but what risk is involved? Whom does this involve besides me? If it does not go well, do I have the time and intensity to recover?

Many people are struggling with what I call direction. They ask, “What should I do?” I think that is really the wrong question, however. I think the question most people should be asking is, “Who am I?” Discovering your own identity is the starting point. When you know who you really are, then understanding what you should do is much easier to discover.

I think the question most people should be asking is, “Who am I?”

Are you a DIY-Life kind of person, or not? Are you a business-minded person, a risk-taker, an adventure seeker? Are you full of ideas, energy, and determination? Are you willing to put your faith in you? I promise you, if you do not believe in you, no one else will either! On the other hand, if you always play it safe, like always being consistent and resisting change, the DIY-Life may not be for you. Knowing who you are is the prerequisite to knowing what to do.

If you were made to be a Lincoln Touring Car, you should not go to work for a High Country Hunting Expedition. That might be fun for a little while, but it is going to tear you up in no time at all! You are not a Jeep; you are a Lincoln! What you do needs to match with who you are. When that happens, you will find life very fulfilling!

There is a little book in the glove box that can help you! It is called the manufacturer’s handbook. It will tell you exactly who you are and what you were built to do! So nice!

Oops! You are not a car; you are a human! The good news is that we have one of those books, too! Your manufacturer took the time to write one just for you!

You were fearfully and wonderfully made! You were made in the image of God! Man plans his ways, but God directs his steps. The Holy Spirit will teach you all things you have need of knowing. There is a lot more good stuff about you in the Bible! It even tells you how to DIY with God’s really awesome YouTube Channel (Holy Spirit) showing you the way.

2 Corinthians 5:17 If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.

Do It Yourself but only after you are in Christ!

The top shelf discovery you can make is this: Knowing Who you are in Christ Jesus!

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

“Joy to the World” starts in you!

The leaves are falling, and harvest is in the air! A great time to be thankful and joyful!

A great time to be thankful and joyful!

There are tons of great scriptures about Joy. A few of my favorites are:

Psalms 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But Joy comes in the morning.

Psalms 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8,9 Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.

3 John 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

God is Good and He is full of Joy!

Let me put these together for you.

Joy comes in the morning; it does not stay away for long! In God’s presence, there is fullness of joy. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace, and there is no law against it. We can stay as long as we like, and God will produce this wonderful fruit in our lives. God’s joy remains in you — never leaves — so that your joy can be full or complete! That joy remains because the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Even though we do not see Him, we are believing. We rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls. We have no greater joy than when we see or hear that our children are walking in that same truth! JOY!

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

Are you the same in the spotlight?

Some people seem to respond to attention differently than others, why is that?

First, there is something about the spotlight that says, “Hey, everyone, look at me!” From childhood we seem to have a thing about wanting to be noticed and desiring center stage. It is really all about identity! Interestingly, just a few years down the road many of us are now hiding from the light. Again, identity or perceived identity. When the light is shined upon us, often we transform into a make-believe version of who we really are. We act out the character we would like to be, but in reality, we are nothing at all like that person. We have learned to mask what we do not want others to see. It appears to us to be something that has fallen short of what we once pictured. We are disappointed in who we are, even ashamed. We move away from the spotlight, or we run to get in it and put on a performance trying to gain acceptance, approval, and identity. The more we are exposed to the spotlight, the higher the expectation of topping the last performance. We self-impose, and our audiences expect! A merry-go-round ride that has no good end! Running to the spotlight or away from it…. Neither satisfies our soul nor gives us the true identity we are so desperate to discover.

Second, the great confusion of our present day is all about identity! There are countless claims and agendas that try to gather people to support their causes and establish legitimacy to their claims to be the answer to all our problems. “Buy this; wear that; join up with us; you are really this way or that way; align with our agenda; identify with us, and you will find acceptance and identity.” Lots of choices! But, how many answers? It seems to me when people see the truth, they perceive it as unspectacular or archaic and therefore reject it! Others often overlook, or see it as too-good-to-be-true,,, or too simplistic and discard it. Sadly, because of this many people simply do not know who they are! They are not the same person all the time. They color their hair, mark their bodies, dress or cross-dress to identify, but rest to their souls never comes! Something is still missing! The true answer to, “Who am I?” remains elusive.

The Good News is this! You can know who you are and why you are on this planet! The truth is still available. You haven’t missed the greatest offer ever made! Yes, you have to give God your e-mail address before you get the download! It’s called EXCHANGE! You give God your identity, and He gives you His!

Being true to your own heart and knowing your true identity is so important because that was how you were designed to function. You actually are much more than you think you are. Don’t settle for the world’s identity. Your identity in Christ is much better!

We were made in the image of God, therefore, our true identity is to look and act like Him. That happens first in your spirit.

“In Him we live and move and have our being!”

In Christ, we move from trying to be in the spotlight or hiding from it to being the light of the world. When we find our identity in Christ, we find everything!

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

Courage starts with a leader!

A leader simply leads the way so others can follow. A leader is one who knows the way or has the authority, wisdom and favor needed to lead. The word leader implies that you and others will be impacted by your decisions and actions. Another word for leader is sometimes father. If you are a father to children, a husband to a wife, coach to a team, you are a leader! Leaders wear lots of hats, and they are all important. Leaders are the point men; they are first to encounter difficulty along the way. They need to know someone has their backs. That requires courage and trust.
2 Chronicles 32:7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:

Seeing with eyes of the Spirit and wisdom is the secret weapon of a great leader.

Knowing God is with you, and it is He who has the power and ability to truly lead the way is your greatest asset.
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Slow down; rushing is never a good option for leadership.
Be courageous and charge forward when you know the time is right. However, rushing into action before solid ground is established will seldom produce good results.

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Hope is foundational for leadership. Hope is the positive side of imaginations. Every leader must learn how to operate in hope. Hope is seeing a vision, or image, of what you want before you can see it with your eyes. Faith develops when you find an affirming word that will help you stand in your hope until you see your vision with your physical eyes. Believe in your heart without doubting, and you will see hope transform into reality before your eyes.

Psalms 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
How you think and what you believe is critical. Taking time for thinking is important. Searching for knowledge is even better, and gaining wisdom is best. None of these practices are of any value unless you believe in your heart what you have gained from them is true.

Proverbs 23:7 As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

How are you leading?

Perhaps, how are you thinking might be a better question.

Put your mind on God’s Word, and your thinking, your hope, and your leadership will be awesome!

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.

www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

Mistakes, we all make them!

There are some mistakes you can make and sometimes get by with, but there are others that are less forgiving. My experience over the years in the world of business and ministry has taught me three mistakes you just do not want to make.

1.) Do not underestimate people

(and by the way you, are a people).
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to underestimate the value of a person based on appearance, first impressions or even performance on a given task. Given the right opportunity most people, including you, can achieve amazing things. Don’t underestimate what a little encouragement, extra training or the right incentive will do to reveal true potential in people. Get rid of your small thinking and think bigger of yourself and others.

2.) Do not try to move every rock.

Every problem that pops up in life is not there for you to dig up and move out of the way! You do not need to move every rock that gets in the way! Distractions and non-essentials will rob your productivity and resources. Some rocks have to be moved, but not every single one! Choose wisely and don’t wear yourself out moving rocks you can just go around!

3.) Do not forget to be thankful and generous.

There is a flow that is healthy. A pond has to have water coming in and water going out, otherwise, it will dry up or stagnate. The great mistake many people and businesses make is to neglect one end or the other of that essential life flow. Be thankful for the fresh intake and be generous to release an outflow to others. In the buzz of work and life, it is easy to forget to check on both ends of the life flow in your relationships, family, and business.

Blessings!

Fred Hughes, M. Photog.

Read this and other blog posts on our websites.
www.byfredhughes.com ~ www.decision1.org

What I see for America!

Memorial Day is a time to remember brave countrymen and women who sacrificed their lives, and Why? This country was united under one unshakable idea! One Nation (or people) Under (or submitted to) One God! …. Not any God, and certainly not many gods!

They inscribed this wisdom on our coins and in our courthouses. They proclaimed it boldly in this great nation, and to their credit fought and died to uphold that vital idea. Any nation can be blessed by this revelatory understanding, and other countries have embraced this principal idea along with America. The price is high, and so are the stakes. Our nation united under this idea has withstood enormous evil and great tyranny thrust against it. However, today we facing perhaps the greatest foe to ever come against us. Another idea! The idea that we do not need One God in order to be One Nation. By the way, that statement is true! However, we cannot be the same nation that “One Nation Under God” produces. The idea is that men and women are willing to lay their lives down so that our nation can remain under the blessings of the one true God. If you are born again, or have received Christ as Savior and Lord, you are a believing Christian. As a believer you have access to the Holy Spirit who is able to teach you, reveal to you wisdom and the enlightenment you need to not be overcome by the new attacker of our American Idea. Man does not and cannot discover God. God reveals Himself to men and women who believe in His Idea, the truth… the revelation truth that comes from One God and sets men free, and free indeed. Here is an awesome prayer to pray over yourself, your family, and your country.

Ephesians 1:15-23

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

NKJV

I see great things ahead for our Stars and Stripes and other nations who embrace Christ! We need to understand the message of those who fought and died for a God Ideal, not just a Great Idea that our nation was founded upon. We must not fall to the enemy who wants to destroy her with, “Another Idea or other voices.” We must know and hear the One True God!

2 Peter 1:1-11

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

NASU

Blessings,

Fred Hughes