God Wants You To Be Happy! - Pathways to Successful Christian Living

GOD WANTS YOU TO BE HAPPY!

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All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2014 by Richard W. Shivers, M.Ed.

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All rights reserved solely by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author.

The views expressed in this book are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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The author warrants that no contents of this work infringes upon

the legal rights of any other person or work. With exception of words attributed to anonymous sources, and paraphrase of words so woven into the fabric of tradition as to be but part of our common literary heritage from  generations past, the words of this modest work are those of the author.

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New Harbor Press

www.NewHarborPress.com

Introduction

THE BLESSED YOKE

Richard W. Shivers, M.Ed.

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Salvation cannot be bought with all the riches of this world, nor does any number of good deeds or sacrifices warrant entrance into the presence of God. Salvation is a divine gift freely bestowed by the Almighty unto those accepting of His precious gift, and willing to commit themselves to His will.

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You were born again of the Holy Spirit for divine purpose: to become an instrument for fulfilling the will and work of God.

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When the Holy Spirit entered your soul, you not only received the precious gift of salvation, but you also received, at that very moment, a special gift enabling you, emboldened by the Holy Spirit, to share the ministry of Christ and to serve divine purpose.

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To bear false witness in the name of the Holy Spirit, or to not share the divine gift given to you by the Holy Spirit, is grievous blasphemy unto the Holy Spirit, and is the only unforgivable sin.

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Should you have doubt, or are in quandary, as to the special gift of divine service given to you during the moment of salvation, fervently pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal unto you, in no uncertain terms, the divine gift ordained unto you, and for guidance as to how best to use your special gift for the glory of God.

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The Holy Spirit will support mightily your effort to become proficient in the use of the divine gift bestowed upon you through inspiration in ways often unexpected.

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You will be one with Christ, ordained to His service to do His good, acceptable, and perfect work.

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Commit your life and your work unto God, and through the full power of the Holy Spirit within you, the fruits of your labor will be evident to all.

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Let the Holy Spirit direct your paths; be in perfect harmony with the will of God.  Let your life be evidence of the fullness of the Holy Spirit within you. Live your life that others may see Christ in you.

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You will find that accepting full responsibility for your special gift ordained of the Holy Spirit will not prove a burden, but a mighty blessing, a joy that surpasses all joy. You will find fulfillment beyond measure.

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God wants to do something remarkable with your life!

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May the humble words of this book offer to you inspiration as you follow the path God has ordained for you!

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Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy ladened, and I will give you rest.

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Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

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For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

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St. Matthew 11:28-30

KJV

GOD WANTS YOU TO BE HAPPY!

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PROVERBS FOR SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIVING

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IN MEMORY OF THE CHARLESTON NINE

WHOSE SLEEP HAS AWAKENED A NATION

GOD WANTS YOU TO BE HAPPY!

PROVERBS FOR SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIVING

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Nurture your soul with song, poetry, art, and nature.

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Never expect others to solve your problems.

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Develop a partnership with God.

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God answers knee-mail.

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Winners acknowledge failure, then move on.

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Adopt the mind-set of a champion.

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Place a fixed amount in a savings account each payday.

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Find work you enjoy.

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Always define yourself in positive ways.

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There is always room for self-improvement.

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You are not alone, for God is always with you.

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Be still, surrender your heart, and allow the Spirit to dwell within.

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Plant no seeds, and there will be no harvest.

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Learn how to say no.

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The key to failure is trying to please everyone.

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Laughter affects the physical functioning of the heart.

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Keep your spiritual batteries charged.

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To continue to grow, you must continue to learn.

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Take time to listen to your inner self.

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You are a treasure beyond measure.

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You do not own all the problems of the world.

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Silence in the presence of God often is the best prayer.

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Use words wisely and precisely.

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Get the mind in shape, and the body will follow.

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Money you loan will never be repaid.

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Be not dependent on others to give your life meaning.

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Enjoy your own company.

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Consider advice from others, but think for yourself.

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Treasure each moment spent with loved ones.

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Treat everyone you meet as if they will be dead by midnight.

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You are what you decide to be.

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Live up to your potential.

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It is seldom that anyone does anything worthwhile alone.

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Assume success instead of failure.

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Little is impossible to achieve when one dedicates heart, mind, and soul.

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Stress debilitates the mind and weakens the body.

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It is only when we stop trying that we are defeated.

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Take time to play.

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Positive thinking creates winners.

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Anger is one letter short of danger.

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See only beauty in the mirror.

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Concentrate on possibilities, not difficulties.

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Dare to change, dare to grow, dare to accomplish.

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Magic lies within you.

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Have faith and be grateful.

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Love requires mutual respect.

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Books are the most elegant furniture of a home.

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A grateful thought is the perfect prayer.

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Kindle fires of love to warm your soul.

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Problems give life its flavor.

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Get in touch with the silence within yourself.

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Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.

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There is no credit given for intention hall.

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Love is friendship set afire.

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To be human is to be different.

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Know in your heart that all things are possible.

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God multiplies small acts of kindness.

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Allow not your spirit to grow old.

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Never pass up an opportunity to commit kindness.

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Attitude is the steering-wheel of life.

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Those who help a child are blessed by angels.

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Acknowledge the good in life.

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You are special, gifted, and deserving.

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Self-worth has nothing to do with material things.

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It is not a sin to ask for help.

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Without a higher purpose all things are meaningless.

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Tap into the power within you.

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Address worries with positive action.

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Nurture yourself with love and understanding.

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Self-pity is pitiful.

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For every right there is an equal responsibility.

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You can make a difference.

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Make time for good times.

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Commit to excellence.

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You are not special because everyone is special.

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Business devoted to service prospers.

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Change is the only universal constant.

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You can do anything, but not everything.

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Take twice as long to eat half as much.

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Be true to yourself.

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Nothing works unless you do.

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Attempt the impossible.

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Move forward with confidence.

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Life is all about the moments.

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It is not problems that cause stress, but your reaction to problems.

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The fewer the words, the better the prayer.

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Expect the best; prepare for the worst.

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If you can dream it, you can achieve it.

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Make each day worth remembering.

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Attitude often determines altitude.

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Do your best, and you will be a success.

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Count your blessings.

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Enjoy who you are.

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Wake up and live.

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Nothing is as strong as gentleness.

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Make a choice to be the best.

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Serve as a mentor to yourself.

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The next step is more important than the next 1000 steps.

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If you are not useful, you are not necessary.

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Participate in creation of a better world.

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Life without purpose on earth will find no purpose in heaven.

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Frame your life with faith.

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Forgive yourself.

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You cannot unsay a cruel word.

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Silence is often the most powerful answer.

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You are not fully dressed until you put on a smile.

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Acquaint yourself with God, and live in peace.

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Measure yourself by the tears of joy, and tears of sadness, of your mother.

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Live by choice, not by chance.

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Believe in yourself.

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Nurture a sense of wonder.

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It’s not how low you fall, but how high you bounce.

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Don’t count the things you do; do the things that count.

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Do the impossible at least once a day.

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Not facing challenge means you’re not in the game.

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Do more than what you are paid to do.

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Life is a do-it-yourself project.

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Action is the only measure of intelligence.

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Fear exists only in the mind.

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Content not yourself with mediocrity.

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Do nothing; say nothing; be nothing.

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Do the hard jobs first.

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Love multiplies through division.

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Be grateful for the things you don’t have that you wouldn’t want.

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The best prayer is one of gratitude.

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Life is too short to be little.

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Doubt is the beginning of wisdom.

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Hold yourself to a higher standard.

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Believe in miracles.

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If at first you don’t succeed, do it like your mother told you.

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Success is living well, and laughing often.

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A well-spent day makes for a gentle night’s sleep.

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End each day with thoughts a gratitude.

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Winners do what losers don’t want to do.

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AmerIcan.

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Hugs and kisses matter.

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Can’t is not an option.

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Through the grace of God, all things are possible.

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Little things often mean a lot.

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You can make a difference if you choose to do so.

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If everything is going wrong, try taking a left.

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Cherish your visions and your dreams.

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Fools rush in where fools have been before.

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To cheat death, leave a little of yourself in the hearts of your loved ones.

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Since the world is round, the end could be just the beginning.

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Sing with the birds, laugh with the flowers.

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One who thinks by the inch, and talks by the yard, should be kicked with a foot.

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Nonsense often serves as catalyst for invention.

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Blessed are they who laugh at themselves for they shall always be amused.

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The woods would be silent if no bird sang except those who sing the best.

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Love is seeing more, but choosing to see less.

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Diplomacy is thinking twice before saying nothing.

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Today is the beginning of always.

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Looking for the good in others reveals the best in yourself.

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What happens to nature happens to all of us.

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Unnecessary worry is a measure of your distance from God.

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Constant use will wear out anything, especially friends.

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One good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others.

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Unexplored space can be a dangerous thing, especially if it is between your ears.

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Listen closely as God whispers.

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When arguing with an idiot, make sure the other person isn’t doing the same.

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Problems not worth praying about are not worth worrying about.

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The wise give no thought to what they cannot have.

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Act upon the faith you express in your prayers.

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BIBLE is an acronym for Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth.

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Be not hot in prayer, but cold in action.

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Be a contagious carrier of cheerfulness.

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Business success: useful product, advertisement, common sense, follow the Golden Rule. 

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Determination is the down-payment on achievement.

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Laughter mends a broken heart.

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Opportunities often are hidden within problems.

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Even the blind may possess unlimited vision.

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Forgive. Forget. Move on.

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Do not pray by heart, but with heart.

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Don’t give up before the miracle happens.

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Even moderation should not be abused to excess.

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Failure is not sweet, but it need not be bitter.

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Make others feel important, valued, and respected.

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It takes a clear mind to make it.

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Never miss a chance to wonder at a rainbow.

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More learning leads to more earning.

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You are what you are today because of your choices yesterday.

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There are few traffic jams when you journey the extra mile.

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Faith sees the invisible, believes the impossible, and receives the impossible.

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Fear is the darkroom in which negatives develop.

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Give not from the top of your purse, but from the bottom of your heart.

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If you let Him, God truly wants to be your friend.

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Be a how thinker rather than an if thinker.

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One who excuses oneself accuses oneself.

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Turn your fear into courage.

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Take a moment, and converse with God.

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God often uses the most ordinary of people.

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Humbly pray for one another.

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Hinder not the work of the Lord.

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Give unto God the glory.

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Willingness without action is fantasy.

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If you don’t go to friends’ funerals, they won’t go to yours.

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It is impossible to lose your footing while on your knees in prayer.

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Let not your life be a jigsaw puzzle with many pieces missing.

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Let your faith be bigger than your fear.

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Maybe if you listened more closely, history would not repeat it itself so often.

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Prayer is the voice of faith.

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The best way to save face is to keep the bottom half shut.

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The recipe for a good speech includes shortening.

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The poorest are not without a cent, but without a dream.

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Giving up is worst than defeat.

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No one needs a smile more than one who has none.

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Jealousy is the only vice that finds no pleasure.

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Act now, or dream on.

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The world needs all you can give.

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Love is blind, and friendship closes its eyes

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Love is like a butterfly: it goes wherever it pleases, and pleases wherever it goes.

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When you think you can’t, you must.

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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunities are buried.

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One good deed, and life is worthwhile.

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When you’re all grown up, and don’t need your mother, she still needs you.

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Success: all it takes is all you’ve got.

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Real love stories have no ending.

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As long as you have breath, you are blessed.

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Only the ignorant know everything.

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Impossible is a word found only in the losers’ dictionary.

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The best teacher is your last mistake.

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Wealth will buy amusement, but not happiness.

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Winners find a way; losers find excuses.

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Thinkers think, and doers do.

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Every job is a self-portrait of the one who did it.

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If you graduated yesterday, but have learned nothing today, you are a fool.

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A spark of kindness could ignite a fire of love.

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When searching for fault, use a mirror rather than a telescope.

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If you’re not in over your head, you don’t know how tall you are.

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God makes provision for all things commissioned to His glory.

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Wisdom is knowledge rightly applied.

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A perfect wife is one who helps her husband with the dishes.

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Live as you pray your children will.

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Wherever you are, be there.

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Success is often positive utilization of failure.

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Don’t be occasionally what you should be perpetually.

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Break a bad habit by dropping it.

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The best test of a person’s religion is how they treat others.

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A handful of common sense is worth a bushel of learning.

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Anyone who thinks the sky is the limit has a limited imagination.

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You cannot kindle a fire in another’s heart unless it is burning brightly in your own.

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If you produce great pumpkins, the pies will follow.

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There is no foot so small it cannot leave an imprint on eternity.

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Fly high, beautiful butterfly.

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Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.

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The bigger the head gets, the easier to fill the shoes.

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Prejudice is the reasoning of fools.

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The worst prison is a closed heart.

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Be sure the only exercise you get is not jumping to conclusions.

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Today is a gift because it is the present.

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Live life so that when you die the whole world mourns its loss.

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Love leaves memories that live in eternity.

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Those who love, regardless of age, die young.

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While you live, let your life be worth living.

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Let your life be a living sermon for others.

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Intoxicate your loved ones with flowers, balloons, and teddy bears.

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There is no good countenance without a smile.

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Do not grow small by being too big for your britches.

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Let go of anger, and talk quietly with God.

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Contribute bountifully to the world’s well-spring of love.

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Never make the one you love feel alone.

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God knows all about you, but loves you anyway.

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The goal is to die young as old as possible.

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Success begins with you, personally.

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Listen is an anagram of silent.

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Quality is never an accident.

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Be bold of spirit, and brave of heart.

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Anything worth doing is worth doing with passion.

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Hiding in a cocoon, one never becomes a butterfly.

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Store up sunshine for a rainy day.

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Develop the art of asking questions.

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Success is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice.

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There are no frowns in God’s photo album.

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Trust in yourself, your dreams, and your ability.

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Help make the world about you a brighter, more loving place.

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Cultivate the seeds of genius God has planted within you.

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Visualize yourself as the person you want to be.

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God does not make clones.

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Accept willingly what God bequeaths you.

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Success is a conscious choice.

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In every defeat is a lesson for success.

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It is through solving problems that we learn.

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Too blessed to be depressed.

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Let not your life be a wasteland; cultivate it with spiritual water daily.

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Let not wrinkles be written upon your heart.

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Discover yourself; ponder your possibilities.

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Those who love deeply never grow old.

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Grow not old no matter how long you live.

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The treasure house of God is abundant, the supply infinite.

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Add a smile to whatever you are doing.

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Nothing can take the place of persistence.

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Plan purposefully, prepare prayerfully, proceed diligently.

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Where there is a will, there is a way.

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Be kind to everyone, including yourself.

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The best vitamin for friendship is B-1.

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Education is the passport to the future.

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In the faces of children, we see God.

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Let not the garden of your soul be filled with weeds.

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The more thorns the more beautiful the rose.

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Plant hope in the minds of children.

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Today we plant. Tomorrow we nurture. Forever we harvest.

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Love and laughter are the great healers of body, mind, and soul.

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To garden is to communicate with God.

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You can see a lot just by listening.

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The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

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