The Cost to be of Value

13 Sep The Cost to be of Value

I have a question. How much did you spend last year on shoes? I’m not trying to pry, I promise. Just stick with me. I’m going somewhere.

How much did you spend on clothes?

Now, how much for your hair? Nails and waxing services?

Ok, I have one final question.

How much did you spend on personal development?

When I say personal development, I mean books (audio or tangibly bought and/or borrowed from the library), seminars (virtual or in-person), conferences and/or coaching.

If you say $0.00. I need you to log off now and repent. Lol! I’m kidding, I’m kidding.

Actually, for most of us, the answer is $0.00.

Now, let’s ask ourselves a question: How can we pray and ask God for these amazing miracles when we don’t create the systems and structures to manifest and maintain them?

In order for us to see the successes that we’re praying for, there is a leveling up that has to happen and a portion of that preparation will have to be financed.

My husband and I just attended ET the Hip Hop Preachers 1% Conference in New Orleans and for the price of a nice pair of boots, we were able to glean knowledge from four different millionaires.

You see Woman of Judah, there is always a cost associated with success. I mean, we all want to succeed.  Well, for us to be successful we must pay the price for it. Not one of us can ignore the fact that achieving any type of success demands something from us. This is the mustard seed part and faith walk part.

So, what is the price that must be paid to attain success?

Success requires your actual currency (Finances).

The moment you commit yourself to a specific goal is the moment you must also commit yourself to the price you will need to pay to attain this goal. Sometimes, that price is the price to get under the knowledge of industry experts or receive access to the tools and blueprints that they used will cost money. Sometimes the price you will pay will be buying a book about your specific set of skills.

Scripture Reference: Proverbs 19:2

Success requires the currency of your time. 

During the 1% conference, ET talks about how he was blessed with the opportunity to meet with Warren Buffet. He mentioned that Warren Buffet said that he 1) starts the day with a MORNING ROUTINE and 2) that his routine includes reading financial reports, in fact, he said that he reads for six hours a day.

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:35

Success requires the currency of your relationships.

There are some people you need to connect with and some people that you need to disconnect from. You will connect with people who will be the vehicles to help you along your path to purpose and there are some people, that if they stopped calling you tomorrow, you wouldn’t notice.

During our session with ET, we did an exercise and you can do it, too! He asked us to do an assessment of the people closest to us. Then separate them into ‘ones who are adding value to your life’ and ‘ones that are only getting value from you’. Now, ask yourself, “who is outvaluing me?” and immediately, find a way to add value to their life! And that leads me to my last point.

Scripture Reference: Proverbs 13:20

Success requires the currency of your giving.

We heard from four millionaires at this conference and one principle that kept coming up was GIVING. The Word says, “He supplies seed to the sower” (2 Corinthians 9:10). You must sow, in order to receive seed. In one of our previous newsletters, I mentioned that seed comes in many forms: purpose, vision, energy, peace, provision, children, knowledge, gifts, etc.

Sis, when you give to others, God will always provide. And I’m not just talking about money. In fact, the experts were talking about giving away their time and knowledge to empower other people.

Proverbs 11:25, says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

Luke 6:38, says “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

When ET talked about success, he equated it to adding value. He said, “A person that constantly talks about lack, is most likely not adding significant value anywhere. What makes you great, is that you look for opportunities to add value. God will take care of the rest!”

Woman of Judah, our God manifests prayers and miracles, but we must be able to sustain them and make sure that our fruit, in turn, prepares the coming generations. Do an assessment and ask yourself, “Where do I want to be today? What does success look like for me? Why aren’t I there, yet?” In  Luke 14:28 (NLT) it says, “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?”

Our successes (which will affect generations to come) require a price to pay. Are you willing to pay it?