Mark Twain, the American humorist said:

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”

While I was in college, I was asked to write a paper about the greatest man I’d ever met or read about.  It was an easy and immediate decision. . .I wrote it about my Dad.

I often think about the character qualities I learned from my father that would benefit others.

Proverbs 20:7 in the Amplified Bible says:

“The righteous man walks in his integrity; blessed (happy, fortunate, enviable) are his children after him.”

There are seven character qualities of a Godly father that I want to share with you today. . .based on the life of James Harold Herring, Sr., my father.

First, everybody was worthy of respect.

Have you ever driven through a dense fog?

My fine wife, Bev, and I have driven through intense fog in the mountains of West Virginia with snow all over the ground and also across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco when the fog was rolling in.

It can make you a bit nervous and uneasy.  Sometimes you can’t even see beyond the hood of your car. . .if that.

The fog seems to cover your car on every side. . .making it difficult, if not impossible, to see where you’re going.

I feel discouragement has descended upon this nation like a dense fog.

Economic issues abound.  Bad news compounds itself. 

Some believers cannot see themselves overcoming their current dilemmas.

I am not here to say problems do not exist.

I am here to declare God is greater than whatever problem you’re facing.

Isaiah 35:3 in the New King James Version says:

10.  If you have God…you lack nothing. If you don’t have God…you lack everything.

  9.  What you believe about yourself…will become your reality. See yourself the way God sees you and let that become your reality.

  8.  It is never right to do a wrong thing to create a right result.

  7.  Never settle for a life of mediocrity...rather take a step of faith to embrace the invisible to achieve the seemingly impossible.

  6.  God has enabled you to do superabundantly over and above all that you dare ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 Amplified

Here are the Top 5 Rich Thoughts Nuggets of the week.

  5.  If you don’t like the way your world is at the moment, change it. You have the God-given ability to change your life. . .your direction. . .your destiny. . .one step at a time.

  4.  A step of faith requires us to look beyond our circumstances.

  3.  The seed you plant always determines the kind of harvest you reap.

  2.  Stop accepting things the way they are…start raising your level of expectation.

 # 1 Rich Thoughts Nugget you selected is:

  1.  Jesus gave Peter the authority to walk on the water but nothing happened until he got out of the boat. Get out of the boat.

Let’s establish a couple of facts.

First, no matter how anemic your bank account may be. . .you’re not broke.

Second, even though your money may run out before the month does. . .you’re not broke.

Before going any further. . .let’s define the word broke which according to dictionary.com means:  “without money, penniless.”

I know people who have a six-figure income who talk about how broke they are.

And by the same token, I hear from people receiving government assistance talking about how broke they are.

In our effort to figure out why some people feel like they are broke. . .let me ask you several questions.

Are you spending more money than what you’ve got?

Are you living today off money you expect to receive tomorrow?

Are you spending money you don’t have to compensate for stress in some other area of your life. . .such as a hurting marriage, troubled or chronically-ill children or a difficult work situation?

Are you a victim of Parkinson’s Law?  Parkinson’s Law says that expenses will always rise to meet income.

If I were to ask you two of your favorite words what would you say?  I’m going to share with you ten of my favorite two-word combinations. . .in no particular order.

1.       Good morning.

2.       Get ready.

3.       Let’s eat.

4.       Rich Thoughts

5.       Act now.

6.       Debt free.

7.       Dream big.

8.       Love you.

9.       Jesus saves.

10.  A dream without a plan is just a wish.

  9.  Your comfort zone is an enemy of your future…a hindrance to your success…a stumbling block to your destiny. Break free.

  8.  Never give your word unless you’re confident you’ll keep it…to do any less brings your character into question.

  7.  If you’re under attack…understand the enemy is paying attention to you…because he recognizes your potential for the Kingdom.

  6.  Believing things will change without you changing...makes as much sense as watering artificial plants.

Here are the Top 5 Rich Thoughts Nuggets of the week.

  5.  You may be traveling through enemy territory but God is bringing you into a fresh place where you will LACK FOR NOTHING.

  4.  Everything you think, say or do is either moving you toward or away from your financial success. You choose the direction.

  3.  Prosperity is a scriptural mentality before it’s ever a financial reality.

  2.  Never spend more time listening to a critic or a cynic than you do listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

 # 1 Rich Thoughts Nugget you selected is:

  1.  Haven’t spent 1 minute in 20 years worrying about who the anti-Christ is. I’m more interested in discovering who I am in Christ.

A few days ago, I was asked how many teachings I’ve done.  I said “over 2,000.”  The next day in the early morning. . .I started counting and realized  it’s over 3,000 teachings in various forms.

I’ve taught about or mentioned fasting in less than ten of these messages.  So it was with great interest ‘of what the Lord would do’ when I was directed to discuss the kind of fast He is after.

In Isaiah we are given some specific information on how, when and what.

Isaiah 58:6-9 in the Message Bible says:

“This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts.  What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families.

Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once.  Your righteousness will pave your way.  The God of glory will secure your passage.  Then when you pray, God will answer.  You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'”