Recently, I was watching one of my favorite John Wayne movies entitled “Big Jake.”  The Duke as he was known was my favorite movie star during my formative years.  He was always the good guy.  The one who stood for what was right. . .regardless of the consequence.

My three favorite John Wayne quotes are:

# 1       “Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid.”

# 2       “Courage is being scared to death…but saddling up anyway.”

# 3       “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.”

John Wayne won his only Oscar in 1969 for the movie “True Grit.”  There’s a point in the movie where 14 year-old Mattie Ross says to Marshal Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) “They tell me you are a man with true grit.”

Dictionary.com defines true grit as:

You can spot them right away. . .they will ask you what faith you are.

You can know that the person asking that question. . .doesn’t understand the difference between a denominational affiliation and the key to all the blessings and benefits of God.

A religious person will ask about your church membership or religious preference but a believer will ask you what the Lord has revealed to you lately.

There are some very simple criteria that we can use to determine what faith is and what it isn’t.

10.  Shake your fists at the devil if he attempts to harass you because you are more than a conqueror.  Romans 8:37

  9.  Give today a special purpose. Don't just allow time to pass and the day to end without your involvement in making this day count.

  8.  How do we make our children feel secure in a world that isn't?  By teaching them the Word and promises of God.

  7.  Continually praise God by telling everyone what He has done and is doing in your life. Psalm 78:4 (CEV)

  6.  Excellence is attainable while perfection is an illusion.

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

  5. Money follows vision. If you don’t have a vision, then you don’t need the money -- it’s just that simple.

  4. The Bible is without question the greatest success guide for debt-free living ever written!  Joshua 1:8            

  3. Some people want the blessings of God without the relationship or the lifestyle of a believer.  Not happening.

  2.  Begin to imagine yourself walking above and not beneath. . .as the head and not the tail.  Deuteronomy 28:13

 # 1 Rich Thoughts Nugget you selected is:

  1.  Satan never showed up in the Garden of Eden until Eve did. He is terrified when the two people come into the power of agreement.

10.  God is never disappointed in us because He already knows everything about us.  And He loves us enough to never give up on us.

  9.  Wherever we are and whatever we’re doing God expects our best.  Ps 25:12-13 TLB

  8.  Never allow excuses or circumstances to fix your current reality.

  7.  God can and will take you places and open doors of opportunity that no family tie or college degree ever can.  Get ready!!

  6.  What should you be doing today that you aren’t?  The Bible talks about NOW not later.

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

  5. No matter how you may have missed it or messed up…turn to God.  He has not given up on you or let you go and He never will.

  4. When you’re going through hell the only source of peace is through encouraging yourself in the One who can turn things around.           

  3. God will allow you to see things others won’t…but you’ve got to be looking for and expecting them.

  2.  Stop rehearsing your hurts…reliving your frustrations or talking yourself into thinking things are worse than they are.

 # 1 Rich Thoughts Nugget you selected is:

  1.  It is never God’s will for you to live in anguish hoping everything will work for good in your life.

Walking the red carpet at the Oscars, hosting your own television show or having an Emmy on your mantle doesn’t automatically mean you know what you’re talking about or that you’re an expert. . .as some in show business pretend to be.

My Daddy taught me years ago, that an expert is somebody fifteen miles out of town with a briefcase or it could be a drip under pressure.

Compassionate conversation even when it’s stained with tears doesn’t make you a competent counselor or an expert.

Jumping up and down or dancing and shouting on the set of a TV show doesn’t make someone the pinnacle of wisdom.

Have you had a bad day. . .or maybe even a bad day or two or three this past week?

Do you feel like nothing is going right?

Are things that you thought not manifesting as you had planned them?

Are other people raining on your parade or plans?

Are you taking your lack of success (financial or otherwise) personally?

Does it feel like nobody cares about what’s happening in your life?

If you get nothing else from what we’re going to say in this teaching. . .let this next sentence get deep down in your mind and in your spirit.

A couple of weeks back we taught “7 Threats To Your Success” on one of our Rich Thoughts for Breakfast calls.

The fourth threat in the teaching is:  “Ghosts, gorillas, gremlins and goblins from your past.”

From the moment the words came out of my spirit and onto the Word document. . .I knew it should be a SUNDAY NITE LIVE teaching.

I didn’t try to overanalyze . . . I just wrote down the seven G’s that we have to overcome to walk in victory. . .over our past.

As Forrest Gump once said, “Stupid is as stupid does.”

Here are seven things that make people….stupid

First, stupid people don’t have common sense. Proverbs 30:2 in the New Living Translation says:

10.  The Holy Spirit is a genius...if you listen to His voice...follow His instruction...He will make you smarter than you are.

  9.  Change your words to His words and you will change your world.

  8.  God wouldn't tell us to speak to the mountain in Mark 11:23 unless He knew our words would move the mountain.

  7.  People's perception of you will determine if you get the promotion, raise, bonus or whether or not what you say...matters.

  6.  When God gives you a big dream. . .you don't have time to sweat the small stuff.

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

  5. The enemy likes to remind you of your past sins even when God has forgiven and forgotten them.  Don't let him.

  4. If you make the Forbes list of the richest people...but your family is falling apart...what have you really accomplished?         

  3. You have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) so ask God to stir in you a supernatural creativity beyond your natural imagination.

  2.  How do you move from where you are to where you should be? Stimulate your mind with exciting ideas...saturate your thoughts with God's word.

 # 1 Rich Thoughts Nugget you selected is:

  1.  God does not respond to your needs...He responds to your faith and your words.

Did you realize the letters which form the word LISTEN also create the word SILENT?

Do think there’s a reason why God gave us two ears and one mouth?  It’s been recommended that perhaps we should listen twice as much as we talk.

It’s rude and disrespectful to interrupt someone when they’re speaking?

There’s a difference between hearing and listening?

Did you know that the scripture gives us “7 Keys To Being An Effective Listener?”