Here's something that all parents are familiar with.

       When my son was a baby, he'd wake up in the middle of the night and cry like he was being roasted on fire.  "Waaaaaaaaaaah!”   So I jump out of bed and I figure he must have a tummy ache.  I lift his shirt, expose that soft belly that's as round as a ball, and swab three ointments I bought from three different countries: China, Thailand, and Indonesia.  His response was firm. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

       Nope, it isn't the tummy.  Oh, it must be his diapers, I groan.  Why didn't I think of that?  So I raise his chubby legs, strip the old diaper and strap a fresh one in 9.7 seconds, plus ten minutes.  The result? "Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

       I go to the act of last resort.  I pick him up for a song-and-dance routine.  "Rocka-a-by-baby-on-a-tree-top…”  (Who ever wrote that song is sick.  Who in his right mind will put a baby on top of a tree?)  And after thirty minutes of the Waltz, Cha-cha, Boogie, and Disco and non-stop crying, I give up.

       Totally exasperated, I kneel in front of him and beg for mercy, "PLEASE, TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!  JUST TALK!  I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU!”

       His answer?

       "Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

       I compare my son to many people today.

       Do you know why many people fail to get what they want?

       Because they don't know what they want.

       And the whole universe is kneeling in front of them, asking, begging, pleading, "What do you want?  I'll give it to you!  Just tell me what you want!”

       But they don't. They just cry, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

       For example, when I ask people what they want in life, they answer, "I want to be happy.”

       Gosh.  "Can you be more general than that?”

       Dreams are powerless unless they are specific.

       So I try again.  "What does happiness mean to you?”

       So they rattle things like, "A good paying job.”

       When I press them and ask, "How good paying is good paying?  How much do you want to earn?” they start to laugh and change the subject.

       Listen.  If you don't have a specific figure, this whole goals thing won't work.

       It's got to be specific!

       One day, I came before God and calculated how much I needed for my family's needs and how much I wanted to give to Him. I then got a piece of paper and wrote down how much I wanted earn twelve months later.

       I made the figure big but not unreasonably so.

       And every morning, I'd look at that figure, and pray for it.

       Twelve months after, I was earning exactly the amount I scribbled on that piece of paper.  This thing really works!

       I noticed that as I prayed for my financial goals each day, I felt my mind open up to possibilities.  And I felt the whole universe open up to me!  It was supplying all that I needed to reach my goals.

 

The Bible says, the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands…  (Deuteronomy 30:9)

       Go to a quiet place.  Get a piece of paper.  How much do you want to earn by this month next year?  Write a figure that will cover your needs and the amount you want to give to the Lord's work.  Stick that piece of paper in a place that you could see each morning.  Pray for it everyday.  And see what happens.

       Set your mind on how much you want to earn.