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Better Lives

A guide for improving lives through

combining wisdom and faith in order to make

better choices

Wisdom

Faith

The keys for making

better choices

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Better Lives Mission Statement

Our mission in Better Lives is to improve the lives

of individuals looking for guidance, direction and

purpose. Our goal is to remove confusion and replace

it with enlightenment, hope and vision. Our desire is

to alert individuals to the spiritual signs and guidance

given to them in everyday life. Our intentions in Better

Lives are to help people become more aware of each

and every choice they make, especially the major ones.

Although it may be wise to believe in God,

not all believers in God are wise.

Better Lives 2014

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Introduction

Have you ever asked God for answers or guidance in a matter, only to

find yourself even more confused and having no clue as to which way to go?

Well, regardless of our spiritual beliefs and faith, sometimes finding direction

for our life simply isn’t easy. Even when we do everything our religion tells us

to do in order to find answers, it may seem as though God simply isn’t

listening. So what’s the problem? Why is it so difficult sometimes to get

guidance and direction for our lives?

Although there are

several reasons and excuses

for not finding direction, the

most obvious is the lack of

wisdom, knowledge and

understanding of how things

work. There are those

individuals that live their lives

wrapped in religion and

church yet miss almost every

sign of guidance sent their

way. And yet there are many

nonbelievers that are very

observant and are able to

notice even the most minuet

signs of direction surrounding

them.

Making the right choice or following a sign can have very little to do

with our spiritual beliefs sometimes. Although faith may be needed, with

wisdom you may avoid getting into many tough situations in the first place. A

good example is spending your money on something you want instead of

paying the bill that you know you should pay. The result is, you find yourself

praying for the money you need in order to pay the bill you already had the

money to pay.

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Tough times happen to us all and answers are needed and required

some times. Yet, waiting for obvious answers and guidance can get old fast,

especially when it takes years or when we need help right away. We can find

ourselves praying about the same thing over and over again begging God for

answers as though he didn’t hear us the first time. The end result is, we

wonder why help hasn’t arrived and find ourselves either in a mess or

confused and depressed. Then we ask ourselves, what now?

Because of the confused world we live in and the hustle bustle of life,

people are often times forced to decide things quickly without giving matters

much thought. Other times we simply can’t think straight and so we make less

than the wisest of choices. For this reason The Better Lives group has been

created. We hope to cause our members to slow down, think twice, and then

decide.

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Our group is made up of people looking to improve their lives by

learning how to make better choices. We will look at the many ways that

signs and signals are sent our way and how to notice them. Anything from

spiritual beliefs to attitudes and personalities will be discussed. The idea is for

us to share our own experiences as well as learning lessons by hearing the

accomplishment and failure of others in our group. Sharing advice and

wisdom will hopefully enlighten us and cause a positive change in our thought

process.

The desire for a better life is what will bring us together. We all make

mistakes and we all have bad things happen to us from time to time that are

beyond our control. Although making better choices is the focus of our group,

we are also here to bring comfort to others by giving them encouragement.

Sometimes the bad things that happen to us have little to do with wise choices.

There are times we simply need strength and encouragement along with

possible solutions to problems and issues. It’s for these reasons Better Lives

has been created and developed. It will be a group that is one for all and all for

one.

As the weeks go by and our group comes together, hopefully our lives

will begin to improve and take shape. Our group is not for everyone. If you’re

someone looking for supernatural or divine answers or intervention for every

issue of your life, then this group is not for you. Although our spiritual beliefs

and faith are important, this group is about combining faith and wisdom, not

just using faith alone. There may be times that it seems as though you’re not

moving forward or seeing a difference in your life as a result of being in our

Better Lives group! However, Patience, Prayer and Perseverance, “along with

faithfulness to our group” are important and necessary if you want to improve

your life. If you’ve spent 40 years messing up and ignoring the signs, don’t

expect to fix everything overnight.

So let’s come together, get wiser, and hopefully learn something.

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Some of the topics we will be discussing

Decisions – Small and Large

The Power of Words

Developing Relationships

Faith vs Wisdom

Education-Worldly and Spiritual

Members

Because we are an open group I welcome other topics and

ideas for future discussion. Although I will be leading and directing

the meetings, it doesn’t mean that I have all the answers. In fact, I am

more than willing to let others have a crack at directing one of our

meetings from time to time. Finding solutions to problems and

receiving guidance and direction is something we’re all out to

obtain. Together we will share our opinions and ideas in order to

help each other improve our lives

Leon Titus

Better Lives 2014

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Decisions - Small and Large

Sometimes we all have to make quick decisions. When this happens,

hopefully wisdom is close at hand. It’s so easy to make a bad choice when

under pressure or when we are given bad advice. The consequences can often

times last for a long time.

It is believed that when choosing, we have access to three minds in

which we make decisions from. There is our carnal/brain mind, our

subconscious/soul mind, and our universal/God mind. Although they’re all

connected and effect and influence each other, they all serve a separate

purpose. The carnal/brain mind is our everyday thinking mind. We use it to

figure out what we’re going to fix for supper and what bills to pay. Our

subconscious/soul mind is our spiritual mind and our connection to God and

all other soul minds. Our universal/God mind is also called the mind of Christ.

It is the all-knowing higher mind that is Omni present.

The objective is to connect to the universal/God mind so that you will

make the best choices you can possibly make. However, it does have its

drawbacks. It is in opposition with your carnal/brain mind and will often

times cause your flesh to suffer. The flesh may want to push aside or ignore a

situation where as the soul is in search of guidance and direction concerning

the matter, and the higher mind is just waiting with answers. If and when the

three minds cooperate with each other or get in-sync, we obtain peace and

harmony in our soul.

When deciding major issues the soul mind always looks for the highest

choice. However, often times the carnal mind wins over and only temporary

happiness is obtained. We are in a constant spiritual battle. We need to

control the flesh instead of it controlling us. Which mind will you choose when

deciding?

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Our 3 Minds

Universal Mind

Heavenly/Higher/Christ Mind

Subconscious Mind

Soul/Spiritual Mind

Conscious Mind

Carnal/Flesh

The Universal Mind is our all-knowing/highest thought mind. Also called the super

conscious or super natural mind, it is believed to be the Mind of Christ or God mind.

The Subconscious Mind is our spiritual mind. It is our souls mind and the connection

between our Conscious mind and the Universal mind.

The Conscious Mind is the brain or fleshly mind. It is the mind we use for making every

day earthly decisions.

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Deciding

Small everyday decisions

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Important yearly decisions

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Life changing decisions

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The Power of Words

Knowing when to speak and when to shut up is an art in itself, but

choosing the right words to say is also important. Wise people listen more

than they talk. They usually plan what they’re going to say or keep themselves

in check at all times. It only takes a few words to start a war, and every time

you open your mouth to speak, power flows from your lips. Other times it’s

not so much what is said, but the way it’s said that makes the difference.

Words have the power to heal or hurt. The more words we speak,

greater are the chances of saying something wrong. Although most of our

conversations are about the weather or nothing really important, there are

those times in which we need to monitor our words a little closer. It is written

that a man that can control his words has his whole body under control.

Balance is the key when it comes to talking. Too much talking causes people to

not listen, and being too quiet will also keep people away. A balance in how

much you talk along with what you talk about will help to improve your

relationships.

While some people love talking about their own physical issues, others

really like to gossip. A religious individual may choose to constantly bring up

their beliefs, while another man can’t even get through one sentence without a

swear word in it. Even the tone of your voice will make a difference in the

words you actually speak, and the volume of your voice can also make a

difference when delivering a message.

Anything from body language to timing can affect and influence the

power of our words when we speak; but most of all, THINKING before we

speak is the safest thing we can do.

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Our Words

The words we speak

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The amount of words spoken

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When not to speak

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It’s easy to talk for an hour without saying anything important.

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Developing Relationships

Some people have difficult times developing good relationships. A bad

personality or past negative experiences can make it hard for some people to

have friends. Whether it’s a casual friend, a close friend or mate, if you have

trouble with relationships, it’s possible you could be the problem. Perhaps you

have a personality defect that causes conflict, or maybe you simply choose the

wrong kind of friends. Either way, it may be wise to take a good look at

yourself if you have problems in your relationships.

Developing good relationships isn’t easy for some people. We all have a

past, and our past affects our future. From the things we’ve been taught to the

experiences we’ve had throughout our life, it all contributes to our physical,

mental and spiritual makeup and helps shape our personality. It isn’t always

about having the best personality either; it’s about compatibility. How can two

walk together unless they are agreed? If you’re a person that is kind of laid-

back and quiet, chances are you won’t want to hang out with someone that is

kind of hipper and doesn’t stop talking.

Birds of a feather flock together, and you are known by the kind of

people you are friends with. If you want to be known as wise, hang out with

wise people. If you want a balanced life, then hanging out with unbalanced

people would not be in your best interest.

Deciding the kind of relationships you need and want should be thought

through and meditated on. When we are lonely, it is so easy to accept a mate

or a friend that we’re not compatible with. It’s easy to find ourselves stuck in a

bad relationship just because we feel desperate or have little self-esteem. We

all need to wake up and realize that good relationships are of the utmost of

importance. It’s not always about how many friends we have, but about the

kind of relationships we have. One good friend is better than 3 bad ones.

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Relationships

Casual friends and coworkers

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Close friends and family

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Mates & Dates

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Building good strong relationships don’t happen overnight.

Powerful forces often times move slow.

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Faith vs Wisdom

Although it’s important to have a higher power to believe in, faith

without wisdom can be misleading and disappointing. If you’re always doing

dumb things yet expecting God to cover for you, confusion and depression will

soon become your closest friends. Although God may sometimes intervene

and assist us in our dilemmas, we are expected to do our part in order to avoid

dilemmas. Faith without works is dead. We have an obligation as believers to

study in order to show ourselves approved to God. Faith might get you into

Heaven, but without wisdom you’ll go through Hell before you get there.

Increasing your wisdom will help you to make fewer mistakes and give you a

better life.

Often time believers will use their faith as an excuse for ignoring

responsibilities. It’s foolishness to think that God will fix everything you broke

or have ignored just because you love and believe in him. A good, loving, wise

father will help their child in their time of need, but will not continue to cover

for their child every time the child gets into trouble. It isn’t that the father

doesn’t care, it’s because he does care. Remember that old saying, you can

take a man fishing and he gains a fish, but teach him how to fish and he’ll eat

for the rest of his life? We must grow in wisdom as part of our spiritual walk.

The wiser you get, the more time you will have to thank God for the

many blessings in your life instead spending all your time asking God for help.

Combing your faith with wisdom will not only give you more peace, but will

also be a good witness to others. A stupid acting believer can be a bad example

and a turn off to a nonbeliever. Whenever we represent anything in life we

must look and act the part; otherwise we look foolish and false. Christ was the

perfect example of faith and wisdom working together.

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Applying Both Faith and Wisdom

Faith

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Wisdom

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Education-Worldly & Spiritual

Are you one of those people that don’t watch the news because it’s

either too depressing or you’re simply too busy? Are you a faithful Church

goer that has never really investigated where your religion came from? Lots of

people believe what they believe simply because it’s what they were taught,

and some people are oblivious to what’s going on in the world because they

don’t think it affects them. So why do we choose to be passive or ignore?

Educating ourselves on what makes the world tick and why people

believe what they believe is very important. Learning will inject you with

knowledge and understanding; then after receiving knowledge of how things

work you begin to understand why people do what they do. Then you become

wiser and begin to observe and listen more, therefore gaining more

knowledge and understanding.

Sometimes people find it easier to simply go along with the wrong

instead of thinking for themselves. After all, the preacher knows the Bible

better than we do, so he must be right, right? That kind of thinking can leave

you stuck or in neutral. What we choose to believe or not to believe as truth

can limit us or propel us forward.

Investigate

Study

Observe

Worldly Spiritual

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Worldly & Spiritual Wisdom

Worldly wisdom and understanding

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Spiritual wisdom and beliefs

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Knowledge and Understanding

Knowledge will help you to understand the Who, What and Whys of

this world. You can’t fix something if you don’t understand how it

works.

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Being observant and learning is part of evolving.

It’s not about reading every day or watching only educational

programs on TV; it’s about paying attention to the world around

you. Being in-tune and intuitive will help you to make less mistakes

and direct you in decision making.

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Better Lives is

all

about