Perfecting the Winner in You

By Trevor M. Chase

Trevor M. Chase has been described
as an accomplished individual. As an
artist (fi ne arts) and stained glass and
interior beautifi cation craftsman he creates
interior settings from his ornate architectural
designs. Skilled in commercial art, this poet and
Theologian has also been described as a prolifi c
writer with dozens of completed non-fi ction
manuscripts to his credit. While he enjoys
designing and building tropical waterfalls, this
motivational speaker has been a pastor of several
churches followed by a very fruitful God-glorifying international evangelistic
and deliverance ministry. As the founder and head of KPL Kingdom-Builders,
Life Enrichment Correspondence Institute and Chase-Craft, this 8-time selfpublished
author of several genres including 300 Steps to walking as Jesus
Walked (out of print) is pursuing a goal of creating a gifts-based Model for
Kingdom-building funding for the global Body of Christ. His passion for
Kingdom-building is fueled by The Parable of the Talents and of our Lord
Jesus Christ being worthy of riches, glory and blessing... (Rev. 5: 12)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 9, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469176062

Trevor M. Chase

Dr. Chase has been described as an accomplished individual. As an Artist (fine arts) and Stained Glass and Interior Beautification Craftsman – he creates royal interior settings from his ornate architectural designs in honor of the Royalty of the Believer in Christ and the Majesty of the Kingdom of God. Skilled in Commercial Art, this Poet and Theologian has also been described as a prolific Writer with dozens of completed non-fiction manuscripts to his credit. While he enjoys designing and building Tropical Waterfalls and doing carpentry and creative masonry, this Motivational Speaker has been a Pastor of several churches followed by a very fruitful God-glorifying International Evangelistic and Deliverance Ministry. As the Founder and Head of KPL Kingdom-Builders, Life Enrichment Correspondence Institute and ChaseCraft, this fourteen-time Self-published Author of several genres – including “300 Steps to Walking As Jesus Walked” (out of print) is pursuing a goal of creating a gifts-based model for Kingdom-building funding for the global Body of Christ. His passion for Kingdom-building is fueled by the Parable of the Talents and of our Lord Jesus Christ being worthy of riches, glory and blessing…. (Rev. 5:12)

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Trevor M. Chase.

Library of Congress Control Number:       Pending

ISBN:                   Hardcover                 978-1-4691-7605-5

ISBN:                   Softcover                   978-1-4691-7604-8

ISBN:                   Ebook                       978-1-4691-7606-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Cover design and art-work by author

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Contents

INTRODUCTION

LESSONS FROM A LEPERS’ CAMP:

THE MECHANICS OF PURPOSE

CHARACTERISTICS OF A WINNER

BENJAMIN FRANKLYN’S THIRTEEN VIRTUES

THE ELEVATION OF MAN

PRUNING AND GROOMING THE WINNER IN YOU

DEDICATION

To the following four special teachers in my life whose not-forgotten affirmations have served as a source of encouragement over the years:

One of my Elementary school teachers: Mr. Sankar, who once said to another teacher in my presence: Trevor is the best essay-writer in this school.

My High School Principal: Mr. U. Hudson Francis in whose special after-school Literature class on Shakespeare once responded thus to my answer posed to the class: This is the epitome of intelligence!

My Master’s Professor: Dr. Collins, whose hand-written note on my thesis thanked me for bringing to the class a spirit of excellence.

And the late Dr. Irene Powell, my Ph. D. professor whose response to the literary value of one of my assignments still remains a source of great encouragement.

DEDICATION II

Jeremy Lin

It is not often that someone comes along with standards of excellence that epitomize the ambassadorship of a son of the Highest such as we have seen in Jeremy Lin of the N.Y. Nicks. The gracious words from his lips that caused me to co-dedicate this book to him were: I believe in a God who is all-knowing, all-powerful and who works miracles. Another confession of his which solidified my decision to do this was: I want to make sure that I live and play in a God-glorifying way.

The testimonies of his teammates concerning him place the composites of his personhood fully within the framework of what this book is about. His showcasing of the Winner in him both on and off the courts has prompted professional comments from his peers such as: He really inspires a lot of people around here and around the world. He is definitely a person someone can look up to. When you hear his story, it gives you hope for anything—(J. R. Smith).

Even from his opponents we have read the following: He has shown what you have to do when you get the opportunity: Make the most of it. It is inspirational (Nowitzki—Mavs)

The winner in Jeremy was also acknowledged by others such as sports writer, Mitch Lawrence:  . . . But he surprised me by staying aggressive. I’m proud of him, watching his journey and where he’s come from. He’s persevered and he’s shown a lot of toughness.

Then there was another of his peers—Jason Kidd: I think it’s a great story. He’s a great kid. He’s very humble, and he plays extremely hard, whether he makes a mistake or makes a fantastic play. He plays the game the right way… that’s what you love to see.PREFACE

Picture this: The Syrian army, armed to the teeth and with a great supply of food, drink and change of clothing, cooking utensils, money and tents, surrounded the City of Samaria and settled in for the long haul. With genocide on their minds and taking possession of the wealth of the Samaritans on their agenda, they cut off all traffic going into and out of the city.

The situation in Samaria deteriorated so badly that not only had the people resorted to buying dove’s manure for food, but mothers began to see their children as food and at least two acted accordingly.

Just outside of the gate to the city, however, were four lepers who stared death in the face and had to make a decision regarding their own fate. They sized up the situation, made a corporate decision, and gave us enough materials to produce this book. Their actions proved to be a treasure trove of inspirational and motivational guidelines for achieving one’s ultimate purpose for being on this planet.

INTRODUCTION

Within each of us there is a winner that can be exposed and set on the path to greatness. Tell me, what do you think the average individual sees when he or she looks upon a log of wood? Exactly: a log. But then, in the same situation, what do you think a sculptor sees? As a sculptor myself, I would not hesitate to agree with you that he or she would see a human or some other form—realistic or abstract—but nonetheless a masterpiece.

Looking upon others, some people see what they see with their natural eyes and treat them accordingly. But there is the insightfulness of the spiritual sculptors who, like the great Sculptor, our Creator, can look upon a forlorn soul and see a champion. Like the sculptor who exposes the hidden masterpiece by removing all that is not part of the masterpiece, the champion can be exposed by employing the same process. The winner in each of us can be partly or completely buried under layers of life-issues that cause others to deal with us on a level that exposes their blindness.

The contents of this book, based on the actions of those four lepers, are designed to fulfill the functions of a personality-sculptor’s tools and help perfect and expose the winner in you. The format that I will use in this endeavor is a series of pointers extracted from this lessons-rich ancient event. Let’s get started then:

Lessons From A Lepers’ Camp:

1

SEEK INSPIRATIONAL COMPANY

These four men inspired each other to rise above adversity and choose the winner’s path:

The path of life can be paved or lined with experiences that are unique to one’s destiny—some of which can be couched in adversity. Not everyone is wired to understand and accept this: hence the need to filter out the negative voices and attitudes that go against the grain of what one knows to be the will of God for one’s life.

The Syrians were not there to act as cheerleaders for the Samaritans. They were there to pull them down; to destroy and deprive them of their right to live and prosper with dignity:

The soul of the winner is infested with a level of dignity which rejects the word-offerings that are designed to distort the landscape of God’s will for one’s life—dignity which the Holy Spirit acts upon in keeping us focused on the adventure-like unfolding of our role in the Big Picture.

The company we keep is positioned to pour things into our spirits:

It is our prerogative and our responsibility to harbor only those elements which nourish the roots of our upward-mobility.

Depending on our spiritual metabolism (I.e.—our ability to absorb information and convert it into beliefs and actions), the company we keep can either encourage us to keep our inner winner buried, or to free ourselves from the morbid layers of spiritual grave-dirt.

Even if you are blessed with healthy spiritual metabolism, your inner winner will emerge more efficiently and effortlessly if you do not have to be distracted by the mental and emotional tasks of having to separate the bad inputs from the good. Company that will not inspire you to rise to your highest potential is not worth keeping.

2

THE WINNER’S INNER CIRCLE

Even our ineffable Lord Jesus Christ had an inner circle of disciples: Peter, James and John:

Peter would deny Him and thus be in need for special attention; he also had the irrepressible tendency to be the spokesman for the others as well as the downside of a fisherman’s temperament. In spite of these negatives, he also possessed great cultivatable spiritual assets which, if given the required attention, he would become the man that he was destined to be. God, in His mercy and fairness may assign Peter-like characters to be part of our inner circle—characters who would initially have a flawed perspective of our purpose and goals, but at the appointed time, will show the benefits of being associated with a winner who knows how and when to say with utmost firmness: Get behind me, Satan! Being a winner involves being a mentor.

These four men provided each other with an environment in which they could freely express their concerns:

Even stress can be relieved or averted by having a non-dysfunctional inner circle of friends with whom you can be transparent without any fear of being judged or condemned. Therefore, strive to cultivate a handful of friends who will: a) Look out for you. b) Respect you for who you are. c) Could be reasoned with when there is a misunderstanding d) Will not abandon you in hard times and e) Could be relied upon to help you make good decisions when needed.

A solid inner circle is comprised of:

a) Caring individuals who do not have ulterior motives.

b) Individuals who do not play mind games and

c) Individuals who will not try to undermine your self esteem even when you let your hair down.

Genuine inner circle potential cannot be faked for long. It is like class—we either have it or we don’t. Wherever it proves to thrive on deceit and is clothed in hypocrisy, act on the advice of our Lord and, like the offending eye or hand: pluck it out or cut it off and cast it from you.

3

LEARN HOW AND WHEN TO BE FLEXIBLE

Before the appearance of the then notoriously cruel Syrians, those four men probably had somewhat of a fixed daily routine—and that’s fine. Structure breeds stability and is generally a precursor for progress. But routine that becomes rigid to the exclusion of healthy risk can retard or prevent key areas of potential growth.

A proper combination of adequate information and right timing can bring more-than-anticipated rewards.

These four men apparently had no experience in dealing with such an evil adversary: but whatever methods of survival their victims were using thus far, the enemy had not been dislodged. The tactic of forbearance was only proving to be in the undertakers’ best interest—so they made the switch from passive acceptance to pro-active response: They got up and went towards the Syrians.

4

THE POWER OF ISOLATION

Within the walls of Samaria, the people were emotionally and psychologically paralyzed with fear. These four men were part of the cowering crowd, in that they too were under siege and were plagued by gnawing pangs of hunger. If they remained part of the crowd, their end would be like the crowd’s.

The Syrians were apparently counting on victory based on mass-resignation. But there were four men who decided to isolate themselves psychologically from the morally-defeated populace.

People with a herd mentality generally go along with the flow of events. They do not challenge when it is the proper thing to do. They wait for a popular response and then join the chorus. By isolating themselves from the mass hysteria which only served to embolden their enemy, these men were able to:

1) Look at their personal situation more objectively.

2) Make a level-headed analysis, and take the most potentially productive course of action which ultimately saved the city.

The power of isolation lies in the ability to:

1) Disconnect from the ordinary.

2) Visualize the practical possibilities of potentially healthy alternatives, and go for it.

5

TWO CAMPS

In our text, there are two camps—each representing a different set of values and each of them playing by a different set of rules.

In one camp there is the Syrian army whose idea of industry was:

1) To take what did not belong to them even if it involved direct or indirect murder.

2) They believed in picking on others when they are in a state of weakness or vulnerability and stripping them of their possessions.

You can say that the philosophy of this army represents that of the scum of the Earth.

In the other camp were four victims of a dreaded contagious disease, who, by their actions, later proved that they were honorable men. But let’s take a closer look at the comparison: On the one hand there was the death-producing band of thieves who destroyed the economy of Samaria and the lives of many of its citizens. Yes, their agenda was:

1) To steal,

2) To kill and

3) To destroy.

In the camp of the lepers, on the other hand, were four men who were destined to be instrumental in providing food that would save and deliver the Samaritans from death by starvation. But over and above this, because of the huge cache of silver and gold that would be found in the camp of the Syrians, the Samaritans would experience a taste of life more abundantly. Do we not see here a fore-shadow of Christ’s mission to Earth?—The thief comes not but for to kill, to steal and to destroy; but I am come that they might have life and that they might it more abundantly. (Jn. 10:10)

There are different levels of achievement, but the ultimate perfection of the winner in you cannot be achieved without the experience of the end result—life more abundantly. The winner triumphs over the principles that govern the life