“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” The author of this phrase, Elbert Hubbard, also wrote a story about Ida Straus, and her death on the Titanic. As a woman she was supposed to be placed on a lifeboat before any of the men, but she refused to board the boat: “Not I!” she said, “I will not leave my husband. All these years we’ve traveled together, and shall we part now? No,” she said, “our fate is one.” Hubbard then added his own stirring commentary:

“Mr. and Mrs. Straus, I envy you that legacy of love and loyalty left to your children and grandchildren. The calm courage that was yours all your long and useful career was your possession in death. You knew how to do three great things—you knew how to live, how to love, and how to die.” “Happy lovers, both,” Elbert said, “In life they were never separated, and in death they are not divided.”

Ask yourself these three simple questions: Have I discovered the key to a full life? Have I learned to love with a full heart? What will I do when one day I face death? These questions, as simple as they may appear, lie at the core of a meaningful life.

If such human love like Mrs. Strauss is capable of such great sacrifice—what could you do with devotion and love of this type? How could you influence those around you?

I encourage you today to go to my website, www.LeslieMcNulty.com. We are here to help you, and have made tools available to you that will change your life!

Today and tomorrow in my Live Your Dream series I want to talk about Putting Your Dream to the Test.  What measurements, standards or costs are associated with your dream?

Anything worth having has a price attached. As an athlete I learned early on: no pain, no gain. What do I mean? To improve our game, skills, and opportunity we had to practice, practice, practice! In the daily pursuit of our dream sometimes we didn’t feel like carrying on, but the sheer will of fortitude, the desire to win, and the constant challenge to press beyond our current capabilities kept us charging forward toward our destination.

Today, let’s begin refining our dream by discovering the facts. How do we do this? We begin by first researching what it takes.  We ask questions such as, “what price is too high to pay?” You can count the cost of your dream by asking some more specific questions:

• What will my dream cost me personally—financially and emotionally?
• What will my dream cost my family, my marriage?
• What will my dream require from my current free time? Are you willing to give up your free time to learn a new skill, take a class, build a prototype, set a goal? Consider the price before you embark!

Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets!  http://bit.ly/1gmsroFhttps://

As a young woman Mother Teresa, who was suffering from tuberculosis, heard the “Call within the call”. She knew she was to leave the convent in Calcutta and work with the poor living among them. With only 5 Rupees in her hand, she started a school in the slums to teach the children of the poor.

Mother Teresa, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and India’s highest Civilian Award, set up nearly 570 homes for the poor in 125 countries.

With only 5 Rupees and battling sickness in her own body, Mother Teresa rose above poverty and made a better life for millions of people. One idea, one thought from God can bring significant change, not only to your life, but to the lives of those you know in your community and in your nation!  http://bit.ly/1E6nKV7

An elderly woman in Africa lived under an overpass in a cardboard house. She was dirty and alone. Her body was full of tuberculosis and no one wanted anything to do with her.

One day several ladies from the local church ventured out to see this lonely soul. You can only imagine how shocked this sick little woman was to see these very proper women show up under her bridge! The ladies had come to invite her to an outdoor Christian meeting where people were being healed.  Reluctantly, she agreed to join them, but not knowing how the people might react to her, she insisted on standing at the edge of the very large crowd.

As she stood there she heard the speaker say, “God loves you, He’s closer than any friend and He doesn’t want you to be sick!” At that moment the church ladies glanced over and noticed their sick friend was smiling and breathing normally!

Her new companions were so excited that they insisted she go to the platform and tell everyone what had just happened. A few minutes later, as she stood there on the platform, she said to the large crowd,

“You know me. I am the woman you pass by every day. The one who lives under the bridge.” The ladies who brought her interrupted her and said, “Tell the people how God healed you today. Tell them!”  The little old lady looked at the crowd and began her story again. “Yes,” she said, “I am healed, but what I know is that when I go home today, I will never be alone again! I have a new friend and His name is Jesus!”

In his book, “The Message that Works,” Dr. TL Osborn includes a chapter about Friendship With God, in which he states that God declares, “You can trust Me, I will trust you!”

Have you ever considered that God trusts you? And therefore you can trust yourself? I believe this is the essence of God’s heart toward you today.

You and I were created for fellowship with God, for friendship with God. Our rightful place is at His side—not under His feet or under His thumb. He doesn’t carry a hammer or a whip, commanding obedience…no, our rightful place is standing arm-in-arm with the living, loving God.

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. What does a true friend offer? Unconditional Acceptance, Unwavering Commitment, Unswerving Loyalty.  And today, what does Jesus offer YOU? Uncompromising, unwavering support when you don’t know where to turn.

When we know something is God’s will, it is not difficult for us to believe that He will do what we can be sure He wants to do.

Our faith moves God into action, so start praising God and begin thanking Him for being healed and delivered. Instead of listening to the devil and his lies, make him listen to you praising God for His promises!

As a young believer I remember watching a popular Christian television broadcast. While I was listening, the show host looked through the television camera and said these words, “there is a young woman out there who has suffered from tremendous back problems, in fact you are in pain right now.”

He proceeded to describe exactly what I was doing at that moment, where I was laying and what I had just said in my heart to the Lord. I was ASTONISHED! As he said these words, it felt as though a warm heat from heaven was coursing through my body.

I KNEW he was talking about me, this was a word of knowledge. God had given him a special revelation about my situation and I began to thank the Lord—the pain was leaving my body!

The gifts of healings, working of miracles, and the word of knowledge are God’s special gifts to us!

There is no condition too difficult for the Lord! Jesus healed every disease and sickness. The scripture promises that gifts of healings are available.

There are multiple gifts and multiple types of healing available for the infirmed. What an encouragement to realize that God has your condition covered!

Psalm 23:5 tells us that God has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies. On that table we’ll find healing, peace, abundance—everything that we have need of. Have you pulled up to the table and partaken of what God has for you?