In this video, I share things that will empower you to become independent if you have a physical disability. I have no legs and can use only my right arm; nevertheless, overcoming ongoing challenges, I became self-sufficient, and now my passion is empowering others. I believe what I share in the video will empower you whether you have a disability or not because I use it to overcome any challenges and obstacles in life, not only physical limitations.
After losing my legs and the function of my left arm (fully paralyzed), I depended on other people for the simplest daily things. It seemed I could no longer take care of myself. I thought having a disability meant being dependent on others, and only the thought of it was unbearable. So I decided to break that and become independent again.
Steps To Overcome Disability
Even if you have a disability, you can become self-sufficient. For that to happen, you need:
The environment must be as accessible/adapted as possible to a person with a disability.
Change your mindset – change your results. Our mindset has tremendous power and impact on our decisions, actions, and, finally, the results we attain.
Challenge yourself, and push the limits by finding a way to do what you need to do in your physical condition.
It’s what you make out of what you have that will make your life either fulfilling or miserable.
See the video below where I coach, share my personal story of how I overcame, and share some practical advice from personal experience.
In my book “UNSTOPPABLE. It’s a Choice,” you can learn my full story-testimony, which is an inspiring story of overcoming adversity and a story of the journey of faith trusting God in difficult times. I also coach readers and share practical tools to empower them to be strong and unstoppable in their personal journey. The book can be your personal daily coach!
Usually, we feel like we are opening a new page at the beginning of the year. What stories do you want your new chapter to carry?
It’s important to know where you are headed. Otherwise, you will go nowhere, and your life will be organized and managed by other people and outside events that randomly happen.
So, what is your vision for this year?
What would make this year a success for you?
What specifically do you want to accomplish?
What would be the impact of achieving this vision on your life?
How does your vision align with your highest values?
And how does your vision align with God’s will for your life?
When we create our vision, we often think about ourselves: our comfort, things we want to accomplish, experiences we want to enjoy. But, have you thought, “Lord, what do YOU want? What is YOUR will for me this year? How can I be of service to You and other people?”
Not that long ago, I realized that we contradict ourselves: we say, “I want to fulfill God’s will. I want to do what He wants me to do.” But when we think about a vision for our future, a new year, or plan our week, we become the center of it all, not God’s will.
I had a pretty interesting experience with this seven years ago and a fantastic testimony. For many years I have lived in faith. I would say, “Lord, may Your will be done in my life!” but then, when I planned my life, my goals were all about me. My comfort, my ambitions of what I wanted to achieve. Since my focus was to restore my life after the car accident, I concentrated on achieving what I wanted my life to be. First, it was about my ability to be self-sufficient living with my traumatic injuries, establish my life in a foreign country in a way that I would not have to depend on anybody. This put me in a mindset and lifestyle of constantly achieving my goals.
I was very passionate about the personal development and success industry for many years, and I had a great desire to go into that industry. My ambitions were relatively high, and I was thrilled just thinking about it. I did not have the means to make it happen, though. My book was written and ready to be published, BUT I did not have the editor nor did I have the money to publish it. I wanted to be a speaker in the personal development industry and record videos, BUT my home did not work well for recording, and I did not have the equipment to record videos and edit them. I did not have the car or someone to drive me where I would need to go for my business.
An enormous challenge was ahead of me. But I’ve been in this kind of situation not once, and the Lord, being faithful as always, provided His help every time. So, I believed that with His help, I would be able to accomplish it just as I achieved all other goals.
However, I couldn’t publish the book that I wrote. Nothing worked out for the vision I had. I was confused. It seemed like I was doing the right thing, and I couldn’t understand why I did not have a blessing to fulfill my vision.
I was perplexed. Then, through the Holy Scriptures, the Lord began working with my motives and my heart. One day I realized I had to make a choice: to go in the direction of aiming to achieve my selfish ambitions or surrender to God’s will and do what He wants me to do.
I had an understanding that this choice would direct my future and, ultimately, my destiny. Following the Lord’s will was a different path than a career in the success/personal development industry. I knew I was standing at a crossroads, and I had a choice.
What choice you will make?
I was pondering on that thought. My ideas were going back and forth because I knew it would be tough to juggle between the two worlds. I was eager and committed to bringing the Lord’s glory and making a difference in people’s lives. And I was thrilled about the Success industry, which is a high-paid career and an uplifting world to be engaged in. But from my observations, there is no place for Jesus there; the spiritual aspect of life is all about meditation. For some reason, prayer and Jesus Christ is automatically rejected by many, calling it a “religion,” while mediation is a practice of Buddhism and Hinduism religion, but nobody rejects it. So I was juggling with it and was not sure what to do.
It was early morning; while waiting for my bus to work. One moment a thought came to me, a few words from a Bible verse. I found that verse on my Bible app and began reading.
“Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38 NLT
I knew the Lord was speaking to me. He knew what was going on in my heart and talked to me. The word of God settled it. I knew without hesitation which path I would choose: fulfill my promise to the Lord.
After I surrendered my path to God’s will for my life, I had an understanding in my spirit as though someone was explaining to me the upcoming change: the Lord and I were driving in the car. I was in a driver’s seat, and Jesus was by my side, in the passenger’s seat. Jesus said, “All this time you were stirring the wheel of your life, going in life where you wanted to go, and I was right here with you, helping you to get where you want to arrive. Now, we will change places. Now I will be in a driver’s seat, and you will go with me where I will drive you, and you will help me fulfill My will here.”
“Yes, Lord. I give up all my ambitions; I don’t want any of that if You are not there. Show me what I need to do and where to go, and I will,” in my spirit, I agreed.
That moment, I felt how peace filled me. With that, there was a great sense of security, safety. I knew I had made the right choice.
When I aligned my vision with God’s will for my life
Since then, my life has changed quite radically. When I surrendered my path to the Lord, I had a new vision built on different motives and did not have selfish ambitions. So I began asking myself a different question: Lord, what do YOU want me to do?
And then, the Lord began showering me with His gifts. First, he provided the editor (one of the best copywriters/editors who came to my workplace to work with me on a project). Then, the Lord inspired a person to make a gift of $10,000 as funds to publish my book. Then, He provided the new home where I have multiple places proper for videos, professional video equipment for recording videos, and a professional editing program (which I am learning how to use and love it!). Fourth, He provided a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
And most of all, the Lord connected me with a friend who became like my sister and is my partner in purpose, supporting me in my mission. With that, with my new friend, the Lord gave me her family, who loves me and accepted me into their circle, and now I have a new family here in the USA, while my real family is in Lithuania.
When you are on the right path, all things come together. I am not saying there won’t be any challenges. What I am saying – when your vision and your intentions are aligned with God’s will for your life – God works with you and provides everything you need. Even if challenges and obstacles arise – the Lord will provide help. When you appear in a situation without a way out – the Lord will make the way.
The critical question is – when you set your vision and your goals, who is at the center of it all?
The best and the safest place to be – it is God’s will! Be there.
In my book “Unstoppable. It’s a Choice” you can learn my full story-testimony, which is an inspiring story of overcoming adversity and a story of the journey of faith trusting God in difficult times. I also coach and share practical tools to empower you to be strong and unstoppable in your personal journey. The book can be your personal daily coach!
At the end of each year, I have a tradition to go over the entire year analyzing events that occurred and experiences I have had. Yes, it does take discipline to make the time for it, but it’s so worth it. I want to share something that helped me see the good in what initially seemed bad.
It gives me a positive outlook, no matter how difficult the experience was.
It’s easy to be pleased with your year when those experiences are pleasant and have attained successful results. But it’s not that easy when you’ve had struggles and challenges.
I believe it was the end of 2013 or 2014 when I felt so bad about my year and my life in general. I had pretty troublesome experiences in my personal life, did not attain the goals that I set to achieve, and everything seemed not the way it should be. I felt like a whole year was wasted. I felt empty. Failed. It felt that the Lord was very distant, as though I wandered off away from Him and my purpose.
Keeping up my tradition to write my reflection about the year, I took one evening off to be with myself. But this time, instead of just overviewing what happened during the year, I looked at my life from a different perspective.
I took a viewpoint of an observer and asked myself questions:
What was the purpose behind this experience?
What the Lord was doing through it all, what was He teaching me?
Since the word of God says that God turns all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28), I asked myself, “What good can I see in this?”
When I looked at my life from that perspective, the amazing thing began happening within me. As I was writing about one experience after another, behind it all, I saw the blessing after blessing! I saw a lot of value in each event, turn, and trial!
The change in personal life was definitely for my good; it would have been worse if the change didn’t happen. The goal that was not attained (to publish my book) – was for the better because I realized that the book was not complete yet, and I needed to work on it more. My feeling of failure about not attaining my goal turned into gratitude! And all those elements that made me feel like things were not the way they were supposed to be – yes, they were perfectly aligned, and yes, they needed to be there.
I saw how through those difficulties, the Lord was working with my heart. He was not distant, but precisely the opposite – He was right there with me, molding me into the person I needed to become and preparing me for the future.
As I was writing about my year from a new perspective, I saw the incredible work that the Lord did through those circumstances that seemed terrible to me. Imagine the airplane has a route to its destination. The pilot looks at the compass and sees that the plane is slightly off course. The shift might be very slight, nearly to the point that it’s not worth worrying about because it wouldn’t make any significant difference. But what if the pilot would not make any changes and let the plane continue flying slightly off course? The shift might be unnoticeable at first. But after thousands of miles, that airplane would be totally off course. The arrival would be far away from the destination it was supposed to arrive.
That’s what I saw in my life; the arrow of my compass was slightly shifted off the course. I spent a long time re-evaluating everything, and by changing my aspirations and intentions behind them, I brought back my arrow to the course of my purpose in life.
When I finished writing about my year from that new perspective, I felt uplifted, inspired, and eager to see what was next. The way I saw myself as a failure and my year as a wasted time was a lie. Not true. It wasn’t easy to live through that challenging year, but now I saw that this time changed me from within and my direction in life. I was so grateful to see what was hidden behind the “failure”!
I realized how important it is to be in charge of your perspective and take your thoughts captive.
As I review my 2021, I can say that this was quite a challenging year. (Not because of covid and worldwide events or economic struggle) But looking at it from a different perspective, I see it was a valuable year. I already see many good things through those difficult experiences. Experiences that I went through, things that I realized, lessons I’ve learned, and the changes that took place will make a big difference in the future.
Again I see that the Lord indeed turns all things work together for good. We only need to be steadfast and remain faithful to what we’ve been entrusted to accomplish.
Please don’t allow the enemy to convince you that his lies are true. Instead, look at yourself and your life from a different perspective, through the word of God. See what processes were going on behind the circumstances. I believe you will see a lot of good.
Blessings to you. I hope my experience made a difference in your journey.
When after a car accident I had to continue living without my legs and with only one arm, it seemed like I would not be able to do so many things by myself. Getting into a car was one of them. My dad would pick me up and sit me in a car.
I hated to feel so helpless and depend on others for everything I needed. But I felt trapped. I was no longer able to do it.
But it was true until I changed the way I was thinking: instead of automatically saying “I can’t” I began saying to myself “I can do this” and figuring out How To do all that I wanted to do.
It was life-changing! Just by changing the way I was thinking and what questions I asked myself I was able to go from being fully dependent on another person for every daily need to traveling across the globe by myself and establishing independent and fulfilling life.
We limit ourselves by thinking that possibilities are limited. Breakthrough happens when we take charge of our way of thinking and look for possibilities.
Don’t rush to tell yourself that you cannot do something. Instead, ask yourself a question “How can I? What is the way?” And then, look for your answer until you find it. I know, it may sound like a too simple thing to do for a big change. But try anyway. You will see what a tremendous difference it will make in your life.
This is a short video of me getting into an SUV and into a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. Music: https://www.bensound.com
More about my true story and practical advice on how to be strong and be unstoppable in your pursuit, you can find in my book “UNSTOPPABLE. I’s a Choice”. It was recognized among the best books in the spring in the San Francisco Book Festival 2018, and I hope you will enjoy it, too. And most of all, may it make a difference in your life.
I am experiencing one of the biggest miracles in my life. And, I want to share with you a testimony of supernatural freedom from severe incurable pain and opioid pain medication. This is a long post, but I hope this message will bring hope to you and will add some value to your life.
Even though I lost my legs in a car accident, I have a sensation as if I do have legs. For over 10 years I was suffering from pain in my feet, which is called phantom pain. It seemed as if lightning strikes hit into my feet. The shots of pain were so sudden and violent that my body jumped, pierced by sharp pain. It was excruciating.
I have learned to live with daily never-ending pain in my paralyzed arm, but the phantom pain was something I could not tolerate. The doctor said there is no cure for it. I started taking pain medication Vicodin (hydrocodone/acetaminophen) to get temporary relief from pain. Pain medication did help with the pain and it even gave me a little boost of energy (which I liked, I admit) but little did I know what I stepped into…
Over time, my body got used to this medication and it no longer helped with the pain. So I received a prescription for a much stronger pain reliever, Norco. Slowly but surely, medication pulled me into a trap of the addiction to the pain-relievers. From taking one pill a day I ended up taking 6-8 pills a day of 10 mg/325 mg Norco drug just to be able to function. Furthermore, after some time Norco also was no longer strong enough to knock down the pain.
When I realized the horrible effect that medication had in my life and I did a research about this type of medication, I faced a terrifying fact: these were a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin.
After reading online about the experiences of others in this matter, I think for the first time I felt frightened about my life. The opioid medication was the only option for me to handle the pain (alternative medications and acupuncture did not help), but this option had only one direction – to a deeper addiction which led thousands of people to illegal drugs and a life of drug addiction.
What did I get myself into?! How to get out of this?
There was no way out.
This kind of pain is not curable and it actually only intensified over time. Quite frankly, the pain and taking medication became such a usual part of my life that it just became a part of me; I forgot what it looked like to live without pain and without medication. I did not have enough faith that prayer can help. So I did not even pray about it.
One day, as I was going home from work, I took a pill. I realized it was the 8thNorco pill that I just took in one day. It horrified me. I felt drowsy and spaced out. I hated that feeling. And the pain attacks didn’t go anywhere. Since Norco no longer helped with the pain, I had to either increase the daily dosage or go on stronger medication. But I was so afraid of stronger medication…. I felt hopeless. I just didn’t know what to do. In my mind, I began calling out to God… as a drowning person reaches out the hand to grab the last straw.
In a moment, memories came to me of times when I received supernatural healing after the prayer and many other incredible testimonies of the Lord’s help. Jesus was my only hope. After returning home, feeling total despair I cried to Jesus Christ. I just had nowhere to go. I asked Him to break the chains of pain and addiction and to free me from this invisible prison.
The impossible becomes true
Right on the next day, I received my answer. Totally unexpectedly I was invited to join a bible homegroup. There severe pain shots began attacking me, and my fellows began praying for me. And, to my big astonishment, after the prayer, the pain shots stopped, just like in a story when the storm calmed down when Jesus commanded it to be quiet. I couldn’t believe that what I experienced was real!
Since then, after many years of pain and dependency on narcotic medication trap, I began my journey toward my freedom. It was probably one of the hardest things I had to do. When I would not take medication, it seemed like someone was breaking my bones, tearing apart all my organs inside. At times it felt as though someone was pulling my soul out of me. I couldn’t do any work, couldn’t sit still, couldn’t rest, and couldn’t sleep. In addition, returning pain shots made it nearly impossible to stay away from the medication.
At times, after the prayer, the pain would stop, and at times the pain would persist regardless. Often taking the pill was an easy way out. Thus, the stronghold of returning pain and both mental and physical addiction kept me in this endless roller coaster. For the last five years, it’s been an ongoing battle.
In the beginning of June of 2020, I felt so tired of this ongoing battle between bondage and my strive to have freedom… As I was thinking about it, I heard/felt this gentle and yet clear and lousd voice within: if you are going to continue taking medication, you will not be able to fulfill your calling. Now you have a choice: to continue and jeopardize your purpose or by faith completely surrender yourself and this matter to the Lord and trust God to help you with pain and with withdrawals.
I knew that I was at crossroads – the choice that I was going to make would determine the further direction of my path. My future depended on my choice.
Just a thought of withdrawals made me sick. I’ve tried to quit medication multiple times and I was never able to. But I knew this had to stop. So I made the decision to trust God with it all. I already witnessed tremendous power in the name of Jesus Christ, and I decided to fight this battle on my knees.
That night was a sleepless night. Phantom pain like electricity shock relentlessly attacked me throughout the night. I got up feeling exhausted. Overwhelmed. Pain relentlessly continued to the point of me saying I could no longer endure it.
I got angry. The pain attacks suddenly became even more vicious than ever before just when I decided to stop taking medication! My anger fueled a determination to be relentless in my prayer of faith. I went into my office and began praying. When I rebuked the pain in Jesus Christ’s name – the pain stopped. It was just gone right after the prayer.
It was so clear – this battle can be won only in the name of Jesus Christ. The narcotic medication would only lead me to destruction. Freedom will come only through faith and the power of the name of Jesus Christ.
There was one thing though that I was concerned about – agonizing physical withdrawals. I was so tired from going back and forth… I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle it all over again.
On the next day, there was a Friday prayer night at Flame of Fire Ministry, and my friend and I decided to join them. I wanted to spend time in prayer. While I was praying in Spirit, I felt the change within me. Instead of concern about withdrawals, I felt growing determination and strength to withstand it, and my faith surrendering to God this matter was getting stronger. I felt total resolve seeing it as being done and over.
At the end of prayer night, leaders asked the attendees if there is someone who would like to be prayed for. At first, I wanted to ask for prayer, but then I stopped myself. I felt shy. “I will just go into my room and continue praying as I did,“ I thought.
After they prayed for others and were about to dismiss the crowd, one of the leaders came up to the front and said “The Holy Spirit says to me that there is someone here in the room who needs freedom from the bondage. Someone, who is really tired from going back and forth. We can pray for you to end this, so you finally can have the freedom that you want.”
Needless to say, my eyes were full of tears! It was me.
Father knew. The Lord heard my cry, and He broke the shackles and delivered me from the invisible prison. Since then, I never went back to medication.
Remember, it’s a battle
First I had to face a battle though, which had a lesson for me. For the next several days, at times the pain did show up. But, instead of medication, I chose to handle it with the prayer of faith and through the power of the name of Jesus Christ. After several days, the pain shots went away.
Withdrawals came along as well. They weren’t as bad as they normally were. At times though, I wished somebody would get me out of my own body. Nevertheless, I was determined. In those times, in my mind, the verse kept coming to me “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 And, like never before, I had the endurance to withstand withdrawals. After several more days, they also went away.
For more than 10 years, there has not been a day that I did not feel the lightning strikes of phantom pain, and neither painkillers, nor alternative medicines, nor acupuncture helped – THESE DAILY PAINS ARE GONE! For more than 10 years I could not live a day without opioid drugs, and now almost four months have passed – I HAVE NEVER TAKEN THESE PAINKILLERS!
I want to take the opportunity and thank my church “Hand of Help” in San Francisco and every single person who prayed for me. This was a long and strenuous battle. Especially, I want to thank Aleksandr Kolesnikov, who taught me about faith and the power of prayer and who prayed for me countless times. The first battle is won, Aleksandr!
Lord knows our hearts and true intentions. He knows our hardships and battles. Even if it may seem to us that there is no way out of the situation we are in, God always has a way. And, He hears the cry of those who call out upon His name for help with a sincere heart. He comes to help us and He is never late. So, if you feel trapped in a certain situation, call out to God. Faith in God and prayer is not a ‘religion’ that many views with an ironic mockery. Faith and prayer have great power beyond our comprehension. And it can give you what the world does not have and cannot give.
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. (Psalm 50:15)
Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ (Jeremiah 33:3)
If you feel discouraged because you did not receive your answer, keep persisting. Resist the enemy and doubts. Remember that it is the battle. Jesus has already won the battle, we just have to take back what the enemy has stolen.
My best wishes to you, be safe and blessed!
In my book “UNSTOPPABLE. It’s a Choice” you can learn my full story-testimony, which is an inspiring story of overcoming adversity and transforming life in spite of all odds. This book is about a living God who can restore the broken, heal the deepest wounds of a soul, and transform one’s life no matter how desperate the situation is. The story is about resolve and relentless perseverance that can break through the insurmountable stumbling blocks. The story is about the power of resilience that can lift you up and carry you forward no matter how tired you are or how many times you fall. It is about God’s immeasurable mercy and grace even if you make a horrible, unpardonable mistake.
Finally, this book is about THE POWER OF DECISIONS that are made by us, once we stand at the CROSSROADS OF A CHOICE.
“I believe, but I don’t understand why there is no answer to my prayer,” in my thoughts I still heard these words and saw the disappointment in his eyes while I prayed for one person’s need.
While praying, I had an insight that it was necessary for him to change the way of thinking and approach to the prayer. It inspires me to share with you about one important aspect of faith and prayer. It that has brought many answers to my prayers and has greatly strengthened my personal walk of faith.
When we are in this kind of a mindset, disappointment comes. And there is only a step away from the doubt … and, unbelief is right there, like a shadow. In the end, doubt and unbelief jeopardize our prayer. (James 1: 6-7 ” But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.”)
Instead of asking why God does not answer, assert your faith in your mind and speech. Say that you believe and trust the Lord regardless of what is actually happening at the moment. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Abraham did not waver in the promises of God. Opposite, he remained firm in the faith and gave glory to God. It’s amazing that he did not even consider realistic facts. Abraham was fully convinced that God was able to fulfill His promise, even if it was physically impossible. Sarah accepted the power to conceive and gave birth to a child because she knew that God was true to his promise. (Romans 4: 18-22, Hebrews 11:11)
In prayer, ask God for revelation for you and His word of direction for your situation. Instead of frustration and anxiety, proclaim who your God is. Assert your faith: “You are Jehovah-Rapha – God who heals body and soul. You are El Shaddai – God Almighty, You have absolute power over everything. You are powerful and true to Your word. I know that with You everything is possible and there comes a day when my answer will be here physically. Father, I know that my situation is in Your hands and You will take care of everything. Lead me unto the path that I must walk in, direct everything in my life according to Your will. I trust You. I know that I will not be ashamed because You say in Your word that those who wait on You will not be ashamed.”
In your conversations with others, instead of talking about how big the problem is and how you do not understand where God is and why there is no answer, speak the words that affirm your faith. “The problem is big, BUT I know that my God is greater than any problem. God has an answer and there is nothing impossible for Him. Circumstances are subject to Him, and He can change any situation. People’s hearts are in the hands of the Lord, like rivers of water: He turns it wherever He wishes. He has times and seasons for everything. God never sleeps and He is never late. I know that my Lord will take care of everything and I live in expectation of the answer from Him.“
Now I remember, that’s exactly how I was thinking and praying in the darkest situations and hopeless circumstances. Instead of anxiety and doubt, I was asserting my faith and confidence in the Lord. I approached the problem from the side of total conviction that God could do anything and He would help me. My faith became confidence/knowledge that with the help of the Lord I would overcome everything and troubles were going to be resolved. And, I stated this both in my mind and in words.
The answers did not come immediately. But, I continued to assert that God, in whom I believe, is omnipotent, and I wait upon Him. I expect help from Him. Now, when I look back, I see that every need, which I confidently believed that God would help with, has been answered. I received answers despite the fact that those were the times of total hopelessness. Realistically, it seemed impossible to improve them. Moreover, the more difficult the situation was, the more amazing the testimony is of how the Lord brought me out of difficulties.
The Lord put desires in my heart to achieve certain goals, encouraged me to take some measures and initiate action for change. He created new opportunities and opened a way out where there was none. The Lord put me in favor of many people I’ve met and inspired many to help me. He gave me the ability, strength, endurance and perseverance to achieve goals. God blessed everything I did. He took care of me and provided everything that I needed. And He was never late. Never.
If you catch yourself dwelling on disappointment and questioning why God doesn’t answer and whether prayer can help at all – start changing your approach to the problem and to the prayer. Build your faith not on your own understanding of whether it is possible to solve your problem, but on who your God is – He is almighty and He is faithful to His word/promise. (Romans 4:18-22, Hebrews 11:11)
Instead of doubts and endless questions “God why …”, ASSERT the FAITH that you believe and completely trust God no matter what. PROCLAIM who your God is. Proclaim the word from the Holy Scriptures, your victory over problems and diseases, and you will see the power of the prayer of faith.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27 (ESV)
“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” Proverbs 21:1 (ESV)
“‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV)
“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14 (ESV)
“…Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.” Isaiah 49:23 (ESV)
Be steadfast in faith. Be unstoppable.
~Inga
In my book “Unstoppable. It’s a Choice” you can learn my full story-testimony, which is an inspiring story of overcoming adversity and transforming life in spite of all odds. This book is about a living God who can restore the broken, heal the deepest wounds of a soul, and transform one’s life no matter how desperate the situation is. The story is about resolve and relentless perseverance that can break through the insurmountable stumbling blocks. The story is about the power of resilience that can lift you up and carry you forward no matter how tired you are or how many times you fall. It is about God’s immeasurable mercy and grace even if you make a horrible, unpardonable mistake. Finally, this book is about the power of decisions that are made by us, once we stand at the crossroads of a choice.
While you are going through a difficult time, your obstacles may seem too big to overcome. It is very easy to get lost when you face challenging situations, because we naturally tend to focus on those challenges, constantly thinking about the problem and how bad things are. And, often this is the biggest enemy for our aspiration.
These are 3 key action steps that made a tremendous impact in my personal journey when going through tough times. By having a laser-sharp focus and implementing these three things I had a breakthrough every time; even at times when my life was on the verge of breaking down.
Although obstacles or problems want to capture your full attention, make every effort not to lose sight of your goal, your vision of what you are striving for. Instead of thinking about how hard it is, how painful and how bad everything is, lift your eyes up, look at the horizon of your vision.
By faith see in your mind what you strive for. Envision what change will come in your business and your life. How will this affect the life of your loved ones? How many good changes will come when you accomplish this? How will you feel when you overcome all difficulties and achieve your goal?
2. And then, return your sight back to the present day, but not for you to think about the problem itself, but about how to solve it. Look for new opportunities; look for a way out of this difficult situation. Find the solution to the problem, figure out how you could overcome the obstacle.
3. When you find a solution to a problem, focus on what you have to do to remove the problem from your path. Maintain your laser-sharp focus (!!) on the vision and the solution no matter how big the problem is. Do not allow yourself to drown in thoughts about the problem and how difficult and painful it is (!!).
Once the problem is out of the way, keep moving forward towards that goal. Take massive action, work hard, and do everything possible (and even what you once thought was beyond what you could do) to achieve the goal.
Achieving a goal has a price tag of persistence and relentless effort, and only those who are willing to pay that price achieve success.
Obstacles are not equal to a ‘STOP’ sign, but they are simply something you need to overcome, that’s all. Obstacles can get in the way, interfere, and slow you down, but they can’t stop you. The only thing that can stop you is yourself.
I am inspired to share a testimony that surprised me once again and also taught me a lesson.
… Back in early July, due to very hot weather and very cold air conditioner (bad combination!!!), I caught a really bad cold. Each time I took a breath I had pain in the trachea, and when I wanted to take a deeper breath – I had pain and began coughing, and as soon as I started to speak – I had coughing fits. I could not say even one sentence without interruption of coughing!
Soon after, I was invited to participate in an online conference that was planned in a few weeks. I agreed to participate being sure that in a couple of weeks I would be well. I got better over time, but I couldn’t speak still. I waited until the last moment and did not cancel my participation, as I did not want to let the organizer down and expected my health to improve.
But when I got up on the morning of the day of the conference, I could hardly speak. And at midnight I had to speak for 30 minutes non-stop. How? God, how am I going to speak for half an hour, if I can’t say even a simple sentence without coughing fits?
I already thought that maybe it’s better for me not to participate at all. I just couldn’t imagine what it would be like when the speaker can’t even say one thought without coughing. I wrote to the organizer of the conference about my health and said that I would leave it up to her to decide whether it’s better to cancel my participation or leave it as planned.
The organizer said that it was impossible to cancel my participation and I absolutely needed to be there and that she would pray with her church for my health. Then, at that moment, my friend Svetlana wrote to me asking about my health, and I asked her and the group to pray.
This was one of those times when there was no one to rely on other than supernatural help from the Lord. I said, “Lord, if you want me to participate, then You yourself make a miracle, remove the cough so that I can speak and convey the message that You inspired me to share.”
The conference time came, I was introduced and I began to speak. And, the miracle was happening right as I was speaking – while I was sharing my message, I realized that there were no coughing fits! I was able to speak without coughing! Furthermore, I even spoke in a full voice as much as I could, which is incredible, because for almost a month, when I took a deeper breath or tried to speak in a full voice, I had such coughing fits that it was even hard to stop them. AMAZING!
Lessons I’ve learned:
~ If something bad is going on in your life for some time – do not take it as a norm, do not agree with it and don’t accept it, but call out to God no matter how big the problem is or how likely it is that you will get an answer. Ask others to pray for you. God can do a miracle even at the last moment.
~ If you don’t feel well or something prevents you from doing something, do not break your decision saying that something is in a way, that there are obstacles that prevent you from following through your commitment. Call out to God. The Lord has the power to bless you under any circumstance. What is required from us is obedience to the Lord and faithfulness.
Praise be to God, I am well, no more coughing fits.:-)
To download a FREE Pdf of my coaching model “7 Steps Forward”, go to http://becomingunstoppable.org/ If you want to reclaim what has been destroyed in your life, to make a change, to achieve a goal but you don’t know where to begin and how to make it happen, the “7 Steps Forward” model can be your “How to”.
These are the steps that I took to reclaim my own life after the destruction I experienced at the age of 22. I used these steps also every time I wanted to make a change in my life, to achieve a goal and, it worked every time.
Go to http://becomingunstoppable.org/, scroll down, and download. It’s a free gift. I hope this will make a difference in your life just like it did in mine.
And while this is a story about my personal journey, this book is not about me; I am only a character of the story. This book is about a living God who can restore the broken, heal the deepest wounds of a soul, and transform one’s life no matter how desperate the situation is. The story is about unwavering faith. It is about resolve and relentless perseverance that can break through the insurmountable stumbling blocks. The story is about the power of resilience that can lift you up and carry you forward no matter how tired you are or how many times you fall. This book is about the power of decisions that are made by us, once we stand at the CROSSROADS of a CHOICE.
In addition to the autobiographical experiences, I include coaching chapters that give practical guidance and self-management tools that empowered me to surmount the obstacles and achieve goals in spite of all odds.
This is a difficult time for many. I want to share with you a recording of the event “Steady & Thankful in the Midst of the Storm” that we had a few years ago. How can we be steadfast and sincerely thankful when we encounter difficulties and hardships, and when we don’t receive the desired answers to our prayers? It is not that easy to be steady and at peace in those times, is it?
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Beginning with today, we will post a series of videos of testimonies that we shared at this event, which will inspire and empower you to face difficulties with courage and hope. Along with testimonies, I will share some practical advice/knowledge on how to have unwavering faith in the midst of the storm and emerge from hardships with a win.
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In this video, I share a testimony that was the beginning of my life’s transformation after I lost my legs in a car accident. Tough times taught me to persevere. They taught me to wait on the Lord no matter how hopeless it was.
This experience shows how CRITICAL it is for us to trust God in spite of the actual facts that we have in life and continue our pursuit until the end.
Now I see that I would NOT have this beautiful testimony and life’s transformation IF I had given up when my journey of pursuit seemed fruitless and too difficult.
✨ Also, what an astonishing experience it was to see that all things work together for good, just as it is written in Romans 8:28. This is the first time I realized that the pain and the discouragement truly worked for good. In fact, I was thankful for difficulties, pain, and discouragement in the end because I saw what a great blessing they were. They were a big part of the blessing to come!
I hope my experience and this testimony will fuel you with inspiration and will increase your trust and confidence in the Lord.
The Lord can do a miracle in your life no matter how broken you feel today, no matter how hopeless you feel.
UNSTOPPABLE 