How to Keep Going

We are faced often with situations that bring us down. I can remember when we were trying to build our company, each day there were so many things that came against us to try to completely stop us from going forward. Most of the time, they were make or break situations. We had to take risks by faith and stand firm in our decisions, even when we felt as though we jumped off the side of a mountain hoping that there would be that lonely limb jutting out from the mountain a mile or so down that we could grab. Bringing God into our work life was the only way we made it through those trying situations. Columbia Southern University now has up to 30,000 online students worldwide, and it is changing lives daily with education. If my dad had turned back, which many people told us to do, we would not now be an example of what God could do in the midst of crisis and even when there was no hope.

I look back, and I am amazed at the progress we made. It is all God’s doing, because we are a miracle family. When my dad told people that we were starting a university, some laughed and others said, “There is no way! It is too hard; you can’t do anything big like this.”

We stood our ground, because we knew what was inside of us. We were great because of Christ. We knew we had the mind of Christ because the Scriptures say it. It also says in the Bible that by faith all things are possible. We overcame so much and beat most odds by just being relentlessly determined that we would go against what others said. If they said we could not make it, that just made our faith go higher!

I am sure many of you can relate. Maybe you are going through some hard times and you aren’t even sure you want to push any more. The devil does not want success for you. He hopes you will just shut it all down and give up, so he always tries to remind us of our failures. But our hope is in God! He said that we are always the head and never the tail. We can rise up from whatever situation we are facing, in His strength, and we can overcome the negative thoughts that take our confidence away. In James 4:7, it says to resist the devil, and he will flee. I say this a lot when I feel defeated and just plain tired. Even in those times, I know that I have to rise up and speak the Word of God in place of negative thoughts.

Worldwide evangelist and speaker Marilyn Hickey gave me some powerful advice when I was struggling physically. She said that the answer was speaking the Word of God over my situation. She told me that the Bible says you will be healed. It is just a matter of time, and it will happen. She told me the Word is always my answer. So, I decided that I would have a scripture ready to speak out loud whenever something started to discourage me.

I want to encourage you today that you can defeat the devil; you can overcome no matter your situation, because the Word of God says that you can. We are more the overcomers through God! So, we should rise up and take our place. Many ask how I became successful, and I say it is because I spoke the Word and prayed diligently. I would not stop believing that I could win. I would not stop simply because I knew that God said I could win. I wrote my book Stand on the Word to give people a resource with practical steps for how to stand on the Word of God. This book is my success recipe. It will give you hope, because I teach you how my family and I stood on the Word when we were at our lowest. In dire poverty, facing multiple bankruptcies and even sometimes without food, we had to stand on something, and all we had was God and His Word. There are powerful scriptures packed in this pocket-size book that will train you up fast. I teach you how and why to confess the Word and how to stand on it, believing for your victory.

In Joshua 1:8 (NIV), it says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Standing on the Word and meditating on it causes great success!

To get your copy of this powerful resource, Stand on the Word, go to http://chantellcooleyministries.com/media/books/stand-on-the-word. And make sure not to leave this book on your bookshelf; it is a resource that should be used daily, in your purse, briefcase, on your nightstand or your desk. If you use it, you will see change in your life.

Remember, Keep Moving Forward!