Demosthenes, a great speaker of ancient Greece, had a speech defect. Legend states he overcame it by talking with pebbles in his mouth and speaking above the roar of the waves. When a prisoner in Wartburg, Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German. Beethoven wrote his greatest symphonic masterpieces after losing his hearing. John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress when he was in prison. Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe in prison. Abraham Lincoln is thought by many to be the best of the United States' presidents after leading the country through the Civil War. History shows that out of great turmoil came great pastors, diplomats, scientists, educators, business people and others.

When a man whose son couldn't hear or speak asked Jesus to heal him, Jesus replied, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes' (Mark 9:23 NKJV). The man replied, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief' (Mark 9:24 NKJV). And Jesus did. Plus, he healed the man's son.

When a problem comes in contact with someone with the right belief or attitude, the result is usually wonderful. Every challenge is an opportunity, and every opportunity has a challenge. But it's the attitude we approach our problem with that has the most effect on the outcome.

So what now? If you need help with your attitude, talk to God about it today.

Think about these two points: (1) The right attitude makes a difference in our relationships. Theodore Roosevelt said, 'The most important single ingredient in the formula for success is knowing how to get along with people.' And Paul wrote: 'Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others' (Philippians 2:3-4 NKJV). If our track record with people isn't too good, maybe we need to look at our attitude. Some people just seem to have a winning way with others, but those with less effective people skills can win with others if they decide to change their attitude and approach.

(2) Our attitude makes a difference in how we face life's challenges. During the Korean War when US Marine Chesty Puller found himself surrounded by eight enemy divisions, his response was, 'All right, they are on our left. They are on our right. They're in front of us. They're behind us. They can't get away from us this time!'

So what now? In life, problems, challenges, obstacles and failures are unavoidable, but you get to decide how you deal with them. Will you give up? Will you let them make you miserable? Or will you try to make the best of things? Which path you select depends on your attitude. The times in your life when you grew the most were probably when you chose to overcome obstacles and problems.

Success is not a destination; it's a journey. And it's important to check our perspective at all stages of the journey, and to celebrate our progress often. The Mississippi River in the United States is a vital source of hydroelectric energy, providing drinking water for millions and supporting many ecologically and commercially important fish species. But at its source, the stream can be crossed by foot. Same river, different perspectives! Great things have small beginnings.

The Serenity Prayer is a good thing to stand on in our life journey. It goes like this: 'God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.' It was first prayed in a little church in Massachusetts by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr during a Sunday morning service. Only a small group of people was in the congregation that day, but one person liked the prayer and, after the service, he asked Niebuhr for a copy. 'Here,' Niebuhr responded, handing over a crumpled piece of paper. 'I doubt I'll ever have any more use for it.' Well, guess what? Next to the Lord's Prayer, it's the most used prayer in the world. It is ironic though that Niebuhr's prayer became so popular - clearly he didn't realise what he had!

With this story in mind, read this Scripture and really consider: 'Though you started with little, you would end with much' (Job 8:7 TLB).

So what now? With God's help, you will have success at every stage of your journey. Enjoy it.

Anyone who's ever achieved anything significant had to, at times, work against the odds. The problem for most of us isn't the odds; it's that we underestimate ourselves. As R.H. Headlee said, 'Most people think too small, aim too low and quit too soon.' The odds in favour of David defeating Goliath weren't good, but he factored faith in God into the equation. He said to Goliath, 'I'll knock you down and cut off your head' (1 Samuel 17:46 CEV). He was aiming high!

When it comes to the thing God's calling us to do, let's aim high. The odds don't matter that much when God's involved. It doesn't matter if we fall along the way. Toddlers fall when they're learning to walk, but one day, they get there! Dr Maxwell Maltz says, 'You're a champion in the art of living if you reach only 65 per cent of your goals.' If the odds say we'll make a lot of mistakes on our way to success, so be it. As long as we keep trusting God and trying, he'll help us.'

James wrote, 'Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown' (James 1:12 NIV). And Paul wrote, 'Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up' (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

So what now? Believe God wants you to succeed. Then trust him and persevere, and you'll move from failure to success.

There comes a time to face our fears and take a stand for what we know is right.

That's what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did. They risked their lives when they refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar's idol. They could have reasoned with themselves: 'I'll bow on the outside, but not on the inside;' or 'I'll just pretend the idol is Jehovah.' But they took a stand for what was right, and it set the stage for miracles. 'Suddenly the king jumped up and shouted, "Weren't only three men tied up and thrown into the fire?" "Yes, Your Majesty," his officers answered. "But I see four men walking around in the fire," the king replied. "None of them is tied up or harmed, and the fourth one looks like a god"' (Daniel 3:24-25 CEV).

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego placed themselves in a defenceless position, and it set the stage for God to show up. If they had bowed to that idol, (1) they would not have received promotions, (2) the Jewish people would not have gained protected status within the Babylonian kingdom, (3) idol worship would have continued in Babylon, and (4) Nebuchadnezzar would not have experienced a life-changing encounter with God. 'Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God...who sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him...there is no other God who can deliver like this." Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon' (Daniel 3:28-30 NKJV).

So what now? When you honour God, you position yourself for him to bless and honour you.

Many of us have a God-sized dream, but we're so afraid of failing at it that we may never try reaching for it. We can't imagine how it could possibly happen, so we don't act on it. Here's a challenge: don't worry about the outcome. The outcome is not our responsibility; it's God's: 'Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus' (Philippians 1:6 NIV).

We need to act on our God-given desires and dreams. And it's good to start off small. In fact, everything that's big started small. If we do little things with the enthusiasm we'd normally reserve for big things, God will bless them and use them. A.W. Tozer said, 'A low view of God is the cause of a hundred lesser evils. A high view of God is the solution to ten thousand temporal problems.'

This is how Paul prayed for the believers at Ephesus: '...that light will flood your hearts and you will understand the hope given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all God's people...the great and mighty power that God has for us followers' (Ephesians 1:18-19 CEV).

So what now? You can't imagine what God's capable of. This means you can't imagine what you're capable of if you give God control of your life. His power sparks off a chain reaction. And with his energy working within you, you can accomplish all he's called you to do.