Elevate Your Life with Duane Youngblood

  Facing Life's Challenges: The Courage to Grow from Them Life is full of challenges. Everyone experiences setbacks, hardships, and obstacles at some point. These challenges may come in many different forms: personal struggles, health issues, financial difficulties, or even dealing with the loss of loved ones. However, what distinguishes those who thrive from those who simply survive is how we choose to face these obstacles. Do we let them break us, or do we use them as stepping stones to become stronger, wiser, and more resilient? The courage to grow through life's challenges is what turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. Understanding the Nature of Life’s Challenges Every human faces challenges, regardless of age, background, or status. No one is exempt from hardship, but it is our response to these difficulties that truly shapes our character and determines our future. Life’s challenges often feel overwhelming, as though they are insurmountable mountains blocking our ...

Hi everyone! Today I want to share some great information I got from Emma McAdam, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Today, we're diving deep into the concept of triggers, how they form, and most importantly, how to overcome them. Understanding triggers is vital for anyone dealing with anxiety or PTSD. Photo by Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash Not long ago, she took her daughters to a free day at the museum. It was a fun outing until her two-year-old pressed the emergency call button in the elevator. As she was trying to manage the situation, her four-year-old got accidentally separated from them, leading to a rather chaotic reunion. After that day, her four year old developed an understandable anxiety around elevators. She believed they were dangerous, even though they weren't. This is a perfect example of how triggers work. A trigger is a psychological principle known as paired association. It means that something reminds someone of a previous trauma or danger, l...

Welcome, my friends! Today, I want to dive into a crucial topic that all successful people realize: the importance of stopping certain behaviors that hinder their success. One of the most detrimental habits is making assumptions. Let's explore why this is so critical and how we can overcome it. Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash So, what exactly is an assumption? An assumption is a belief accepted as true without any proof. Let’s break this down with a scenario. Imagine walking into a room filled with people who suddenly start laughing. Instinctively, you think they must be laughing at you. This is an assumption, and here's where it gets tricky. When we make such assumptions, we alter our behavior and responses based on unfounded beliefs. This can drastically affect our attitude and how we engage with others in that room. Instead of being ourselves, we become prisoners of our assumptions, which can lead to unnecessa...

  Facing Life’s Common Dilemmas: What We Already Have We all have stories that shape who we are. For me, growing up in a typical Christian home meant attending church multiple times a week. Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday weren’t just days of the week; they were pillars of a faith system that revolved around gathering to receive blessings—salvation, healing, prophecy, and so much more. Church attendance wasn’t optional; it was seen as the key to receiving all God had to offer. Verses like Hebrews 10:25 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 were used to reinforce the importance of attendance and warn against falling away. But as I grew older, I started questioning this system. Why were we so focused on attending church to receive when scripture like Psalm 68:19 tells us that God already daily loads us with benefits? Were we missing something deeper? This reflection became even more personal when I looked at my own family. My father’s life story taught me profound lessons about how we perceive ourselv...

  The Blessing in Your Family DNA: Embracing God's Gift Have you ever wondered why you're alive right now? Or why you have certain talents or traits? The answer might be in your family DNA - not just the biological kind, but the spiritual kind too! God has a special plan for every family, and He's been working on it for generations. Let's look at how this plays out in the Bible and what it means for us today. The God of Generations In the Bible, God often introduces Himself as "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." This isn't just a fancy title - it's a reminder that God works through families across generations.   He doesn't just care about individuals; He cares about entire family lines.  ancestry DNA (no affiliate) The Crossroads of Destiny Think about Abraham's family. They were on a journey to a promised land, but they got stuck halfway. Abraham's father, Terah, stopped at a place called Haran and never left.    It was like he hit a r...