Ray Edwards Show
Ray Edwards is a sought-after Copywriter, Author, Speaker, and Communications Strategist. His clients include Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, Jeff Walker, Robert Allen, and more. On this show, Ray helps you start, run, and grow their Internet-based businesses. The show includes interviews with well-known experts like Michael Hyatt, Jeff Goins, Dan Miller, Cliff Ravenscraft, Michael Stelzner, Amy Porterfield, Don Miller, and many others.

The power of momentum is hard to overestimate. A productive person is likely to remain productive, and the opposite is also true. We can intervene in our own lives.

Mowing the lawn

What if there was a way to turn yourself into self-propelled productivity machine?

Tip of the Week:

This week I;m going to encourage you to “Slack”. It just might make you more productive. Try the Slack app now.

Spiritual Foundations:

Here's a question I get from readers and listeners every now and then: “If God's will is always healing, why am I still sick?”

The short answer is I don't know. There are many explanations that sound good, and yet for every one there is a scripture that seems to disprove it. Think you don't have enough faith? Then what do you do with the man who didn't even believe Jesus could help his son… and then Jesus just healed the boy, despite the father's lack of faith? Think you have sin in your life that you have to get cleaned up first? Then what about the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery, whom Jesus forgave and spared from physical death?

Then there are interesting passages like the one where Jesus prays for a blind man, and the man is not instantly healed. He reports to the Lord that he can “see men like trees,” implying that he could see a little, but imperfectly. So what did the Lord do? He prayed again! If that formula is good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me. And I am not so arrogant as to assume I might not need to pray more than twice.

In short, this is an area of mystery. I believe we must be comfortable living with mystery. I know that God's promise is that he will heal every one of us. I also know that it seems that some of us (myself included) have not yet been healed. The danger lies in becoming bitter or angry with God, distorting or maligning his personality because he won't do what we want, or even presuming that we know what he should do and when. The danger on the other side lies in just deciding that God is not going to heal, and that contrary to his word, it must not be his will.

Here's the shocking truth: not everything that happens in this world is God's will. That may freak you out a little, but it's true, and I can prove it. The Bible says that God is not willing that any one should perish. But people perish every day. Therefore, it is clear that not everything that happens is God's will.

Since I am not able to answer this question with any authority, I return to my “short” answer: I don't have an opinion on this, and I can't be forced to express an opinion I don't possess.

Feature Presentation: Self-Propelled Productivity

You can set up your productivity routine to work just like a self-propelled mower – a lot of grass gets cut without a lot of pushing required. Here are a few suggestions to give your productivity its own momentum.

  1. Wake up earlier than most people and accomplish your most difficult  or dreaded tasks before others are even awake.
  2. Block out the first 3-4 hours of your day as your un-interruptible “productivity zone”.
  3. Refuse all inputs until after Noon.
  4. Learn your own weaknesses and “trick” yourself into succeeding (gym clothes ready for next morning, working out first thing, setting my clock intentionally fast.)
  5. Find someone to kick your rear end for you. (Rick Raddatz story)

Get The Transcript

Click here to get the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.

Question: Do you use any tricks to automatically make yourself more productive? Click here to leave your comments.

Direct download: REP128.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 4:00am PDT

If you're always plugged in to the Internet, you might just be unplugging from some of the most important relationships in your life.

Couple working on laptops in bed

 

Today I'll discuss 5 reasons why you might not want to take your laptop to bed.

Tip of the Week:

 

Simplify your writing with the new downloadable Hemingway app.

Spiritual Foundations:

“Hey Ray, are you a ‘greasy grace' guy?” The question comes to my email inbox every now and then. Here's my answer.

  1. There is no such thing as “greasy grace” – there is only the Gospel, and the Gospel is grace.
  2. Grace is a gift, so all your working at it won't help you. You can't ever deserve it – the word actually means “unmerited favor”.
  3. The #1 accusation hurled at Paul was that he proposed too much grace, and too much freedom. If we're not accused of the same things Paul was accused of, are we preaching the same thing he preached?

Feature Presentation: Don't Take Your Laptop To Bed

Having a laptop, iPad or iPhone sure makes it easy to stay plugged in – even where we should be unplugged. Here are 5 reasons why taking your gadgets to bed with you might not be such a great idea.

  1. If you're married, taking your laptop to bed with you robs your spouse of your presence and sends the signal that your gadget is more important them.
  2. That softly glowing light actually interferes with your ability to sleep well, even after you turn it off.
  3. The mental stimuli are also damaging  the quality of your sleep.
  4. Communicating with the world and your co-workers during all hours sends the message that you have no boundaries, and they will respond accordingly.
  5. You're teaching your subconscious mind that even your bedroom is not a place of rest.

Get The Transcript

Click here to get the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.

Question: Do you take your laptop, or other connected device, to bed with you? Do you think that has a positive or negative effect on your life? Click here to leave your comments.

Direct download: REP127.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 1:23pm PDT

If you give away free content as part of a “Content Marketing” strategy, it's important to know wthat you should not give away everything. If you give away the wrong stuff, you'll never make any money.

free-lunch

 

In today's episode I you get the “5 Fatal Flaws Of Free Content” – and how to avoid them.

Tip of the Week:

Screen Shot 2014-08-14 at 10.14.39 AM

The best way to manage all your passwords: Dashlane.

Spiritual Foundations:

“Does the Holy Spirit convict us of sin?” My answer may surprise you.

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

John 16:8-11

Feature Presentation: 5 Fatal Flaws Of Free Content

Content marketing is a great tactic – as long as you don't give away the wrong stuff. Doing that will kill your hope of making any sales. Here are the 5 biggest “fatal flaws” I see people make with free content as a marketing strategy…

  1. Fails to move the reader progressively toward a decision
  2. Assumes too much about what the new reader already knows.
  3. Gives away the thing readers are most likely to pay for.
  4. Gives away all the “how to”. (Only give away the “what to”)
  5. Closes all the “open loops” in the readers mind.

Get The Transcript

Click here to get the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.

Question: What experience (good or bad) have you had with giving away free content as a marketing strategy? Click here to leave your comments.

Direct download: REP126.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 11:31am PDT

Have you ever known anyone who just never seems to get what they want in life? They make lots of plans but things never seen to pan out well? I believe there are 5 requirements for getting successful outcomes in any area.

Female climber clinging to the edge.

 

In today's episode I will share the 5 Requirements, and explain how you can put them to work starting today.

Announcements:

Tip of the Week:

Ever wish you had a better way to stand your iPad or iPhone upright? Try the Stump at StumpStore.com.

3positionsblck

Spiritual Foundations:

What is the Kingdom, and how do we know we're in it?

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 14:17

We are instructed to seek first the Kingdom of God every day (Matthew 6:33). But what is the Kingdom of God? Is it good works? Being sinless? Bible reading?

In Romans 14:17 Paul writes that the Kingdom of God isn't something outside you flowing in — “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking”. It's something inside you flowing out — “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”.

So how do we experience this practically? How do we “seek first God’s kingdom”?

We must be flowing with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Righteousness is not something you can work for, because it's not based on what you do. This righteousness is actually His righteousness, and it is a gift. (Romans 5:17; 1 Corinthians 1:30) We need to be grounded in the truth that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The debt for your sin has been paid, so God says He has cleansed our conscience. We have peace with God and we also have the peace of God.

So where does the joy come from? The same place it came from for the disciples. They were filled with joy when they saw Jesus, His hands and His side. (John 20:20)

So here's what to do:  every day, practice seeing yourself righteous in Christ. This means don't be conscious of your sins – but rather be conscious of your righteousness.

You may be listening to worship music, or to preaching or teaching, but whatever you are feeding yourself on should help you see Jesus, with His pierced hands and side, the same evidence of his finished work that gave the disciples joy. See all your sins forgiven, and you will experience peace and joy. This is exactly how to seek the kingdom of God!

Feature Presentation: The 5 Requirements For Success In Anything

  1. Clarity
  2. Confidence
  3. Character
  4. Consistency
  5. Commitment

Get The Transcript

Click here to get the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.

Question: How have these 5 Requirements helped you to succeed – or how has their absence caused less than ideal results? Click here to leave your comments.

Direct download: REP125.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 11:14am PDT