Developing a Winning Lifestyle

Allen: Have you ever noticed that some people are just ropers and some people are winning ropers? Some people might rope all their life but they might never be higher than a #3 roper. Other people might only rope a few years and be a #7. Jason Stuart is a great example of that. He came to one of my roping schools years ago. I used to rope with his dad, Larry, a lot. He was always the most enthusiastic person at my school. He asked for my advice on rodeoing full time. I told him the only way to go to the next level was to go to Texas and move right in with the top ropers, start watching them, seeing what they do, how they rope, how they handle their horses, etc. So he did just that. He moved to Llano, Texas, next to Speed Williams, Rich Skelton, Tee Woolman and Tyler Magnus. He was right in the middle of four of the best ropers in the world. So next thing you know he’s roping with Tyler Magnus, thinking like a champion, and roping like a champion. I’ve hardly seen anyone advance as fast as he did. He came from Washington like I did. There aren’t very many NFR ropers that come from that area, so he wouldn’t have been challenged if he had stayed there. He wouldn’t have known how to prepare himself mentally to think like a top-notch roper or have acquired the skills to be one of the best. He has since moved back to be with his family in Washington. Now he is so good and so grounded in his fundamentals, Mike Beers has picked him up as a partner. Even though the people he ropes with back in Washington probably aren’t a Tee or a Speedy, he has the foundation laid for him. He can go back and still rope at a high level, like at the NFR. This story about Jason is really a great example of our Christian walk. When we accept the awesome gift of salvation that Jesus offers us, the very best thing we can do is starting being around people that are really grounded in their Christian walk. Hang out with people that have studied the Bible a long time and have lived a godly lifestyle. Hang out with Christians that are seriously committed. Just like Jason - he chose to hang out with ropers that were seriously committed in order to be one of them. Just because someone has roped a long time doesn’t mean they are doing everything right, their success relates to their level of commitment. Same with Christians - hang out with committed Christians and you are going to find that your mind is renewed, your start thinking differently, talking differently and doing different things. You become a reflection of the environment around you. Once you have committed yourself to that winning lifestyle with Christ, you’ll have created good habits so you can go just about anywhere and you won’t turn back to your old ways.

Clay: In the environment I was raised around, I really didn’t have any knowledge of God, so a lot of the stuff I learned as far as life and trying to become a success was basically from the world’s standpoint. I kind of started climbing the ladder of success so to speak, and I found out later that the things that worked for me were based on Godly principles. But on the other hand, by not having a Godly influence in my life for a long time, I made wrong choices and those bad decisions created some unsuccessful areas of my life. But then after being saved and accepting Jesus as my Lord and savior, I started to gain knowledge of God and his Word, which allows God to reveal himself and give us a plan that leads to success in our spiritual life, which ultimately leads to success in our natural life. The father that I go, the more I realize God’s plan and purpose in my life is for me to ultimately be successful and be an achiever and then glorify him in those things. What I realize now, after 17 years of following and learning and having God teach me step by step, is that Jesus wants to be a part of my every day life. Beyond being able to go to heaven when it is all said and done, having Christ magnified in me is the foundation of success in my life, in every area -- in the arena, in relationships, financially, emotionally and physically. God’s word says he has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him (II Peter 1:3).
Allen: That commitment is what it takes to get the depth of understanding we need to be a success, either as a Christian, a team roper, business owner or whatever. A good example is people that come to my roping schools. I show them some new techniques and by the end of the second day they are having a lot of success. After the school they go home to all their roping buddies and keep trying the new things I have shown them. But their buddies start telling them, "No...don’t do it that way...do it this way,the way all of us do it." So pretty soon they are back into their ways instead of the way Charles Pogue or Clay or myself taught them at the school. They came to a school to get better, but within a couple weeks of being back home they are roping like their lower numbered friends and school didn’t do them much good. I wish that I could actually go home for a couple weeks and rope with the people that come to my schools. Then they could get established, they could maintain their commitment and get grounded in the foundation of roping - so grounded no one could take that away from them later. It’s the same with Christians - once they get saved, go hang out with other Christians so you can realize the joy and peace and the fun that can be had in life. It doesn’t take you out of trouble; you’ll definitely still have problems, but they won’t be as big of deal. You’ll start thinking more eternal thoughts; you’ll start thinking how you’ve already won in life.
Clay: There are a lot of things that want to go against us in that journey to achieving success in our life. Christ has overcome all the things that try to oppose success in our life with what he did on the cross at Calvary. Galatians 2:20 says we have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer me that lives, but Christ that lives in me. That is what I mean about Christ being magnified in our life -- giving him first place assures success. Everything from discipline, commitment, right living, right actions and right thinking in every area of my life is covered by the word of god. Some people miss that - but the Bible says he is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6) God says we live in the world, but we aren’t of the world. Sometimes it is hard to have relationships with non-Christian people. Sometimes you get in a situation or an environment and are surrounded by people that don’t think or live the way you live. Sometimes it is uncomfortable because everything around you is against the way you want to be. But I have to be the person God created me to be and putting my trust in him. "Greater is he that is in me, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4) I am 1,000 times bigger on the inside than I am on the outside. In the spirit realm I have God’s provision and God is huge. It’s like you were talking about earlier, Allen, once you get grounded in your Christian fundamentals, you realize what a great life that is. You see how successful you can be living that way and you don’t want to change. People know who you are. I have been living for God long enough now that people know who I am and where I stand with God. It’s like the word is out so people watch you, what you do and how you are going to react. Years ago it was very hard for me to feel like I was under constant public scrutiny, but it is easer and easier the longer I go because I get stronger and more steadfast in my faith. Those difficult times are really just me battling my human nature, but when I allow him to, God manifests himself in my live and gives me the ability to overcome difficult situations. That is God’s working plan, to have Jesus be the power in my life to overcome and win. I know what the end of the book says: I win. If I am in Christ, stay in him and don’t abandon that truth, I win.

Allen: That is the winning lifestyle that allows the inside of you to improve every day of your life. You just keep going from glory to glory to glory. Be blessed as you develop your winning lifestyle.