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Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Chapter 1 - THE PATH OF MIRACLES

Chapter 2 - THIRD-DAY THINKING

PRINCIPLE ONE - LIFE’S GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES ARISE IN OUR DARKEST HOUR

Chapter 3 - RUNNING IN THE DARK

Chapter 4 - MARY MAGDALENE RAN FOR OTHERS

Chapter 5 - THE FAITH OF GOD

Chapter 6 - THE MAGNITUDE OF YOUR COMING GLORY

Chapter 7 - FINDING PURPOSE IN TRAGEDY

Chapter 8 - THE TEMPERING OF THE SWORD

Chapter 9 - MAKING THE MOST OF THE STORM

Chapter 10 - BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW

Chapter 11 - THINGS ARE ALREADΥ SET IN MOTION

Chapter 12 - PREPARE FOR DAYBREAK

Chapter 13 - MAKING CHOICES, FINDING THE PATH

Chapter 14 - RUN TO YOUR PLACE

PRINCIPLE TWO - FAITH AND FEAR ALWAYS RUN TOGETHER

Chapter 15 - PROBLEMS AND PROMISES

Chapter 16 - FAITH ARRIVES FIRST

Chapter 17 - OVERCOMING OUR FEAR

Chapter 18 - USING FEAR TO HELP US

Chapter 19 - FINDING OURSELVES IN SOLITUDE

Chapter 20 - FEAR AND FAITH NEED EACH OTHER

Chapter 21 - CONFRONT YOUR FEAR

Chapter 22 - HIDING FROM OUR FEAR

Chapter 23 - SPIRITUAL WARFARE

PRINCIPLE THREE - GOD PROGRAMMED US TO HAVE PARTNERS

Chapter 24 - SPIRITUAL DNA

Chapter 25 - LIFE SURROUNDED

Chapter 26 - REPLACING THE JUDAS IN YOUR LIFE

Chapter 27 - THE PRINCIPLE OF TWO BY TWO

Chapter 28 - D’S PARTNERS

Chapter 29 - PICKING YOUR RUNNING PARTNER

Chapter 30 - ACCEPTING FILURE

Chapter 31 - COVENANT RELATIONSHIPS

Chapter 32 - DREAM WEAVERS AND DREAM KILLERS

PRINCIPLE FOUR - THERE’S ALWAYS AN EMPTY TOMB RIGHT BEFORE A FILLED UPPER ROOM

Chapter 33 - SEASONS OF PREPARATION

Chapter 34 - THE PROMISE OF THE EMPTY TOMB

Chapter 35 - SELF-EMPTYING EVERY DAY

Chapter 36 - THE FIVE PRIMARY IMPEDIMENTS

Chapter 37 - PRAYER, SUPPLICATION, AND THANKSGIVING

Chapter 38 - THE WITHERING POWER OF DOUBT

Chapter 39 - THE FIERY FURNACE

Chapter 40 - FINDING THE UNEXPECTED

PRINCIPLE FIVE - ORDER PRECEDES PROMOTION

Chapter 41 - FOLDEN LINEN

Chapter 42 - GOD’S PURPOSE EQUATION

Chapter 43 - PATHETIC PERCEPTION AND PROPHETIC REALITY

Chapter 44 - EDITING LIFE

Chapter 45 - CLOSING THE CHAPTER

Chapter 46 - ORDER PRECEDES PROMOTION

PRINCIPLE SIX - THERE IS TRANSFORMATION, FOLLOWED BY RECOGNITION

Chapter 47 - CHANGE YOURSELF; CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Chapter 48 - GOD CHANGE

Chapter 49 - YOUR LANGUAGE WILL CHANGE

Chapter 50 - RECOGNIZING YOUR PURPOSE

Chapter 51 - DAYBREAK

Chapter 52 - KINGDOM ECONOMY

Chapter 53 - VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL LIVING

PRINCIPLE SEVEN - YOU ARE ASSURED A FILLED UPPER ROOM

Chapter 54 - WHERE THE BREAD IS BROKEN THE FIRE WILL FALL

Chapter 55 - EMBRACING GOD’S “SUDDENLLES”

Chapter 56 - LIFE’S TOUCHSCREEN

Chapter 57 - DOUBLE PORTIONS

Chapter 58 - SPIRITUAL UPGRADES

Chapter 59 - THE MARATHON OF MIRACLES

CELEBRA
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First published by Celebra,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, April 2009

Foreword copyright © Jim Wallis
All rights reserved

CELEBRA and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

LIBRARY Of CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

Rodriguez, Sammy.
Path of miracles: the seven life-changing principles that lead to purpose and
fulfillment/Samuel Rodriguez with Carlos Harrison.
p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-02881-0

1. Success—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Harrison, Carlos. II. Title.
BV4598.3.R65 2009
248.4—dc22 2008047002

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

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This Book is dedicated to

…the greatest running partner God could have ever blessed me with, my wife Eva. You personify perseverance, integrity, courage and love. Thank you for being the ideal wife, mother, partner, and friend. I can’t imagine life without you.

…my greatest miracles, Yvonne, Nathan and Lauren. Your smiles and joy constantly strengthen me. I live to leave something greater for you and your generation. You’re not only my children; you are the executive members of the Rodriguez Dream steering committee. Don’t forget, if you ever fall, Daddy’s there to pick you up.

…My parents, Samuel and Elizabeth. The best possible parents anyone can ever ask for. My father’s hands instilled in me a strong work ethic while my mother’s wisdom guided me from day one. One of the highlights of my life was the day I found my dad kneeling down praying to the Almighty. This strong, UAW, Mack Truck, powerful man demonstrated that strength comes from above. Mom, seven times around Jericho and the walls will always come down.

…My two sisters, Reina and Lydia. Your covering, love and faithfulness make me thank God daily that I am the youngest and I can always depend upon a firewall of two powerful women of God, my covering. Charlie’s Angels? Can I stop playing Bosley now?

…Felix Posos. My tourniquet. I will celebrate with you one day in Heaven. I miss you, Pastor. David Espinoza, my Pastor, thanks for your prayers, support and covering; the Godfather. Dr. Jesse Miranda, we are your children and the heirs of the dream. Thanks for your exemplary leadership. Gilbert Velez, thanks for believing, WOW! Look what God has done. You are a true friend. Nunez, an authentic spiritual father.

The National Hispanic Christian Learning Conference and 3DBN, America’s largest Hispanic Christian Organization and a Powerful Global Network of Faith leaders, I am honored to serve you.

…Nick Garza, my Third Day Brother. The Prophetic always trumps the pathetic. Thanks, my Brother!

…The TEAM. Ed and Damaris, Bobby and Liz, Jose and Diana, Ferdinand, Efrain, Oscar, Joshua Perez, Marcos and Monica, Pastor Dan Delgado, Israel “Pastor Jerry,” Charlie Rivera, John Raymer, Sam Schneider, David Sandoval, Charlie Olmeda, Daniel Gonzalez, Raul Feliciano, Randy Thomas, Steve Perea, CCA Sacramento and The Assemblies of God Family in America and around the world.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank Raymond Garcia and the Penguin family for believing in this book and in a Newark, New Jersey, boy raised in Bethlehem, PA, who grew up with a dream. Your professionalism and commitment to excellence stand second to none. In addition, I want to thank Carlos Harrison. You prove that running partners can accomplish greater works together. Please forward the invoice for the sessions; therapy was successful.

Finally, I want to thank the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and 3DBN, along with the Third Day Worship Center Fellowship and my Assemblies of God family, thank you for permitting me to serve and provide a voice for the Hispanic American Faith Community. I stand committed to reconciling both elements of the Cross, the Vertical and Horizontal, both Righteousness and Justice, Kingdom and Society, Covenant and Community, Faith and Public Policy, Billy Graham and Martin Luther King, John 3:16 and Luke 4.

Foreword

Sam Rodriguez is a unique Christian leader. Not just anybody gets described as “what happens when you put Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr. in a blender and put salsa on top.”

The face and faith of Evangelicals in this country continues to change. Over 37 percent of our country’s Hispanic population identifies as an evangelical. It’s what Sam calls the “browning” of the Evangelical movement. If current trends hold true, the majority of evangelical Christians in this country will be of Hispanic descent by the middle of this century. If you want to know about these changes, take a look at Sam. He is the only Christian leader I know who has not only led immigration reform rallies but has also been the commencement speaker for Liberty University. Christianity in our country will never be the same.

What supports this change and is the underlying premise of the book is that the Christian faith is both vertical and horizontal. God’s call for the Church and mission for our lives is to live in the place where personal piety and communal piety intersect. It is in this place that we see God’s miracles.

Too often, when we hear the word “miracle,” we think of a god who does magic tricks to get us the things that we want. If only we are good enough and follow all the right rules, God just might give us everything on our wish list. Sam through his work and his book shows us that most miracles are the everyday realities that occur when we allow the Kingdom of God to touch down to Earth through us.

Our ability to work side by side building the Kingdom, even when we disagree, shows the strength of diversity and the beauty of harmonization without homogenization. It is through learning from others that are different than ourselves that we are able to truly see ourselves.

My most recent book, The Great Awakening, is known by a different title in its international releases, Seven Ways to Change the World. Sam’s seven life-changing principles, if followed, will change the world. The principles are simple and painted with a prose that is accessible to all but may the reader beware. The principles that change the world may be simple, but they are never easy. Path of Miracles is a guide to faith from one of the most hopeful young Christian leaders of our time.

—JIM WALLIs

Chapter 1

THE PATH OF MIRACLES

Prepare yourself: Your life is about to change.

You are about to discover the way to a life full of accomplishment, achievement, and attainment, of realization, reward, and prosperity. Of healthy and happy relationships, and lasting love. Of satisfying work and success on the job. Of building wealth and financial freedom.

Right now.

This book will show you how. I will be your guide.

Rick Warren talks about purpose and Joel Osteen talks about the end picture. I’m the guy in the middle. I’m the guy describing the road. I’m the one here to teach you the process.

God has a marathon of miracles waiting for you to enjoy right now, in this lifetime, and the seven simple principles in this book will show you how to unlock the power within you and secure those treasures right here, right now.

You’ll see your dreams come true, in ways beyond your wildest imagination—not just fulfilled, but surpassed. This is the recipe. This is the how-to. I will show you the way. I will teach you how to have a life that is exceedingly, abundantly, above all you ever wished for. You will discover the “Wow! Factor, ” the “It”!

These principles will lead you on the Path of Miracles, to find heavenly riches, rewards, goodness, and blessings here on Earth. Now.

That’s the best part. You don’t have to wait for it. Why should you? Jesus said, “I have come to give you life and life abundant.”1 He didn’t say you have to wait until you die to get it. He didn’t say the rewards come only in the afterlife.

That abundance exists right here. It’s not only in the afterlife. No. No. No. No. No. No and no.

Did I emphasize NO?

The fact of the matter is that the Bible says—and these are Jesus’s own words to His father, OUR Father—“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.”2

So why do we have to wait to die to live abundantly? Why do we have to wait to die to see God? Why do we have to wait to die to experience full joy? Why do we have to wait to die to live exceedingly, abundantly, above all?

All of these things are waiting for us here. Now.

Whatever you want can happen. In this lifetime. Starting now.

With Christ’s resurrection, he guaranteed me eternal life. If I follow him, he said, I am guaranteed that life will go on. That after death, there is life. That my soul will not die. My spirit will continue. That my consciousness and my senses will live forevermore through Christ and in Christ.

However, that doesn’t mean I have to live in hell and live through hell in order to get to heaven. I can see God’s kingdom right here on Earth. I can experience God’s love, and His riches, right here.

The seven principles in this book activate heaven so we can live heaven right here. We can experience heaven here on Earth.

Thy kingdom come. On Earth. That’s what the Bible says.3