Zig Ziglar - Confessions of a Happy Christian

by

ZIG ZIGLAR

Foreword by W A. CRIS WELL

My mother and mother-in-law. Two great ladies whose faith in this life gained for them a comfortable and everlasting seat in the audience of the Lord.

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 55

CHAPTER 69

CHAPTER 89

CHAPTER 103

CHAPTER 123

CHAPTER 139

CHAPTER 153

CHAPTER 173

CHAPTER 189

Would you like to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with one of the most delightful businessmen in America? Then read this book, entitled Confessions of A Happy Christian, by Zig Ziglar. Would you like to spend an evening in one of the most delightful pursuits that you could ever follow? Then read this book by one of God's brightest servants, Zig Ziglar. Would you like to know how to live an abundant life full of real joy and supernal happiness? Then follow these recipes that have been offered to us by Zig Ziglar.

Any minister in the world would love my assignment of having the opportunity to write an introduction to Confessions of A Happy Christian. These chapters are not speculative and theoretical; they arise out of the actual day-to-day confrontation with life as Zig Ziglar has experienced it down the road of this earthly pilgrimage. His Christian commitment turns ten thousand facets of the ever-changing spectrum of existence into an endless series of victories and triumphs. Because he loves Jesus he is never discouraged, for he has found the key to triumphant living. He never senses failure in any providence or in any sorrow. God is with him, and through him we sense the same presence of the Spirit of the Lord in our own souls.

Zig Ziglar lives what he writes. His faith and his religion are not hollow sentences and syllables, but they are realities and revelations upon which he is building an incomparably glorious life. Listening to Zig, we are persuaded that we can live the same kind of life and follow the same kind of a road to ultimate victory. Fortunate is the person who opens this book and reads these heavenly chapters written by a gloriously happy Christian.

First Baptist Church

Dallas, texas

W. A. CRISWELL

Mother, for loving me so much you always acted in my best interests by taking me into God's house whether I wanted to go or not. Mrs. Ab for raising Jean in such a special, loving way under God's direction so that she became an ideal helpmate for me.

Thank you Tom for being "an harassment committee of one," as God used you to prod me into Bible study so I could answer some of your never-ending questions. And thank you Suzan, Cindy, and Julie for your love, understanding, and encouragement all of your lives, but especially during those first few months after I made my commitment to serve Jesus Christ. What a thrill it has been to me to watch your own faith grow!

Thank you preachers, teachers, and fellow Christians. Your sharing of your love and faith has been meaningful and encouraging beyond words during these few short years I have walked with the Lord. A special thank you to Dr. and Mrs. W. A. Criswell, my pastor and my teacher, who regularly explore my needs and collaborate to teach an entire lesson and preach a full sermon just for me (at least that's the way it seems!).

"Thank you, staff members, for carrying an extra load me so that I could be tree to spend the countless hours necessary to complete the manuscript. A double thank-you, Laurie Magers. Not only have you functioned with increasing effectiveness as ntv executive assistant while typing, retyping, and then typing this manuscript again, again, and Net again, but your expressions of appreciation regarding the meaningfulness of the message in yonr own personal life have been most beneficial.

Thank you Nancy and Milburn Calhoun-to Milburn for your vote of confidence in making this book your largest single printing; to Nancy for your praise and enthusiasm as you read the first rough draft of the manuscript. This gave me a tremendous boost and encouraged me to multiply my efforts and get the completed manuscript published and in the hands of those who thirst after the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Most importantly-thank you "Sugar Baby," for being lovingly and exclusively mine. My love for you grows daily, and my gratitiude for your help and insight in helping me keep my eyes on the Savior knows no bounds. Your specific thoughts and suggestions on Confessions will surely be meaningful to many.

Finally, to the many, many Christian brothers and sisters who have shared their faith, spiritual insights, and "goodies," your help has been tremendous, needed, and deeply appreciated. God bless you all, have a good forever, and I truly will SEE YOU AT THE TOP-up there!

Confessions started out in my mind as a booklet about ten pages long, but as you can see, it grew. Originally, I planned to share a few simple thoughts about my own life and what it meant to turn that life over to Jesus. However, as I started praying, writing, and thinking, it became more and more obvious that I could never communicate the message God had laid on my heart in just a few pages.

Essentially, there are three major messages I hope to share with you. Number one is obviously my love for and joy in my salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Number two, I want to share the tremendous excitement and innumerable benefits that are yours now if you turn your life over to Jesus Christ. Number three, I would like to put to bed the absurd notion that Christians are supposed to have long faces and short pocketbooks.

This book is really more in praise of our Lord than anything else. Hopefully, God will use this message to help ease your journey along the way of life. Many of the phrases, examples, and illustrations have come from friends, sermons, pamphlets, and everyday life. I make no pretense or claim to be a Bible scholar or even a good Bible student, but I do feel that God wants me to share His love through this book. It is written entirely for His glory. I have felt His Presence as I have written, and on many occasions, as I wrote of the total love of Jesus, my eyes filled and I had to stop writing. On other occasions I would get so excited and happy I would be hard put not to laugh or shout. The only thing that was constant and con sistent as I wrote was my feeling of God's presence and love.

As you read my confessions, you will note that I make a lot of references to my family and to my church, which happens to be Southern Baptist. It is my prayer that no one who reads this would think for one minute that I am implying that you have to be a Baptist to be saved or born again. It is my prayer that everyone who reads Confessions of A Happy Christian will get the message that you must know Jesus-and no one else-to be saved.