"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24
I want to challenge you to take a 24-hour break from a negative, joy-robbing attitude! Think about an attitude, or situation, that is robbing you of joy and interrupting your thoughts. It may be a particular worry about a person or situation. It may be critical thinking or a gloomy outlook.
When you push the attitude out of your mind, replace it with the verse above. Say it aloud to yourself. Do whatever you need to to focus on God and His love, rather than the situation that has caused your attitude to be negative. Ask for God's help in this. He will guide you and give you the persistence you need in this endeavor.
Being positive involves more than what we think about. For the Christian a positive attitude encompasses our whole being. we become positive by listening to God, obediently following His directions, continually worshipping Him, and seeking His guidance.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9
Prepare
What is God revealing to you about becoming a more positive person today?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Change
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me according to your word." Luke 1:38
These are Mary, the mother of Jesus', comments after the angel of the Lord visited her and told her of God's plan for her to be the mother of our Savior. When God's plans were revealed to her, Mary's plans for her future suddenly vanished before her eyes. Whatever she had envisioned for her life it would now be totally different. She had no way of knowing what this would be like for her. Did she argue with God? Did she sulk about the lack of control she had in the situation? Did she try and cling to her own plans? No. Mary humbly accepted what God had in store for her life because she knew her life belonged to God. She saw herself as God's servant. She was able to say to God, I surrender my plan for my life, and I willing accept your plan.
Prepare
Do you see yourself as God's servant? How do you respond to changes God brings to the plans you have for your life?
These are Mary, the mother of Jesus', comments after the angel of the Lord visited her and told her of God's plan for her to be the mother of our Savior. When God's plans were revealed to her, Mary's plans for her future suddenly vanished before her eyes. Whatever she had envisioned for her life it would now be totally different. She had no way of knowing what this would be like for her. Did she argue with God? Did she sulk about the lack of control she had in the situation? Did she try and cling to her own plans? No. Mary humbly accepted what God had in store for her life because she knew her life belonged to God. She saw herself as God's servant. She was able to say to God, I surrender my plan for my life, and I willing accept your plan.
Prepare
Do you see yourself as God's servant? How do you respond to changes God brings to the plans you have for your life?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
'Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.'
...
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Luke 11:1-4, 9-13
I read this excerpt from my study bible about this passage: Prayer isn't like giving "the Santa Claus in the sky" a wish list of what you want because you've been good. And, it's not rubbing the bottle, forcing the genie to grant you 3 wishes because he's obligated. Instead, prayer is the humble recognition of your own lack and God's great ability to supply. It's the respectful, persistent pouring out of your heart's desires to the only one who can change or fulfill them. It's your expression of your longing to commune with God. Perhaps your first prayer request needs to be, "Lord, teach me to pray."
Have you ever used the Lord's prayer as a way of shaping your own prayers? I have found it a very powerful way to model my prayer for the day, following His example. If you journal when you pray it can be an excellent tool to follow, putting the prayer into your own words as you write. Try it!
If I'm being totally honest, which can be hard to be transparent and admit my lack of faith sometimes, vs. 9-10 are very hard for me. There was a time, following a tragedy in my life that I just couldn't even believe these words were in the Bible. To me it was saying that if I asked - I would receive what I asked for. So...in light of what had happened, loosing my baby after praying so hard and so much to not loose her, then God wasn't living up to this promise in scripture. But, what I have realized now is that I wasn't reading it correctly. When I now read it more carefully, it says "For everyone who asks receives" - it doesn't say what they receive. It doesn't say that they receive what they ask for OR when they ask for it. It does say that we can seek God and He will reveal Himself to us, and we will begin to know more of Him. He will meet us where we are when we seek Him, and He will open the door for a deeper relationship with Him.
Have you struggled with an understanding of prayer and viewing God as a "wish list granter" in your life? I challenge you to examine your prayer life and model your prayers after Jesus' words today.
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
'Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.'
...
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Luke 11:1-4, 9-13
I read this excerpt from my study bible about this passage: Prayer isn't like giving "the Santa Claus in the sky" a wish list of what you want because you've been good. And, it's not rubbing the bottle, forcing the genie to grant you 3 wishes because he's obligated. Instead, prayer is the humble recognition of your own lack and God's great ability to supply. It's the respectful, persistent pouring out of your heart's desires to the only one who can change or fulfill them. It's your expression of your longing to commune with God. Perhaps your first prayer request needs to be, "Lord, teach me to pray."
Have you ever used the Lord's prayer as a way of shaping your own prayers? I have found it a very powerful way to model my prayer for the day, following His example. If you journal when you pray it can be an excellent tool to follow, putting the prayer into your own words as you write. Try it!
If I'm being totally honest, which can be hard to be transparent and admit my lack of faith sometimes, vs. 9-10 are very hard for me. There was a time, following a tragedy in my life that I just couldn't even believe these words were in the Bible. To me it was saying that if I asked - I would receive what I asked for. So...in light of what had happened, loosing my baby after praying so hard and so much to not loose her, then God wasn't living up to this promise in scripture. But, what I have realized now is that I wasn't reading it correctly. When I now read it more carefully, it says "For everyone who asks receives" - it doesn't say what they receive. It doesn't say that they receive what they ask for OR when they ask for it. It does say that we can seek God and He will reveal Himself to us, and we will begin to know more of Him. He will meet us where we are when we seek Him, and He will open the door for a deeper relationship with Him.
Have you struggled with an understanding of prayer and viewing God as a "wish list granter" in your life? I challenge you to examine your prayer life and model your prayers after Jesus' words today.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
How to Follow Forgiveness Instead of Our Emotions
by Joyce Meyer
How do you respond when someone hurts your feelings? Do you let it rob you of joy? Or maybe your emotions run wild?
Luke 6:27,28 NIV tells us what we should do when people hurt us:
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Can you believe that? We’re to pray something like, “Oh, Lord, I pray that You’d just make them so happy!”
I still don’t get that, but I’m willing to do it in obedience and say, “Lord, I don’t know that I really want them to be happy, but I’ll pray that in faith anyway, because You’re telling me to bless them with Your presence.”
Luke 6:35 NIV goes further. It says:
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
A Tip for Following Forgiveness
Now, let’s get practical about how to do this. If we have a coworker who gets the promotion that we’ve been believing God for, the minute we start to feel jealousy and envy, we need to go buy them a gift.
Yes, you heard me right: buy them a gift. It works. When we do it, it breaks the power of the devil because Romans 12:21 says that we overcome evil with good. It’s absolutely true too. I have learned this principle and it has been life-changing for me.
What I Did When Someone Hurt Me
For example, a few years ago someone told me about a person who was doing business with our ministry and making a good deal of money because of their relationship with us. My friend happened to be at the same restaurant, seated in the next booth and overheard their conversation, which just happened to be about me—and they weren’t saying good things either.
At first I got mad and just wanted to tell him that he was never getting our business again.
But in bed that night, the Holy Spirit said to me, “You’re not going to do any of those things.” He said, “No, you’re going to do what you teach. You’re going to go buy him a present, and you’re going to tell him how much you appreciate the services that he’s given you all these years.”
Needless to say, I resisted at first. But eventually I relented and bought him a gift.
What You Must Do When Someone Hurts You
What I remember most about the situation is that as soon as I started taking action to do something good for them, it just got so funny to me. I was laughing out loud in my house, all by myself.
Listen: When we can look at people who’ve hurt us with compassion and pray what Jesus prayed “…Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” there’s a party that goes on inside of us.
I think most of the time people don’t even realize what they are doing. That man in the restaurant who was talking about me had no idea what he was doing and the position that he was putting himself in.
Why You Must Follow Forgiveness
That’s why we need to pray for them and say, “God forgive them.” In fact, what does God say will happen to us when we obey His Word?
Luke 6:35 states “…and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense, and abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High….” God tells us that we’ll receive a reward. We will get double for our trouble if we will do things His way.
The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. Do you know what that means? It means that love will even have you making excuses for your enemies. Someone might come up to us and say, “Well, I heard what so-and-so did to you.”
When we really decide to forgive someone and pray the prayer that blesses our enemies, making the decision that we will not talk bad about them, but instead, cover their fault and their mess, we still might not feel any different.
Now, I believe choosing forgiveness is one of the most difficult things God asks us to do, especially if we believe that whoever hurt us is in the wrong and doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.
But God instructs us to practice forgiveness. And when we choose to follow the path of forgiveness, we will experience the peace and joy that come through obeying God’s Word.
How do you respond when someone hurts your feelings? Do you let it rob you of joy? Or maybe your emotions run wild?
Luke 6:27,28 NIV tells us what we should do when people hurt us:
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Can you believe that? We’re to pray something like, “Oh, Lord, I pray that You’d just make them so happy!”
I still don’t get that, but I’m willing to do it in obedience and say, “Lord, I don’t know that I really want them to be happy, but I’ll pray that in faith anyway, because You’re telling me to bless them with Your presence.”
Luke 6:35 NIV goes further. It says:
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
A Tip for Following Forgiveness
Now, let’s get practical about how to do this. If we have a coworker who gets the promotion that we’ve been believing God for, the minute we start to feel jealousy and envy, we need to go buy them a gift.
Yes, you heard me right: buy them a gift. It works. When we do it, it breaks the power of the devil because Romans 12:21 says that we overcome evil with good. It’s absolutely true too. I have learned this principle and it has been life-changing for me.
What I Did When Someone Hurt Me
For example, a few years ago someone told me about a person who was doing business with our ministry and making a good deal of money because of their relationship with us. My friend happened to be at the same restaurant, seated in the next booth and overheard their conversation, which just happened to be about me—and they weren’t saying good things either.
At first I got mad and just wanted to tell him that he was never getting our business again.
But in bed that night, the Holy Spirit said to me, “You’re not going to do any of those things.” He said, “No, you’re going to do what you teach. You’re going to go buy him a present, and you’re going to tell him how much you appreciate the services that he’s given you all these years.”
Needless to say, I resisted at first. But eventually I relented and bought him a gift.
What You Must Do When Someone Hurts You
What I remember most about the situation is that as soon as I started taking action to do something good for them, it just got so funny to me. I was laughing out loud in my house, all by myself.
Listen: When we can look at people who’ve hurt us with compassion and pray what Jesus prayed “…Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” there’s a party that goes on inside of us.
I think most of the time people don’t even realize what they are doing. That man in the restaurant who was talking about me had no idea what he was doing and the position that he was putting himself in.
Why You Must Follow Forgiveness
That’s why we need to pray for them and say, “God forgive them.” In fact, what does God say will happen to us when we obey His Word?
Luke 6:35 states “…and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense, and abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High….” God tells us that we’ll receive a reward. We will get double for our trouble if we will do things His way.
The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. Do you know what that means? It means that love will even have you making excuses for your enemies. Someone might come up to us and say, “Well, I heard what so-and-so did to you.”
When we really decide to forgive someone and pray the prayer that blesses our enemies, making the decision that we will not talk bad about them, but instead, cover their fault and their mess, we still might not feel any different.
Now, I believe choosing forgiveness is one of the most difficult things God asks us to do, especially if we believe that whoever hurt us is in the wrong and doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.
But God instructs us to practice forgiveness. And when we choose to follow the path of forgiveness, we will experience the peace and joy that come through obeying God’s Word.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Christ is our supply
Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."
He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Matthew 15:29-37
Do you get worn out trying to "do" everything for everyone? Do you feel spent running around, trying to pour out of your paltry resources, trying to do things for others around you? God has called you to be a deliverer of His gifts, not the creator of them! He will be our full supply, apart from Him we have nothing to offer.
Life with little children can be very demanding and exhausting. Parenthood brings us face to face with our need to draw from Christ so that we can generously pour love and provision on our children.
That being said, it can be hard to practice because receiving our supply from God isn't always as tangible as a bag of grain, a fish, or a piece of bread that we walk up and take from His hand. A few weeks ago, as spring began it's warm up and we got the bikes out of storage it became clear that Sophie, my 5 year old, would need a new bike this year. As she was riding, her boney little knees were up in her chest! I was thinking about our budget and how we would provide this new bike for her. I don't even think I whispered a conscious prayer about it, but the next day a friend contacted me to see if Sophie would be interested in her daughter's bike that she had outgrown, saying it would be the perfect size for Sophie...wow, what a blessing! The thing I might have missed several years ago, is that this is not a coincidence, this is God working in my life. He does know our needs, and He does care about the little things we worry about!
It may be something this concrete, but many times what we desperately need is a supply of patience, fogiveness, love, wisdom, or comfort from Him so we can pour it out on someone else. This kind of spiritual supply comes from Jesus' presence. Meditating on the pages of Scripture. Committing to focused prayer. Waiting quietly on Him so our spirits can learn His voice.
(some of this is paraphrased from Kelly Minter's study on the book of Ruth)
Prepare
Are you trying to do it all in your own strength today? How can you ask God to be your supply and allow yourself to be a deliverer of His gifts to those around you today?
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."
He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Matthew 15:29-37
Do you get worn out trying to "do" everything for everyone? Do you feel spent running around, trying to pour out of your paltry resources, trying to do things for others around you? God has called you to be a deliverer of His gifts, not the creator of them! He will be our full supply, apart from Him we have nothing to offer.
Life with little children can be very demanding and exhausting. Parenthood brings us face to face with our need to draw from Christ so that we can generously pour love and provision on our children.
That being said, it can be hard to practice because receiving our supply from God isn't always as tangible as a bag of grain, a fish, or a piece of bread that we walk up and take from His hand. A few weeks ago, as spring began it's warm up and we got the bikes out of storage it became clear that Sophie, my 5 year old, would need a new bike this year. As she was riding, her boney little knees were up in her chest! I was thinking about our budget and how we would provide this new bike for her. I don't even think I whispered a conscious prayer about it, but the next day a friend contacted me to see if Sophie would be interested in her daughter's bike that she had outgrown, saying it would be the perfect size for Sophie...wow, what a blessing! The thing I might have missed several years ago, is that this is not a coincidence, this is God working in my life. He does know our needs, and He does care about the little things we worry about!
It may be something this concrete, but many times what we desperately need is a supply of patience, fogiveness, love, wisdom, or comfort from Him so we can pour it out on someone else. This kind of spiritual supply comes from Jesus' presence. Meditating on the pages of Scripture. Committing to focused prayer. Waiting quietly on Him so our spirits can learn His voice.
(some of this is paraphrased from Kelly Minter's study on the book of Ruth)
Prepare
Are you trying to do it all in your own strength today? How can you ask God to be your supply and allow yourself to be a deliverer of His gifts to those around you today?
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