2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
We do not have to rely on our own abilities to serve God at all. Know that Christ will not call you to any form of service without equipping you for it. He has set the example and all that He would like to in you is that you follow Him. Committing and Trusting in Him so you truly live.
Here is my prayer to you Heavenly Father, I dedicate myself to your service anew, in the certain knowledge that You will provide everything that I need to live an abundant life. Thank you! Amen.
What are your prayers to God?
Do you find time to stay in His Presence?
Thank you for reading and God bless you!
May 5, 2009
May 4, 2009
Cultivating Spiritual Growth
Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)
15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Christianity without spiritual growth cannot bring a deep, true joy and satisfaction. When you received Christ into your life, you did not only accept a system of doctrines; you promised eternal faithfulness to Him because you believe in Him. You can only understand Him better if you share life with Him, and stop focusing on yourself all the time.
Growing in Christ is not an exercise meant to create a comfortable religious feeling far removed from the hard realities of life – it should rather inspire the believer to positive action. Renew your prayer life; rediscover the Spirit of Christ in the Scriptures and see hoe growth in Christ will lead you to NEW DIMENSIONS of LIFE.
My prayer for me and all of you believers out there is that the Lord makes our faith a dynamic power through the renewal of our prayer life and Bible study. Amen.
15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Christianity without spiritual growth cannot bring a deep, true joy and satisfaction. When you received Christ into your life, you did not only accept a system of doctrines; you promised eternal faithfulness to Him because you believe in Him. You can only understand Him better if you share life with Him, and stop focusing on yourself all the time.
Growing in Christ is not an exercise meant to create a comfortable religious feeling far removed from the hard realities of life – it should rather inspire the believer to positive action. Renew your prayer life; rediscover the Spirit of Christ in the Scriptures and see hoe growth in Christ will lead you to NEW DIMENSIONS of LIFE.
My prayer for me and all of you believers out there is that the Lord makes our faith a dynamic power through the renewal of our prayer life and Bible study. Amen.
Avoid Negative Thinking! Choose to be Positive...
Negative self-talk is a destructive habit and part of an essential defense mechanism that we often develop to protect ourselves. Many people end up talking themselves out of actions that may be scary or uncomfortable. "I can't do this" is really just a way of saying "I don't want to deal with the experience of doing this." We are all strongly influenced by our feelings, often determining how and what action we ultimately take. If the feeling is uncomfortable, negative self-talk results; then we often decide not to take any action at all.
Many people assume that if a past experience produced a certain result, there is nothing they can do to change that experience in order to produce a different result. "I've tried every diet there is. I know what I should do; I just can't do it."
Please understand that you can make the choice not to repeat old patterns of eating, non-exercise, and negative thinking. You have the ability to choose the emotions you have. If you don't like feeling guilty, frustrated, or doubtful, you can choose not to. You, and no one else, must decide what is comfortable for you. In order to become successful at making healthy choices, you must avoid negative self-talk and start practicing positive thinking.
Positive or negative self-talk plays a big part in your decisions. Be on the "look-out for negative self-talk and notice how it influences your choices; notice how it can negatively affect your efforts to change. For example, perhaps you've just returned from a week's vacation where you took a break from exercise and healthy eating. You tell yourself, "I feel so fat. I'm back where I started." You feel guilty and frustrated. "I don't have enough will-power to start all over again. Maybe I'm just meant to be overweight." Feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, you give up.
First, reflect on the feelings you had before you decided to give up. You basically told yourself that the healthy habits you learned before your vacation were all for nothing and that you have to start over. Ask yourself if these feelings are reasonable. Are you really back to ground zero? Of course not. You accepted change and developed a new way of living; these skills are yours forever. The vacation might even have done you some good: everyone needs a break sometimes. Otherwise, you might have felt deprived and not really enjoyed yourself. It's time now to tell yourself: "It felt good eating whatever I wanted and taking a break from exercising; I had a great time. But now I'm going to focus back on the healthy, active lifestyle I was enjoying before vacation. There is no reason to beat myself up; I'll just take it one day at a time." Now you can rethink your previous decision and take action that will move you forward towards more positive change.
As you begin to understand your reasons for negative self-talk, you'll find yourself recognizing it more and more quickly after it occurs. Eventually, as you practice, you'll be able to recognize and stop negative self-talk before it interferes with your decisions.
It is very important to practice positive thinking and to remind yourself that you're a worthwhile person whatever you do. Try to consistently acknowledge that you are making positive changes to improve your health. You should be proud of yourself. Visualize yourself as capable, happy, and confident. These positive feelings will help the process of change. Remember, there are bound to be times when you're feeling frustrated or depressed.
Positive thinkers know that these feelings are valid, and they don't try to ignore them. Positive thinkers acknowledge and try to understand them, but they don't blame themselves for the conditions that lead to these feelings. Good luck, stay positive, and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy lifestyle!
Many people assume that if a past experience produced a certain result, there is nothing they can do to change that experience in order to produce a different result. "I've tried every diet there is. I know what I should do; I just can't do it."
Please understand that you can make the choice not to repeat old patterns of eating, non-exercise, and negative thinking. You have the ability to choose the emotions you have. If you don't like feeling guilty, frustrated, or doubtful, you can choose not to. You, and no one else, must decide what is comfortable for you. In order to become successful at making healthy choices, you must avoid negative self-talk and start practicing positive thinking.
Positive or negative self-talk plays a big part in your decisions. Be on the "look-out for negative self-talk and notice how it influences your choices; notice how it can negatively affect your efforts to change. For example, perhaps you've just returned from a week's vacation where you took a break from exercise and healthy eating. You tell yourself, "I feel so fat. I'm back where I started." You feel guilty and frustrated. "I don't have enough will-power to start all over again. Maybe I'm just meant to be overweight." Feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, you give up.
First, reflect on the feelings you had before you decided to give up. You basically told yourself that the healthy habits you learned before your vacation were all for nothing and that you have to start over. Ask yourself if these feelings are reasonable. Are you really back to ground zero? Of course not. You accepted change and developed a new way of living; these skills are yours forever. The vacation might even have done you some good: everyone needs a break sometimes. Otherwise, you might have felt deprived and not really enjoyed yourself. It's time now to tell yourself: "It felt good eating whatever I wanted and taking a break from exercising; I had a great time. But now I'm going to focus back on the healthy, active lifestyle I was enjoying before vacation. There is no reason to beat myself up; I'll just take it one day at a time." Now you can rethink your previous decision and take action that will move you forward towards more positive change.
As you begin to understand your reasons for negative self-talk, you'll find yourself recognizing it more and more quickly after it occurs. Eventually, as you practice, you'll be able to recognize and stop negative self-talk before it interferes with your decisions.
It is very important to practice positive thinking and to remind yourself that you're a worthwhile person whatever you do. Try to consistently acknowledge that you are making positive changes to improve your health. You should be proud of yourself. Visualize yourself as capable, happy, and confident. These positive feelings will help the process of change. Remember, there are bound to be times when you're feeling frustrated or depressed.
Positive thinkers know that these feelings are valid, and they don't try to ignore them. Positive thinkers acknowledge and try to understand them, but they don't blame themselves for the conditions that lead to these feelings. Good luck, stay positive, and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy lifestyle!
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