Behavior 12 The Confident Habit – Make a decision

 http://make1break1.blogspot.com/2013/07/behavior-12-confident-habit-make.html

“Confidence is not a feeling we have; it is a right mind-set.” – Joyce Meyers

It is time for us to make the choice, the choice to be a confident woman of God. Being confident is a cognitive choice that we must make. Confidence is not an automatic response and when ole smutty face is involved, we become self-conscience and confidence goes right out the window.

The Bible tells us:

• ·         “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
• ·         “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:16
• ·         “For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” Proverbs 3:26
• ·         “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency if from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:5

Our confidence comes from God himself. He gives us strength, confidence and he is with us. It is his truth in his words that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds. It is so easy for ole smutty face to plant seeds of doubt, self-conscious and place fear. When we wrap ourselves fully in Gods words, God’s truths, we can boldly take that confident step to simply be confident.

Take each decision to be confident, one step at a time. With each choice seek God first, he is your strength!

Abba,

I pray that you continue to work with each of us, giving us ears to hear you and your words. Abba, I ask that you give each of us the strength to make the decision to be confident.

Amen

Battles

It’s been one of those gradually getting worse day by day...Tired spiritually, and tired physically. Sleep temporary relives the physical, but fatigue makes its way back. Having doubts about my beliefs and my faith is, at times, spiritually draining…

With the nagging voice in the back of my head, I have questioned my belief, and questioned my God. I know as I have taken a step closer to God, that nagging voice in the back of my head is trying to get louder…

I am having a hard time past seeing the Book of Revelations as something SciFi…

This morning I paid more attention to Isaiah and this afternoon on my walk I listened intently to the Book of James (I wanted a bible book to listen to on my walk, and James was the first think I could think of)…Trying to just soak of more…

It’s interesting, while I was on my walk a loose dog started running up behind me and my heart raced…I just thought if only we could see the bad, the enemy coming towards us, would we be more prepared?.?.?

Regardless of where we are in our spiritual walk, there are those unseen battles each of us face…

Yup Exercise

I really do not like to exercise at all, but have decided to set short term exercise goals. For years I have battled with weight, or rather I have battled with insecurities and these insecurities tell me I have to have the toned defined body and the flat stomach. Yeah as a 40+ year old with 4 kids and one that comes from a line of women who have pouches, I don't think I will ever have the flat stomach, and honestly its no longer a goal!! (It was a bit unrealistic – no woman has a flat stomach!)

Over 16 years ago I tried the exercising routine, and it never stuck. Then I went many years as a smoker, able to maintain a decent weight. I never worried about what I ate or drank or even my weight. Yet once I quit smoking, hit the big 4-0…weight and food seem to be a constant nagging in my head…Like other areas of my life, I have decided to give this one to God as well. Let it go…my phrase for the year, seems to fit in here as well…

So, I have completed 1 exercising goal (20 days), and realized that I can do this. I also realized the negativity, the self-doubt was not from God. So I have had to re-focus on what is true. God's not telling me I cannot do it! So with that, letting go of the negativity, the self-doubt, I have made a monthly exercise goal. Yup taking it one month at a time….actually one day at a time.

 

sm

Secrets

Each of us have them and don't want to even think about them. Things we have said and/or done that we would rather bury away, never to see the light of day ever again. Yet, the secret stays in our thoughts, hounding us, keeping us distracted.
Eventually secrets do more harm than good. Even our best attempts cannot keep them tucked away never, they stay right within reach and even controlling us.
The bible tells us in:

• Mark 4:22 "For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light."
• Psalm 44:21 "Would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart."

So if God eventually brings to light the dark, why do we continue to try to hide our secrets? Shame? Embarrassment? Fear of rejection? All ploys satan uses to keep us ashamed, distant from God, distant from others….
Today, set yourself free. Let it go…Talk to one person, or email one person, or chat online with one person…expose your secret, bring it to light, and finally give it to God and let it go….

 
sm

Sometimes the words sting

John 16:13 "When He, the spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whenever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. "

To be honest, when the Spirit of truth comes and guides you into all truth, it is not pretty nor easy. Oh yes, the truth shall set you free, and it does once you stumble to get over yourself and let it fully sink in. But it shakes you to your core, to your soul, and rattles you.

Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

God is working on me. I am constant work in progress. I am learning one by one the things I need to change, the things I need to let go, to get closer to Him. It's a battle that wages on….

 
sm

You give & take away

Last week I just kept singing the verse, "You give and take away". I was worried about my status with a client after I received an email. Yet, as I started to go down that "oh my god, I can't lose this client" road, I kept hearing the song specifically, "you give and take away" and kept hearing," the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh". I said "OK Lord, you've got this, I will not worry about it."

I found out later that evening I had missed an email a week prior explaining that a client was stepping away from his business for the time being. The rest of the day I just singing "you give and take away."

As I am trying to build my business, losing a client is not something I want to happen, especially the first client. Since giving my business back to God, I have not regretted one minute of that choice. This time is no different. Two potential clients being added... God is better than any advertising and marketing I could do!

God has provided clients, but I have had to take a step of faith. Ok more like a leap of faith. God knows my skills, knows what I can do, and what I can do with Him. I on the other hand am still building my own confidence. So God has pushed me, told me to move, to jump and for the past few months I have literally taken jumps of faith.

Let me tell you, leaps of faith are scary, and I know there are more things, other things He wants me to do….

One leap of faith at a time….One leap of faith at a time….

 
sm

Behavior 10 - The Hurry Habit - The Benefits of Hurrying

The Benefits of Hurrying
http://make1break1.blogspot.com/2013/07/chapter-13-behavior-10-hurry-habit_10.html

Are there really any benefits of hurrying? Personally I cannot think of one benefit of hurrying to get things done nor could Joyce in this chapter.

God has been working with me on this "hurry habit" for almost a year now. Probably in the last 6 months He has pointed out some areas where I seemed to always been in a hurry. My hurry habit has caused me to rush though work, and has caused some pretty big and pretty stupid mistakes.

So we add to our schedule, then we hurry to get more and more accomplished, and it's never ending. We do more and more, and have less time with our significant others, our kids, grandkids, our families. We lose precious memories, precious time when we become occupied with hurrying up. We gain irritation, we become impatient… 

Slow down and just simply be. Slow down and just enjoy the moments.

Abba,
Thank you for being our loving forgiving father. Lord I pray that you will open our eyes and our hearts. Teach us to simply slow down, and enjoy the moments.
Amen

Food

Food is one of my weaknesses. I love food, and ever since I quit smoking, it seems food has replaced that vice!!! For about 5 years now I have battled with food. It has dawned on me….I, me – myself, have battled food alone. Oh I have a great group that is so supportive and I have no doubt if we all lived within the same area, we would accomplish our weight lose goals!!

Since I quit smoking & got dentures, it seems I battle with food on a daily basis. I often fear that deadly sin…gluttony.

• Proverbs 25:16 "If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit."
• Psalm 78:18 "They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved."

I realized months and months ago, I hover right around food addiction. Whereas most people stop when full, I will continue on. I eat just to eat…Not because I am hungry, not because my body needs nourishment, I eat simply because it is there…

Guess it's time to hand this one over to God as well. It's clear after 5 years of my food battle that I simply cannot do this on my own…Yes yet another thing I held onto and I thought I could do on my own…

Time to let it go and give it to God

sm

Marvelous Monday

Yup you read that correct – no manic Monday – no its Monday again…run…hide (like we can hide from Monday – pretend it never happens!) 

Its Monday! It's a new week! Fresh Starts! New Starts! A Clean slate – though each day we have a clean slate, thanks to God.

It's another day of God leading you. Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Image Credit

SM

Generosity is the Answer to Greed

Greed is defined as wanting more than is needed. I picture a person who wants, and wants. A company that is making money, turning a profit, but not sharing with the employees, yet they want more. I want more money to spend, I want more food to eat, I don’t want to share, I want, I want, I want….

I want more, and more. As you want more, you are never get satisfied, and you can never enjoy life…

Greed is all about us and our needs, our wants. We live in a world that tells us we are entitled, we need to think of self, and we don’t need to share! Greed makes us selfish and self-centered! Ole smutty face is dancing on the side cheering us right down this path.

Yet as Christians the bible tells us to give and help others.

·         Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

·         Proverbs 11:24-25 “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”

·         2 Corinthians 9:6 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

God wants us to be generous – to be loving and giving. Being generous is what takes the focus off of us and puts our focus onto someone else or something else.

The next time you feel as if greed is starting to step in, take that as a sign you need to be generous to someone or somewhere out there.

Abba,

I want to thank you for being the Loving, Generous father to all of us. Lord I pray that you will instill in each of us a loving, giving, generous heart and take way any greed that seems to settle in our hearts.

Amen

Chapter 14 Behavior 11: Emotional Habits - True Self Pity

http://make1break1.blogspot.com/2013/07/chapter-14-behavior-11-emotional-habits.html

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines self-pity as: “pity for oneself; especially: a self-indulgent dwelling on one's own sorrows or misfortunes”

We all have gotten to this point, we have sunk down to the level of simply feeling sorry for ourselves. A bad day, bad month, or even bad year(s). Micah 7:1-2: “Woe is me! I am like the one who gathers summer fruit, when the vines have been gleaned There is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave. The faithful have vanished from the earth, no mortal is just! They all lie in wait to shed blood, each one ensnares the other.” Oh woe is me!

Self-Pity is another bad habit. It can lead to depression, lead to feeling defeated, lead to feelings of worthless ness and despair. It is a habit that the devil likes and dances on the sidelines cheering us as we go down this road. It’s a habit that takes our focus away from God, leaving us questioning if God is really there. Psalm 13:1 “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hind your face from me?”

For years I lived with the self-pity attitude. My first husband was addicted to porn, and verbally abusive. Through-out my marriage and years after we have separated I carried that self-pity burden. Woe is me, I lived with that. Woe is me, I have low self-esteem. Woe is me, I am not good enough. The list can go on and on…   

What do we do? What can we do? We can look to God.

1.    Learn to recognize when we are beginning to sink into self-pity

2.    Find a verse in the bible that shows you the promise of God’s word.

-      Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

-      Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

3.       Give it to God. Let go of the anger, the hurt feelings, and simply forgive and let go.

4.       Start to have a grateful heart. Begin to look for things to thank God for, even the smallest of things.

The next time you start down the path of self-pity, stop, look to God and breathe knowing He is God.

Abba,

I just want to thank you for Your love and for all you do for us. Lord I ask that you teach us to open our hearts to you, allowing us to come to you when self-pity tries to take hold. Abba, I ask that you give each of us discernment, wisdom and guidance to know when self-pity is begin to enter our minds, and show us your all-consuming love so that we can let self-pity go and not allow it to take root.

Amen