This famous parable that Jesus used has a lot to teach us about our money if we let it. Below is the parable and a few of my thoughts about it…
Matthew 25:14-30
For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Stewards are required to take risks
It is interesting to me how upset the master got with the steward who took no risks. The other two stewards did take risks and reaped the rewards. I often wonder why the parable didn’t contain a steward who lost some of the investment. But either way, I think we are led to believe that the primary frustration of the master was that the steward was lazy and didn’t even try.
He was called a, “wicked and lazy slave.” My take on this is that he was more frustrated with his laziness than his lack of production. The steward didn’t even put the talents in the bank to gain interest. The passage states that the master gave to each of them according to their ability. So, I think we can assume that the steward with one talent did have some ability, or else he wouldn’t have given him any.
If he did indeed have some ability to manage money, even with the smallest amount of ability he would have known that earning small interest at the bank is better than burying it!
I liken this to having a Vet watch your dog for the weekend and not feed it. Most everyone knows that you should feed a dog at least daily, but especially a vet. It is their profession – the thing they are skilled at doing and are entrusted to do.
So, the extreme amount of laziness this steward had to not at least put the talent in the bank, coupled with the fact that he let fear paralyze him from doing what he was expected to do infuriated the master.
The parable is speaking of money, but this can also be applied to the gifts and skills that God has entrusted us with. If I refuse to step out in a gift or skill that God has given me because I am afraid or lazy, I may be behaving the same way as the steward with one talent.
Luke 12:48
“…From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Don’t compare yourself to others
The master in the parable didn’t give each steward the same amount. They all started with different amounts, not much different than this game of life that we are all in. Some people start with a lot, some with a little. But we are all judged based on what we did with what we had, rather than what we ended up with.
The great thing about this is that our success is not based on what people may think about us. God knows what He gave us to work with and He will see what we do with it. So, it doesn’t matter whether other people think you are a success or a failure – God’s definition of success is often quite different than man’s.
The master gave them each “according to their ability.” He knew a bit about their faithfulness and how likely they were to increase their talents. Turns out he delegated wisely.
Our money is not our own
We enter into the world with nothing and we leave with nothing.
One of the first lessons that I learned a few years ago that really changed the way I thought about money was that none of it is mine. It is all God’s. I have the privilege and opportunity to be a steward of what He has given me.
Once I began looking at my money this way, it changed my whole financial outlook and helped me to be more focused on pleasing God with the money entrusted to me.
Even if we spent our lives and ignored our responsibility as stewards, we still can’t take any of it with us. We might as well try to better the lives of those around us and store up treasure in heaven rather than down here.
Christian PF Articles
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
TRUSTING IN OUR GOD THROUGH THE RECESSION
God has promised to supply all of my needs. It doesn’t matter whether it is a bear market, bull market, recession, depression, or anything else. This promise from Philippians 4:19 is not contingent on what the government is doing, the economy, or even our own ability. It is a promise from the only source in the universe that we can rest assured is going to back up what He promised.
Trusting in God is key. It is so easy to look at our checkbooks, credit card statements and get discouraged. But, God isn’t discouraged or even surprised at what is going on. He didn’t promise that we would never have challenges or that there wouldn’t be times when things looked bad. But He did say that He would never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6) and wants us to be encouraged in His faithfulness. My job as a Christian is to continue to trust Him regardless of whether things look good or bad.
It is faith (trust) that pleases God. In fact, the Bible says that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). Whether I like it or not, the biggest faith tests are rarely when circumstances are going great, but are when things look bad or even impossible. The super-encouraging thing about this is that when I just keep on trusting God when things look bad, I am being very pleasing to Him!
Christian PF Articles
Trusting in God is key. It is so easy to look at our checkbooks, credit card statements and get discouraged. But, God isn’t discouraged or even surprised at what is going on. He didn’t promise that we would never have challenges or that there wouldn’t be times when things looked bad. But He did say that He would never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6) and wants us to be encouraged in His faithfulness. My job as a Christian is to continue to trust Him regardless of whether things look good or bad.
It is faith (trust) that pleases God. In fact, the Bible says that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). Whether I like it or not, the biggest faith tests are rarely when circumstances are going great, but are when things look bad or even impossible. The super-encouraging thing about this is that when I just keep on trusting God when things look bad, I am being very pleasing to Him!
Christian PF Articles
Monday, May 31, 2010
ARE WE GUILTY OF JEALOUSY?
What ever happened to the days when people were genuinely happy for each other? You remember...those days when nobody ever wanted something that someone else had.....
Oh wait.....those days never existed.
Jealousy is probably one of the world's oldest emotions. It's been around since the beginning of time. Look at Cain and Abel. Now there's a prime example of jealousy run amok.......
What causes jealousy? Why does it start and how do you overcome it? Here are some common causes:
# Unmet expectations.
# Many times we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves and the people around us. Often times we feel things should come easier and faster to us. Then when things don't happen when we think they should, we ALWAYS run into someone who already has what we want, and all of a sudden, you feel this surge of ugly, green emotion called jealousy.Our sense of entitlement.
# For some reason we have this ingrained attitude that we are entitled to things. Kids leaving the nest for the first time believe their own standard of living should be the same as their parents, who have worked for years and years. Many times people who have financial problems feel "entitled" to buy things on credit, even though they know it's a bad idea. Having the nicest car and the newest toys is more important than getting out of debt.Insecurity.
It is so easy to look at other people and wish we had what they have. And so many times it doesn't stop there. We start berating ourselves internally about why we don't have it, then we believe all that junk, and the next thing you know we develop insecurities in our relationships.
After you read about all the stuff that can cause those feelings of jealousy, you may feel like you're doomed to always feeling like you'll be coming up short in some area of life. But that surely isn't the case. There IS some good news. There are some things you can do to stop the jealousy ball from rolling right over you.
# Stop Comparing yourself to other people.
# You were created as a very unique and special person. God had a plan for you long before you took your first breath. Relish that thought. Love the fact that you're special. What God has in mind for you isn't the same as for someone else. So you don't have to feel bad that you don't have all the qualities, features, money, or anything else that someone else has. Your journey is just that.....YOURS.Stop worrying about YOU all the time.
# Find a way to be a blessing to someone else. When you change your focus away from you, all of a sudden you feel so great about yourself. You get to experience something that only comes when you're a blessing to someone else. Your priorities start changing, and one day you realize that the things that used to make you so jealous and so nuts, don't bother you so much anymore.Stop wanting what other people have if you're not willing to go through what they did to get it.
# When you see a person who is physically fit and looks positively great, it's easy to feel REALLY jealous. But are you willing to work out every day? Are you willing to eat healthy and look for ways to be healthy? If you're not, then there really is no reason to feel jealous, is there?Start focusing on all that's positive in your life.
God has given you so many wonderful gifts that many other people don't have. Focus on using those gifts to help someone else. Since your mind can only consciously think about one thing at a time, doesn't it make sense to make sure that "one thing" is positive and is moving you toward the really great things in life?
Breaking free from jealousy starts with your thoughts. When you change the way you think, you change the way you feel and act. Change your focus to helping others......it will definitely be time well spent....or should I say....thoughts well spent.
To read my additional articles, please scroll up and click on the relevant article on the right.
Oh wait.....those days never existed.
Jealousy is probably one of the world's oldest emotions. It's been around since the beginning of time. Look at Cain and Abel. Now there's a prime example of jealousy run amok.......
What causes jealousy? Why does it start and how do you overcome it? Here are some common causes:
# Unmet expectations.
# Many times we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves and the people around us. Often times we feel things should come easier and faster to us. Then when things don't happen when we think they should, we ALWAYS run into someone who already has what we want, and all of a sudden, you feel this surge of ugly, green emotion called jealousy.Our sense of entitlement.
# For some reason we have this ingrained attitude that we are entitled to things. Kids leaving the nest for the first time believe their own standard of living should be the same as their parents, who have worked for years and years. Many times people who have financial problems feel "entitled" to buy things on credit, even though they know it's a bad idea. Having the nicest car and the newest toys is more important than getting out of debt.Insecurity.
It is so easy to look at other people and wish we had what they have. And so many times it doesn't stop there. We start berating ourselves internally about why we don't have it, then we believe all that junk, and the next thing you know we develop insecurities in our relationships.
After you read about all the stuff that can cause those feelings of jealousy, you may feel like you're doomed to always feeling like you'll be coming up short in some area of life. But that surely isn't the case. There IS some good news. There are some things you can do to stop the jealousy ball from rolling right over you.
# Stop Comparing yourself to other people.
# You were created as a very unique and special person. God had a plan for you long before you took your first breath. Relish that thought. Love the fact that you're special. What God has in mind for you isn't the same as for someone else. So you don't have to feel bad that you don't have all the qualities, features, money, or anything else that someone else has. Your journey is just that.....YOURS.Stop worrying about YOU all the time.
# Find a way to be a blessing to someone else. When you change your focus away from you, all of a sudden you feel so great about yourself. You get to experience something that only comes when you're a blessing to someone else. Your priorities start changing, and one day you realize that the things that used to make you so jealous and so nuts, don't bother you so much anymore.Stop wanting what other people have if you're not willing to go through what they did to get it.
# When you see a person who is physically fit and looks positively great, it's easy to feel REALLY jealous. But are you willing to work out every day? Are you willing to eat healthy and look for ways to be healthy? If you're not, then there really is no reason to feel jealous, is there?Start focusing on all that's positive in your life.
God has given you so many wonderful gifts that many other people don't have. Focus on using those gifts to help someone else. Since your mind can only consciously think about one thing at a time, doesn't it make sense to make sure that "one thing" is positive and is moving you toward the really great things in life?
Breaking free from jealousy starts with your thoughts. When you change the way you think, you change the way you feel and act. Change your focus to helping others......it will definitely be time well spent....or should I say....thoughts well spent.
To read my additional articles, please scroll up and click on the relevant article on the right.
LETTING GOD DEVELOP OUR SELF ESTEEM
Building self esteem is no different than a contractor building a structure. If the foundation is strong, the building won't fall down. But if the contractor skimps on this part of the process or uses the wrong materials, the building will never last.
Your own self esteem is your foundation. It is the product of many years of both positive and negative words and events in your life that you felt deeply and, more importantly, that you recorded in your mind.
It isn't easy to "undo" the parts of your self image that you view as negative. It's taken more than a day for you to get to where you are, and it will take more than a day to make a change.
But the good news is that it can be done! Here are four things you can start doing right now that will change things for the better.
1. Refuse to let other people fill your mind with nothing but negative stuff. If you're in relationship with people who do nothing but tear others down, it's time to find some new friends. Unfortunately, the old saying, "birds of a feather flock together" definitely applies in this situation. You tend to become like those you associate with.
2. Eliminate all the negative stuff you say to yourself every single day. You certainly shouldn't accept negative stuff from other people, so why should you accept it from yourself? Because your mind accepts everything you say as "truth", it is your brain's job to do everything it can to make sure that reality comes true.
3. Make it a point to look for the positive in every situation. You can't control everything in your life, but you can control how you respond to it. Every time you respond positively, you contribute to building someone else's self esteem, and that can only help build your own as well.
4. Don't ever tear down someone else's self esteem. It is possible to confront people without tearing them down personally. It isn't necessary to judge, criticize, or berate someone if a mistake is made. Just as you are guarding your own self image from negative stuff, make sure you're not responsible for spewing any yourself.
It is especially important to teach your kids about these steps. We all learn starting at birth, and the sooner your kids start thinking right, the sooner they'll act right. Make it their responsibility to make other kids feel good about themselves and tell them they need to be the example of right behavior. What a concept....kids teaching other kids to feel good about themselves. Above all of this make sure you trust God to develop your self esteem by what you fill yourself with. The bible says that from the abundance of our heart our mouth speaks.
LUKE 6: 45
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Your own self esteem is your foundation. It is the product of many years of both positive and negative words and events in your life that you felt deeply and, more importantly, that you recorded in your mind.
It isn't easy to "undo" the parts of your self image that you view as negative. It's taken more than a day for you to get to where you are, and it will take more than a day to make a change.
But the good news is that it can be done! Here are four things you can start doing right now that will change things for the better.
1. Refuse to let other people fill your mind with nothing but negative stuff. If you're in relationship with people who do nothing but tear others down, it's time to find some new friends. Unfortunately, the old saying, "birds of a feather flock together" definitely applies in this situation. You tend to become like those you associate with.
2. Eliminate all the negative stuff you say to yourself every single day. You certainly shouldn't accept negative stuff from other people, so why should you accept it from yourself? Because your mind accepts everything you say as "truth", it is your brain's job to do everything it can to make sure that reality comes true.
3. Make it a point to look for the positive in every situation. You can't control everything in your life, but you can control how you respond to it. Every time you respond positively, you contribute to building someone else's self esteem, and that can only help build your own as well.
4. Don't ever tear down someone else's self esteem. It is possible to confront people without tearing them down personally. It isn't necessary to judge, criticize, or berate someone if a mistake is made. Just as you are guarding your own self image from negative stuff, make sure you're not responsible for spewing any yourself.
It is especially important to teach your kids about these steps. We all learn starting at birth, and the sooner your kids start thinking right, the sooner they'll act right. Make it their responsibility to make other kids feel good about themselves and tell them they need to be the example of right behavior. What a concept....kids teaching other kids to feel good about themselves. Above all of this make sure you trust God to develop your self esteem by what you fill yourself with. The bible says that from the abundance of our heart our mouth speaks.
LUKE 6: 45
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
DEVELOPING A GODLY PATIENCE
Define Patience.....the Bible says it's a virtue. Yet people seem to be getting worse and worse at practicing this elusive skill. Why is that?
Perhaps it's the fact that we're all so "busy" with life that we can't consider taking the time to wait for someone else.
Perhaps we value our own time and our own agenda far more than the current needs of someone else.
Or perhaps we've become accustomed to rudeness and impatience as normal behavior. Is that sad or what?
I think most people would like to think they don't fall into one of those categories. In fact, I think most people would rather not think about whether they're patient at all.....after all, they have alot more important things to be thinking about. Or do they?
Learning how to be patient doesn't happen overnight, and it certainly isn't something you can learn in a book. Unfortunately, practicing patience can't be done unless you're in a situation that requires it. That means you're literally taking the test before you've learned the material.
One thing is for sure.....As long as you let other people make you nuts because they're not doing things exactly as you'd like, you're the one that's going to feel the stress and all that goes with it. AND YOU are the one that is going to be miserable because of it.
I used to be one of those people waiting in a check-out line that would be tapping my foot, looking at my watch, and constantly looking around to see if one of the other lines was getting shorter, faster. And it wasn't until I began studying this issue that I realized just what my behavior was doing to the cashier who was trying her best to move things along.
Some cashiers are very good at simply dismissing impatient people. They don't let them have any impact on their work or their attitude. I have to admire those kinds of people very much.
But what about the ones that take it personally? What about the ones who internalize all that negative stuff and let it affect their own self image? Can't you just hear some of the stuff they may be saying to themselves? Things like, "I'll never be good enough." Or "Why can't I do anything right?"
How would you feel if it was your own son or daughter having all that negative stuff dumped into them?
When you truly stop to consider the effects of impatience, perhaps it's a much bigger deal than you initially thought. Perhaps it would be worth some effort on your part to get good at being patient.
So.....how do you get good at being patient? What can you do now, that will help you the next time you find yourself in dire need of patience?
Here are some things that may help:
# Understand and ACCEPT that your agenda is not going to be at the top of everyone else's priority list. Just because you're in a hurry doesn't mean everyone is going to simply bend over backwards to do what you want, when you want it.
# Picture yourself being peaceful, patient, and kind in a stressful, hurried situation. See yourself getting through the situation without losing control. If you see it happen in your mind enough times, it will be alot easier the next time you're actually in the situation.
# Pray and ask God to help you. Trying hard to make changes on your own can often be an exercise in futility. But fortunately, God can step in and let you lean on Him to do what needs to be done. Nothing is too hard for Him so as long as you're willing to work with Him, you're most definitely on the right track.
# Let yourself off the hook. Even though you may want to make changes in this area, know and understand that it isn't going to happen overnight. After all, you've been an impatient person for a long time and you're probably pretty good at it. So becoming patient is going to take some time.
# Be happy about the progress you're making. Be happy every time you show patience. Be glad you've moving forward and treating others with respect and dignity. And mostly, be glad that you're not as bad as you used to be, but knowing you have a way to go.
# If you really want to speed up your progress, go the extra mile and say or do something that REALLY kills that spirit of impatience. Say something nice to the cashier. Be helpful. Go out of your way to be friendly. By the time you're through the line, everyone is going to feel alot better about the whole experience.
Becoming a patient person can be done. But just remember that practice makes patience......
To read my additional articles, please scroll up and click on the relevant topic on the right.
Perhaps it's the fact that we're all so "busy" with life that we can't consider taking the time to wait for someone else.
Perhaps we value our own time and our own agenda far more than the current needs of someone else.
Or perhaps we've become accustomed to rudeness and impatience as normal behavior. Is that sad or what?
I think most people would like to think they don't fall into one of those categories. In fact, I think most people would rather not think about whether they're patient at all.....after all, they have alot more important things to be thinking about. Or do they?
Learning how to be patient doesn't happen overnight, and it certainly isn't something you can learn in a book. Unfortunately, practicing patience can't be done unless you're in a situation that requires it. That means you're literally taking the test before you've learned the material.
One thing is for sure.....As long as you let other people make you nuts because they're not doing things exactly as you'd like, you're the one that's going to feel the stress and all that goes with it. AND YOU are the one that is going to be miserable because of it.
I used to be one of those people waiting in a check-out line that would be tapping my foot, looking at my watch, and constantly looking around to see if one of the other lines was getting shorter, faster. And it wasn't until I began studying this issue that I realized just what my behavior was doing to the cashier who was trying her best to move things along.
Some cashiers are very good at simply dismissing impatient people. They don't let them have any impact on their work or their attitude. I have to admire those kinds of people very much.
But what about the ones that take it personally? What about the ones who internalize all that negative stuff and let it affect their own self image? Can't you just hear some of the stuff they may be saying to themselves? Things like, "I'll never be good enough." Or "Why can't I do anything right?"
How would you feel if it was your own son or daughter having all that negative stuff dumped into them?
When you truly stop to consider the effects of impatience, perhaps it's a much bigger deal than you initially thought. Perhaps it would be worth some effort on your part to get good at being patient.
So.....how do you get good at being patient? What can you do now, that will help you the next time you find yourself in dire need of patience?
Here are some things that may help:
# Understand and ACCEPT that your agenda is not going to be at the top of everyone else's priority list. Just because you're in a hurry doesn't mean everyone is going to simply bend over backwards to do what you want, when you want it.
# Picture yourself being peaceful, patient, and kind in a stressful, hurried situation. See yourself getting through the situation without losing control. If you see it happen in your mind enough times, it will be alot easier the next time you're actually in the situation.
# Pray and ask God to help you. Trying hard to make changes on your own can often be an exercise in futility. But fortunately, God can step in and let you lean on Him to do what needs to be done. Nothing is too hard for Him so as long as you're willing to work with Him, you're most definitely on the right track.
# Let yourself off the hook. Even though you may want to make changes in this area, know and understand that it isn't going to happen overnight. After all, you've been an impatient person for a long time and you're probably pretty good at it. So becoming patient is going to take some time.
# Be happy about the progress you're making. Be happy every time you show patience. Be glad you've moving forward and treating others with respect and dignity. And mostly, be glad that you're not as bad as you used to be, but knowing you have a way to go.
# If you really want to speed up your progress, go the extra mile and say or do something that REALLY kills that spirit of impatience. Say something nice to the cashier. Be helpful. Go out of your way to be friendly. By the time you're through the line, everyone is going to feel alot better about the whole experience.
Becoming a patient person can be done. But just remember that practice makes patience......
To read my additional articles, please scroll up and click on the relevant topic on the right.
SPEAKING POSITIVITY OVER OURSELVES MEANS SPEAKING GOD'S WORD OVER OUR LIVES
Why is it so much easier to have a negative attitude than a positive one? What's inside you that just naturally pulls you to the negative side of things?
You read the books, you attend the seminars, you buy the tapes.....and things seem to go well for awhile. You feel better, your outlook is better, and you're hopeful. That is.....until something happens that sends you reeling all over again.
It doesn't even have to be a major, catastrophic event to send you back to the land of negative thinking. It can be something as simple as someone cutting you off in traffic or pushing ahead of you in the grocery checkout line. What gives those seemingly simple occurrences of every day life so much power to literally throw you into a tizzy all over again?
Negative attitudes come from negative thoughts that come from reactions to negative behavior....and around the cycle goes. And you must know that none of this negative stuff is coming from God. There is nothing negative about the way He thinks or acts.
This never ending cycle continues because the source is never addressed. You "try hard" to be positive, attempting to over-ride how you truly feel. It's work pretending to be positive when inside you know all too well that it won't take long and one of those annoying life issues is going to creep up and dump all over your positive attitude.
So how do you put a stop to all this nonsense? How do you get to a place where your positive attitude is what's natural for you and not the other way around?
I wish I could give you a magic formula that, when applied correctly, would erase your negative attitude in 3 days. Yup, can't you just see the infomercial on a product like that? For just R19.95 you can have all your dreams come true. What a bargain! People would be lining up for this one.
But alas....the real world isn't quite so simple. But the good news is that there are some things you can do to help you transition from the land of negativity to a much more positive place.
# First, focus on what you're thinking about.
Remember when I said you seem stuck because you've never addressed the source of all of this? All your negative actions are coming from your negative thoughts. Your body goes right along with whatever your mind is telling it.
It is possible to control your thoughts, regardless of what you've been led to believe. As soon as a negative thought comes into your mind, purposefully make it a point to replace it with a positive one. At first, this may take some work, because chances are, you will probably have alot more negative thoughts in your head than positive ones. But eventually, that ratio will reverse itself.
# Second, stop letting other people's negative attitudes influence yours.
# This may mean you need to stop hanging around with people who do nothing but spout negative stuff. You can't afford it when your goal is to become more positive. The negative people in your life aren't going to like it when you will no longer participate. Just remember that birds of a feather really do flock together.Third, make a list of all the areas in your life that you want to change.
# List all your negative attitudes too. If you can't really think of things to put on your list, just ask your family. I'll bet they'll help you make it a REALLY LONG list.Fourth, take the time to write strong, life-giving, positive affirmative statements.
# Make a commitment to read those statements out loud every day. Enjoy how great they make you feel. Know in your heart that you're making progress, even if you can't see it just yet. Just keep affirming the positive.Lastly, take the time to pray about this.
You can't change by yourself. But you can spend time with the One who can help. You do what you can, and you let God do the rest. It really IS that simple.
This process will change how you think and that's the real key to changing how you act. Remember.....your body will follow right behind your thoughts. There is no way to separate the two, so you might as well "program in" what you want instead of randomly leaving it to chance.
Just know that God's version of right attitudes don't contain anything negative. And if you want God's best for your life, it starts with right thoughts.....His thoughts to be exact.
To read my additional articles, please scroll up and click on the relevant topic on the right.
You read the books, you attend the seminars, you buy the tapes.....and things seem to go well for awhile. You feel better, your outlook is better, and you're hopeful. That is.....until something happens that sends you reeling all over again.
It doesn't even have to be a major, catastrophic event to send you back to the land of negative thinking. It can be something as simple as someone cutting you off in traffic or pushing ahead of you in the grocery checkout line. What gives those seemingly simple occurrences of every day life so much power to literally throw you into a tizzy all over again?
Negative attitudes come from negative thoughts that come from reactions to negative behavior....and around the cycle goes. And you must know that none of this negative stuff is coming from God. There is nothing negative about the way He thinks or acts.
This never ending cycle continues because the source is never addressed. You "try hard" to be positive, attempting to over-ride how you truly feel. It's work pretending to be positive when inside you know all too well that it won't take long and one of those annoying life issues is going to creep up and dump all over your positive attitude.
So how do you put a stop to all this nonsense? How do you get to a place where your positive attitude is what's natural for you and not the other way around?
I wish I could give you a magic formula that, when applied correctly, would erase your negative attitude in 3 days. Yup, can't you just see the infomercial on a product like that? For just R19.95 you can have all your dreams come true. What a bargain! People would be lining up for this one.
But alas....the real world isn't quite so simple. But the good news is that there are some things you can do to help you transition from the land of negativity to a much more positive place.
# First, focus on what you're thinking about.
Remember when I said you seem stuck because you've never addressed the source of all of this? All your negative actions are coming from your negative thoughts. Your body goes right along with whatever your mind is telling it.
It is possible to control your thoughts, regardless of what you've been led to believe. As soon as a negative thought comes into your mind, purposefully make it a point to replace it with a positive one. At first, this may take some work, because chances are, you will probably have alot more negative thoughts in your head than positive ones. But eventually, that ratio will reverse itself.
# Second, stop letting other people's negative attitudes influence yours.
# This may mean you need to stop hanging around with people who do nothing but spout negative stuff. You can't afford it when your goal is to become more positive. The negative people in your life aren't going to like it when you will no longer participate. Just remember that birds of a feather really do flock together.Third, make a list of all the areas in your life that you want to change.
# List all your negative attitudes too. If you can't really think of things to put on your list, just ask your family. I'll bet they'll help you make it a REALLY LONG list.Fourth, take the time to write strong, life-giving, positive affirmative statements.
# Make a commitment to read those statements out loud every day. Enjoy how great they make you feel. Know in your heart that you're making progress, even if you can't see it just yet. Just keep affirming the positive.Lastly, take the time to pray about this.
You can't change by yourself. But you can spend time with the One who can help. You do what you can, and you let God do the rest. It really IS that simple.
This process will change how you think and that's the real key to changing how you act. Remember.....your body will follow right behind your thoughts. There is no way to separate the two, so you might as well "program in" what you want instead of randomly leaving it to chance.
Just know that God's version of right attitudes don't contain anything negative. And if you want God's best for your life, it starts with right thoughts.....His thoughts to be exact.
To read my additional articles, please scroll up and click on the relevant topic on the right.
LET GOD HELP YOU MANAGE STRESS
Being a Christian doesn't insulate you from stress. In fact, finding ways to relieve stress is important for Christians and non-Christians alike.
Because anxiety and stress are pretty much everywhere you look these days, it gets increasingly harder to see what's causing it. Why are people so stressed? Who's putting all this pressure on you?
Amidst all the turmoil, if you're able to step back long enough to answer this question, you will most likely discover that person is you. Yup, you're creating most of your own stress because of your habits, attitudes, and choices.
So why not just change all that stuff? Everything should be great, shouldn't it? Wouldn't it be wonderful if it were just that easy? Unfortunately for those of us who live amongst all the chaos of life, making changes seems to add even more stress. Ugh.
So what are your options? Where do you start?
# Spend Time with God. As a Christian, your first line of defense should always be God's Word. Spending time with God gives you time to relax, reflect, and truly hear what God has to say about everything in your life. Slowly, little by little, God will work with you on areas in your life that need changing so you can relieve the stress.
# Cast your care. Does that mean you don't have to be concerned about what's happening in your life? Not at all. But it does mean that you TRUST GOD enough to let Him do whatever He's going to do, however He's going to do it. Much of your stress comes from your own desire to control everything and everyone. But when you finally come to the place where you are able to give up control, your stress will go down substantially.
# Resist the urge to take the problem back into your own hands. When you turn things over to God, it usually starts out pretty well. You're feeling good, you're confident that God is working and you believe everything is going to turn out just fine.
But then things don't change right away. In fact, sometimes things get worse. And instead of staying focused on letting God take care of things, you rush right back in and take the problem back. You go back to manipulating the situation or the people to try to make things turn out the way you think they should be.
It's as if you had a back-up plan all along, just in case "God doesn't come through" by the time YOU think He should. So instead of relieving stress, you just make it worse.
# Learn the art of patience. In today's hurry-up world, patience is highly under-rated. People have expectations and they want them met right now, without hestitation or excuses. And when they aren't met, they proceed to dump stress, not only on themselves, but on the people responsible for the delay. Learning patience is a particularly tough skill to master because you can't practice it until you actually need it.
There are lots of ways to relieve stress. But, as Christians, wouldn't it make alot more sense to do things God's way in the first place? Of course, that means you actually have to read the book and do what it says! What a concept.....
To read my additional articles, please scroll up and click on the relevant topic on the right.
Because anxiety and stress are pretty much everywhere you look these days, it gets increasingly harder to see what's causing it. Why are people so stressed? Who's putting all this pressure on you?
Amidst all the turmoil, if you're able to step back long enough to answer this question, you will most likely discover that person is you. Yup, you're creating most of your own stress because of your habits, attitudes, and choices.
So why not just change all that stuff? Everything should be great, shouldn't it? Wouldn't it be wonderful if it were just that easy? Unfortunately for those of us who live amongst all the chaos of life, making changes seems to add even more stress. Ugh.
So what are your options? Where do you start?
# Spend Time with God. As a Christian, your first line of defense should always be God's Word. Spending time with God gives you time to relax, reflect, and truly hear what God has to say about everything in your life. Slowly, little by little, God will work with you on areas in your life that need changing so you can relieve the stress.
# Cast your care. Does that mean you don't have to be concerned about what's happening in your life? Not at all. But it does mean that you TRUST GOD enough to let Him do whatever He's going to do, however He's going to do it. Much of your stress comes from your own desire to control everything and everyone. But when you finally come to the place where you are able to give up control, your stress will go down substantially.
# Resist the urge to take the problem back into your own hands. When you turn things over to God, it usually starts out pretty well. You're feeling good, you're confident that God is working and you believe everything is going to turn out just fine.
But then things don't change right away. In fact, sometimes things get worse. And instead of staying focused on letting God take care of things, you rush right back in and take the problem back. You go back to manipulating the situation or the people to try to make things turn out the way you think they should be.
It's as if you had a back-up plan all along, just in case "God doesn't come through" by the time YOU think He should. So instead of relieving stress, you just make it worse.
# Learn the art of patience. In today's hurry-up world, patience is highly under-rated. People have expectations and they want them met right now, without hestitation or excuses. And when they aren't met, they proceed to dump stress, not only on themselves, but on the people responsible for the delay. Learning patience is a particularly tough skill to master because you can't practice it until you actually need it.
There are lots of ways to relieve stress. But, as Christians, wouldn't it make alot more sense to do things God's way in the first place? Of course, that means you actually have to read the book and do what it says! What a concept.....
To read my additional articles, please scroll up and click on the relevant topic on the right.
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