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“Memories!”

We all have memories of something or someone.  They may be good memories or bad memories.  I am sure that every one of us have things in our growing up years that we wish were not there.

Unfortunately, we live in a sinful world and nothing ends up as perfect as we would like.  We may even have bad feelings toward our parents and their mistakes.  But one thing that I have found is once I had kids of my own those feelings about my parents’ mistakes vanished.  It is not easy being a parent.  I know there is some pretty evil stuff that happens to kids but I am not referring to those things.  I believe the worst things are not as common as the more general mistakes that take place.

I like to dwell more on the good things from my childhood.  And I hope my children will try to do the same.  There are many pleasant things that I can remember growing up.  And I am sure we all can think of things.

I spent this last weekend in an area near where I grew up.  It is in an area where there are rolling fields of grain.  There is a beauty in the rolling fields of grain.  At a certain time of year it is a beautiful green.  Then near the end of the summer the golden grain is beautiful.  As the breeze is blowing and you look across a field and you watch it and it looks like waves, it is beautiful.  Every stage is beautiful and perfect.

It brought back warm memories.  I love where I live now in the mountains with trees but there still is a beauty to the fields.

It also made me think of many things.  So many things in the Bible are connected with fields.  I think of the disciples walking by a field, taking the heads of grain and taking out the grain and eating it.

I do remember as a kid taking wheat, chewing it, and if you’re really careful you end up getting rid of all the germ and bran and you end up with what is called gluten. Once you got it to the gluten stage you could chew on it all day.  It doesn’t have much flavor but it is something to chew on.  How many of you ever did that.

The grain when it gets to the golden ripe stage also reminds me of when Jesus talks about the harvest being ready.  There is a need for the “wheat” to be harvested.  There are hearts ready to receive Jesus but there is no one there to tell them about Him.  If we are parents that is our children.  Are we too busy for them?

The wheat fields also make me think of the end of the world when Christ comes.  Jesus said the “wheat” and the “tares” would grow together until the end of time.  Then the Lord would gather the “wheat” to Himself and the “tares” would be burned.  Jesus also said that this is not our job to do because in the process of trying to get rid of the “tares” we may pull up the “wheat” also.  God is the one that will separate the “wheat” from the “tares”.

The thing that I so love about God is that He is the perfect judge.  We are so unworthy to judge others.  God knows each person’s heart and their motives.

Dear Father,

Thank You that You are such a just God.  Thank You for Jesus who came to die for us so that we have the opportunity for Salvation.  Guide us as we strive to follow You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

We are told to enter in at the straight gate.  Let’s strive for it so that we can be ready when He comes.  I just read this recently, “In the Christian live, “striving” is not our performance of God’s will, but it is our surrender to God so that He can carry out His will in us.”  This is a great statement.  Let’s surrender all to Him so He can work in us to will and do of His good pleasure.

Love you all.

Have you been around wheat fields?  If so what illustrations have you thought of?  Please share.

 

 

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“You Don’t Care!!”

Have you ever felt so depressed you just feel like you can’t go on?  Life is just too overwhelming and you can’t cope.  You no longer feel like God is really there.  The trials are way too heavy.

I am reaching back to the archives of Facebook post again to share.  You may be the one struggling right now and I pray this will be a blessing to you.

“My devotion this morning made me think back again to the time when I was in a deep depression. I had a dear friend that was such a blessing to me. She talked to me often with a listening ear and encouraging words. At the time I could not even pick up my Bible and read it because every thing I read did not seem to bless me. I could not see the love of God. My friend gave me a journal and she told me every time I read something or anything positive came to mind to write it in the journal with the date and when I felt down I could go back and read it again. I tried to come up with something but I could not. I did not throw God totally out; I kept trying to hang on. Then one day after a long period of time something so familiar became something so precious; ‘For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16. I wrote that in my journal and for the first time in several weeks I realized God really did love me. I clung to that verse because that was all that I could find, where I felt God really cared.

Then one day I ran across something else I wrote in my journal; Psalms 121:1-8. ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:  he that keepeth thee will not slumber.  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper:  the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:  he shall preserve thy soul.

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’

When I was done writing it I looked up at the first entry and it had been a year almost to the day. From that day forward I was able to see the love of God again. He carried me through that time and used a dear friend to keep encouraging me. Have I had down times since then? Yes I have but not to the depth of what it was then and I know part of the reason is that I am able to look at what God did for me in the past and it has helped me in the present. If there is anyone out there that is struggling please reach out to someone who cares. If you feel that you don’t have someone contact me.

Dear Father,

Thank You that I can keep my wants, joys, sorrows, cares, and fears before you. I am thankful that I cannot burden or weary You. You care about the number of hairs on my head so I know Your not indifferent about my wants. Thank You that You are very pitiful and of tender mercy. And that Your heart of love is touched by my sorrows and even by our utterances of them. So I know that I can take to You everything that perplexes my mind. I am so thankful that nothing is too great for You to bear, for You hold up worlds, and rule over all the affairs of the universe.

Father, I am thankful that anything that in any way concerns my peace no matter how small is noticed by You. There is no chapter in my experience too dark for You to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for You to unravel. Thank You Father that the relationship between You and I is as distinct and full as though there was not another soul upon the earth to share Your watch care and not another soul for whom You gave Your beloved Son.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

This prayer is for each one of us. I love you all.”

Have you felt this way at anytime in your life?  How did you handle it?  What gave you courage?

Are you going through this right now and you need someone to talk to?  Feel free to contact me.  revittalizen.your.health@gmail.com

 

 

 

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“The Path Is Too Narrow!”

How many of you are afraid of heights?  I sure am.  You know the feeling.  Your hiking a long a path and it keeps getting narrower and narrower.  And then you round the corner and it goes almost straight down on your left and straight up on your right.  At that point I am ready to turn around.  You feel like your going to topple down the cliff.

When I am in a situation like that I have found the solution.  It really is not an easy one in one sense but it is really easy.  Don’t look down.  The best place to keep your eyes is straight ahead.  Don’t look down at your feet, up the hill or down the hill just look straight ahead.  You have to be definitely keeping your eyes focused straight ahead and not allowing your eyes to wonder.  Can you imagine walking a narrow path in the semi darkness?  As you look you can see a light at the end of your destination and you know that if you keep your eyes on that light and just keep moving forward you will make it.  You might be fearful and shaky but you keep moving because you know that there is an end in sight.

I am sure you have seen pictures of horses with guards on their eyes so that all they can see is straight ahead.  We have to stay focused that it is like we have guards on our eyes.  If we don’t stay focused are chances of stumbling and falling are very high.

This makes me think of our Christian walk.  The path is narrow that leads to heaven.  Broad the way that leads to destruction and many find it.  But the way is narrow that leads to life and few find it. See Matthew 7:13, 14.

Jesus is the light and we need to keep our eyes focused on the light.  We need those blinders on like the horses so that we can’t see anything but Jesus.  As we come closer to the light (Jesus) the beam of light gets smaller and brighter.  We will see more and more things that we need to eliminate in our lives.

We cannot turn to the right or to the left or we will not make it.  If we turn to the right it will be an uphill battle because we have taken our eyes off Jesus, the One Who can help us.  When we think we can do it on our own we will end up struggling.

On the other hand if we turn to the left we will fall down the cliff because we have taken our eyes off Jesus and chosen the things of this world.  We may stumble along the path as we journey but as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus we will not fall down the cliff.

The narrower the path becomes the more we have to hold onto the Faith that we have in Jesus.  Each difficulty He brings us through will allow our faith to be strengthened.  It reminds me of an author’s depiction.  Imagine as you walk on this narrow path something like ropes hanging down out of heaven for you to hold onto.  Those ropes would represent faith.  As you go along the path as it narrows more and more the ropes become larger.   You faith is strengthened as you see the Lord work in your life.  As we continue our walk with Jesus our faith will grow.

Dear Father,

I am on this path of life.  I struggle with keeping my focus on You.  I need Your help and guidance.  I am so grateful to You that You are there for me and I do not have to travel this path alone.  Keep prompting me.  I ask You to put guards on my eyes so that I can only see You.  Thank You for loving me so much.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.

Stay on the path to life.  Don’t give up; Jesus is there to help you.  Reach out to Him today.

Love you all.

What has been the #1 help to you on your journey to Life?

 

 

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“Does He Really Care?”

Have you ever felt like no one cares?  You may share something with someone expecting them to say something but they just sit and look at you or they start giving you advice rather than really caring for your heart?

It is true we cannot be like God but we can allow the Lord to direct our paths and we can be a blessing to others.

We have struggle financially for a while and have not just struggled but have been in crisis.  I was looking back on a story I shared on Facebook that I would like to share with you.  God uses people to bless us each day and I think sometimes we over look the blessings that He provides.

“The Lord is so good! My son needed some supplies for school and I don’t really have the money for it but it needed to be done. I called two different stores and they both had it but the one store I forgot to ask the price, but that was the store I seemed drawn to go to. We were in line and the line was getting longer so another cashier stepped in and said, “I will help who’s next.” It was us, so we went over. She checked the price for me and it was sixteen something. I was debating if I should buy it. She said, “we will do a price match.” I didn’t know any cheaper place cause the other store I checked was the same. She said “I know they sell this for ten dollars at ________so I will give it to you for $9.95.” Thank You Lord. He is always watching out for us if we just trust Him.

Dear Lord,

Help us to trust in You with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding but in all our ways acknowledge You, so that You can direct our paths.

And help us to stay our minds on Thee and to trust in Thee and thank You as we do that we can have perfect peace. Thank You that as we trust in You we can have everlasting strength.

In Jesus Name, Amen”

Trust fully in Him today and He will work all things for your good.

Love you all!”

One thing that I have found to be a blessing to me is to write down the answers to prayer that come.  Or to write down answers to prayer that happen before I even ask.  I find that I am very forgetful.  I think writing them down and then looking back over them now and then is a great idea.  God cares even about the small things.

Do you have a story you can share about how God has answered a prayer for you?  I would love to hear your stories.  The stories that you share will inspire all of us.

 

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“Happy Fourth!”

 

What comes to your mind when you think of the 4th of July?  It seems that a lot of us think of time together with family and friends, having that picnic meal, and then comes the most exciting thing of all, fireworks.

 

I think a lot of us don’t really give it much thought as to what this day is really all about.  We just get into all the festivities of the day and forget the real reason for this celebration.

 

Thinking back to the time when celebrating the fourth was that day that brought about independence, this country became independent from all others.  There were many people who died to bring about independence and freedom.  

 

I want to give a big “Thank You” to all who have served and fought for the freedoms of the USA.  Some may think we don’t have freedom.  We may not have as many freedoms as we once did but we are still blessed with many freedoms.

 

To me the most important freedom that we have is the freedom to worship according to our conscience.  Each one of us has that freedom and we should allow others to have the same freedom.  

 

We need to enjoy the freedoms that we have.  We may be losing some of the freedoms this country once had.  There are many concerned about losing their freedoms.  But we need to be thankful for what freedoms we do have.  We need to quit focusing on the freedoms that we fear of losing and start focusing on the freedom that matters most.

 

There is freedom that we should be more concerned about losing.  We have been given the opportunity to receive the best freedom that can ever come to us.  It is the freedom from sin.  It is the freedom to choose to allow the Lord to transform our lives so that we will be ready when He comes.  The best freedom will be when we get to heaven.  We will be free from the great enemy, the devil.

 

We can always have freedom in our heart no matter what the circumstances if we are in full submission to God and His Word.  Let’s live the freedom that God has given us so that others will be attracted to what we have then we can share the truth of God with them.

 

Dear Father,

 

Thank You for the freedom that we can have in You.  Lead us and guide us in the months ahead, drawing us ever closer to You, so that we will be ready when You come.

 

In Jesus Name,

 

Amen.

 

I want to thank all of you who have served this great country.  You have given much to protect us all and I want to show my gratitude.  

 

Love you all.

 

Do you have a family member that has served this country?  Share their story here.  I would love to hear it and I am sure many others would as well.  You are welcome to change the names for privacy.

 

I love patriotic songs and this is one I recently heard, Listen and enjoy.

 

 

 

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“Push, Push, Push, Keep Going!”

 

How many of you have started an exercise program knowing you really need it?  You know it needs to be something that really gets your whole body in shape.  

 

I just recently started a 90-day challenge to get into shape.  I am really finding out what muscles I haven’t been strengthening.  The older we get the more necessary this becomes.  The muscles are a part of what holds our body together and when we are not keeping them in shape things can start falling apart.  As we work those muscles it is a painful experience but as we keep going the benefits are immeasurable. 

 

I have found this very challenging because of the damage that I have received from having Lyme disease but I am determined to keep going despite the difficulties.  

 

When it comes to exercising all our muscles it takes making a decision.  Do I really want a healthy body?  Do I want to have more energy and stamina?  

 

My boys love to hike.  I’m not talking about a nice leisurely walk.  I am talking about, “Let’s climb this mountain”.  Because of my health condition it has been more difficult.  But I have determination to become more fit.  I do it with them now with difficulty.  But I want to get to the point that I can do it with them and keep up with them.

 

As I am strengthening my muscles and stamina I am accomplishing a desire in my heart to be more fit and to spend time with the people I love doing what they love to do.

 

This made me think about other muscles that I want to strengthen.  I want to strengthen my spiritual muscles.  If we don’t strengthen them they will get weaker and weaker.  And as we get older if we have not strengthened our spiritual muscles our lives will fall apart just like our bodies do without physical exercise.

 

Due to the fact that we all have the sin disease it makes it more difficult to strengthen our spiritual muscles.  It takes determination.  And believe me it will be painful.  But what we have to think about is what are we accomplishing and why are we doing this.

 

Just like I want to strengthen my physical body so that I can have the ability to feel younger and do the things that my young people do, there is good reasons to strengthen the spiritual muscles.  

 

Our goal is heaven, the most glorious place.  The place where we can be reunited with those that have fought the good fight, finished the course, and have kept the faith.  And the most glorious of all is to meet the One Who has done great things for us.  The One who has made it possible to be in Heaven, Jesus.  I am looking forward to that day.

 

Dear Father,

 

Thank You for Your love.  Give us strength as we continue to draw closer to You.  As we continue to strengthen our spiritual muscles, we need You.  We cannot do this alone.  Draw near to us.

 

In Jesus Name,

 

Amen

 

Make sure to strengthen your spiritual muscles each day with spending time with God in the study of His Word and prayer.

 

Love you all.

 

What is your favorite part of the Bible to read?  What other books have you read that have been a spiritual blessing to you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Are You Going To Help Me??!!”

Have you ever felt like you really needed help but no matter how desperate you were no one would step forward and help you?  The One you know that can really help you seems to be silent about the whole matter.  You’re praying and praying but it seems your prayers are not going anywhere.  Then, if your like me the “why” question starts to occur.

It is funny how that is.  You know how children are; they are constantly asking the question “why”.  I remember how annoyed I would get at times with the whys.  I tried not to show it to my children but nonetheless I still would get to the point where I was struggling with always answering those questions.  I have discovered I am just like a child with God.  He knows way better than any earthly parent and I still ask why.

I was so grateful to the Lord when He provided a job that I so desperately needed.  They hired me on a temporary bases.  They liked my work.  They told me that they would call me in every time they had extra work and needed help.  I told the Lord I would take this job and rely on Him to provide the work I needed.  It was busy for a while and then things dried up.

At first when I was out of work for just a few days it was no big deal, I trusted the Lord.  But as a few days went into more days I was frustrated.  Then came the question why.

If we could only know the end from the beginning as God does.  But the reality is human nature is never satisfied.  All God wants from us is our whole heart.  He wants us to put full trust in Him that He is working out all things for our good.  He wants to create in us, patience. We live in a society that says give me what I want and give it to me now.  I don’t think we consciously think about it but we want God to be like a fast food restaurant.  I want to ask for my order and drive to the window and get the answer and it better be what I ordered not what God thinks I should have.

As I was struggling with the “why” I started thinking of things I wanted to do.  But if they called me in to work I would not be able to do them.  So at that point I even had the feeling that maybe I didn’t want to even keep praying for work to come in.  At that point I just let go of it and thought if I am supposed to do some of these things that I want to do no work will come but if not work will come.  I finally let go.

A couple of days later I went in to pick up my check and my boss offered me a part-time position.  Wow!  From coming in when needed to actually being hired to work part-time.  I realized the Lord knew what He was doing all along.  He gave me the time I needed to get familiar with the line of work, in coming in when needed, to prepare me for the part-time work.

I shake my head at myself.  Why do I keep doing this?  How many times does the Lord need to keep sending me through these things before I get it?

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your patience and for Your willingness to not give up on me.  Forgive me for my lack of faith in what You are trying to accomplish in my life.  Thank You for Your unfailing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Keep trusting Jesus with your life and if you do fail to trust, don’t give up and keep going.

Do you have an experience that you can share about trusting God?  Please share I would love to hear your experiences.

 

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“I’m Too Late!!”

Have you ever had something you really wanted to do or a place you really wanted to go and you were too late?  This may have been when you were a kid.  Maybe your parents told you to be home by a certain time but because you were having so much fun with your friends you didn’t make it back in time.  And when you got back they were gone and you had missed out on what you were so looking forward to.  Or maybe there was something you wanted really bad and you were hoping your parents would get it for you.  But then you decided to disobey the boundaries your parents had set for you.  When the time came for you to get what you were hoping for your parents would not get it because you had disobeyed the boundaries that they had set for you.

I was reading the other day about when Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law.  Everywhere Jesus went as soon as people knew He was there they would bring their sick to Him for healing.  I can imagine their anxiousness.

Just imagine what it would have been like.  You’re preparing to take your loved one, that has been ill for many years, in hopes that He would still be there when you arrived.  Or you may have been the one that needed healing and you wanted to be able to make it there.  You would slowly go hoping above hope, that even though you were slow in your weakness, you would make it there in time.  Can you imagine what it would have been like if you didn’t make it?  You arrived and He had already left.  The sadness and the realization that comes over you is major devastation.  You have lost your chance for healing or healing of your loved one.

As I was thinking about what it would have been like it made me think about life today.  How about our lives today?  We have a short time to meet Jesus for healing.  How anxious are we? There is a short time.  The only difference between now and then is Jesus was there in person and we could have come to Him physically.  Now we need to come to Him in prayer.  We need to be asking Him to come into our lives and clean us up.  Because soon He will be returning and we want to be ready for His return.  Spiritual healing is more important than a physical healing.  In the time that Jesus was on earth if they did not make it for healing physically they still could be ready spiritually.  But today, If we have not had spiritual healing, we will not be ready when He comes, and then it will be too late forever.  The feeling that will come to us if we are not ready when Jesus comes will be devastating, the most devastating thing that can ever come to us.

So what can we do to be sure that we are ready?

  • Surrender every area of your life to Him. Think of yourself as being a house.  Give every single room of your house to God.
  1. Surrender the Library. What kinds of things do you have in the library of your mind?
  2. Surrender the Dining room. What kinds of things are you feeding upon?
  3. Surrender the Living Room. Are you spending time in fellowship with Jesus in study and prayer?
  4. Surrender the Workroom. What kinds of things do you spend your time working on?
  5. Surrender the Rec Room. What kinds of things do you do in your spare time?
  6. Surrender the Bedroom. How are your relationships?  Is everything in your life morally where it should be?
  7. Surrender the Hall Closet. What are the things that are in the secrets of the closet that you don’t want anyone to see?
  8. Transferring the Title. This is the real key.

I have given you just a brief overview.  I recommend that you go to the link “My Heart-Christ’s Home” By Robert Boyd Munger PDF.  I have read this just recently and I am very impressed with it.  It is simple but profound.  If you want to read in a booklet form you can go here for it.

Dear Father,

I pray for each one of us.  Send Your Spirit to convict our hearts.  Thank You for Your love and the help that You give us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Him today.

Love you all.

What has helped you in the surrendering process?  Please share your ideas here.

 

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“Is There A Mouse In Your Heart?”

I don’t know about you but it seems the mice have been terrible this year.  A mamma had babies in our van somewhere and they fell out on the ground in two different locations.  My son had one inside his car running all over including the glove box.  And they keep coming in the house.  I don’t like it at all.

My cousin is also experiencing this in her home as well and here is what she shared.

“Have you ever had a mouse in your house?  We usually don’t have too much trouble with mice.  Occasionally one would get into the house and we’d set our traps and catch it.  This last week, we’ve had more trouble with mice than ever.”  

“This situation reminded me of a devotional we read recently.  It quoted a verse from Song of Solomon about little foxes and was saying how important little things are.  A lot of little things can lead to big things.  Even one little thing can lead to big things.  One “little” sin can cause a lot of damage.”

“We caught two mice live in traps.  The trap only caught them by the leg, so my husband had to take them out and destroy them.  At first, he was reluctant.  Mice can be cute, and it is hard to take the life of a creature; but mice bring disease and destruction.  So with sin.  It can appear “cute” and harmless to begin with, but it too brings disease and destruction.  If we are reluctant to deal with it, it can get out of hand.”

“We trapped about 8 mice last week.  We have never had mice this bad before.  Now, I am in the process of going through all the boxes of things stored in the loft to see if there is a nest some place so I can get rid of it and clean things up.  In this clean-up process, I am having to let go of some things that got ruined by the mice.  Some of it is hard to let go of.  Some I am hoping to clean up and salvage.  The Lord is teaching me that I need to let go of earthly treasures and place my heart and mind on heavenly treasures.  “Set your heart on things above, not on things of the world.”  Colossians 3:2 (my paraphrase)”

“As I am going through this process, I wonder, Is there any sin that has “nested” in my heart?  Has sin destroyed something valuable in my life?  It’s time to clean up and let go.  It is time to allow God to cleanse me and repair the damage.  “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”  Psalm 51:10”  -Lori

Dear Father,

Search me and show me where the “mice” are hidden in my heart.  I want to surrender my whole life to You.  And with Your help clean out the bad things that are nesting in my heart.  Thank You for Your love and helping me.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Him today.  And remember, you do not have to do this alone, God will help you.

Love you all.

I want to thank Lori for sharing.  It was a great inspiration. Do you have an experience you have had that you can draw a spiritual application to?  Whether it is to do with physical, emotional, financial, or spiritual health, write it down and submit it to me and I may include it in my next blog.

Submit your writings to, revittalizen.your.health@gmail.com.

 

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“I’m What?!!”

Have you ever had someone give you a compliment about yourself?  It really doesn’t matter what the compliment may be.  But do you have the tendency to think to yourself,  “If the person only really knew me and how much of a struggle it is to do that.  I am really a failure.”

There are really two types of people, those who are narcissistic and when complimented they just gloat over it and they are constantly saying how great they are.  Or there are those that are constantly putting themselves down for their mistakes and can’t see beyond who they are, they are negative about almost everything.

Neither one of these types of people are in a good place.  A narcissist is so selfish he can’t see beyond the end of his nose.  God is not pleased with this kind of behavior.  The good news is that He is willing to forgive and help us be an unselfish person.

On the other hand the person who is always being negative about everything is also in a bad place.  God has given you talents that He wants you to increase and to use in blessing others.  He created you.  He made you with what is necessary to become what He wants you to be.  And when we put down ourselves we are saying to God that we don’t like the way He made us.

When we talk negative we become what we talk and think.  And we can cause others to become what we say.  I think of those we are closest to, like our spouse and children, if we talk worthless words that is what they will become.

My daughter has to do some school through the summer because she was not as diligent as she should have been.  I was getting her started the other day and before I even started to explain stuff she started saying,  “I can’t do it.”  Negative!  I told her that she needed to change her mindset.  She needed to be saying what she wanted the outcome of her thoughts to be, “I am able to do this work.”

Here are some things that I would encourage you to think about and put into practice.

  1. Rephrase your negative words to positive words. Every time negative thoughts or words come to your mind rephrase them into a positive sentence.  And then think or say them.  For example when your child seems to always try to take charge of everything instead of saying negatively, “Quit, you are always trying to take charge of everything, now just go.”  Say, “You have the qualities of a becoming a great leader.”  And then of course with a Christ like spirit you can direct your child.
  2. Be grateful. When we start our day with a negative attitude everything goes wrong.  Start the day with writing down things to be grateful for.  It might be hard to find things within your family but I would work on this.  When we see everything through negativity it is hard to break.
  3. It is okay to have good things about yourself. Some of us can tend to think it is wrong to have good things about ourselves.  And definitely this can become a pride issue.  That is why we always need to recognize Who has given us these abilities.  When we talk negative about ourselves we are putting down our creator.
  4. Say what you want to become not what you think you are. A lot of us as Christians stumble in our walk with the Lord and we then make negative comments like, “I will never make it.”  What I would encourage you to do in any situation is say what you want to become.  “I am forgiven.”  “I am an overcomer.”  “I am Christ like.”  And this can be in every area of your life.  What ever you want to become speak it as if you are what you’re wanting to become, as you work toward becoming what ever it is.  For me I have started to write.  I am not considered a writing but as I work toward becoming better at it I can still say, “I am a writer.”  Or “I am a blogger.”

Believe me this is an area that I struggle in.  So you are not alone.

Dear Father,

You have made each of us unique.  You have given every one of us abilities way beyond what we develop.  Help us to be more positive with our thoughts and words.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Start today to speak and think positive thoughts.  And remember, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13

Love you all.

What do you do to help keep your thoughts and words in a more positive line?