Avoid Negativity

Avoid people who are negative.

If you want a simpler and happier life, choose your friends with care. Avoid whinners and complainers. Sometimes this goes for family too. Spend your time with friends and family that encourage you. Invest your time with people who maintain a good attitude and have a positive outlook on life.

Sometimes you have to let go of friends and family who bring you down. They may not be bad people, just bad for you.

Just because you are a believer, doesn't mean you have to accept abuse. Scripture says, "Look, I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves." (Matthew 10:16) I am confident God means we should know how our enemy operates and be alert to his attacks (like verbal abuse). Then stand your ground and speak up. The trick is to remain as calm and as gentle as a dove even if the enemy starts screaming in your face. Keep standing your ground without fear and steadfast in faith that God keeps His promises. Only speak what comes from Him and don't let the enemy win the floor. Make him flee. Scripture says, "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

Look for the good (and God) in every situation...

Whose Attention Are You Seeking?

Are we too busy lifting ourselves up to pay attention to God? Pride is ugly. Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5

God reminds me everyday that it's not me that does the work, it's Him.

The thing is, we can spend so much time worrying about what others think about us, that we have no energy left for what God thinks.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, we MUST remember whose we are on order to behave like we believe. What we should be concerned about is whether or not our actions and attitude are glorifying Him. Am I taking the credit for the work He has done in my life? We need to keep Christ and our reflection of Him at the center of our lives at every moment. The more we do that, the more instinctual it becomes. And instead of being prideful we become humble in His sight.

When we try to exalted ourselves above others, we set ourselves up to be dumped on.

God will use whatever it takes to get our eyes on Him and off ourselves.

Joseph dreamed of having authority and being a great man. However, he was young and impetuous. Joseph's brothers hated him and sold him into slavery. God used the situation as an opportunity to test and train Joseph. He spent thirteen years in prison for something he didn't do, but whatever happened to Joseph during those years definitely equipped him for his God-ordained role in history.

The Lord has to humble us before He can use us.

We have to trade in our self-confidence for God-confidence.

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James4:10)

My personal challenge is to look at my life not the way a perfect stranger would, but the way a Perfect Savior would.

Three Truths for the Sake of Your Thanksgiving

But proud people don't say thanks. And so I have laid before you three very humbling truths for the sake of your thankfulness.

1. The first truth: nature teaches us that an infinitely marvelous, eternally powerful Being created us and all we have. Therefore we are his creatures. He owns us. Our life, our breath, and everything we have is a gift. Our duty is simply to be thankful to him from our heart and to cherish his glory.
2. The second humbling truth is that all of us have fallen short of this duty. We have not consistently prized the diamond of God's glory with an affection anywhere near its value but have exchanged it again and again for the cracked marbles that in our great "wisdom" we have determined are more valuable.
3. The third humbling truth is that God, in his great mercy, sent his Son to suffer the judgment of people who are broken and contrite in spirit and who trust in him.

Proud people don't say thanks. But people who believe these three truths do, from the bottom of their heart. The truth that we are utterly dependent creatures. The truth that we are depraved sinners. And the truth that we are redeemed and utterly forgiven through contrite faith. If these three truths penetrate to your heart this day, they will empty your heart of pride and fill it with thankfulness to God.