Choose Gratitude

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Choose Gratitude

Sometimes the holidays can be a difficult time for people. It can feel like something to “get through” rather than something to enjoy. At times there are triggers that can keep us from loving and appreciating the holidays as much as we could. It’s in times like these that we have to make a choice to be grateful and find joy. We need to choose gratitude. I recently heard that gratitude and negative thoughts cannot function simultaneously.

I’ve written previously, that gratitude can affect our hearts and our perspectives. I’ve learned that obsessing and focusing on the negative will make me bitter. It can also cause a spiritual blockage which can in turn be offensive to others and to God.

However, when I can shift my mind from the negative things and intentionally focus on and choose gratitude, a positive internal shift happens. Looking back with gratitude and thankfulness can lighten the load and help things seem a little brighter and less dark. Additionally, choosing to see God’s provision can alleviate some frustration and discontent.

Gratitude affects our mental health & well-being

It should come as no surprise that gratitude is a crucial component of mental health and well-being.

Numerous studies have concluded that gratitude showed significant protection against and lowered levels of depression and anxiety.[1][2][3] One 2015 study indicated that “Gratitude is a protective factor against psychopathology not only due to its association with improved relationships with others, but also because it is connected to a less critical, less punishing, and more compassionate relationship with the self.”[4]

If we find ourselves dealing with difficult and negative thoughts and emotions, it’s a great time to shift our focus. It’s time to choose gratitude.

Gratitude and negative thoughts can’t coexist

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Prayers for Israel

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Prayers for Israel

As we watch the events taking place in Israel, we should be reminded to pray. We are called to pray for the physical and spiritual peace of Jerusalem (and all of Israel). It’s a time to pray for the peace of Israel, protection of people, wisdom for the leaders, help and comfort during trouble, deliverance from enemies, and a spiritual awakening. I would like to give you a list of prayers for Israel that you start and continue to pray, in addition to other resources for praying for Israel.

God’s chosen?

We often hear of Israel being called “God’s chosen”. So why did God choose them? The answer is so that they would be the channel of blessings for all families & nations on the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). God chose one nation for the benefit of many. Israel serves as a picture of God’s sovereign plan to redeem the entire earth. Israel’s role consists of restoring all the nations to God. Israel was meant to reveal God to the nations (Isaiah 42:6). Jesus fulfilled this role and brought salvation to the entire earth (Isaiah 49:6). God’s plan was to show love to the entire world through this chosen family (the family of Abraham) and this chosen nation. We can also “live out of our identity as God’s chosen people—those whose special purpose has always been to extend God’s inclusive love to many.”[1]

“I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations.” Isaiah 42:6 (NLT)

“He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”” Isaiah 49:6 (NLT)

We received the Messiah, Jesus, through the Jewish people. Those who accept God’s son, Jesus, as Messiah and Lord have been grafted into Abraham’s family and are also now God’s chosen people (Romans 11:17).

“But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.” Romans 11:17 (NLT)

Israel will continue to remain the beloved chosen people because God’s gifts and calling for Israel are irrevocable and His covenants remain forever (Romans 11:28-29).

“Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.” Romans 11:28-29 (NLT)

We are called to pray for the physical and spiritual peace of Jerusalem and all of Israel.

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Prayers for Israel

Below are some prayers for Israel along with accompanying relevant scriptures. Please feel free to pray these individually as you feel led or collectively as a whole. Continue reading →

Scriptures to help when you feel attacked or persecuted …

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Scriptures to help when you feel attacked or persecuted …

Scriptures to help when you feel attacked or persecuted…

Previously, I shared how to respond when people offend you.  I discussed incidents of feeling a tad bit persecuted, and how I’ve decided to react when it happens.  On many occasions, I’ve had to fight the urge to fight back!  Even though we know the right way to respond (or NOT respond), it’s still hard sometimes to deal with the attacks.  In light of that, in this post I’ve put together a list of scriptures that can be helpful and encouraging when you feel you are being attacked or persecuted.  It’s helpful to know that we’re not alone and that God has given us some encouragement and direction on this topic.

Persecution is common for Christians

Persecution is a term we can relate to being treated differently in a negative context.  To persecute is to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment; to harass persistently; or to annoy or trouble persistently.  The Bible is chock-full of stories where Christians were persecuted.  In the Old Testament, Noah was criticized and thought of as crazy for building an ark, the Hebrews were oppressed and made slaves in Egypt before their exodus with Moses, Joseph was harassed by his brothers, and there are countless other stories in the Old Testament.  Throughout much of the New Testament, Christians everywhere were persecuted, even (and especially) Jesus Christ, Himself.

Present-day Christians encounter persecution of all kinds…even death.  It’s both humbling and easier to bear being picked on, attacked, insulted, and persecuted when we know that across the world there are others suffering much, much worse.   

There are times when we will share in some of Christ’s sufferings.

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Why do you think Christians are persecuted—what’s the cause?

It’s often hard not to ask the question “why me?” when we are being treated differently, being persecuted, or just being left out, but the Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that trials (persecution included) are common to man—meaning that they happen to us all.  1 Peter 4:12-29 also tells us not to be surprised when trials come against us as if it’s strange, like it shouldn’t be happening.  There are times when we will share in some of Christ’s sufferings.  However, Romans 8:18 reminds us that even though we might experience suffering in the present, it will not even compare to the glory that will be revealed to us later.  If we are ever persecuted for being a Christian or living right, God will make it right someday—He’s got our backs.  God is our avenger.  We just have to remember that things aren’t always peachy just because we are Christians.

The devil considers us a threat!

As I briefly mentioned in a previous post, we might even consider it a compliment that the devil thinks of us as enough of a threat that he has to mess with us!  That must mean we’re doing something right!  The devil comes against us (or uses other people or circumstances to come against us) because we look like God (Genesis 5:1 says man is made in God’s own image).  The devil can’t get to God so he comes after us.  A good thing to remember is this—that if you’re not pleasing God, you’re pleasing the devil; and if you’re pleasing the devil, you’re not pleasing God.  We should seek to please God by being the people He calls us to be—by being different from the world.  It is better to be a God-pleaser than a people-pleaser, world-pleaser, or devil-pleaser!!

A very sweet reader sent me an encouraging e-mail once saying, “Praise God for people like you who stand up to Satan’s “temper tantrum”.”  I loved that!  I hope these verses will be an encouragement to you too to stand up to Satan’s temper tantrums!

Christians, stand up to Satan’s temper tantrums!

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Scriptures to help when you feel attacked or persecuted…

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Weeds in Your Thought Life

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Weeds in Your Thought Life

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (KJV)

Taking thoughts captive is like pulling weeds out of a garden. Our mind is the garden and the bad thoughts would be equivalent to the weeds. Sometimes things grow in our garden that we didn’t plant—weeds, volunteer plants, etc. Some are in direct competition with the good plants there. If they are not removed, they can crowd out, suffocate, leach nutrients, and eventually destroy the garden and become stronger which will then be much more difficult to remove and can cause much more damage.

Much the same, we have thoughts that enter our mind that we didn’t put there. If those thoughts are not removed, they can take over and crowd out positive thinking and eventually destroy a positive mindset and can wreak havoc in our lives and relationships. The negative thoughts, like weeds, will grow stronger and spread and form a stronghold in our mind which is much more difficult to remove and much more damaging than just a passing negative thought. 

Taking thoughts captive is like pulling weeds out of a garden. #negativethoughtsarelikeweeds

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Weeds can damage an entire garden, wrong thoughts can damage our soul

In my gardens and flowerbeds, if I allow the weeds to stay, they soak up all of the nutrients, they grow larger and spread out, and they strangle the good plants. This may eventually kill the good plants. If not pulled, the weeds can multiply and take over the garden. I have to get them and keep them under control, and it’s MUCH easier when they’re small—both in size and in number. It’s much more difficult and a lot more work to clean weeds out if I’ve waited until they’ve taken over. It can still be done—it’s just more exhausting and it takes more effort than if I had done it sooner.

Thoughts are much like these weeds. Some thoughts get planted in our minds that aren’t supposed to be there. They’re not supposed to be there because they are in direct conflict with God’s Word. These thoughts may be thoughts of temptation, lust, insecurity, fear, worry, malice, doubt, pride, negative self-talk of any kind, and so on. If these thoughts are not removed, regardless of how small or seemingly insignificant, they could multiply and grow stronger and crowd out the good and godly thoughts in our minds. If these negative thoughts grow in size and in number, they could cause damage—emotionally, mentally, and relationally.

Thoughts lead to action

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Start the Day with Surrender: A Prayer to Surrender

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Start the Day with Surrender: A Prayer to Surrender

Surrendering to God is an excellent way to start the day. Surrender is the opposite of self-effort. To surrender we have to stop resisting and submit to an authority other than ourselves. We can surrender to God’s authority because we can know and trust in God‘s character. The act of surrendering to God shows that we have confidence and hope that God has a greater purpose and plan in mind for us than what we could imagine for ourselves.

Previously, I shared some scriptures with examples of ways of surrendering to God. Today, I’d like to use those scriptures as a basis for a prayer to start the day with surrender.

Keeping Christ as Lord by trusting in and surrendering to him

As Christians, if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it’s important to remember the “Lord” part of our confession. As true followers of Christ, we must learn the act of submitting and surrendering to his lordship. This is difficult for a lot of us because we like to be in control and follow our own agenda. Even the word “surrender” brings up mental images of a white flag signaling giving up or losing. No one wants to feel like a loser. To surrender control can sometimes feel risky because we may fear that things won’t go the way we want them to.

However, it’s important for us to remember that with Jesus as our Lord, we can trust that he (and God the Father) has our very best interest in mind. They are the epitome of love. Even in the midst of pain and difficulty, God’s will, plan, and purposes for our lives will always be good and not to harm us (see John 10:10 and Jeremiah 29:11). Therefore, we can rest assured that when we say as Jesus did “Lord, not my will but your will be done,” the will of God that follows is completely out of love for us, for our good, and will lead us closer to Christ and his plan for our lives.

I love what Pastor Tony Evans says it in the book Divine Disruption: Holding on to Faith When Life Breaks Your Heart…

“You cannot surrender to someone you do not trust. Trust, enables surrender. You have to know and believe in the character of God, and his love and commitment for your best, trusting that he knows what he is doing, that he sees a far bigger picture than you can imagine.”[1]

Furthermore, Chrystal Evans Hurst, in the same book says that when we surrender we can actually make better progress in our lives…

“There are times you can’t make progress without trust…Progress, requires surrender. It involves one person allowing another to lead and show the way. Surrender invites humility and admits ‘I do not know.’ …Surrendering is admitting that God’s plan is better.”[2]

As true followers of Christ, we must learn the act of submitting and surrendering to his lordship.

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Surrender to a power source

I heard somebody once compare surrendering to God in the morning to plugging a device into a power source for the day. We don’t have to run on battery or on our own supply. We have a present, never-ending source. Through that source not only are we receiving power, but by surrendering to God we become a channel through which God’s power and love can flow out as well. When we surrender to God, he will help us and give us the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

John 15:1-17 describes a picture of branches staying attached to a vine wherein the sap in the vine gets dispersed giving nutrients and power to the branches, and the branches are then able to produce fruit. When we surrender control of our lives to God and abide in Christ, his life-giving and restorative power will be dispersed to us. We surrender (i.e. don’t cut ourselves off by trying to do things our own way) and stay connected to God in order to bear fruit in our lives.

Additionally, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is our helper (John 14:26). Again, we don’t need to rely on self-effort and our own power supply. We have the power of God available to us through the help of the Holy Spirit empowering us.

Modeh Ani—Jewish waking prayer

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Funny Friday: I know it’s hard…

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Funny Friday: I know it’s hard…

Sometimes I just want someone to hug me and say, “I know it’s hard. You’re going to be okay. Here’s some chocolate and seven million dollars.”

“Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:18 (NIV)