The Power of Your Actions

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend the following afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye.
I handed him his glasses and said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.
He looked at me and said, "Hey, thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. It turned out he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before coming to this school.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Damn boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!". He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class.

I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.

Graduation day arrived - I saw Kyle and he looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him!

Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach... but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I stared at my friend in disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."

Promise yourself

Promise yourself to be strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind

To talk health,happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet

To make all your friends feel there is something in them

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true

To think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only for the best

To be as enthusiastic about the success of the others as you are about your own

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on the greater achievements of the future

To wear a cheerful countenance at all the times and give every living person you meet a smile

To spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others

To be too big for worry and too noble for anger, and too strong for fear

and too happy to permit the presence of trouble

Christian D. Larsen

10 signs that say he is serious about you!

1) He seeks your opinion in everything from minor decisions to major ones
It could be something as simple as buying a tie to match his shirt. Or major ones like what car he should buy. It shows that he values your opinions and thinks that you have great judgement and insight as well.

2) He wants you to meet his family, friends and everybody else
He is serious in making you part of his social circle and does not see you as just another casual date when he wants you to meet his family.

3) He spends a lot of time together with you
If he is not genuinely interested in you, would he spend time with you rather than go for his favourite soccer match with his buddies

4) He does not show signs that he is terrified when you mention something happening in a year or two
It shows that he is serious about the relationship he has with you. He can see himself being with you even two years later.

5) He calls you many times a day, but does not admit he misses you
When he calls you, he may find an excuse to do so, like asking you what you are doing currently, finding out what you have eaten for dinner, but never saying the words “I miss hearing your voice, that’s why I called”.

6) He remembers your favourite food and brings it to you by surprise
You probably casually mentioned that you love the brownie from that café only once, but he remembered and brought it to you without you asking for it. If he is not serious about you, would he have remembered what you say to such detail?

7) He lets you choose the restaurants you want to go and the movies you want to watch
Even if he does not like spicy stuff, but you love curry to bits, he will accompany you and even treat you to a meal at a nice Indian restaurant. How sweet can it get? If he does not treat you seriously, why would he bother to cater to you?

8) He can’t wait to tell you what happened in the day
Every night he updates you with how he spent his day, without you asking first. He finds it a joy sharing these intimate details with you. When he hears a new joke, he can’t wait to call you immediately and make you laugh.

9) He is willing to share details of his finances with you
The topic of finances can be quite sensitive and is usually not something that is openly shared, even with friends. If he is willing to tell you, he probably treats you more than a casual friend!

10) He rushes to your side upon hearing that you are sick
Even if it is really late at night and he has an important meeting the next morning, he is willing to come and bring you to the doctor. Only a guy who is serious about you will be that worried!

Well, if you find all these signs all too familiar, it is most likely true that he is serious about you and your relationship. Although he may not have said the three magic words to you yet and have not officially asked you to be his gal, you can be quite assured that he really cares about you. If you like him as well, you can be sure that it will be reciprocated. Just don’t take too long to admit how you both feel about each other!

Prayer Steps: From Condemnation to Confidence

By Rick Warren

“Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins” (Romans 3:23-24 TLB).

For the past few days, we’ve been studying the biblical path from condemnation to godly confidence, and I consider this so important to our ability to make healing choices, that I want to lead you in a prayer today.

You've been under self condemnation, maybe because of some unresolved guilt, maybe because of some unrealistic expectations, maybe both. The Bible says, “All of us have sinned and we all fall short of God's ideal; yet, now God declares us not guilty if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness, freely takes away our sins.”

Would you like to have that burden removed? Would you pray, “Jesus Christ, I want to ask you to forgive me for all the things I've ever done wrong." If something specific comes to mind right now, just agree, saying, “Yes, and that . . . and that . . . ” As those pictures go across your mind, say, “Lord, I ask forgiveness for that and I accept your forgiveness because of Jesus Christ.”

Pray, “Jesus, help me to forgive myself and to look straight ahead with honest confidence and not to hang my head in shame. When my past failures come to mind, instead of me coming back and begging you to forgive me again, help me to remember that I’ve already been forgiven. I just need to forgive myself. Every time that memory comes back, instead of me being guilty, Lord, I will be grateful. Let that memory remind me, instead, that you are a God of forgiveness and grace, and that I am forgiven. When that memory comes to my mind, let it cause me to praise you and say, ‘What a great God you are! You've forgiven me. I'm a trophy of your grace.’”

Then would you pray, “Lord, help me to relax in your grace, to realize that you don't expect perfection. You know what I'm made up, that there is no condemnation in Christ, that you'll never love me any more and never love me any less because of what I do.”

“Father, I want to walk in your grace. I want to take off the yoke of guilt and put on the yoke of grace today. Lord, help me to eliminate the negative self-talk in my life. I know now that when I put myself down, I am really questioning You—because you made me the way that I am, the way I look, with the talents and abilities I have and the ones that I don't have. You made me just to be me.”

“Help me to focus my mind on the positive things and to read my Bible every day and memorize it and meditate on it. And as I read it, remind me again and again how much you love me. God, help me to quit trying to please everybody. I know it's an impossible task and it only causes anxiety in my life. Instead, let me focus only on doing your will and knowing if it's your plan and purpose for my life. Help me to obey what you've told me to do; it doesn't matter what others think. I relax in your grace.”

“Thank You, Father, that through your grace we can get off the rat race of unresolved guilt and unrealistic expectations—those things that push us to do more. Instead, may we relax and do the things that really count. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.”

The Stone Cutter

There was once a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.

One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house. Through the open gateway, he saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stone cutter. He became very envious and wished that he could be like the merchant.

To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. Soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a high official!"

Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around. It was a hot summer day, so the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the sun!"

Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a cloud!"

Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared and hated by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it - a huge, towering rock. "How powerful that rock is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a rock!"

Then he became the rock, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the hard surface, and felt himself being changed. "What could be more powerful than I, the rock?" he thought.

He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stone cutter.

Focus Only on Doing God's Will

By Rick Warren

“Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light” (Matthew 11:27-30 TEV)

Expectations are a yoke. Some of you are carrying a yoke—a heavy burden—of the expectations that were put on you by your parents, or your husband, or your wife, or your children. Some of you are burdened down with a yoke put on you by your boss or by your teacher.

But most of us carry a yoke of burden that we've put on ourselves because of unresolved guilt and unrealistic expectations. We're trying to prove that we matter.

We take on a heavy yoke that God never intended in order to prove that we’re important when God says we’re already important: He created us to be with him and to fulfill a unique mission in life. That makes us important, not all the things we do (or don’t do).

God’s yoke is that we follow his purpose for our lives, and when we do that, things work out a whole lot better. When we go our own way in life, we hit one brick wall after another. In a sense, God says, “Put on my purpose, my plan for your life.”

How heavy is God's yoke? Jesus says, “The yoke I will give you is light and easy.” You say, “But my Christian life isn't easy. My Christian life is heavy; it’s like a duty that I have to fulfill.”

Then it may be you are out of God's will. You may be doing something that God never intended for you to do. I can’t say it any plainer than this: It may be some of the things you think God is asking you to do, He's not asking you to do. Your conscious and your perfectionism are asking you to do them.

Jesus did not come to give you a burden but a blessing.

Am I saying the Christian life has no problems? No, not at all! We all will have a lot of problems. The Christian life is full of difficulties. The point is this: to live in the center of God's will is a lighter load than to live out of God's will. To live in God's purpose and plan for your life is a lighter, more relaxing, more enjoyable load than for you to live your own life any old way you choose.

If you say, “My Christian life is a burden right now,” then there are some things in your life that you're doing that God never intended for you to do. One of the things you need to do is get quiet before God and ask, “What do I need to cut out of my life?” I need to focus on the things that really count—my relationship to God, my relationship to my family, my relationship to other Christians, my relationship to the world. That's what counts.

Jesus says, “Come to me all of you who are tired from carrying your heavy loads and I will give you rest.” The answer to your stress is not a bunch of principles. The answer to your stress is a relationship to a person: Jesus Christ. “Come to Me. I will give you deep, abiding, gut level rest.” It's a personal invitation.

Are you living under condemnation? If you are, Jesus says, “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest.” In a sense, this is what Jesus is saying: “Why don't we do this . . . why don't we take that heavy yoke of guilt that you're carrying, take it off and put it down over here. Instead, let me put on you my light yoke of grace. Get rid of the guilt and let's replace it with grace. You see how much better this fits; how much more comfortable it is?"

Take off this yoke of perfectionism, where you're always trying to prove yourself and toss it over to be burned. Put on the yoke of God’s plan for your life; his purpose.

When you do that, your confidence will soar.

God Favors You Because He Loves You

1 John 4:19
19We love Him because He first loved us.

Have you ever found yourself receiving such exceeding favor that you wonder why? My friend, it is because God is lavishing His grace — unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor — on you. And He does it because He loves you.

I love reading the Old Testament story of Ruth, a young Moabite widow, because it speaks of God’s amazing grace. The moment Ruth depended on God’s grace or favor, she had full access to His blessings. Of all the fields in Bethlehem, His grace led her to the field that belonged to Boaz, who was not only a wealthy bachelor, but also a relative of her father-in-law. (Ruth 2:3) Boaz was therefore her potential kinsman-redeemer — someone who could redeem her from her plight as a poor and childless widow.

Boaz favored Ruth from the moment he laid eyes on her. Ruth was not even a Jew, yet he cared for her safety by telling her not to glean in another field and to stay close to his young women. He even commanded the young men working for him not to touch her and to allow her to drink the water which they had drawn.

During mealtimes, he sat her beside the reapers although she was just a lowly gleaner who picked up what they had missed or dropped. On top of that, he gave her parched grain, making sure that she ate and was satisfied, and that she had leftovers to bring back to her mother-in-law. (Ruth 2:1–18)

Ruth simply believed that she would find favor in the field and God placed her at the right place at the right time, so that He could open a big door of blessings to her.

Do you know that Boaz is a beautiful picture of our Lord Jesus? The Bible says that “He first loved us”. Jesus saw you and loved you first, long before you knew Him or loved Him. And He favors whom He loves.
Beloved, there is no need to fight or strive to qualify for God’s favor and blessings. His favor is all over you because He first loved you. Just trust in His love for you and you will see His favor bringing an abundance of blessings into your life!

Eliminate Negative Self-Talk

By Rick Warren

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23 GN).

Long before psychology came around, God said your thoughts determine your feelings and your feelings determine your actions. If you want to change your life, you've got to control the way you think.

Our minds are really an amazing creation. It would take a computer the size of a small city just to carry out the basic functions of your brain. Your brain contains over one hundred billion nerve cells. Each individual cell is connected with ten thousand other neurons.

In addition, you’re constantly talking to yourself—all the time. Your mind is talking to you! You're talking to yourself right now. Research indicates that most people speak at a rate of 150 to 200 words per minute, but the mind can listen to about 500-600 words a minute. That's why you can listen to me and plan today's dinner at the same time.

In fact, our internal dialogue—the conversation we have with ourselves—is at a rate of 1,300 words per minute. How? Because our mind sees in pictures, and you can see a thought in a nano-second!

The problem is a lot of us are like Job, who says, “Everything I say seems to condemn me” (Job 9:20 GN). He's saying, in effect, “Everything I say puts me down.” If you are typical to the human race, you are your own worst critic.

We’re always putting ourselves down. We walk into a room smiling, but inside we're thinking, “I’m fat. I’m dumb. I’m ugly. And I'm always late!”

God wants us to stop putting ourselves down. When you put yourself down, who are you really putting down? When you say, “I’m fat. I’m dumb. I'm ugly. I'm no good. I have no talent,” you’re really pointing to the Creator who made you. When you say, “God, I'm worthless. I'm no good. I can't do anything,” you're saying, “God, you blew it with me.” That's why God says it's wrong to put yourself down.

How do you eliminate negative self-talk so you can become a more confident person?

The Bible teaches the principle of replacement: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right . . . Think about all you can thank God for and be glad about" (Philippians 4:8 TLB).

In other words, don’t think about all those weaknesses in your life. Focus on who God wants you want to be and on what God wants to do in your life. I don't know any better antidote to low self-esteem (or to facing your hurts, habits, and hang-ups) than to read God's word every day: study it, memorize it, meditate on it, and apply it in your life.

There isn’t a better thing you can do to raise your confidence level than to start believing what God says about you. As I read through the Bible, chapter by chapter, I find a verse that speaks to me. I write it down on a card, memorize it, and then I start affirming it back to God. “Father, thank you that I am valuable; I am significant; I am forgivable; I am capable." Let God renew your mind because “your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23 GN).

Live Relaxed in God's Grace

By Rick Warren

“As a father is kind to his children, so the Lord is kind to those who honor him. He knows what we are made of; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14 GN).

God understands you completely. He's fully aware of your humanity. He knows what makes you tick. He knows your faults, your fears, your failures, and your frustrations. He doesn't expect you to be Superman or Superwoman.

If you’re a parent, do you love your children at every stage of their development or are you waiting until they're mature to love them?

The point is, God loves you at every stage of your development so you don't have to have unresolved guilt and unrealistic expectations. Listen:

• There is nothing you will ever do that will make God love you more than He does right now.
• There is nothing that you will ever do that will make God love you less than He does right now.

God’s love is unconditional. It's not based on what you do or don't do.

I like to think of it like this—I have three kids. All of them had to learn to walk and all three of them went through the same process: They'd take a step; they'd stumble. They’d get up, take two steps; they’d stumble. They’d get up and fall back down without taking a step. They’d get up; they’d fall backwards. They’d get up and take a couple steps and fall again.

As their father, what was my reaction? Did I scold them? ‘What are you doing stumbling? You're a Warren. Warrens don't stumble! We have dignity. We don't stumble. Get up. You can do better than that.’ Of course not! How silly! But a lot of us think that's how God treats us. We think that every time we stumble, God says, “Get up! What are you doing, you dummy?”

The Bible teaches us that, “There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 TEV). What does that mean? Let's say I take a card and write every single thing I've ever done wrong on it (and, you know, it wouldn't all fit on a single card). I write down all my sins, all my faults, all my mistakes, all the skeletons in my closet, all the shameful acts and thoughts and memories and temptations. And then I put the card in a book and close it. You can’t see the card anymore. You can only see the book. That’s the way God sees us when Jesus is in our lives. He no longer sees our sin; he sees Jesus at work in our lives.

When I come to Christ and say, “God, here’s my life. Everything I’ve ever done wrong, every time I've ever made a mistake. All those stupid things I've done. I want to put my life in Jesus Christ.” Jesus wraps me with His love, and God looks at Jesus and sees that Jesus is perfect. He doesn't see my sin. That's what it means to relax in God's grace.

Sunrise.........

Sunrise beautiful, sunrise bright,
Oh! What a beautiful, glorious sight.
In the morning when I arise,
I see the colourful sunrise.

Sunrise beautiful, sunrise bright.
I could dream of it every night.
I look to the East to see what God made,
What colours before me He has laid.

Sunrise beautiful, sunrise bright,
Thank God for this morning light.
I gaze up in awe,
At what I just saw.

Sunrise beautiful, sunrise bright,
Created by God with power and might.
Each sunrise is one of a kind,
It’s always on my mind.

Sunrise beautiful, sunrise bright,
Rising above the starry night.
Lighting up the sky,
As the day draws nigh.

by Tess Calderbank

Confident in God’s Forgiveness

By Rick Warren

“Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame” (Proverbs 4:25 TEV).

You don't need to walk around carrying a load of guilt. The Apostle Paul says, “Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins” (Romans 3:23-24 TLB).

God wants to forgive you. Imagine a giant blackboard with all of your sins written across it and God comes along with a giant eraser and erases it all. It's like an etch-a-sketch. You turn it upside down and shake it, turn it back up and the slate is clean. That's good news, isn't it?

But we need to accept God's forgiveness. We may know about God's forgiveness intellectually, but to believe it, deep down inside, accepting, in faith, that it is true. Because it is!

And one thing that often blocks us from accepting forgiveness from God is that we are unable to forgive ourselves. You need to forgive yourself for your past failures and sins, for the habits and hang-ups that led you to sin. Forgive yourself!

God wants you to forgive yourself. He teaches us to “Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame” (Proverbs 4:25 TEV).

Have you ever committed a sin and asked God to forgive you, and even though you know He's forgiven you, you still feel lousy? What do you do in that situation? Do you go back and ask Him to forgive you again? Confess it again, over and over?

No. You only have to confess a sin one time and it's forgiven. But you may have to forgive yourself a hundred times and say it over and over until it sinks in: "God's forgiven me. It's over.”

Our problem is, we want to keep reminding God of things He's already forgotten. It's forgiven and forgotten. You've already dealt with it. Someone once asked Eleanor Roosevelt, "How did you accomplish so much with your life?" She said, "I never waste time with regrets."

Don’t waste time with your regrets: accept God's forgiveness and forgive yourself.

Jesus Cleanses and Calls

By Jon Walker

“ ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips . . . and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal . . . which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:5–8 NIV)

One of the most effective tools the enemy will use to keep you from serving God is convincing you that you’ve either messed up too much to serve God or that you must clean up your life before you can get God’s attention. When these thoughts pop into your head, sniff the air for the scent of sulfur, because they are lies straight from the fires of hell!

God’s intention when he convicts us of our sins is not to condemn us; rather his breath of life disperses that satanic smoke the father of lies uses to keep us on the run from God.

If you follow the sequence of Isaiah 6, you’ll see how God initiates the process that brings you into his holy presence and purifies you to remain in his presence, and that your new guilt-free, sin-atoned status will compel you and prepare you for the unique mission God sets before you.

Yet God’s intention when he convicts us of our sins is not to condemn us; rather his breath of life disperses the “fog of war”—that satanic smoke the father of lies uses to keep us on the run from God.

Isaiah reports that God’s fire is a cleansing fire that burns your guilt away and purifies you from sin, sealing within you the work of Jesus Christ. The prophet also suggests God’s ultimate purpose for cleansing us is to prepare us for mission: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8 NIV).

Prior to God taking the initiative to cleanse Isaiah, the prophet felt overwhelmed and unprepared for any mission on God’s behalf.

After the cleansing, Isaiah is energized with a desire to serve God.

Replace Condemnation with Confidence

By Rick Warren

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 John 3:21 NIV).

You’ve probably noticed that your confidence ebbs and flows. It varies greatly from day to day: one day you're up and one day you're down. What causes that?

In part, it’s about what is going on inside of you. The Bible teaches, “If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 John 3:21 NIV). When we face life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups, it’s important that we walk out of self-condemnation and into the faithful confidence that God forgives us.

What causes self-condemnation?

Unresolved guilt: King David wrote, “There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration” (Psalms 32:3 TLB).

This reminds me of a sign I saw the other day: A clean engine produces more power. That's true in humans, too. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man who wrote Sherlock Holmes, once pulled a prank on twelve prominent Englishmen. He sent them an anonymous note that said, "All is found out. Flee at once." Within twenty-four hours, eight of those men had left the country! Guilt destroys your confidence.

Unrealistic expectations: Also known as perfectionism—the feeling that I must be flawless, that I must be perfect, that I must please everybody, that I always have to do more, that I’m not allowed to relax.

If you're a perfectionist, your favorite phrase is, “I should . . . I must . . . I ought . . . I have to.” You’re always doing more.

If you're an average person, you have three things on your daily ‘To Do’ list. You get one of them done, you leave one of them unfinished, and the third one you just forget about. You go home and put your feet up at night and feel good about yourself.

If you're a perfectionist, you have 29 things on your daily ‘To Do’ list. You finish 28 of them and you go home and feel like a failure! The Bible says, “Even perfection has its limits, but [God’s] commands have no limit” (Psalms 119:96 NLT).

Both guilt and perfectionism cause a lack of confidence in our lives. Tomorrow we’ll look at how we can replace condemnation with confidence.

You Can Be Confident About the Future

By Rick Warren

“And I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalms 23:1-6 NLT).

How long is forever going to last? Forever! Some day your body is going to die, but you aren't! Your body is going to end, but that's not going to be the end of you. You're going to live forever in one of two places - heaven or hell. They’re both real places. You will spend eternity in heaven or hell. Your body is going to die, but you're not going to die. We were made to last forever.

Why should Christians be the most confident people about the future?

“Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. . . . We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6,8 NIV).

Death, for Christians, is a transfer, a promotion. It's on to better things; no more problems. You're not ready to live until you're ready to die. You don't know how to live until you're ready to die. Only a fool would go all through life, totally unprepared for something that everybody knows is inevitable.

You're going to die—someday. If you’ve accepted Christ, then you’re going to go to heaven. You’ll be released from pain, from sorrow, from suffering, from depression, from fear: “He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone” (Revelation 21:4, MSG).

Bringing Pleasure to God

By Rick Warren

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

When I first fell in love with my wife, I thought of her constantly: while eating breakfast, driving to school, attending class, waiting in line at the market, pumping gas—I could not stop thinking about this woman! I often talked to myself about her and thought about all the things I loved about her. I felt close to Kay even though we lived several hundred miles apart and attended different colleges!

Just like my love for Kay transformed everything I did, love for God can transform every activity of our daily lives.

Martin Luther once said, “A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God.” Does that strike you as a strange thing to say? How can an “un-sacred” chore like milking a cow be an act of worshiping God?

Worship is far more than church services with singing, praying, and listening to a sermon. Worship is anything you do that brings pleasure to God. The Bible says, “The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love.” (Psalm 147:11 CEV)

In the Bible, people praised God at work, at home, in battle, in jail, and even in bed! Anything you do can be an act of worship when you do it for the praise, glory, and pleasure of God.

How is that possible? By doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus and by carrying on a continual conversation with him while you do it! The Bible says, The Bible says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV). And then: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

The Message paraphrases it: “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” (Romans 12:1).

God Has Prepared a Place for You in Heaven

By Rick Warren

“And I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalms 23:6 NLT).

When King David says, “And I will live in the house of the Lord forever,” he’s saying that God has prepared a place for him in Heaven.

That's one of the most important connections we see in the Bible. It connects yesterday with today and then connects them both with tomorrow.

God says, “I’ve got this great life planned for you, and surely goodness and mercy will follow you through it, but that's not the end! I've got something else at the end!” God builds it to a crescendo.

So David ends his Psalm by saying, “We're going to heaven!” Jesus saves the best until last. With God it just keeps getting better and better. The best is yet to come—“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV).

God’s Unfailing Love Follows Us

By Rick Warren

“Surely your . . . unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life” (Psalms 23:6 NLT).

Like goodness, God’s unfailing love follows us in life.

Kind David says it pursues us! Picture a parent following a little child around picking up after them. When we’re struggling with hurts, habits, and hang-ups, God is coming right along side us, helping to pick up our messes and telling us that his unfailing love is always there.

This means, rather than entering into the future with a question mark, you can do it with an exclamation point! God will be with you no matter what happens. He will help you out: “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalms 23:6 NLT).

• God's goodness will provide and protect.

• God's mercy (unfailing love) will pardon and forgive.

• God's goodness will supply.

• God's mercy will sooth.

• God's goodness will help.

• God's mercy and will heal.

Goodness is the fact that God gives us good things in life that we don't deserve. Mercy means God holds back the condemnation we deserve.

Give Your Faith a Target

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen;
it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1, NLT)


So many people today are depressed and discouraged because they only focus on their present circumstances. They’re constantly dwelling on their problems, what they don’t have, and what’s wrong with them. They don’t realize it, but they’re allowing the enemy to steal their hope. This negative frame of mind is what keeps people from moving forward in life.

Understand today that faith is confidence and assurance about the things we hope for according to the promises of God. Like an arrow, your faith points to the target of hope. If you don’t have hope, that arrow of faith will just drop to the ground. It won’t accomplish anything. But, when you keep your hopes up, when you keep expecting and keep believing, it’s as if that target gets larger and larger—easier to hit!

Choose today to live with an attitude of expectancy. Get your hopes up! Start by taking captive any negative thoughts you may have one at a time. As you focus on God’s goodness and faithfulness, you’ll feel that hope inside you growing. You’ll give your faith a target, and you’ll move confidently into the blessings and peace the Lord has in store for you!

PRAYER
Father in heaven, today I surrender every thought to You. I choose to release my cares and concerns so I can focus on Your goodness in my life. Thank You for the gift of faith to see the impossible become possible as I continue to place my hope and confidence in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God Is Walking with You

By Rick Warren

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psalms 23:4 NLT).

What are the things you’re worried about? The economy? Your health? Your bills? Your kids? Are you worried about the future? The fact is there are lots of reasons to be afraid in today’s world, but God’s promise is that, even in your darkest valleys, he is walking beside you.

It’s interesting to note that there are 365 verses in the Bible that say, “Fear not.” God provided us with one ‘fear not’ message for every day of the year! Don’t you think God is saying, “Get the message. Don't be afraid.” It's interesting that almost every time God talks to someone in the Bible, the first thing He says is, "Don't be afraid!"

Why? Because our hurts and hang-ups can often cause us to think that God is out to get us, that all he wants to do is condemn us and punish us. But that simply isn’t true and Jesus is the proof of that.

When we understand God's grace and mercy, then we have no need to fear the future. God isn't trying to get even with you. Jesus has taken the penalty for everything you've ever done wrong or will do wrong. He paid for it on the cross. So when a bad thing happens, you don't have to think, “God's getting even with me.” Instead, remember, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psalms 23:4 NLT).

Allowing God to Change Your Mind

By Rick Warren

Imagine riding in a speedboat on a lake with an automatic pilot set to go east. If you decide to reverse and head west, you have two possible ways to change the boat’s direction.

One way is to grab the steering wheel and physically force it to head in the opposite direction from where the autopilot is programmed to go. By sheer willpower you could overcome the autopilot, but you would feel constant resistance. Your arms would eventually tire of the stress, you’d let go of the steering wheel, and the boat would instantly head back east, the way it was internally programmed.

This is what happens when you try to change you life with willpower: You say, “I’ll force myself to eat less . . . exercise more . . . quit being disorganized and late.”

Yes, willpower can produce short-term change, but it creates constant internal stress because you haven’t dealt with the root cause. The change doesn’t feel natural, so eventually you give up and quickly revert to your old patterns.

There is a better and easier way: Change your autopilot—the way you think. The Bible says, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2 NLT).

The New Testament calls this mental shift repentance, which in Greek literally means “to change your mind.” You repent whenever you change the way you think by adopting how God thinks—about yourself, sin, God, other people, life, your future, and everything else. You take on Christ’s outlook and perspective.

Doing God's Job

by Jewell Gentry

What's this world coming to
We hear somebody say
Those words are getting famous
We hear them everyday

But if you'll just take a moment
To look around, you'll see
It's not the world that's changing
It's folks like you and me

There's people in the white house
That wants to change this land
But ONLY if it fits their needs
And not their fellowman

But of all the things through this world
That saddens me most to hear
Is all the big new clinics
That's spread both far and near

Where they can take a little life
Before it's ever born
No looking back,no second thought
No one to ever mourn

Another precious life is gone
It never had the chance
To look upon its mother's face
She had no backward glance

So many churches of today
Their doors flung open wide
But look around and you will see
That GOD is left outside

Some have gotten so corrupt
That Angels fear to trod
And it's all because we think that we
Can do the job for God

The moral of this story
Has a meaning sad but true
And we're all guilty of these things
Including ME and YOU

It's people that messed up this world
And it started way back when
We thought that we was smart enough
To do God's job for Him

Stop for a Moment

With human minds we emotionally bind ourselves to things we cannot see.
Hopelessly setting a course that will deprive us of the strings of peace that were given to you and me.

We often pass up rainbows, a spring shower, a sunset, or even just a smile.
Yet in the name of prosperity and growth we'll go the extra mile.

God gave us the ability to experience the delicate sides of this earth.
But often we don't allow ourselves to fully appreciate what it's worth.

Have you ever whistled with a songbird, been touched by a breeze, or smelt the seasons in the air?
Or did you just consider them daily problems and not ever really care?

Have you ever had a falling leaf placed gently at your feet?
Carried by a loving wind just for you to meet.

Did you let it say good morning friend, or kick it to the side?
Thinking that you're late for work or you'll never catch your ride.

During a crowded traffic jam have you ever looked up high?
To see how God directs the clouds as they go flying through the sky.

What was your thought today as you tumbled out of bed?
"Thank you Lord for this day" or "Man do I feel dead".

You see it's up to us to find these things as we're traveling down life's road.
Because God sends these gifts to cross our paths and relieve or heavy load.

- David Waddell

The Rich Family In Church

I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12, and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money. By 1946 my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. Amonth before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially.When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. Then we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill.Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us baby sat for everyone we could. For 15 cents we could buy enough cotton loops to make three potholders to sell for $1. We made $20 on potholders. That month was the best of our lives.Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so we figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be about 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering. The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change. We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before.

That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering.We could hardly wait to get to church! On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet. But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes and felt rich.

When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us kids put in a $20. As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had asurprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes! Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then cameback with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills.Mom put the money back in the envelope.

We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our Mom and Dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silver ware and see whether we got the spoon or the fork that night. We had two knives that we passed around to whom ever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor.

That Easter day I found out we were.The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed. I didn't even want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor! I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the topof my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor. I decided that I could quit school since I had finishedthe eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time.We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know. We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to.

Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way. Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches inAfrica made buildings out of sun dried bricks, but they needed money tobuy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said,"Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?"We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week. Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it toDarlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering.When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was alittle over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church."Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that "little over $100." We were the rich family in the church! Hadn't the missionary just said so? From that day on I've never been poor again. I've always remembered how rich I am because I have Jesus!

Jewels from Heaven

I took a walk down a woodland trail,
without really expecting anything new.
A rustling in the leaves made me pause,
and wonder what was hidden from view.
I kneeled down and spotted a tiny, white flower,
so perfectly formed to bloom for just an hour.
Thank you, Lord, for showing it to me alone,
such a secret I would never have known.

God sends jewels from heaven,
when I stop long enough to see.
Rare and precious treasures,
to show how much He loves me.

Once, I ran to the edge of some trees,
with a heavy burden in my heart.
The scent of a warm, summer rain,
wafted by on a gentle breeze.
A brilliant, red cardinal came to call,
and sang a cheerful song just for me;
and to think, I could have missed it all.

God send jewels from heaven,
when I stop long enough to see.
Rare and precious treasures,
to show how much He loves me.

I stepped outside late one night,
for just a moment of peace and quiet.
The wind softly whispered to me.
The black, velvet sky held a crescent moon,
and a million silver stars gave their light.
I threw up my hands and praised you, Lord,
for this glimpse of beauty I might have ignored.

God send jewels from heaven,
when I stop long enough to see.
Rare and precious treasures,
to show how much He loves me.

by Gina Hatchell
inspirationalarchive.com

My prayer for you today

My prayer for you today:

The eyes beholding this message shall not behold evil, the hands that will send this message to others shall not labor in vain, the mouth saying Amen to this prayer shall laugh forever.. Remain in God's love as you send this prayer to everybody on your list. Have a lovely journey of life! Trust in the Lord with all your heart and He will never fail you because He is AWESOME!

If you truly need a blessing, continue reading this :

Heavenly Father, most Gracious, and Loving God, I pray to you that you abundantly bless my family and me. I know that you recognize, that a family is more than just a mother, father, sister, brother, husband and wife, but all who believe and trust in You. Father, I send up a prayer request for blessings for not only the person who sent this to me, but for me and all that I have forwarded this message on to. And that the power of joined prayer by those who believe and trust in You is more powerful than anything. I thank You in advance for Your blessings.

Father God, deliver the person reading this right now from debt and debt's burdens. Release Your Godly wisdom that I may be a good steward over all that You have given me Father, for I know how wonderful and mighty You are and how if we just obey You and walk in Your Word and have the faith of a mustard seed that You will pour out blessings. I thank You now Lord for the recent blessings I have received and for the blessings yet to come because I know You are not done with me yet.

In Jesus' name, I pray.. Amen.

The Father's Eyes

This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to.

But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game, but remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roste because he always puts his heart and soul into every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.

This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in the game.It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big play off game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon."Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said."You can go in."

Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown.

The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you've never heard! Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"

He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"

The Little Girl Who Dared to Wish

As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from her classroom, she collided with a tall boy from the fifth grade running in the opposite direction. "Watch it, Squirt," the boy yelled, as he dodged around the little third grader. Then, with a smirk on his face, the boy took hold of his right leg and mimicked the way Amy limped when she walked.

Amy closed her eyes for a moment.

Ignore him, she told herself as she headed for her classroom. But at the end of the day, Amy was still thinking about the tall boy's mean teasing. It wasn't as if he were the only one. It seemed that ever since Amy started the third grade, someone teased her every single day. Kids teased her about her speech or her limping. Amy was tired of it. Sometimes, even in a classroom full of other students, the teasing made her feel all alone.

Back home at the dinner table that evening Amy was quiet. Her mother knew that things were not going well at school. That's why Patti Hagadorn was happy to have some exciting news to share with her daughter.

"There's a Christmas Wish Contest on the radio station," Amy's mom announced. "Write a letter to Santa and you might win a prize. I think someone at this table with blond curly hair should enter."
Amy giggled. The contest sounded like fun. She started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas.

A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to her. Out came pencil and paper and Amy went to work on her letter. "Dear Santa Claus," she began.

While Amy worked away at her best printing, the rest of the family tried to guess what she might ask from Santa. Amy's sister, Jamie, and Amy's mom both thought a 3-foot Barbie Doll would top Amy's wish list. Amy's dad guessed a picture book. But Amy wasn't ready to reveal her secret Christmas wish just then. Here is Amy's letter to Santa, just as she wrote it that night:

Dear Santa Claus,
My name is Amy. I am 9 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.
Love, Amy

At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest. The workers had fun reading about all the different presents that boys and girls from across the city wanted for Christmas.

When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station, manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He knew cerebral palsy was a muscle disorder that might confuse the schoolmates of Amy who didn't understand her disability. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third grader and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.

The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of The News Sentinel. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable, Christmas gift-- just one day without teasing.

Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support. Amy and her family read every single one. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each other. She realized that no amount or form of teasing could ever make her feel lonely again.

Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high. Lynn, a sixth grader from Texas, sent this message:
"I would like to be your friend," she wrote, "and if you want to visit me, we could have fun. No one would make fun of us, cause, if they do, we will not even hear them."

Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne Elementary School. Additionally, everyone at school got an added bonus. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.

That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson.
"Everyone," said the mayor, "wants and deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and warmth."

by Alan D. Shultz from Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul Copyright 1998 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen and Irene Dunlap

Realize the Cost of Your Anger

By Rick Warren

“People with a hot temper do foolish things; wiser people remain calm” (Proverbs 14:17 TEV).

The Bible says there is always a price tag to uncontrolled anger. Can you relate to any of these verses?

• “Hot tempers cause arguments, but patience brings peace” (Proverbs 15:18 TEV).
• “People with quick tempers cause a lot of quarreling and trouble” (Proverbs 29:22 TEV).
• “People with a hot temper do foolish things; wiser people remain calm” (Proverbs 14:17 TEV).

The Bible says, “The fool who provokes his family to anger and resentment will finally have nothing worthwhile left. He shall be the servant of a wiser man.” (Proverbs 11:29 TLB)

Whenever I lose my temper, I lose. You don't make it to the top if you're continually blowing your top. The word ‘danger’ is the word ‘anger’ with the letter‘d’ in front. And anger is dangerous. You could lose everything: your reputation, your spouse, your job, your health.

A few years ago, I read about medical research on the human heart that revealed, if you reduce the hostility in your life, you can prolong your life. Mom and Dad, listen: we may get a short-term pay-off by motivating our kids through anger—they will comply out of fear—but in the long run, we’ll lose because anger always alienates. It turns people off rather than turning them on. And, instead of getting what you want, it causes people to become apathetic to your needs and angry at you.

One way to manage your anger is to come to grips with how much it is costing you.

Resolve to Manage Your Anger

By Rick Warren

“Love . . . is not easily angered” (1 Corinthians 13:5 NIV).

The Bible says, “Love is not easily angered.” It doesn't say love never gets angry at all. In fact, sometimes the loving thing to do is to get angry. Jesus became angry in the Temple when he saw his Father’s house being run like a marketplace.

At the same time, we can love someone and still get angry at that person. Sometimes the anger may be ‘righteous’ and sometimes it may be ‘selfish,’ but the people we love the most are the ones most likely to make us angry.

My point is this: God placed the capacity to get angry into your biological makeup. Being angry is not a sin; it can become a sin if we allow it to push us into destructive behavior, but the emotion itself is not a sin. The Bible says even God gets angry.

You can't avoid anger, but you can learn how to control it. You can resolve to manage it, so it becomes an asset, rather than a liability. This means you quit making excuses and justifying your anger: “That's just me. I just blow up. I can't control it.”

Anger can be controlled. Have you ever been in a fight with someone and things are getting pretty loud, but then the telephone rings? Notice how quickly you can manage your anger! You've got a lot more control over your anger than you think you do. Resolve to manage it, then confess, “I can control my anger with God's help."

Turn Your Cares Into Prayers

Philippians 4:6
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

My friend, God doesn’t want you to be fearful, fretful or anxious. Instead, He wants you to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”.

So when you have a care or worry, straightaway, turn that care or worry into prayer. That is supplication. And when you are troubled by a care or worry that you don’t know how to pray for, pray in the Spirit or tongues. And in the midst of that prayer, thank God that He is already your healing, provision, prosperity, good success and victory. That, my friend, is thanksgiving.

“Pastor Prince, if I am worried about something, how long should I pray?”

Keep on praying. Pray in the Spirit until the worry lifts or dissipates, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 4:7)

This was what one of our church members did when he found himself anxiously trying to access some important data in his USB flash drive. After a whole day at it with no results, he finally stopped himself from being anxious and instead, turned his worry into prayer, asking the Lord to settle it for him. As he prayed in tongues, he was also thankfully repeating in his heart that having the Holy Spirit — the Helper — with him was to his advantage. (John 16:7)

Later that evening, using his wife’s computer, he succeeded in accessing the data in his flash drive after a few attempts. He quickly backed up the data. It was only when subsequent attempts to use the flash drive on his wife’s computer failed did it suddenly dawn on him that God had “resurrected” his flash drive that one time, just for him to recover his data!

Beloved, I believe that we would all worry a lot less and enjoy our lives a lot more if only we realized this truth: Our Abba Father is so strong that there is nothing He cannot do, and He is so loving that there is nothing He will not do for us!
GBU

Start with the Faith You Have

By Rick Warren

“[The boy’s father said,] ‘If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!’ Jesus said, ‘If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.’ No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, ‘Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!’” (Mark 9:22–24 MSG).

Is it possible to be filled with faith and doubt at the same time? Yes!

You can have faith that God wants you to do something and still be scared to death. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is going ahead and doing what you’re called to do in spite of your fear.

You have to begin with the faith you already have; it may be just a little, but you start there. A beautiful example of this is the story of the man who brought his sick son to Jesus in Mark 9. Jesus looked at the man and said, “I can heal your son. If you will believe, I will heal him.”

The father then makes a classic statement: “Lord, I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.”

Have you ever felt like that? “Lord, I have some faith. But I also have some doubts.” This man was filled with faith and doubt, yet despite his honest doubts, he went ahead and asked Jesus for a miracle. And he got his miracle—Jesus healed his son.

Mustard seed faith moves mountains. No matter how weak or how frail you think your faith is, it’s enough to get you through what you’re facing because your “little faith” is in a BIG GOD.

Matthew 17:20 says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed . . . Nothing will be impossible for you.” That’s not a lot of faith; in fact, it’s just a little faith. But what else does that verse teach? “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move,’ and it will move” (NIV).

Mustard seed faith moves mountains. Don’t get this reversed; we tend to read this verse backward; we want it to say, “If you have faith like a mountain, you can move a mustard seed”—as if it takes enormous faith to do a very little task.

Everybody has faith. You had faith this morning when you ate your cereal—faith that your spouse didn’t put poison in your granola!

You had faith when you sat down in your computer chair—faith that it wouldn’t collapse.

Everybody has faith; the difference is what you put your faith in.

Sometimes people will tell me they don’t want to surrender to Jesus until all their questions are answered; they don’t want to make a commitment until everything is understood.

God wants you start with the faith you have, and based on the example of the mustard seed, you don’t need a whole lot of faith to do great things for God. You just need a little.

So here’s a trustworthy equation: Little Faith + Big God = Huge Results!

• You take your little faith; “Lord, I believe! Help me with my unbelief!”

• And you place your faith in our big God.

And then he’ll show you how he works out huge results.