I just wanted to be able to save these and reference them in the future so I am going to deposit these little nuggets here. You may read them if you like... but they are really for me :)
#1 Be Compassionate!!
You've probably heard the saying that "you may be the only Jesus someone ever sees." There may be a desperate person who is in need of something as small as a smile or a little money, and you might be the best or the only example of Jesus' love to them! With this in mind, look for ways today to live with true compassion and a caring attitude toward others. That's how you can plant seeds of God in someone. You may not be around to see the seeds grow into a large and beautiful plant, but you could make a life-changing impact where you are!
#2 Experience Satisfaction !!
You can experience satisfaction. That's right; no matter where you're at, what is troubling you today, or what has happened to you in the past, true satisfaction is close at hand. It's found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And along with the satisfaction that God gives you, peace and joy will flood your life to an overwhelming degree! This satisfaction and peace is not temporary, it's not just here until something bad happens. Experiencing true satisfaction in God lasts for an eternity. You can live the way you were born to live, the way God intended for you to live! With God's satisfaction, you can live a healthier, happier, and victorious life for as long as you live.
#3 Worry, or Worship?
The enemy would love to get you worrying instead of worshiping God. When the devil brings you thoughts of worry, anxiety and fear, let them be a reminder for you to thank God that His answer is on the way. Say, "Devil, thank you for reminding me," and then say, "Father, I thank You that You are at work on my behalf." That's what King Jehoshaphat did. The people of Judah were surrounded by three major armies. It didn't look like they had a chance. This godly king was probably bombarded with thoughts of fear and anxiety. But he gathered the people together, lifted his eyes toward heaven, and prayed the simple prayer in today's verse. Jehoshaphat's prayer was answered. God told the people to march right in to the enemy's camp, singing and shouting praises on their way. Notice, they weren't worrying—they were worshiping—and God delivered them. Do you need a victory in your life? Then learn to worship instead of worry!
#4 Be Refreshed!!
Nothing is more refreshing than having some crisp, cold water to drink when you're dry, thirsty and tired! If quenching your thirst feels so good and invigorating, then imagine just how much better it feels to refresh your spirit and soul. That's what God had in mind when He stated that He desires for you to come before Him and plug yourself back into His unlimited strength and victory. The same should be true of your time with other believers. When followers of Christ gather, it should be uplifting and refreshing for everyone involved, and make each person leave the place different than when they came in.
#5 Make Worship a Priority!!
People who have their priorities in the right order are also joyful worshipers! God intended worship to be a way of life for those of us who love and follow Him. That means you can spend time worshiping and praising God throughout the day, every day! It doesn't matter if you're at home, at work, at the bus stop or enjoying a ballgame. Take time to worship God for who He is and thank Him for all the blessings He has given you. And be sure to spend time reading His Word. Your Bible is the best tool for discovering your God-given purpose—that calling the Lord has designed uniquely for you. The Bible will tell you who you are, what you have and what you can do. There's nothing like the excitement of discovering the treasures God has for you in His Word.
#6 The Power of What You Say !!
The Bible teaches to choose your words wisely. In fact, God's Word says life and death are in the power of the tongue. That's why you need to be very careful about what you say each day. Your words can either be a positive and encouraging influence, or a discouraging one. It may be easier to grumble and become negative when things aren't going your way, but God calls you to speak words that strengthen and lift others up. When you do that, you will be blessed as well. Today, experience a new sense of joy by speaking positive words of faith and victory over your life and those around you.
# 7 Your Dream!!
Surround yourself with the right people and you can fulfill the dreams God gives you. Put yourself in relationships with people who are not only like-minded, but are also seeking to honor God in their own lives. Here is a thought to consider today: if your friends don't point you toward God's goal for you, then they're not very good friends. You want to be around dream-builders, not dream-crashers! When you prune the relationships around you, you're not cutting things out of your life; you're making room for growth so that you can reach your God-given potential! When you make room for God's best, you can walk away from the lesser things that the world has to offer.
#8 Victory Over Depression!!
Does your happiness depend on everything in your life being just right? If you think you can't be happy until all your circumstances are right, you will never be happy. We all experience times in life when we feel down for various reasons, but we can't allow our circumstances to control our emotions. Satan seeks to fill our minds with negative thoughts and emotions that cause us to feel down. He is a discourager, and he pulls us down emotionally, spiritually, financially, and in every way he can. But Jesus is our Encourager, and He came to lift us up. He came to give us righteousness, peace and joy, and all these things cause us to feel up!
Everyone experiences times of frustration and distress over unfulfilled hopes and dreams. When things don't go according to our plans, it is normal to feel disappointment. But we must be careful how we deal with that feeling, because disappointment is the beginning stage of depression. If we remain in a state of disappointment for too long, it can turn into discouragement, despair, and finally depression. Psalm 30:5 tells us that ...Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Things may make us feel sad temporarily, but we must not stay sad. Just as we cannot afford to stay mad very long, neither can we stay sad very long. If we do, Satan takes advantage of the open door and pushes his way further into our lives, bringing more serious problems with him.
# 9 DON'T TRUST YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
Our number one enemy is emotions. We tend to be led by how we feel, but we must realize that feelings are fickle; they change from day to day! We should be careful not to follow every thought that comes to our mind because our thoughts and feelings don't dictate truth to us. For many years of my life, I experienced regular depression. I would awaken many mornings with a little voice in my head saying, "I feel depressed." I believed this was my own thought, not realizing that it was Satan making suggestions to me through my mind. Later, when God drew me into a closer walk with Him and I began seriously studying His Word, I learned that I didn't have to follow every feeling and thought that I had. I began to speak aloud and say, "I will not be depressed." I learned to put on the garment of praise spoken of in Isaiah 61:3. We may not always feel like praising, but a victorious person does not have the luxury of living by feelings.
I've learned that staying disappointed can cause me to start feeling discouraged, which is a deeper problem than disappointment. But I've also learned that you can't be hopeful and discouraged at the same time. So as soon as the devil attacks us with disappointment and we start feeling discouraged, we need to turn to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to fill us with hope. A brief period of discouragement may not have a devastating effect, but long-term discouragement can lead to depression—a very serious problem.
RESIST THE DEVIL AND REJOICE IN THE LORD!
Depression is defined in part as "a hollow; being in a low state; a state of sadness; dejection." The real cause of depression is not where we are, but our attitude about where we find ourselves. It is possible to learn to live on the other side of your feelings. We will always have feelings; they will never go away, but we can make our feelings line up with our decisions. That's why God gives us the fruit of self-control. James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil, and we must also resist depression, and anything that resembles it, because it is of the devil. Philippians 4:4 says, Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! If we stay filled with the right thing, the wrong thing has no place.
If you don't let the devil impress you with what he does, then he can't oppress you; and if he can't oppress you, then he can't depress you. So choose to be led by the Holy Spirit and you can have victory over depression. We can choose to keep a hopeful attitude by renewing our minds with the promises found in God's Word. We can claim the promises as our own and stand in faith, believing God to help us overcome our feelings and move forward into better things. We can't control all of our circumstances, but we don't have to let what happens today ruin tomorrow. We can actually turn things around by making a decision to let go of the situations that caused the disappointment and discouragement, and move toward the good things God has planned for our future.
Many people are depressed because they can't face truth, but the Holy Spirit came to reveal truth to us. We can't get past depression until we quit making excuses and blaming everyone else. We must face the truth and take responsibility for our actions. When we do that and ask God to help us, the spirit of heaviness leaves us and we feel light and free. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:30, ...My burden is light and easy to be borne. Being depressed about circumstances does not change them, and it is a total waste of time and a thief of joy. So we must stop letting our feelings, mind, body, and past experiences rule us and allow God to give us a fresh plan, a new idea, a new goal! You can experience victory over your emotions by being led, guided, controlled, and ruled by the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent to us as our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener and Standby to remain with us forever (see John 14:16). Thank God, we don't have to be disappointed, discouraged, despondent, depressed, or in despair. Jesus is not only the Way, but He is also the way out! Jesus is our healer, our glory, and the lifter of our heads.
#10 Enjoy Life!!
God wants you to be fulfilled and whole, to enjoy a trusting and hopeful life of joy and peace. Your life is a great gift straight from the hand of God, but you must learn how to slow down and enjoy it more by refusing to worry. Don't take yourself quite as seriously as you did before. Lighten up and learn to laugh often, because life is too short to live it worried and depressed. Learn the joy of living to give, which means making service to God and others a main priority in your life. Begin today to make each day a joy-filled walk on your journey of faith!
You may be hurting and aching from your past, but take heart for God is with you! God wants to help you recover these things, as well as the lost years of blessings. In fact, His desire is to give them back to you in even greater abundance. No matter where you are today, no matter where you've been in the past, God wants to give you a new future filled with joy, fulfillment and abundance. God's power will help you break the chains of your past so you can face tomorrow anticipating His blessing and favor. Look ahead to the blessings He has for you, not back to any hurt or suffering that may be in the past. So if you're looking back today, turn around and start looking ahead.
God wants to give you great and mighty things. He wants to unleash the blessings of heaven right into your lap. But He also wants you to work and fight for them, because only then are they desires of your heart. Sometimes Christians pass up blessings because of a lack of commitment and faith. Don't be one of these believers — dig in your heels, stand your ground, and fight the good fight of the Christian faith! Stay focused and ready to step up to what God has called you to do. Whatever your step of faith needs to be, take it today. Don't wait until everything is perfect. God wants better things for you in every area, but He wants to know that you desire these things as well. He's ready to fight for you, so you know your effort won't be in vain.
#11 Let It Go!!
There are people who can walk away from you.
And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you:
let them walk.
I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you,
loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying
attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.
When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is
never tied to anybody that left.
The bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made
manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt
they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19]
People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are
not joined to you, y ou can't make them stay.
Let them go.
And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that
their part in the story is over And you've got to know when people's
part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the
dead. You've got to know when it's dead.
You've got to know when it's over... Let me tell you something. I've
got the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in
good-bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I
know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me. And if it
takes too much sweat I don't need it. Stop begging people to stay.
Let them go!!
If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and
was never intended for your life, then you need to........
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to past hurts and pains ......
LET IT GO!!!
If someone can 't treat you right, love you back, and
see your worth.....
LET IT GO!!!
If someone has angered you ........
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge......
LET IT GO!!!
If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction.....
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents
LET IT GO!!!
If you have a bad attitude.........
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better......
LET IT GO!!!
If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new
level in Him......
LET IT GO!!!
If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship.......
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves....
LET IT GO!!!
If you're feeling depressed and stressed .........
LET IT GO!!!
If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling
yourself and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you
need to......
LET IT GO!!!
Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a
new thing for 2007!!!
LET IT GO!!!
Get Right or Get Left .. think about it, and then .
LET IT GO!!!
"The Battle is the Lord's!"
# 12 Attitude of Expectancy !!!
The enemy has a goal for your life. He wants to steal your hope and joy, he wants to make you so discouraged that you just quit and give it all up. He knows that if you get discouraged and down, you will eventually settle for less than the best, and less than what God wants from you. The right attitude and mindset will prepare you for your miracle, but that can't happen if you're down and discouraged. God may take His time to accomplish what He wants to do in your life, but you can't lose heart and allow the enemy to claim victory. God will allow everything to pass as He sees fit. Your job is to have an attitude of expectancy. The rest is up to God!
# 13 Its Too Soon To Quit!!
God wants to give you great and mighty things. He wants to unleash the blessings of heaven right into your lap. But He also wants you to work and fight for them, because only then are they desires of your heart. Sometimes Christians pass up blessings because of a lack of commitment and faith. Don't be one of these believers — dig in your heels, stand your ground, and fight the good fight of the Christian faith! Stay focused and ready to step up to what God has called you to do. Whatever your step of faith needs to be, take it today. Don't wait until everything is perfect. God wants better things for you in every area, but He wants to know that you desire these things as well. He's ready to fight for you, so you know your effort won't be in vain.
#14 Awesome Video!!
Lifehouse everything skit... youtube it!
