Debbie Downer

 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. Proverbs 17:28(NIV)

 Impulsive people have trouble in life. I tend to be impulsive and am working on taming this monster of fast reactions. It is especially helpful to be able to control it when it comes to talking and emailing. If we react to something then do not wait and think and immediately respond then we can cause trouble which was never intended to happen.

My husband always reminds me of this too. "Why pass on bad news to the kids he will say" if I see something about a storm or accident for instance.  We should only want to pass on that which will build up or uplift not possibly drag down. But if you are impulsive and do not think things through first, or wait 24 hours because you just have to act on something, then things could backfire or create turmoil and misunderstanding.

Yes indeed in life it is good to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry as it says in James 1:19.

 PRAYER: Today Lord I need your help to be calm and peaceful and wait. Help me think before I act or react. Forgive me if my impulsiveness has ever hurt anyone. Put a watch over my mouth. In Jesus' name. Amen.

STOP!! WAIT!! THINK!! PRAY!!CALM DOWN!! SHHH!!

Oh my goodness, the area of speaking before thinking is one area I could write oodles on. I am the queen of jumping to conclusions and making assumptions. This is a trait I do not like and am constantly working on. It is so critical in life to not be hasty especially in important decisions. In relationships with friends it is also important to think sometimes before speaking or answering email or texts. For those married, it is essential to be kind with your mouth to your spouse and try to keep being like you were when you were dating. 

Proverbs 29:20 (NIV) says 'Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for  him.'  That sort of summarizes it I would say. If you do not want to be classified as a fool then do not be blurting things out of your mouth without thinking first. Once those words go forth they can not be taken back. Sometimes a good rule of thumb, especially if you are angry or confused, is to wait 24 hours. I even wrote a devotion with that title a few weeks ago. 

Our words can sort of define us. Are you known for saying the wrong things, starting quarrels, lying, gossiping, hurting people or are you known as spreading cheer, giving praise and compliments, and being truthful and kind?  

1 Thessalonians 4:11(NIV) says 'Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands, just as we told you.'  Try to be known as the loving peacemaker and someone who is there to unite and encourage. I know encouragers are much more pleasant to be around than a griper or complainer. 

So there you have it. Stop,wait, think, pray, and calm down. It will improve your life dramatically.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus I need your help to be careful what I say. Help me learn to slow down in all areas of life and to think before speaking. Thank you for loving me despite my faults. In Jesus' name. Amen.

TONGUE CHECK

 How many of you reading this have complete control of your mouth? Do you say things you often regret or blurt out things at inappropriate times? If only that brain of ours would kick in to gear before the mouth did, how much easier life would be. We think something then say it and before you know it you wish you could take it back. Too bad we can not have some way to "check" our tongues and root out any wrong words that may accidentally come out. Usually what is in the heart the mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45(NIV) says 'The good man brings good things out of the good stored in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things from the evil stored in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.' I am not saying this to say we are all just a bunch of evil people but if you dwell on things that anger you, make you jealous, cause bitterness to your soul and create friction, then more than likely you will let someone be the recipient of ugly words.

So my friend, it is time for a "tongue check". If you know you have problems in this area ask God to fill your mind with His thoughts. Let go of things you harbor against anyone in your heart. Try to make it a practice to not gossip, belittle, curse, argue, lie, meddle, or nag. Ephesians 4:29(NIV) is a good verse to commit to memory and even when others still talk to you hateful or with disrespect you can respond in love. It says 'Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.'

There you have it. Your assignment is to be nice and speak nice. Purify your thoughts and your mouth should follow. And when you get to thinking 'well I am pretty good' look out! James 1:26(NIV) reminds us 'If anyone considers himself religious but does not keep a tight rein n his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.'

Go out now and be nice!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus I thank you so very much for the ability to talk. We often do not think to say thanks for that gift as there are those who are mute who can not speak at all. What a treasure and gift it is indeed! Forgive me if I have ever used my tongue to hurt someone or said something to cause problems. Help me Lord get control of my words before I let them come out. In Jesus' name. Amen.

STOP THINKING NEGATIVE. LOOK UP!

Have you ever noticed how it is easier to complain, gossip, gripe, and basically have a negative mindset than to be positive and uplifting? The  world is filled with hate, bickering, lawsuits, confusion, revenge, fear, misunderstandings, and division but we as believers are to shine the light of Jesus into the darkness and change the negative to positive. But if we are chiming in right along then we do not make much impact.

Sure there are times things make you upset,  but it is reacting in a calm fashion and not exploding that will not only keep you peaceful but will resolve the matters more effectively.

To be able to do this you must be intentional about not being conformed to the things in the world that tend to plant bad thoughts in your head. Try to have the mind of Christ. Let me give you the Bible verse I have used numerous times in these devotions and that is Romans 12:2 which says "Do not conform anymore to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and prove what the will of the Lord is. His good, pefect, and pleasing will."  To do this your mind needs to be focused on God's thoughts to those of the world.  Philippians  4:8 reminds us "Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on these things." Commit this scripture to memory. It will help you stay happy, joyful, and positive in a world of negativity around you.

Let me end with Psalm 34:14 which says "Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it."

PRAYER: Father I thank you that I can choose to be positive and peaceful in a world filled with fear and chaos. When I start to despair and the enemy tries to get me to succumb to the ways of the world help me remember I can turn to you. In Jesus name. Amen

DON'T FIXATE, SPECULATE, OR CONTEMPLATE!! MEDITATE!

What is on your mind today? Are you worried about something? The world is full of worriers and it is easy to fall into that trap if not careful. Giving your concerns and cares to the Lord sounds good but can we really, truly do it and make it happen on a regular basis? You can sit around speculating, contemplating, obsessing and fixating over some issue when really the real solution to this is to get on your knees in prayer and talk to God about what is bothering you. Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 to "Cast all your anxiety on Him for he cares for you". "But you don't get it. Don't you know what is going on? How can I just not think about bad stuff?" Once again you have to set your mind on things above.  Colossians 3:2 reminds us of this when it says "Set your mind on things above not earthly things."  Purpose in your heart to not let your mind 'go there' and to not dwell on bad or wrong thoughts.  Why have a steady 'diet' of bad news and things that bring fear. If the news is getting you fearful turn the channel. Make up your mind to put good and pleasant things into your head. Do not just constantly feed on negative things. Do not believe lies of the enemy trying to get you to  dwell on tragedy and doom. Bad thoughts are not 'God thoughts'.  Put on some praise and worship music to help lift you out of the pit of despair. Refuse to entertain thoughts of fear. Philippians  4:8 is a good verse to commit to memory and it says "whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and any anything praiseworthy,meditate on these things." Also Matthew 16:23 tells us "Get thee behind me Satan for you are not mindful of the things of God but of the things of men". Start today and let God transform your thinking. The only way you will ever achieve success with this is to stay in God's word daily and meditate on the scriptures. 2 Timothy 2:15 says " Study to show thyself approved, a workman that need not be ashamed and shooter toy handles the word of truth." PRAYER: Father I know how crucial,it is to develop the 'mind of Christ' and I know I can not do this unless I saturate my mind with things of Christ found in the word of God.  Help me daily to stop making excuses about why I do not have time for you Lord. Forgive me. Today I intend to start filling my mind with your word which I find in the Bible. In Jesus name. Amen. Click on link below and worship the Lord in song. http://youtu.be/GsjJmk7tdk4

PROBLEMS OR PEACE?? YOUR CHOICE.

You can get up each day and purpose in your heart to worship and praise the Lord or you can get up and be defeated by starting your day with worry, fear,anxiety, stress and fretting. It is basically your choice. You have to choose to set your mind on what is good, pure, truthful and what builds up not tears down. You and you alone have control over your mind and the thoughts that go into it. If you constantly dwell on your problems or fears you will then have a mindset of fear and defeat and worry. How can you get closer to God and expect to hear from Him and walk with Him and have victory if you are down in some pit of despair?

Children of God need to walk in victory, not defeat, no matter what is going on around you. It can be hard at times when the things of the world start caving in around you but in order to get through the trials and tests of life that are sure to come your way you have to maintain your focus on God and his word. This is why it is so vitally important to know the word of God, for in it lies the strength to get beyond our problems. There are enough concerns in this world to go around and many times we try to add more by adding our childrens' problems, particularly if you have adult children. We want to carry the burden for ourselves and everyone else and we do not trust God to see us over the hump, so to speak.

 In God you have power to defeat the enemy and his lies and stay focused on positive hopeful things. Give God your cares! It even says that in scripture. What good can we do by sitting around in mental turmoil and trying to orchestrate everything? Fretting over big or large things will not bring you closer to the Lord. He cares for the smallest details of your life that may be weighing you down.

Stay effective and powerful by staying in the word of God. It is in the word we get strength to defeat the schemes of Satan, the depressed spirit, fear, mental torment and worry. Some may say " I'm just a worrier. I can't help it." Yes you can get beyond worry and stop using that excuse as your justification. Do you enjoy being all stressed and keyed up all the time? If not turn to God.

Start each day with prayer and cast your concerns on the Lord. Cast means to throw. He is there for you and wants you to share your burdens. It says in 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Phillipians 4:6 reminds us "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Matthew 6:27 says "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Worrying does nothing but make us sick and fretful so move on and do something else. Are you able to let go and let God? When you feel your peace slipping and worry creeping up start to pray instead.

 PRAYER: Lord at times I just want to take control of things. I dwell on the negative and start to slip into a chasm of despair. I want to trust you Lord and lean on you. Give me your perfect peace in every thing in life down to the tiniest details. In Jesus name. Amen

 Click on link and worship the Lord in song.
http://youtu.be/XlhGcq9O14U

SATURATED, BUT BY WHAT??

To saturate means to soak up with something. If you fall in a lake your clothes are saturated with water. When you go work out you get saturated by perspiration. But what is your mind saturated with or by? Yes your mind is like a sponge of sorts too. You can put things in it to help you or to hurt you. Basically it is your choice. You need to think on good things.

When you get up in the morning is the first thing you think to do grabbing the newspaper from the driveway or turning  on morning television talk shows? Neither the paper nor these shows will add anything very valuable to your life. You may say  you have to stay informed of current events, but likewise you 'saturate' your mind with needless facts about celebrities, controversies, killings and a myriad of other things that really do nothing to make your day better. Sometimes a constant 'diet' of even seemingly  good things like talk radio can drag us down and get us gloomy. The best thing to stay saturated with is God's word but to be saturated you have to pick it up and then open it up. You need to plan to start your day with God.

Philippians 2:5 says "Let this mind be in you which is in Christ Jesus."  You may think you have to 'keep up' with what is going on and use that as an excuse to read the paper before you would even think to read the Bible. This world is going to one day fade away. Only what is done for Christ will last. If you are a believer how do you stay 'armed and ready' to meet the challenges of life without knowing what is in the Bible to help you on this daily journey?

Romans 12:2 tells us " Do not conform anymore to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you will be able to rest and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Are you saturated more by Jesus or this world you live in? To grow in Christ you have to make a point to 'soak up' his word on a daily basis. It is what you need to stay uplifted and win the battles Satan will throw at you.

Philippians 4:8 says "Finally brothers and sisters whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." Make today the day you start to put God first. Discipline yourself to put God before the things in the world that draw you away.

PRAYER: Father I thank you for the word of God which here in America we freely have access to. I thank you for in it are the answers to issues in life. I know when I ignore you and your word Satan is jumping for joy as I can not be strong without staying in  your word. Help me Lord to put you first. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Idea: Start with the book of Proverbs and read the chapter that corresponds with whatever day it is. There are 31 chapters so this works out great.

Click on link to listen to wonderful worship song

http://youtu.be/B0oZ6BZlQWk

ASSUMPTIONS, EXPECTATIONS, OBSESSIONS, SPECULATIONS

This devotion could be called the 'ions'. These four things listed in the title can really get us into trouble with people. Assuming, jumping to conclusions when we do not know the facts. Expecting something to be a certain way or like a norm of life and it turns out different can devastate some or burst their bubble. Obsessing over something you can not do anything about is sort of wasted energy. And finally speculating on why things happen the way they do.

These four things can be controlled once we get our mind under the control of the Holy Spirit. If we continually seek to think on 'things above' we will have little time to waste on unnecessary thoughts that drag us down and often make us blurt out things we do not mean. The verse in 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to "..take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." To do this it must be purposeful and takes discipline. There is that dreaded word again, discipline. Controlling out thoughts is extremely important as that is the doorway Satan can enter to drag us down into his little pit of destruction. We as children of God are not going to allow that to happen.

Today if you are plagued with these four 'ions' of life make up your mind you will not allow thoughts to come in that will dominate and cause you to worry, assume, expect or obsess over something. It will take practice and self control. Keep your mind on the word of God. Cast down wrong thoughts and even speak out loud, "get behind me Satan. I am not allowing you to make me dwell on unnecessary things."

Philippians  4:8 is a verse have used many times in my writing and it is a good one to commit to memory and especially useful in controlling these 'ions'. It says " Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." Verse nine goes on to say what then will happen. "whatever you  have learned, heard, or received from me, put into practice, And the God of peace will be with you."

 It won't happen overnight. You have to want to receive victory in this area and ask for Gods'  help to help you overcome these problem areas.

 PRAYER: Lord I desire to have right thinking and to get bad thoughts out of my head. I know by keeping my mind focused on 'things above' I can have victory and win this battle. In Jesus name. Amen.

MIND FOOD

What type of things do you feed your mind on? Have you heard the saying "garbage in, garbage out"? The first thing in your day are you more concerned with the morning news on TV and the newspaper in your driveway or getting to know your Lord and saviour?The news is temporal and most times bad, but the Bible is filled with good news. If we constantly feed on a diet of bad news, bad TV, bad movies, bad books, and gossip magazines what do you suppose will happen to our mind? It stands to reason you become the kind of person that you are constantly feeding your mind on. If you constantly hear bad news and it drags you down your spirit will be drug down as well.

As a believer you have to purpose in your heart and make a decision to think on uplifting thoughts. Romans 12:1-2 is a good scripture to commit to memory and it says "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." It is easy if we get saturated by the world to start thinking like the world. Someone once said "Well do not be so heavenly minded you are no earthly good" but yet we need to stay walking with the Lord and connected to the power source to keep growing in Christ. We are not to become puffed up and self righteous acting like we are better than others either.

1 Corinthians 2:16 says "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ." Just think of that! The mind of Christ. Do you suppose Christ wants to watch dirty movies, read all the Hollywood gossip, get caught up on trashy novels, catch His favorite soap opera and watch talk shows? What is needed is a balance in life on what you should feed your spirit with and what needs left out in the compost pile.

Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

PRAYER:  Lord I want my mind to think the thoughts you think. I want to wake up each day full of joy and ready to make a difference in someones world. Give me balance in my daily activities and discernment in what I choose to take into my brain. In Jesus name. Amen!