Don’t be afraid of change. Change is good. You are going to go through so many changes in this lifetime. Accept this as a fact. Don’t be resistant to change. Embrace it.

God is actively involved in these changes and is with you every step of the way.

Your life today is different than your life was yesterday. Your life tomorrow will be different than today.

Take a moment to think about how different your life is today compared to 5 years ago.

God shows us that if we don’t change, we don’t reverence Him. As we grow in our relationship with God, we will deepen in our reverence, adoration, respect and worship of Him. We will grow to respect the boundaries to life that God lays out in the Bible. God wants you to change.

* Because they did not change, therefore they do not fear God. Psalm 55:19 (NKJV)

God is actively at work in completing the work that He has begun in you. This is going to require change.

* Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

We are going to go through so many things in this lifetime. Life is constantly throwing curve balls at us. But, we can be confident that there is a purpose in everything that we are experiencing.

God promises that everything, whether good or bad, works together for good.

* And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28-29 (NKJV)

The big change comes after we die. We are actually given a completely new body in Heaven.

* For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJV)

Isn’t it going to be amazing when we are in Heaven with Jesus with our new bodies?

Take a few minutes to reflect on all the changes that you have gone through in this lifetime. Now, spend a few minutes thinking about how life will be with Jesus in Heaven with our completely new heavenly bodies!

Embrace change knowing that one day you will be completely changed and living in Heaven for eternity with Jesus.

How do you want to initially react when someone does you wrong? Do you want to strike back or tell others about it? That may make you feel better for a while but it is not the thing to do.

God has given us a better way to respond. It may be hard at first to do it God’s way but look toward the end result and keep at it and it will become easier to do. Once you have gone through this process and have won a victory, it will be easier the next time, but it will still take effort.

What are we supposed to do? How do we start? We begin with rejoicing. Luke 6 says, “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven…” (Verses 22-23).

The next step is to “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44).

This will help you get your focus off of yourself and onto God’s plan. Also, keep in mind who the real enemy is. The devil sends people to offend you and to steal the Word from you, to stop the anointing in you to do God’s work. Losing the anointing will block the blessings of God reaching you.

There are so many things God wants to do for you. But, if you keep resentment or do not forgive others, God will not be able to do those things. Psalm 91 talks about the Lord being our refuge and our fortress. It says that God will deliver us from every evil thing and will give his angels charge over us to keep us in all of our ways. But wait, if you look in the first verse of that chapter, it starts off by saying, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”. If you strike back at others and hold grudges against others, you will not be dwelling in that secret place and therefore forfeit God’s protection over you.

So, stay rooted in the Word of God. Remember that the temporary pleasure that you might get at striking back at others is not worth losing the anointing of God on your life and losing His blessings that He wants so much to give you.

We all go through periods of adversity and suffering. Some of them are mild and some are life changing. Problems are simply a part of life, and while we can’t eliminate adversity, we can learn how to cope with it.

Obstacles do not have to be insurmountable roadblocks on the pathway to success or happiness. They are simply a part of life. Problems are generally an indication that we have something to learn.

When everything is going wrong and the world feels like it is falling apart, anger is normally the first reaction. But this is the worst thing we can do. Losing our temper will rarely achieve the desired result.

More often than not, losing our temper does nothing more than make a bad situation worse. The reality is that we don’t really lose our temper, it’s more like we turn our temper loose.

Whenever life acts, we respond, and these responses are seldom planned. Reacting on impulse when things go wrong we tend to lash out at anything or anyone that has the misfortune of being close.

This doesn’t have to be the case. And our chance of resolving an issue is much greater if we keep from getting angry.

While we may not be responsible for everything that happens to us, we are responsible for how we react.

The mind is a very powerful tool, and if used properly, can be a very strong positive force in times of trouble. But in order for the mind to be its most productive, it must first be calm.

The ability to choose our thoughts, to THINK what we want, is what gives us the power to determine our attitude and perspective when approaching a problem.

If we allow anger, despair and frustration to consume us, it’s like a runaway train gathering steam and threatening to derail. The FIRST thing to do is quit feeding the fire. As our initial anger passes, our perspective begins to change.

Once our temper is under control, we begin attracting solutions, rather than allowing anger and frustration to compound our problems.

All of us have an inner voice that talks to us. Pay close attention to this voice because it has the power to make any situation better or worse.

This inner voice is the voice of our subconscious mind and will work for or against us with equal ease. Once anger and frustration are removed from the equation, the subconscious mind is free to help guide us toward a solution if we listen.

Our subconscious mind is the ultimate information filter, but it will provide its most useful solutions only when we are quiet. The subconscious is an obedient and able servant once it knows which direction we want to go.

Don’t shy away from problems. Sometimes the best way to inform the subconscious mind that we need a creative solution is to experience frustration in our conscious mind.

By using the conscious mind to define and clarify the problem, we leave it to the subconscious mind to guide our actions in solving it. When the subconscious is jogged by need, visualization or relaxation, it will release back to the conscious mind necessary and helpful information.

Thoughts and emotions act as magnets attracting similar thoughts and emotions.

When we approach our problems with the right attitude and have things in perspective, it will appear as though our problems begin to solve themselves.

Does your body language say you’re a good listener?

Sure, you listen when needed (or do you?), but do other people see you as a good listener? Listening skills are essential for good relationships and are also a critical skill in many professions, especially the helping professions. Whether you’re maintaining a happy marriage relationship, counseling someone with problems, or coaching members of your team for business success, good listening skills lead others to feel more comfortable. They will have more confidence in you and hold you in higher esteem.

Did you know that body language has a major impact on how people see you – even more impact than your words? So, what says ‘good listener’ and inspires in others who speak to you the confidence that you really are listening? Your body language, of course! Even if you really are listening to every word, you won’t be seen as a good listener unless you have the right body language.

The body language of a poor listener has many of these traits -leans away or even turns away slightly, arms folded, maybe a bit of impatient toe tapping, and frequently looking elsewhere. Or, if someone starts to read then you know for SURE they’re not listening! And of course if your body language suggests you don’t want to listen, the other person will feel less comfortable talking with you and will be less likely to confide in you. This is a good recipe for creating distance and miscommunication in a relationship.

The body language of a good listener shows five characteristics that can be remembered through the acronym “SOLER”.

S – Square-on
Face the other person square on. If you’re turned away, you won’t give the impression that you want to listen.

O – Open-posture
Folded legs, and particularly folded arms can be subconscious signals that you really don’t want to hear what the other person has to say.

L – Lean-towards
Lean slightly towards the other person. This indicates an interest in what they’re saying. Leaning away from a person tends to indicate disinterest.

E – Eye-contact
Maintain normal eye contact with the other person. If you keep your eyes down, or keep looking away, you can give the impression that you’re not a comfortable or willing listener.

R – Relax
Don’t be too formal or stiff. A relaxed posture suggests that you’re comfortable in the role of listener, and ready to hear everything the other person has to say.

So if you’d like to improve your relationships, on and off the job, start by practicing your listening body language and SOLER!

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What is love? We must first learn what love really is. The love that is discussed here is not the emotional love that people fall into and then fall out of. The best definition of love is explained in 2 John 6 which says, “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.”

This takes love as some hard to explain emotion and explains it in a more definitive way. If you follow God’s commandments you will be walking in love. We have been given the Bible so we can know what the commandments of God are. The first step is to learn what the will of God is and then act on it.

Learning to walk in love affects all areas of your life. The Bible says that faith works by love. Answered prayer is hindered when a believer steps out of love and does forgive.

Here are some characteristics of love which you can read about in First Corinthians 13:4-8. Love is patient and kind, is never envious, is not boastful, is not conceited, does not insist on its own way, is not resentful, pays no attention to wrong done to it. Love bears up under everything. Love never fails.

This may seem like something you could never attain but, as a child of God, you have been recreated into a spirit of love. You need to make the decision to perfect that love and then commit yourself to obey the Word of God.

There will be times when your senses and emotions will tell you one thing to do but the Word tells you something else to do. What you do at times like this will determine whether you grow in love or if you walk in selfishness. You need to remember back when you made the decision to walk in love and to ask God for wisdom and to do what the Word says to do. Both love and faith grow by action. When you do have a situation like this and you do the right thing and follow God’s love, it will build your love so you will have more strength the next time you have to make a hard decision.

It may seem that when you walk by love that you will never get anywhere because you are always putting others before yourself. You have to realize, though, that God said that love never fails and that he will see to it that you do not fail.

You need to stay in the Word, confess the Word and act on the Word. This will bring you close to God and then He will be able to direct your life and His Love working through you will be the basis of your success.

Why do bad things happen to good people? That is the age-old question.

What are some of the answers people give?

- God is trying to teach us something.
- God is getting back at us for something we did or did not do.
- There is no God and things just happen.
- The list goes on and on.

The truth is that many of those bad things did not have to happen. If that is so, who is the cause? Let us clear up one thing first. God is not to blame.

In Acts 10:38 it says God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost and with power and went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.

In John 10:10 it states that the thief comes not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The two verses above indicate that there are two forces at work. God is the good one and the devil (Satan) is the bad one. You need to remember that.

So, how do you get in on God’s blessings and avoid Satan’s attacks?

The first thing you need to do is to become a Christian. This does not mean just going to church and being a good person. That is not what makes you a Christian. You need to believe, accept and confess Jesus as your personal Savior.

Then you need to read your Bible to become as close to God as possible. You need to realize that God is not just force out there; he is a spirit person that you can become near to. He wants you to talk to Him and He wants to talk with you. That is what prayer is.

When you read the Bible you will begin to learn God’s way of doing things. When you start actually doing things God’s way, you will become blessed.

Hebrews 11:6 says – But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Deuteronomy 30:19 states – I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

The entire 91st Psalm talks about the safety provided to those that abide in Him.

God does protect and reward people, but it doesn’t come automatically. God will tell you things to do, places to go, what to say. When you follow his directions it will work toward your safety.

God has given us everything we need to live safely, so when something bad happens look inward to what you may need to change, but never blame God.

Everybody knows that good habits need to be cultivated while bad habits seem to grow like weeds. Habits like self-discipline, self-control, order, and perseverance, are all habits that require a conscious effort to create and maintain. Procrastination on the other hand, is a behavior takes no effort at all. For better or worse, it’s your habits that make or break you.

The amount of self-help information available today is virtually unlimited, but it is of little value without first learning to direct your focus and attention. The mind moves constantly from one idea to the next with amazing speed, rarely giving its sole attention to one subject for any length of time. Yet success in anything depends largely on the ability to direct your mind; not only where it goes, but also how long it stays there.

Success, like anything else, must be learned and practiced. A habit starts out as no more than a thought. When this thought is pursued it turns into action. If repeated often enough this action will impress itself on the subconscious mind and form a habit. Once a habit is formed it becomes automatic and no longer requires the attention of your conscious mind.

Take a close look at your routines. Routines are what form your habits. Examine what is working for you and what is not. Just as with a garden cultivating good habits will also take time and attention. You need to nurture the flowers in your life and start pulling the weeds. If something is not working for you, get rid of it!

If you wish to be successful in anything you do, follow the clues.

Study the habits of successful people. It is the habits we create that make us who we are. One habit all successful people have in common is the ability to focus their attention for extended periods of time.

How do you make focus a habit? Start small and work up.

Resist the impulse to jump from one unfinished project to another. Write out a priority list and pay particular attention to the order of that list. Do not let petty distractions interfere with working through each task in the order you have established. When you overcome the temptation to let your focus and efforts become scattered, you are creating the habit of finishing projects and seeing them through to the end.

Situations will always arise over which we have no control but we can choose how we react to them. When you are thrown off course make a habit of returning to the task at hand as quickly as possible.

Learn to use your imagination and create a mental image of your end goal. The importance of mental imaging in attaining your goals cannot be over-stated. This mental image will act as a blueprint for your action plan, bringing your thoughts one step closer to reality.

When you consistently focus on your metal image it will manifest in the physical world. Regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight, succeed in business, or simply trying to improve your life, the more detailed your image, the better your chances of achieving your ultimate goal.

Acknowledge the small things.

Recognize and acknowledge each little success as it comes along. As one success leads to another they add up and you gain confidence in you ability to reach even larger goals.

Everything is learned by degree. Start small and practice daily focusing you attention for ever longer periods of time. As you learn to focus, one small success leads to another until success becomes a habit.

In order for us to change the things that we are unhappy with in our lives we have to change the way that we think. If we never change the way that we think we will continue to get the same results in our lives. In order for us to see changes in our lives we have to face our worst enemy and that is FEAR (really ourselves)

About 90% of people live their lives in fear and never become the person that they dream of becoming. This simply happens because they just fail to take action. They FEAR what they don’t understand. We have to look at FEAR as nothing more then a word or as a learning process. Did you ever know what FEAR was when you were a young child? Probably not, at least until someone that you trusted or looked up to told you what it was. Mankind has simply connected a word to a feeling, giving it life and in turn making people fear it. Mark Twain said it best with this quote, “Do the things that you FEAR most and the DEATH to FEAR is certain.” You owe it to yourself to understand this principle.

To conquer fear start by accomplishing the things that you fear the most. After doing so, you will look back and think how foolish it was to be afraid in the first place.

Learn to leave your comfort zone. When we leave our comfort zone we become a more rounded individual. When we do the things that we fear and look back at them afterwards, we see that what we feared has now turned into part of our comfort zone. This simply happens because we do not fear these things after accomplishing them in the past. The next time similar situations arise we will no longer stress over it, we will just do it.

We must set our minds on always conquering the unknown. Always “think outside the box”. Look fear in the eyes and just do the task. Chances are that you will succeed and soon come to find out that FEAR is nothing more then a word. Every successful businessperson has undoubtedly faced fear many times, yet they have succeeded in their business. So can you!

Think back to when you were a child. Most of us have limitations put on our lives very early. We are taught how to think, what schools to attend, how to make a living, and finally, even how to plan our retirement. Most of us end up fearing anything that is different than what we are taught.

Once we understand and can change some of the beliefs that have been programmed into us by society, we can more fully take control of our lives and our destiny through the power of positive thought.

You to can become successful in any aspect of your life that you choose. You just have to get past one thing, YOURSELF!

When you do this you will start to become the person that you have always dreamed about. Today is the day you are going to take what is rightfully yours. It’s called LIFE! We are here to enjoy every aspect of life, not just to be a part of it.

Believe in yourself and start by conquering FEAR!!

Developing your will power is directly related to your success in life. No one can over-estimate the power of your will to do.

Most people do not fail because of a lack of education. History is filled with uneducated or poorly educated millionaires who didn’t let this supposed shortcoming hold them back. On the contrary, what they may have lacked in education was obliterated by their overpowering will to succeed, no matter how many times they failed along the way.

It is the lack of determination and will power that is the true reason so many people fail. Just as an athlete trains for a physical game that takes concentrated effort, the mind must be trained with the proper skills to win in life.

The process of obtaining this self-mastery — the complete command of your mind’s powers — is a gradual one. It involves determination and the daily task of making it a habit. Once you have self-mastery, the cost of obtaining it will bring a real sense of accomplishment and a realization how minimal the cost really was in the long run.

You don’t need to be a genius to succeed — just make yourself do the thing you need to do when it has to get done, whether you like it or not. This is one of the best lessons you can learn.

When Henry Ward Beecher was asked how he could accomplish so much more than others, he replied, “I don’t do more, but less than others. They do all their work three times. Once in anticipation, once in actuality, and once in rumination. I do mine in actuality alone, so I end up doing things just once.”

Beecher could concentrate his mind on what he was doing at a given moment. Then he’d go do something else and concentrate on his new task. One of the secrets of a successful life is the ability to focus all of our energies on one thing at a time.

Don’t waste time worrying as it only crowds your thoughts with worthless clutter. Focus on what you’re doing when you’re doing it, and stop worry before it stops you. Worry is an energy vampire. It reduces your chances for success and it can make life miserable for those around you.

Learning to focus your efforts is the only way you will achieve the success you’re capable of achieving. The earlier in life you learn this simple fact, the more likely you will overcome everything that slows you down and prevents you from reaching true success in everything you do.

Here’s a recipe for a wasted life — just go about every day trying to do too many things all at once. Splitting yourself up into a hundred little parts leads to nowhere.

Yes, there are some people who like to juggle a number of tasks, and they may be good at it, but for most of us the need to concentrate on one task at a time is imperative to getting the job done. It’s not the amount of work you get done in a day or week or even a year, but it’s your persistence in constantly moving forward that will get you where you want to go.

Keep at it! And remember …

Focus, Focus, Focus.

One of the biggest problems today is that most people are not happy.

We look for external stimuli to make us happy. We expect our significant other to make us happy and divorce her or him when they do not. We expect our children to fulfill our dreams for us and are disappointed in them when they do not. We expect money to solve all our problems and make us happy, then, we can’t understand why it doesn’t once we have it.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I will be happy when…”?

I will be happy, once I am married.

I will be happy, when I get a promotion.

I will be happy, when my children are grown and I’ll have more time for myself.

Pages and pages of examples could be given.

Another way to view this statement is, “I will do this, when that happens.” Have you ever made that type of statement? I hear people say it all the time. You are making your happiness contingent upon an external event.
Happiness is not an external thing. Even once you have something external, the happiness it brings you is short-lived. For example:

You have waited for that special relationship. The significant other is great, but you still have a negative attitude. You were happy during the initial stages, but now it seems routine.

You have always known that a promotion would get that new home for which you and your spouse have been waiting. You got the promotion, the money is great, and you buy that home. After the beginning the excitement wears off, things go back to the same routine, just in a different house. Your happiness falls back to your previous feeling before the promotion.

You and your spouse knows that you will be happy, once the children are grown. You will not have to work so hard to provide for the family, and you will have more time to enjoy your relationship and home. Well, the children have grown up, but they can’t afford to live on their own. The children are still living at home…for free!

Look at all the time in the examples above that people wasted not being happy! Then, when they got what they were waiting for, the happiness was fleeting. Again, it’s because happiness cannot be gained from anything external.

THE SECRET TO BEING HAPPY

It’s incredible how many books have been written on the topic of being happy. Yet, so many people are not. Do they not read the books? There are people who read such books all the time and are still not happy.

With so many unhappy people in the world, being happy must be an extremely difficult thing to achieve.

Haven’t you known or met that person who always has a great smile on their face, a smile in their voice, and a skip in their step? You want that too…don’t you?

So what is the secret to finding happiness?

Believe it or not, the secret is known!

It is easy to do – no complicated actions.

It is quick to do – no long-term procedures.

You can do it anywhere – no special requirements or equipment are needed.

Anyone can do it!

The secret?

Determine yourself to be happy!

It’s an internal process.

True happiness that lasts is an internal process. Nothing from outside  can make you happy or unhappy. As in any situation, your reaction determines whether the event is stressful for you or not. It is the same with happiness.

If upon waking each morning, you state strongly to yourself, “I am happy today”, then you will be. Whenever you encounter stress, just mentally reaffirm, “I am happy today”, the stress will be there, but your reaction will be minimal.

That person who always wears a smile and has a skip in his step, seldom experiences stress the same way you do. He is happy, and being happy allows the stress to roll off his back better.

So, make your determination every morning.

Tape affirmations that say, “I am happy today” all over your home and at work.

Say it aloud to yourself often throughout the day, especially on those days with many problems. Continue to say it, until you believe it.

Then, put a smile on your face and confront the outside world. When you are happy, you have the world in your hands!