Beauty in your life- change your thoughts for a positive outlook
Your life without a computer: what does it look like?
I would do more reading and do written Bible studies. Coffee with friends. Clean house. I would definitely have to get a better stereo system.
I would probably have my husband teach me how to use the 3D printer to keep my mind and hands busy. And probably find a volunteer job in the community but only a few hours a week, nothing that would wear me out like before.
I would start writing my book.
What skill would you like to learn?
When I think about this there are a few. But, my main one something that I’ve wanted to do from about 16 years old. I wanted to learn to play the harmonica. My father played this instrument, and was amazing at it. I always want him to teach me, but he said it’s was something he learned with lots of practice. He was in a navel hospital for 3 years while they tried to put his face back together after a war injury. So, it was something that he started out of boredom.
I would also like to learn Hebrew dance. My father danced to Hava Nagila and sang every Sunday. Growing up I remember thinking this was a Hungarian dance. Later I found it to be Hebrew. I would love to find someone to teach me.
The day of atonement, arguably highlights, one of the most important rituals in the Bible, and ironically, it is set forth, and explain in one of the most overlooked and neglected books in the Bible.
In Leviticus 16, Moses records, God instructions regarding the manner in which era need to enter the home place to sacrifice before the Lord to make atonement for his sins And the sins of Israel.
Rather than being an obscure and isolated Old Testament principle, Atonement becomes a visual display of God fierce’s commitment to redeem His people, and through the future redemption of God’s people is to be comprehended.
What does the Day of Atonement mean in the Bible?
Let me set the stage for you. in the beginning of gods story, we are told that God created a good world ( Genesis 1:12; 1:18;; 1:21; 1:25; 1:31) for His people to enjoy. God’s good design involved, making His mark on the people who would experience intimate with Him as they worked alongside the Designer saturate the universe with His glory (Habakkuk 2:14).
From the very beginning, but eternal plan was for image bearers (Genesis 1:26), who represent God and His mission. Not only were the borders of the Garden of Eden to be ever extending, but mankind was to image their Creator by undertaking the responsibility of causing creation to flourish.
The idea of cultivating implies the development of culture in such areas as art, music, government, technology, and agriculture and so forth. It is no coincidence that the trajectory of God created work, begins in the garden that culminates in the Holy City (Revelation 21:2).
The divine program seems to have run aground on the banks of human rebellion as Adam and Eve listened to the hissing voice of the serpent rather than the loving voice of their Maker. Adam decides that he is more capable than God and defining what is good from what is evil (Genesis 3:5). As a result of Adam’s mutiny, all of creation is cast into a dark curse (Romans 8 20), and God’s good world plunges into a bottom of chaos and we only the Creator will be able to rescue.
It is critical to our understanding of atonement to grasp the full measure of Adam’s choice, and it implications on the humanity in every generation. Because God is holy, and perfectly pure, the Bible says He “drove the man out” (Genesis 3:24) due to Adam’s sin.
Mankinds Desire is to renew the relationship with God
Because Adam represented all of man throughout all of time, when he was driven from God’s presence, so were we driven from our Maker’s side. Man’s greatest need now comes the necessity to be brought back into God’s presence, where we were always meant to be, but now there is an unassailable barrier of sin that separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2).
At this point in human history, we must confess that God would have been justified to eradicate humanity from his good world. And God would have preferred such a course resolution, no man could have cried ‘unfair!’ After all, just not the potter have the ride over to clay (Romans 9:19-22?” To this conclusion, however, the Maker was not so inclined. It is precisely at this point in the story that Grace emerges and provides the backdrop against which God, merciful redemptive plan is set into motion.
God’s plan for Redemption
Genesis 12 provides for us a more detailed glimpse into the redeeming intentions, which is up to this point in Scripture have only been alluded to. It is here that we discover how God will choose one family to be the very instrument, through which , every tribe, language, people and nation (Revelation 5:9) will be brought back into God’s presence to continue the work which Adam was intended to fulfill before his betrayal.
It is the family of Abram and his descendant, Israel, which, foreshadow, spiritual, Israel, that church (Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 3:7-9), who will take up the mantle of Adam to bless all the families on earth (Genesis 12:2-3).
Nonetheless, the dilemma of sin still remains. God has chosen to people to represent Him and move His mission forward, but the people are infected and warped by iniquity. Where once, prior to the fall, gods presence, with a place of peace, joy, and safety, it has now become a place of danger and terror because God‘s holiness will burn up anything in pure and unclean that I camps to break through the perimeter (Exodus 33:20; Leviticus 16:1-2).
How will God reinstate us, and draw, near to a sinful people without destroying them? The answer is found in atonement.
In the Old Testament animal sacrifice was needed to have atonement for sin. But now, because of the atonement , one of Jesus at the cross, We can receive forgiveness for our sins through sincere and complete repentance.
Sin can never be overlooked or ignored. God does not simply turn a blind eye to our offenses. If we don’t repentant of them and turn away from them in the end there will be consequences – God’s wrath.
Every day we are faced with a decision. Will we respond to life’s circumstances according to God’s Word or act emotionally? While our initial temptation is to react emotionally, it’s our decision.
Everything changes except for God. Letting changes in our lives upset us won’t stop them from happening. Circumstances change, people change, our desires change, and our passions change. The only constant in our lives is God -God never changes.
Most of the changes in life without our permission. But if we choose to adapt, we can live in peace. Emotions rise up and then move on, and they seem to want us to follow them.
When we choose to follow God’s Word are not not reacting to the situation, we are able to manage our emotions instead of allowing them to manage us,
How we respond to change, determines whether we transition mentally or emotionally. Do you act on God’s Word or react to the situation?
Patience plays a big role on how we react to change. If you have not developed patience, it tends to bring out the worst in you. My experience is that losing patience doesn’t make the situation faster it only makes me more emotional.
It seems like the more we want something, the more our emotions act up if we don’t get it. Common sense tells us it’s foolish to be in a rage when people do things we think are stupid when we’re driving or other simple things people tend to get upset about, like parking spaces. As we develop patience, we don’t think how hard and frustrating things are, but how peaceful we will be if we don’t just react.
No one likes to deal with difficult people. It’s beneficial to think how difficult you can be when you’re dealing with difficult people. There are a lot of difficult people in the world largely because of the stress we put ourselves under. People are trying to do too much in too little time and have more responsibility that they can handle.
We tend to follow the actions of rude people. But we need to stop and remember the person being rude probably have a lot of problems. And may not even realize how they are acting.
I see people posting rude comments on social media, and sure enough someone has to follow suit and before to long the entire comment section is an emotional rant, over something someone said or did. Being rude seems to be contagious these days. It gets our emotions going, and people end up getting stressed out and angry over simple things.
I certainly remember lots of times in my life when I was too harsh, but thinking back on it, I realize a had a lot going on and felt pressured, so the pressure came through in harsh voice tones. While that didn’t excuse my behavior, it was the root of the problem.
I am thankful that I learned the Word of God and have Him in my life to help and comfort me. But I lot of people don’t have that. I’ve had to work very hard with the Holy Spirit for the ability to act on Gods Word when people are rude, instead of reacting with a behavior that matches or tops others. Instead of joining in the rude reactions of people, I’ve learned to pray for them, asking God to open doors for them to get through.
I’ve had to ask myself on numerous occasions “how do I react to people who are rude?” Do I respond in love as God’s Word says, or do I join them in the behavior. If I’m not on my toes, I tend to respond the same way they respond. Being rude can be contagious if we follow our emotions instead of God’s Word.
Feelings come and go, and we can’t escape them, but we can choose to live by God’s Word and not our feelings. Even when it doesn’t feel right, we can live with peace and joy. When we follow God’s Word in every circumstance we face. We can learn to live beyond our feelings.
“The human body is a city with seven gates – seven portals to the outside world: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and a mouth. It is incumbent upon us to place internal ‘judges’ to discriminate and regulate what should be admitted and what should be kept out.” – Anonymous
What details of your life could you pay more attention to?
I’ve gotten pretty comfortable in my comfort zone lately. I have become to familiar with the things that are easy for me. I know we can’t grow when we become safe in our little “bubbles.”
It’s not even that I fear getting out and doing new things. It’s because the world has become a stressful place to be.
Our comfort zones are a brilliant place to exist, but it likely won’t prepare us to handle some of those curveballs that life tends to throw at us.
It’s a fact that our comfort zones are our sweet spots, but if we want to achieve optimal performance, we have to step outside it a little bit, but not to much, and what prevents most of us from wanting to do that at all, is the deep seated need to stay safe.
What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?
My top priority tomorrow and every day is to please God. Which involves being spiritually minded, studying His Word, and being open to hear Him when He speaks to me and listen even if it something I don’t want to hear.
In a life without faith it is impossible to please God, but with faith everything is possible.
The Bible famously declares that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” But this phrase has often been misunderstood. Fearing God does not mean being afraid of Him. We never need to fear God – who is pure love. There is another meaning to the word translated as “fear” in the Bible it’s “awe.” Fearing the lord means, you have an overwhelming sense of reverence of God’s power that inspires awe in our souls.
The fear of the lord is a healthy fear that leads us to wisdom by way of wonder.
Fearing the Lord, involves seeing how awesome God truly is. The healthy fear of awe shows us the glory of God’s unlimited power and pure holiness.
For those who aren’t close to God, seeing God’s glory brings their attention to their sins in contrast to God’s holiness. They may indeed struggle with being afraid of God punishing them for their sins. They may not understand God’s, great love and mercy, but encountering wonder and give them glimpses of God’s awesome power.
People who are connected to God in saving relationships -thanks to Jesus’s sacrifice for all sins no longer have any reason to be afraid. The confidence that salvation brings and frees believers to fear the Lord, in a positive way through reverence and awe. As people who love God and fear Him, they feel gratitude rather than dread, and they’re motivated to worship. Hebrews 12:28-29 declares, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom, that cannot be shaken, let us be should be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with relevance and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
Fearing the Lord is a humbling experience for everyone. An awareness of God’s glory, find a spotlight on where we all are in our relationship to God. are we far away from the Lord? Are we close to him? What direction do we want to move in choosing to move closer to God strengthens our faith, which decreases negative fear (being afraid) and increases positive fear (awe).
The Bible says, “the word of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom“ in two verses Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” In Psalm 111:10; “The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding of all those who do His commandments; He praise endures forever.” In addition to these verses the Bible also includes similar statements in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the lord is the beginning of knowledge, fools, despise, wisdom, and instruction.” Proverbs 15:33 “ The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.” And in Job 28:28, “ and to man, He said, behold, the fear of the Lord, That is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.”
The English word “fear” in these verses is translated from the Hebrew word “yirah” which has a range of meanings in the Bible and means “awe” or “reverence” in the context of the above verses. The fear of the Lord that leads to wisdom encompasses the concept of experiencing wonder because of encountering God’s glory. It refers to an awe- inspiring awareness of God’s holiness.
How Does This Fear Give Us Wisdom?
We are in the Lord, helps us understand who God truly is, which inspired us to love, obey, and serve Him – and we can grow more wise day by day in the process. Feeling awe from fearing the Lord motivates us to respect God’s holiness and obey His commandments. Deuteronomy 10:12+14 asks, And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God asked of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” And Deuteronomy 10:20-21 urges, “Fear, the Lord your God, and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His Name. He is the one you praise, He is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.”
Encountering wonder if yours are healthy fear of God, a reverence of God awesome nature in our souls. That is the foundation on which we can build our knowledge and grow in wisdom. Awe shows us who God really is. That healthy fear of God reveals that God is much more than just a friend or a distant being who doesn’t care about our choices. When we feared the Lord through awe, we can see that God is the all-powerful Creator who is the source of all wisdom. It becomes clear to us that listening to God is the best choice for us in all circumstances. Fearing God helps us understand that He is a loving father who wants what’s best for us. It wakes us up to the reality that God’s presence is always with us, and He notices and cares deeply about our thoughts, words, and actions.
When we fear the Lord,we gain wisdom because our perspective enlarges so we can see how much we need God. Seeing the wonders of God, awesome power and holiness opened our eyes spiritually. In the face of our Creator’s glory, we can see where we really are in a relationship to Him, and we can be Inspired to move closer. Encountering the wonder of God at work in our lives, inspired us to take stock in our choices. Have we been making a relationship with God a top priority in our lives? Have we except his forgiveness for our sins? Have we chosen to pursue greater holiness in our thoughts, words, and actions? We acquire more wisdom as we do so.
The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom, because feeling awe expands our perspective beyond ourselves to God, we become wise by directing our attention to God rather than just to ourselves. We can move past our problems and for possibilities as we allow awe to grow our wisdom, since “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Fearing God, by having a sense of reverence, for His wonder, helps us to be wide enough to stop placing limits on what our all powerful God can do in our lives. Fearing God through awe inspires with the wisdom we need to trust God in deeper ways.
In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled?
A hard work ethic helps us to develop self-discipline, and self-confidence which helps us overcome obstacles and cultivate valuable skills.
Hard work helps me feel that I am contributing something to society. Without it I tend to feel worthless. It important for me to be a valuable member of the community I live in. I find when I work use my time more efficiently throughout the day.
Do what you love when you work and it will feel like play.
Noticing what’s right in the world can have a big impact on your life
Does negativity dominate your thinking? If the thoughts in your head about people, situations-and even yourself are on the harsh side, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
What problems does negative thinking create? Negative thinking makes you feel blue about the world, about yourself, and about the future. It contributes to low self worth. It makes you feel you’re not effective in the world.
Psychologists link negative thinking to depression, anxiety, chronic worry, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Almost all people contend with it, even those born with a positive outlook on life.
It’s the way our brains are constructed. It’s because our amygdala and lambic systems are build to notice threats, to protect our survival. In prehistoric times it may have been a beautiful day, but when we were stalked by a predator, our brains we trained to notice danger.
Today the same parts of our brains are active even when threats are minimal. The threats we deal with today are more cognitive they involve finances, whether we are loved, or succeeding at work. They can set our hearts racing. That’s why we can get panicked on a Sunday night just thinking about work.
Negative thinking can become a habit. We practice worrying, and it gets worse over time. Worry is maintained by what we call ritualized reassurance. We think of the the negative scenarios that can possibly occur, and then all the ways we could solve them, to calm ourselves down.
Reassurance is a drug with a short half-life, like caffeine. If we use caffeine to combat fatigue, the more you use, the more fatigued you become over time. When people say, “The older I get, the more I worry,” it’s because they’ve been practicing.
We can work out thousands of scenarios, they story is still going to unfold in one way. It’s estimated that approximately 94% of the time, what we worry about doesn’t happen. What does happen is usually something we have never worried about.
We are constantly dosed with negative thinking because media primarily portrays negative events. They know that we are more drawn to what’s wrong than what’s right.
It is possible to change the way we think, but it comes from changing your relationship to your thoughts. We actually have about 50,000 spontaneous thoughts, images, and ideas every day. Whether they are positive or negative, they intrude into our awareness. Those that are negative are more likely to capture our awareness and stick with us.
We have to learn to watch our thoughts, rather than engaging with them. Practicing mindfulness can take you away from the thinking experience
For Example:
When you get distracted by a negative thought, notice something to engage with in the present. What are you seeing, smelling, tasting, feeling.
Mindfulness also helps us program ourselves a sense of that which is right. We can systematically notice what’s going well in the present. We can notice something favorable about each person we encounter. Ans words of admiration help us notice the rightness of things.
Try keeping a gratitude journal, looking for those events that did work out. Doing this right before bed is especially helpful.
By changing your thoughts from negative to positive ones can actually change your brain circuitry. It takes hard work, you can exchange bad habit for good ones because they exist deep within the brain.
But when new positive thoughts are exchanged for negative ones, they tend to stick and become automatic. Our brains may resist this practice at first, but after a while new habits form around how we relate to our thoughts. It’s take 30-60 days to change a habit, and up to 254 days to form a new behavior.
The practice of mindfulness is being used as a tool more and more to treat problems like social anxiety, depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Mindfulness helps people accept things as they are, rather than always being in a fix-it mode.
Our thoughts affect the way we regard our lives. Positive thinking fosters self-acceptance and self-efficacy.
Maybe you have a gift to give that makes the lives of those around you better. Saying good things about others has such an impact. It can create delight. It makes you and every one around you feel and function better, and makes the world a better place.
Developing positively can influence the ways we choose to behave, which leads us to feel better and to have better outcomes in our lives.
What’s the trait you value most about yourself?
The most valued trait I think I have is my honesty. Telling a lie is not only disrespectful to the other person. But it also a command that God gave us.
The world is often tainted by deception and half truths, so badly that when you tell a person the truth it makes them mad. There’s a quote that goes, “If you don’t want the truth don’t ask me. If you want something sugarcoated go eat a donut.”
Truth if intrinsically tied to integrity, as it compels us to uphold our values, even it challenging situations. Honesty enables us to take responsibility for our actions.
When people ask me a question, they know they will get an honest answer. I would definitely Peter to hurt someone with the truth, that to comfort them with a lie. Being straightforward direct, honest, transparent in communication and behavior without a hidden agenda is who I am.
From Pity to Praise