Self-discipline: Staying Focused

Self-discipline. Let’s be honest. For most us, it’s a work in progress wrapped in good intentions, procrastination, and feelings of regret. But maybe it doesn’t have to be that way. Self-discipline, like everything else, is practice. Not everyday will be perfect, but each day – with its regrets and small wins is progress, and that’s what self-discipline is all about.

Every year I sow a seed and pray that it will grow into a fruit in my life. The idea is to sow (plant a seed) and pray over it each day (water it). This year I sowing the seed of self-discipline. Last year I got so used to doing what ever I wanted that things really got out of control.

I’ve rounded up some steps I can take everyday to build self-discipline. And coupled it with a healthy understanding of what self-discipline is and with a little inspiration, I hope to gain the tools to develop a practice of self-discipline in everything I do.

1. Willpower is what separates us from animals. It the capacity to restrain our impulses and resist temptation. To do what’s right and good for us in the long run, not what we want to do right now.

My day used to be so structured. I used to get up at 5 in the morning work out, and then go swimming, get finished and study my Bible for an hour. Get my daily chores and errands done come home and make sure dinner was on the table by 5.

Now my life is such a mess I don’t know whether I’m up or down.

2 The only way to do something in depth is to work hard, The moment you start being in love with what you’re doing, and thinking this will pay off in the end, instead of thinking I don’t feel like doing anything. You will start make progress.

3 One pain-filled duty fulfilled makes the next easier.

4 The quality of self-denial in the pursuit of a long-term goal is indeed the willpower to maintain the denial is excellent training.

5. You don’t have to be smarter than anyone, you just have to be more disciplined.

6. Your will, will shape your future. Whether you fail or succeed will be no ones doing but you’re own. You are the force; you can clear any obstacle that is front of you, or you can remain , most in the maze of life. It’s your choice win or lose, you hold the key to you’re own destiny .

7. It doesn’t matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts, or life in general, the bridge between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.

8. The ability to discipline yourself to set clear goes, and then to work towards them every day, will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor,

9. It’s our choices, that show what we truly are, for more than our abilities.

I know for myself if I don’t do something that I know I should be doing I feel an instant moment of regret or dread. And think “why did I do that?”

It’s like being in bad mood and eating a whole tub of ice cream to drown out the emotions. Then on the last spoonful thinking, I just ate about 3000 calories, what’s wrong will girl, Then you have to contend with being sick and suffering the whole next day.

Lack of self-discipline only gives satan a way in to torture you through your thoughts. And that leads to more regret.

To start becoming self-disciplined, you have to know where you struggle. You might have to write it down, then reflect on what you value and ask yourself whether your behaviors uphold those values. There are likely a few things you’re doing each day that don’t honor your value. Mine are sweets and drinking coffee at night. If I have a treat, I can’t stop until there completely gone. And drinking the coffee I crave at night that I know will keep me awake, which affects me the next day.

I’m started with these

  • Know where you struggle
  • Know how you succeed
  • Identify and write down clear goals
  • Visualize your outcome
  • Don’t wait for it to feel right (Just Start)
  • Start small
  • Practice, fail, start over
  • Know how you’ll measure your progress
  • Take care of yourself
  • Treat yourself
  • Forgive yourself

Realize this is my goal for the entire year. So start to become self-disciplined. I look at this list often. Let yourself be excited for the new you. You are bound to make mistakes, but the goal is to, never give in and never give up.

Piece Be With You

Coping With Loneliness

Loneliness is an experience that means our current close relationships don’t meet our needs. Despite the name, youdon’t always have to be alone to feel lonely. Loneliness can come up whenever we feel alone, unwanted, or isolated. Loneliness can come up when.

  • We’re around a lot of people, but feel like we don’t quite fit in
  • we’re around a lot of people, but don’t receive the support or connection we are looking for
  • We lose an important person in our life, like a partner, family, member, or close friend
  • We’re alone and want to be with others

Some kind of social support is important to our well-being. There is no right or wrong social net work – people feel satisfied with different types of social circles, friends, and relationships. What matters is how you feel. If you feel supported and understood, your relationships are likely in good shape. If you feel lonely, you may be missing important pieces in your relationships,

If you feel lonely from a lack of friends, you aren’t alone. Many people say they aren’t satisfied with a number of friends they have.

How Can I Cope With Loneliness?

Loneliness can create more loneliness. For example, loneliness, and make you feel like you don’t fit in, which only makes it harder to reach out. This might seem to confirm that you really don’t fit in, which can make you feel lonelier. Loneliness can be difficult, because it’s still just a feeling. It can be changed. When you challenge feeling, the loneliness”will start to make changes in your life, the cycle of “loneliness thinking starts to break down.

Ask yourself why you feel lonely

Do you feel lonely because you don’t have others around you question, do you isolate yourself from others? Do you feel lonely when you are with others understanding your situation can help you take action where it matters most.

Avoid comparing yourself to others

It’s easy to look at other people and feel left out, but appearances can be deceiving. People want others to see their best side, but don’t be fooled by the message either show you the outside world. Social media in particular can make people feel on everybody but then you’re surrounded by friends, but social media is only in controlled snapshot. Remember that you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. Feeling like you aren’t as good at others. It’s just that – a feeling not the truth.

Give yourself some time, especially during big changes

It’s common to feel lonely during transition, like starting a new school, moving to a new city It’s common to feel lonely during transition, like starting a new school, moving to a new city, or starting a new job. Whenever you’re going through a transition, it can take some time to settle in and find your new place. Loneliness may only be a temporary stop along the way.

Think about what else is going on

How are you feeling in other parts of your life may add feelings of loneliness. For example, mental health problems, like depression, or social anxiety, and bring up a lot of difficult thoughts that make it easier to avoid social situations. Some other health problems can make connecting with others harder and leave you feeling isolated. In some situations, managing calendars and other parts of your life can reduce the feelings of loneliness.

Find a way to take advantage of time when you are alone

Time alone may be an opportunity to pursue a hobby, learn a new skill, get into a good book, listen to music, or connecting with nature. If being alone is the time and helpful, thinking, takes over, considering talking to someone close to you.

Work on your own social connections

Here’s some tips to help you build the relationships you need:

Be Strategic. Think about the types of relationship you want. For example, if you prefer talking to others in small groups, look for opportunities to meet people in smaller groups. If you’re looking for support and understanding around something specific, look for related groups or organizations. Use your interests or skills to take advantage to join a sports team, take a course, you’re in a club to meet people who already here are your interests.

Take it slow. Building confidence is an ongoing process. You have yourself manageable challenges. If you feel very isolated, simply learning to feel comfortable in public places like a busy coffee shop might be a good first step.

Be active and patient. It takes time to build relationships. It can be a bit scary at first, but try to initialize conversations or so yes opportunity to spend time with others. Except that it may take time to feel connected and feel like you’re a part of a group.

Accept that you won’t be everyone’s friend- and that’s okay. You will probably not get along with everyone you meet, and some people may not get along with you. This isn’t a reflection of your value on your worth. It just means that you haven’t met the right group of individuals yet.

Aim for healthy relationships. If you find that you are the one who isn’t heard in your relationships, building assertiveness skills can help you articulate your needs respectfully the other person is an equal partner and needs two also matter if you make it all about you and your needs, your relationship may suffer.

Identify and work with barriers. Is there something standing between you and relationships or activities you’d like to pursue? For example, childcare can be a barrier for new parents and transportation or mobility. Concerns may be a barrier for other adults. If you can’t find a solution easily, ask for help. A family member might be willing to help with the childcare., and an community organization might help with transportation.

Built family relationships. If you have a helpful and supportive relationship with your family members, think of ways to increase connections, geography, and other factors might mean that you don’t often see each other in person, but phone calls, video calls, and other forms of communication and help you stay connected.

A Warning To The Nations

Psalm 2

“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one” -Psalm 2:1-2

What a time to come across this scripture. This is so true for today. There are a few things I wanted to share about Scripture:

1. The warnings against the kings of the Earth. They prepare for battle, or already in battle. Wow, this verse talks about going against God, I do not think that war in general goes against God’s heart for the world.

2. There are other forces that play in the world. I’m sure we can all the Spiritual warfare going on around us. It is important to consider what is going on around us and the physical world and the spiritual world.

Psalm 2:10-11 is interesting:

Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the Earth. Serve the Lord with fear, the rejoice with trembling

Psalm 2:10-11

The warning continues for the kings to serve the Lord. I think this is for our elected leaders and the leaders of other countries today.

Warnings come before destruction. In Hebrews 2:1 says, that before God sends down a judgement against the people. He will give us the option to turn to Him and be saved. If we do not do that, judgement will follow.

We all need to pray that the kings and rulers of the world will turn from their wicked ways.

You Have Not Because You Ask Not

James 4:2 isa very popular scripture to quote – especially when you are praying and believing God for something in your,ifs. Jesus instructs us to ask in many places in Scripture, so it make sense that if you don’t have something, it could be because you didn’t ask for it.

Does this mean that God will give us whatever we ask for? It that what James really means here… or is there more to the story? Well, there is; and that’s what we are going to look into.

Look at James 4:1-3

What causes fights and quarrels among? Don’t they comes from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James 4:1-3

Is James really talking to believers here? I know it’s hard to believe, because he mentions words like fights, quarrels, kill, and covet. Yet he is talking about believers. More importantly, he is giving us a great reminder of the proper attitude we need to have when it comes to praying for something. It’s like James is giving us a litmus test to bring with us when we pray.

What Are You Asking? A Look At Motives

Look closely at having not because of asking not reveals that the problem is not really in the asking. The problem is in the reason why you are asking.

James identifies some of these wrong motives, but the ultimate desire that drives all the others is the burning desire to get something you do not have. This is known as coveting. To covet is to be jealous of something that someone else has, or to possess a strong eagerness to get something that does not belong to you.

How do you know if your are experiencing this emotion? One way is to think about how you feel when you see others around you blessed and it seems like God is passing you by. Do you rejoice in the blessing of others or do you despise them? When someone shares about how God blessed them, do you feel the need to try and trump their blessing with one of your own?

When someone gets a new job, new car, or any myriad of material blessings… do you find yourself being excited for them, or envious of them instead? If you do, then be careful; because of the ‘covet monster’ could be stirring inside you. So the next time someone shares what God is doing in there lives, rejoice with them. The Bible says we should rejoice with those who rejoice {Romans 12:15}.

The Negative Power Of Coveting

This type of emotion is not only unhealthy, it is a catalyst that leads to fights, quarrels, and yes even murder. Yes James is talking about believers. The striking thing about this desire is that it comes from within you. This is a reminder of how deceitful the human heart is and the strong pull our sinful nature can have over you if we let it get out of control.

When James reminds us in James 4:3 that we have not because we ask not, realize it’s a good thing and that God is doing you a favor. In other words, thank God for this next verse:

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, they you may spend what you get on your pleasures

James 4:3

God in His great wisdom and live, chooses not to answer prayers that are pursued with wrong motives. Can you imagine how we would be if God answered our prayers that were coming from our selfish motives? We would all be a mess.

What God is reminding us through James is that while, yes, asking matters and faith matters even more.

The Problem Of Misplaced Desires

Another problem here is the object of your desires, or things that bring you pleasure. It would be one thing if we were desiring to be more like Christ or more filled with the Holy Spirit, those desires are not only more beneficial to you but also to others. The desire James refers to only beneficial o you. They are rooted in selfishness. You want what you want and you want it now. Is there any wonder God would not answer this type of prayer?

The other problem these misplaced desires create is fights and quarrels. It’s really is no shock that selfish desires result in fights and quarrels, because when you want only what you want…what else do you expect to happen? That’s why Paul warns us:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each one of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:3-4

Imagine if this was the motivation behind your prayers? These are the types of prayers God Ives to answer.

Before The Great Awakening, There’s A Rude Awakening

All of us halted between two opinions. Sometimes we cannot seem to make up our minds about a particular situation. We move back and forth trying to make a wise decision but sometimes we allow other things to influence us that end up causing us to make the wrong decisions. Many times those unwise decisions have serious negative consequences.

Right now we are seeing a great separation in our country. Up until 30-40 years ago, in spite of our differences politically, philosophically and to some extent doctrinally, we were able to at least temporarily lay aside our personal preferences for the good of our country or our fellow citizens. That is no longer true generally speaking.

I believe we are in serious times where hard decisions need to be made individually as well as looking at the direction that our country has been heading and supporting those we can made a difference with biblically based decisions and initiatives. God is trying to get our attention and in His great Mets has allowed some of our current circumstances to shake us. The Scriptures even say that God will shake everything that can be shaken, in order that what cannot be shaken will be manifest and will remain. The word also states very plainly that God will discipline His own sons and daughters and that His is looking for. a bride that is making herself ready for her heavenly. Bridegroom. That means that the areas in our lives where there is compromise and lukewarmness need to be repented of so that we can live and walk in a way that pleases Him.

The book of Joel could very easily be written for the times we are currently in. It certainty has many parallels for today. Joel 3:14 states that there are: ‘Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” Verse 16 says: “The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and the earth will shake; but the Lord will be a shelter for His people and the strength of the children of Israel.” In the midst of all shaking there is a place of shelter and strength for those who pit their trust in the Lord.

I read somewhere that “Before we can have a Great Awakening, there must be a rude awakening.” Make have likened the overall church of the last days to the church mentioned in Revelation 3 – the lukewarm church of Laodicea. I certainly agree more from my own-limited observations. In my small town with about 20 churches with outspoken men and women in every sphere of influence, why has not our own city beet transformed by the power of the gospel? What are we doing or not doing that would and should change the culture of our communities in such a profound way that the outside observers would know that there are cities who not only love and honor our neighbors in our communities? There are modern day examples right here in our country of that happening.

I get it. Sometimes we are intimidated by the talents and gifts that other people have and operate in. We use the excuse that we are not so talented or gifted, thereby reasoning that we can just be a part of the “home team.” I have a neighbor who is very talented and gifted. He provides meals for the needy, works a full-time job and is available when anyone needs him. I look at him and feel worthless (there is no way I could do what he does). However, faith without works is dead. I think that means that everyone one of us can demonstrate our love for God and our fellow man by being engaged on some level to make a difference in the lives of others who are less fortunate than we are.if we are truly going to see a Great Awakening, we must each repent in the areas where we have been selfish or wrong on our thinking and actions.

We need to become so intimate with God that we can hear His voice so we can go into any situation with confidence, knowing that no matter the outcome, we are doing His Will and pleasing Him. I for one want to Hear His voice and then obey His direction. After all. I want to hear Him say “Well done” when my appointed them does come.

How To Experience Victory In Spiritual Warfare

Before we can talk about achieving victory in spiritual warfare, we have to understand the nature and history of the conflict between God and Satan. The basic principle in everything we see in the visible, the natural realm is controlled in the supernatural invisible realm.

We can see throughout the Old Testament as God made the first move when He created the angels. Lucifer countered that move when he rebelled against God {Isaiah 14:12-15} and took one-third of the angels with him {Revelation 12:4}.

God countered that move with creating man in His own image, “a little lower than angels {Psalm 8:5}. Satan rebelled against that move by tempting Adam and Eve to sin and turn the earth over to his control. But God countered by providing a redemptive covering for Adam and Eve so they could return to fellowship with His. Of course, Satan tried to counter that move by getting Cain to kill Abel in order to cut off the godly line.

That’s when God countered the birth of Seth, so that “men began to call on the Name of the Lord” again {Genesis 4:26}. Satan tried to count that move through the birth of Nimrod, who built the civilization of Babylon and Syria and gathered the people at the Tower of Babel to build a civilization and a relic defiance of God {Genesis 11:1-9}. But God countered with a move to Ur of the Chaldeans, finding a man named Abram through whom He would establish a nation, Israel, that would obey Him.

However, Satan countered that move by getting people trapped in Egypt so that Pharaoh would not let them go. God countered again by calling Moses to go to Pharaoh with the message, “Let my people go” {Exodus 5:1}. We could go on and on, but you get the idea. The entire Old Testament is move, countermove, move, countermove as Satan battled the work of God. Now don’t get the wrong idea. Spiritual warfare is not a battle between two equal forces. Satan is the creature; God is the Creator. Satan is a defeated foe; his defeat as first announced in Genesis 3:15 when God Himself said One would come who would crush Satan.

God’s Final Move

The One is Jesus Christ. So God made the big move when He became man in the person of Jesus Christ. Satan tried to counter that move by tempting Jesus in the wilderness {Matthew 4:1-11}. Jesus overcame that through the use of God’s Word. Then Satan made his final move at the cross, thinking he had gotten rid of Jesus. But God made the final move by raising Jesus from the dead.

And that move is now your move. No matter what’s going on in your world, Jesus’s resurrection move was God’s move, and now it’s your move for victory in spiritual warfare. What do you need to make that victory real in your life is to take up the armor of God has provided. Paul describes the armor for spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:10-12

The Real Enemy

There’s a key principle of spiritual warfare in verse 12 that a lot of believers don’t understand. Notice our enemies are “the spiritual forces of evil.” In other words, people are not your problem. You may think people are your problem because they’re what you see, feel, touch, and hear. But according to Gods Word, people are just the conduit for the battle going on in the spiritual realm. The battles we have in life are not fundamentally physical in nature, but spiritual- not primarily on earth, but in the “heavenly realms.”

This means if you don’t know how to navigate the spiritual realm, you can’t fix what’s going on in the physical realm. Spiritual warfare is the battle in the invisible, spiritual world that is responsible for the battles in the visible physical world.

Paul uses the term “heavenly realms” uniquely in the Book of Ephesians to describe the Christian’s activities. For example, your blessings are located in the heavenly realms {Ephesians 1:3}. Everything God is going to do for you is located in the unseen realm. Then in Ephesians 1:20, Paul says God raised Jesus and seated Him in the heavenly realms. Not only are your blessings located there; Jesus, the One who is in charge, is there also. So if you want to get to Jesus m you have to go where He is in the spiritual realm.

What happens when we do this? For one, we start seeing other people, or even ourselves, as the problem, and we start fighting them or ourselves. Or we come to believe that the answers to our needs are found in some self-help program or in finding a new job or even a new spouse. But these things do work, so we start believing that we are helpless against the devil and his schemes.

A Secret To Victory

But here’s a secret to victory in spiritual warfare that the devil doesn’t want you to know. The only power that Satan and his demons have over you and me is the power we give them. That’s because Satan is already a defeated enemy, he was crushed at the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus. The only reason Satan can take over the planet earth is because Adam and Eve permitted him to do it. The devil and his demons need your permission to unleash the forces of Hell in your life.

And once they are given permission, demons are like roaches. They are scurrying around on our lives because we have permitted them to be there. But let me say it again; The devil operates by consent and by cooperation. Some people say, “Christians care just too demon conscious.” No, the problem is, most of us are too demon unconscious.

I say that because of our battle against these spiritual forces. Now let me ask you a question. If the devil has already been defeated by Jesus in the heavenly realm, and if we are seated with Jesus in the heavenly realm, and if our real battle is in the heavenly realm, where should we look for the weapons and the power to be victorious? In the heavenly realm.

That’s exactly what Paul is saying in Ephesians 6. The armor of God is spiritual. That means we can’t fight Satan in our own strength, using our puny human ideas. We fight in His power. Therefore, your assignment is to put the armor of God on and then stand your ground. Paul calls go to stand, twice in verse 13 and again in verse 14.

“Stand your ground” means stay where you are. Hold your ground. It means you don’t have to run and hide from the devil or throw down your weapons and surrender to I’m. Standing your ground doesn’t change the fact that evil is all around you or that the battle is raging all around you. But standing your ground, clothed in the armor of God, keeps the battle from overtaking you because you are under the protective covering of God

It’s like standing in the pouring rain with a big umbrella over you. The rain in hitting all around you and even trying to get you wet. But you’re okay as long as long as you stay under the protection of the umbrella. But step out from under your umbrella, and you’re going to get pelted.