Stop Making Excuses

Making excuses is a natural human response – we are social animals, and we are what others think about us and we want to fit in. Rather than face uncomfortable conversations and feelings, we make excuses and avoid responsibility. There are usually one of three reasons why we make excuses: fear, uncertainty or lack of purpose.

The fact is to be successful we need to stop making excuses and become accountable. We should always strives to live according to our values. Accountability has always been a challenge for every who wants to change their lives for the better.

Too often people try to justify their failure or shortcomings through some kind of excuse, such as laziness, lack of motivation, fear of failure or sometimes too much pressure from friends or family.

Being able to take accountability for our behaviors is essential if we want to achieve success in life, improve ourselves, become happier, healthier, so even wealthier,

I struggle with this as much as the next person. I have been trying to lose weight for 3 months now. I am going to a weight loss clinic so I can be held accountable for not losing the weight. I still find myself making excuses for why I eat what I eat or don’t eat. I’m writing this for me just as anyone else.

Accountability is something we should practice every single day. When we don’t take responsibility for my actions, habits and behaviors, we tend to get into a vicious cycle where good things turn bad and we fail to reach our goals.

Too often we engage in self-defeating behavior such as criticizing or complaining about other people. Maybe your like this you tell yourself “I know I need to stop indulging in fatting food and that my behavior is destructive because they affect my self-esteem and how I behave towards others.”

I ask myself “what will happen if I don’t take responsibility for my actions? I know how much damage I am causing myself. Yet I still refuse to change.

In our busy lives, we often forget to carry out even simple tasks. This leads us to blame other people or circumstances without realizing that we are the ones carrying them out,

It’s time to stop making excuses. There’s nothing worse than someone who makes excuses instead of taking accountability. I tend to use my husband as an excuse for not eating right. I tell myself “I have to cook for him so I’ll just eat what I’m making for him.” But I can just as easily eat a salad or a healthier choice,

What happens next time we mess up or fail at whatever task we have set out for ourselves to accomplish?

If we really want to change our lives for good, we need to take ownership over our decisions and there outcomes.

My goal is to stop making excuses and start being responsible for my weight loss.

I know that my using excuses are the way I’m avoiding my responsibility. And all the negative thoughts and bad habits hold me back from achieving my goals.

We tend to make excuses and then beat ourselves up for the results we get. Here are a few steps I am working on to change this:

  • Accept the truth about myself. Stop lying to myself.
  • Get rid of negative thoughts that hold me back. Stop saying to myself things that are nice when I feel guilty or ashamed.
  • Develop an interest in what I do as part of my responsibility. Such as getting interested in exercising, instead of telling myself I don’t want to do it all day.
  • Stop comparing myself to others. WoW this is a big one. I compare myself with all the skinny younger people and then tell myself a lie that I can still look like this.
  • Start taking responsibility for everything I do. Instead of blaming everyone around me for my problem. Find out why I’m acting the way I do. And then learn how to correct it.
  • Learn to say no. This is a big one. I cannot say no, if someone asks me if I want a piece of cake. I cannot say no. Or I’ll say no and get tempted to have one because everyone else is eating cake. I need to say no and stick to it. Even if it means leaving the room while others eat cake.
  • Set realistic goals. I tend to set impossible goals for myself. I say I’m going to lose 10 pounds this week. Which is impossible but then I feel guilty because I didn’t meet that impossible goal.
  • Follow through with promises. If you tell people your going to do something do it. I struggle with drinking water (mostly because I don’t like the taste) I’d rather have coffee or a soda, its another temptation for me.

I hope this will help someone else. I wrote this emphasizing losing weight. But these steps can be used in every excuse we make.

We must stop making excuses and take charge of our life if we’re going to change.

Rolling Away The Stone

You know what it feels like. You feel like you’re in the dark. You sort of know how things should be, and where you ought to be in life, but something keeps holding you back.

Even when you see a speck of light in your darkness, it seems like there’s always a hindrance, a blockade that hinders you from stepping out and going forward.

It’s like we need the Spirit of God to come and roll away a stone that seems to be sealing off our life and the future. We need to see all the light instead of just a glimmer of it every now and again.

God’s Word says “Ask and you will receive.” But too many people have gotten in the habit of not asking, and thinking they can do it on their own. Sometimes the stone is too hard to be rolled away by ourselves. And we need God’s problem solving abilities.

People who don’t have Jesus in their life are upset by every bump in the road and every crack in the sidewalk. My mother used to say “Don’t step on that crack you’ll break my back.” Sometimes people feel the weight of there back breaking from every crack in their life. That person without Jesus freaks out as soon as they find something wrong with another person, or their job, or even in their church. So, they cop out, jump ship, bail out, and call it quits.

If you’re walking in a carnal mindset, when trouble comes around they enter into a danger zone. Doubt and unbelief will cause them to be part of the problem instead part of the solution. Fear can cause us to become self-sabotaging. We talk and act in a ways that are self-defeating and can get caught in a emotional tailspin that we have caused ourselves.

I have spent most of my life in self sabotaging, self defeating mode that had me always in a emotional tailspin. Most the time I would create my own problems.

But then I realized that I had to start living my life with a little faith that everything would work itself out. Stressing and worrying about everything was only causing me pain and suffering and above all I was physically and mentally at my wits end. I decided I couldn’t live that way anymore. I was not only destroying myself but the others around me. So, instead a began trying to find solutions instead of causing problems.

When we are being challenged by obstacles and opposition, the first thing to remember is what Romans 8:28 says “All things work together for good to those who love the Lord…” Today I still have this scripture written on an index card, taped to the mirror in my bathroom. So, that I can see it every morning.

If there’s a problem or challenge in your life, you can be sure that there is something good in it so you. It’s a guarantee! It’s just a matter of looking for it.

Once you’ve decided to believe God that there’s some Good somewhere in your situation, you’re ready to divide and conquer your problems.

And that stone, that hard situation holding you back, isn’t a mountain it’s simply a stone – a piece of a mountain. And God can help you roll it away so you can begin to see the light more and more. That rock that stone – that piece of the mountain that you are experiencing is a obstruction. And odds are there is Gold in the rock, it that problem.

When we keep on hammering on the stone and God begins to roll it out of our way. We begin to see the light shining bright. When we walk in faith that there is light behind the rock. God begins showing us more and more.

When things appear to be natural, we become our own source of mental, emotional and spiritual poverty. The darkness and hopelessness can invade and fill up the treasured room in our hearts. It’s in those moments when we surrender to our doubts and fears that open up ourselves to be robbed by the enemy and he begins to push the stone in front of us in an effort to close us off to remain in the darkness.

God gives us the power to choose. That means You and Only You can decide what to let in, welcome, or receive into your heart.

God tells us to “Stay alert! Pay attention! Whatever you allow to come into your heart will flow out of it, affecting you life!’

Rebellion

God described Jerusalem and its people at rebels who engage in habits that corrupt their lives morally and spiritually choose a prophet Zephaniah.

What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem. It does not trust in the Lord. If leaders are like roaring lion hunting for their victims. It’s judges are like ravenous wolves. It’s profits are arrogant liars. It’s pretty defile the temple.

Zephaniah 3:1-4

They were determined to go their own way and we’re not interested in the things of God. They did not trust or seek Him.

Its leaders were particularly guilty. The political leaders were determined to take advantage of the people for their own benefit. They were like roaring lions hunting for victims. Doesn’t that sound like America today? Even it’s spiritual leaders were like “arrogant liars seeking their own gain.”

God continue to focus on moral behavior, fairness, honesty, righteousness, and the commitment to truth. Why? For He was “still there in the city and He does no wrong. He hands down justice.“ God is consistent, for “He does not fail,’ (Zephaniah 1:5).

But these principles did not matter to some people. God tried to get their attention, but they refuse to listen or change. God was concerned. He warned about the horrible consequences of rebellion and what happens when there is no commitment key purity and godliness but a willingness to embrace self-centered behavior.

The Bible makes it clear that there are destructive consequences for rebellion, rejecting God’s Word, and going our own way. Ask God to show you if you are guilty of rebellion. Seek the clarity of His Word. Be sensitive to the leading of His Spirit. 

The Bible speaks of “birthing pains” before the tribulation. Many don’t recognize it, but we are experiencing “birthing pains.”

Matthew 24:6-8 tells us, “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. Or nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All of these are the beginning of the birth pains.”

Seeking The Lord

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have practiced His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will remain hidden on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Zephaniah 2:3

John Dickinson “lived one of the most extraordinary political lives in all America founding fathers.” Born in Maryland, he received a legal education in England. When he returned to America, he became an influential voice, writing essays distributed in America, England, and France.

However, he failed to receive the fan granted to me any other founders because he opposed the independence. He said he thought to reconcile the colony with England and did not sign the declaration. Yeah he gave respect even among those who disagreed with him and went on to hold positions of importance in the new nation.

One reason for his respect was Dickinson’s character and his Christian faith. The urge others to base their lives on the Bible, which can “make us wait for salvation’ through faith which is in Jesus Christ “ (2 Timothy 3:15).

Also stressed how important it was to realize that someday we will face God. He stated his conviction that there will be a Day of Judgement when each person will be evaluated.

Someday you will give a count of your life. Will be judged not according to your popularity or stand on political issues but on the condition of your heart and whether you are right with God.

The time is soon with all who are sitting on the fence will have to choose God or Satan.

Be sure you are ready. Seek the Lord. Humble yourself before Him. And serve Him with your whole heart.

God And The Weather

Storms, floods, and earthquakes are indeed part of the present world. We sometimes called him natural disasters but they are not a surprise to God. Yes God certainly control the weather and sends deadly storms.

Somehow concluded that suffering or Carl because it is beyond gods control. This is incorrect. God has indeed established certain laws and principles that govern nature, but He remains sovereign over these laws. Psalm 148:8 declares that storms “do His bidding.” Concerning Jonah, it was the Lord who “sent out a great wind into the sea and there was a mighty tempest in the sea” (Jonah 1:4).

Old Testament writers did not hesitate to attribute the forces of nature to God: Deep cough too deep at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves in Billows has swept over me” (Psalm 42:7). Today, God‘s creation is to often depersonalized. He is in control, and has His reasons for all kind of weather, both fair and stormy.

One biblical example is the story of Job. Severe weather had killed Job’s sheep, his servants, and all 10 of his children.

As Job suffered burger physical application, he asked, “ why is there evil in the world?” His rims were not a great help in answering the question.

Finally, after much dialogue. God spoke directly to a job out of a whirlwind (Job 38:41). The Lord made clear that His control over nature and His ultimate purposes were to be trusted, We simply cannot understand all the details of the divine plan.

Job’s testimony describes how trials should bring us closer to God, instead of driving us away.

The Lord gave in the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.

Job 1:21

Job 37:13 declares that God sometimes bring storms to punish people. This brings to mind the experiences of both Noah and Jonah; storms played a major part in their lives.

Scripture contains many examples of God controlling the weather and using them to direct people and nations.

How divine weather has changed history:

Global deluge rain storm ( plus Irruption of fountains of the great deep Are humans on earth killed in Divine global flood judgement, and all air breathing, land dwelling animals killed, except those saved by divine intervention on the Ark (Genesis 6:5-9:19).

Tremendous hailstorm and continuous thunder and lightning against all Egypt – struck down all unprotected people, animals, trees and plants- except in the region of Goshen where there was no hail (Exodus 9:23-29).

Tornadoes, hurricanes and drought

‘The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies. 

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave that guilty unpunished. A whirlwind and storm is His way…

He dries up all the rivers in Bashan and Carmel wither; The blossoms of a Lebanon wither (Nahum 1:2-4).

Very great thunder sent to confuse and disburse the Philistine army at just the right moment – saving Israel (1 Samuel 7:10).

Drought and famine judgments (Leviticus 26:19-20; Deuteronomy 11:13-15; 2 Samuel 21:1; Hosea 13:15; Zachariah 14:17).

Sin brought drought punishment and repentance brings reward.

“The heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have a sin against You” (1 Kings 16:30; 18:45).

Reign given or withheld from certain cities by God (Amos 4:7).

Thunder and rain gets peoples attention and induces right for fear of the Lord.

So Samuel call to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly fear the Lord and Samuel (1 Samuel 12:18).

A sea storm sent to punish a disobedient man and redirect him to Nineveh was saved from divine annihilation (Jonah 1:4; 10:15.

Future huge hail storms judgment about 100 pounds each (Revelation 16:21).

A serious flaw I secular environmentalism is that it sees nature as inherently good and normal. The biblical record says that creation and the weather were originally ‘very good,’ from the time God created the world until the first man sinned.

“ and God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31).

Due to man’s sinfulness, the world did not stay ‘very good.’ Not long after Creation all of nature was affected by man’s fall to sin and God’s curse.The pain and sorrow of this present world, along with severe weather, demonstrate an imperfect world.

Furthermore, the worldwide flood of Noah’s time would clearly have caused radical changes in our environment. Before the flood, the weather was evidently very mild and different from today, it did not even rain (Genesis 2:5-6; 7:11-12).

Thankfully, a new world is coming, when God will burn up this universe and create a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:10-13; Isaiah 65;17; Revelation 21). Paradise will be restored. Once again, deadly storms will not be part of our world.