When You’ve Done All You Can Do

Would you like to be able to deal with life’s ups and down with strength and grace?

Becoming mentally and emotionally strong isn’t something that happens overnight.

When it seems that we’ve done all that we can do, know the we haven’t. We have to stay encouraged. We have to have hope. Hope is the emotional state which promotes the believe in a positive outcome.

Without hope, we have hopelessness, and hopelessness is the epitome of destruction. Hope is having no expectation of good or success; the despair you feel when you have abandoned hope of comfort or success. Fear is the root of hopelessness. Napoleon Hill stated the “Fear is a habit; so is self-pity, defeat, anxiety, despair, hopelessness and resignation. You can eliminate all of these negative habits with two simple resolves: I can and I will!!!

We can agree that it is much easier to surrender that to fight.

However, when it comes to survival or continuing to live in spite or difficult circumstances, it is about survival of the fittest. In the midst of disaster we are taught that survival skill are crucial. Although, generally referring to physical disasters, this can be conveyed in the emotional aspects of disaster as well.

So, what do you do when you’ve done all you can do?

Here are some ways:

Stay Hopeful

Life is full of challenges but hope is key to enduring and conquering them.

Make A Conscious Choice To Be Happy

Happiness is a choice, and your perception is your reality. Finding the good in all situations will help overcoming negative defeating distorted beliefs.

Pick Your Battles

Work on the things you have control over, instead of overwhelming yourself with things you cannot change. Let go….Let God!

Reflect, Relax And Release

Surrendering it to God means we don’t get to hang on to it. It’s good to reflect and learn from your mistakes and undesirable situations, but don’t get hung up on it. Let it go and relax. Release the pressure of the situation and move forward.

Take Time For Yourself

Do something that eases your mind; something enjoyable that can make you feel refreshed and alive. Take a hot bath, do some crafts or hobbies, get out and enjoy your surroundings, or take in a movie or go to dinner with friends or family. Just do something.

Live, Laugh, And Love

No this is not just a saying. It can be quite helpful when faced with challenges. Make a choice to live! Laugh, as research has proven that laughter releases hormones that reduce stress, provides a physical and emotional release, and even provides a good workout for your heart. Make a decision to love yourself. (flaws and all)

Get In Touch With Your Spirituality

Spirituality can provide us with meaning, a sense of vitality or aliveness and a sense of closeness to Jesus and helps us to see the big picture. Pray for clarity and understanding. Read your Bible for daily encouragement. These things will help you stay focused on God.

Take Action

Make an action plan that consist of goals and objective, and revisit it regularly. Every day life challenges can get you off track, but an action plan will keep you focused. Revisiting the plan on a regular basis will provide some insight on your accomplishment and provide continued guidance, even during stressful situations.

Even though life throws us curve-balls, and doesn’t always go as we plan or would like, there is something we can do about it. Don’t surrender to challenges. Welcome them and look at then as an opportunity to grow and advance. Know that you have NEVER done all that you can do!

Try each of these tips, take control over you situations, and live a more Strategic, desirable, and encouraging life.

The Enemy Only Attacks What Is Valuable

Have you ever thought about how many things the enemy did even early in your life to try and stop you from having a life.

I sure have, I almost died from malnutrition at the age of four. I spent 3 months it the hospital. I had a hot deep fryer pour on top on me I was six years old. I remember my mother coming to my bed at night holding a pillow over my head until I started choking. As an adult I almost overdosed on alcohol and drugs. I cut myself to try and transfer my pain from remembering my childhood. I injected a entire bottle of insulin. I tried to take pills to try and kill myself. I went to the hospital the Dr’s saying I was clinically dead and woke up 3 days later in Intensive care. I can go on but you get the picture.

I know that Satan started my storm. I was under demonic oppression. When God found me at my lowest point that’s when things started to change. I began to know I was valuable.

You are on Satan’s hit list from the day you were born. There were things in your family line that were happening before you were born that were designed to keep you from being close to God. We must be important, because in spite of all of the storms that had your name on them, in spite of every attack, look at praising God that you are alive and believing for a brighter day. Look at how you made it. You must be important. You survived.

How do I know your important, not because of the car you drive or the house you live in, not because of your friends. I know your important because of your storms. The size of your storm let’s me know the importance of your assignment. Satan doesn’t start a storm for somebody he’s not threatens by. If your going through a storm, there’s something so much bigger on the other side.

Satan has been huffing and puffing trying to blow your life out. Your storm is a sign that Grace is on the way.

When Satan whispers in your ear “You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm, when Satan whispers in you’re ear say, I am the Storm.” And God is on my side.

Deuteronomy 28:7 says “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven.”

The Solitary Coal

A Sunday school teacher had noticed that one of his students had been absent from class for a long time. So he went to visit his home, and found his at the fireplace, and sat down beside him without a rebuke, without saying anything. Instead, he picked up the tongs and removed one of the glowing coals from the rest and placed it alone on the hearthstone. The two just sat there watching the burning coal grow colder and colder until there was no more fire at all. The absent member turned to the teacher and said, “You don’t have to say a word. I’ll be there next Sunday! There are many who say they don’t need to gather with the rest of the body or go to church. But we are coals on God’s fireplace. And His fire is the spirit. And so when we come together, we inspire each other, we challenge each other. So it’s not so much a matter of duty. It’s a matter of need. You need their fire,and they need yours. So don’t separate yourself. Get back in the fire and get warmed up. For there’s nothing more useless the a fireless coal.

You Will Be Too Much For Some People. Those Aren’t Your People

We are all looking for our tribe. One of the most fundamental human needs is the need to belong. To experiencing being part of a group, to feel loved and be accepted by others. We are humanely wired for the experience. It’s been said that we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. That’s probably true. Look around you.

What if I told you diversity creates healthy tribes? Why would we want to seek more of the same? Isn’t it the richness, the ice cream flavors that make our world sing so beautifully. When we look around, our tribe holds such a diverse range of qualities. In fact, we hold all those qualities within us and at times they are played out in different ways.

When you stand with your tribe, you are surrounded by magic. The fact that you can turn up your weirdness, you can intensify your quirkiness and you can magnify greatness as trust and love are the glue.

I like to think I belong to 2 tribes and I have different experiences with each.

I belong to a church tribe, where I feel comfortable blessed. I can share my life’s experiences and help people have a better understanding of who I am. My Auxiliary group I belong in several ways. I can say a prayer and am able to lift others up when their down. I am the secretary take care of meetings and keep track of what happens during meetings. And then I run the snow-cone machine when there is a charity event. I have the blessings of meeting new people from around the world.

If you feel tribe-less, rest assured in the knowledge that your tribe is out there waiting for you. It’s your time.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

What does actions speak louder than words mean?

Definition

What you do has a stronger impact on people that what you say.

Oftentimes, people will say one thing and then another; the phrase actions speak louder than words means that people are more likely to believe what you do rather than what you say.

It’s must easier to lie with your words that with your actions because what you do more strongly correlates with you want and what you believe. You can say anything without believing strongly in it.

Parents must remember that they need to lead by example. Children are more prone to feel allowed to do what their parents do,even if their parents tells them not to do it.

People tend to believe what you do not what you say.

This proverb is more than several hundred years old. Some of the first expressions of it are found in the Bible, including the verse in the book of John, which stresses that saying you love someone is not the same as doing things for them. “My little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” (1 John 3:18)

In today’s world remember that what we do has more significance than what we say. We need to line up our actions with our words.

Example:

Child: Dad, I promise I’ll be on time for dinner, and I’ll do my homework as soon as I get it.

Father: Well, that sounds great, but actions speak louder than words . I’ll believe it when I see it.

It Is a common piece of warning in modern relationships when someone’s partner consistently says that’s he love her but doesn’t back it up with his actions. The recipient of these words is often warned to pay to the actions of his/her partner to find the truth of how they feel.

Example:

Krystle: He tells me he loves me every day. But he didn’t do anything for my birthday, and he still doesn’t want to meet parents.

Kristine:Be careful, actions speak louder than words.

Things Aren’t Always As They Seem

So often we take situations at face value and don’t recognize that they are not what they appear. It is so important anytime you’re dealing with other people’s assumptions lead you to weird places sometimes.

The point is that sometimes God can take what you think is a run of the mill situation and show you thatHe had so much more in store.

During my lifetime I have experienced situations like this. When I thought I was worthless and meant nothing to anyone. God used me to help many people along the way, using my broken life as a bridge for someone else.

The most critical step is listening not just to the words but to the story behind the words. The background is where we learn about other people so we can truly understand where they are coming from.

There is truth in the quote “Don’t Judge My Choices Without Understanding My Reasons.”

Usually when I share the testimony of my life, people are shocked by the pain I’ve been through, and how I am who I am today. I’ve been called weird and a loner a lot of times.

I am definitely not who I seem to be.

Have you ever been absolutely certain of something only to find out that it was something else altogether? I suspect it happens more regularly than we like to admit. And the worse times to experience these certain uncertainties are when they relate to the words and actions together.

For example:

Out of simple curiosity, our partner asks us why we are late getting home and we are sure that they don’t trust us.

The cashier at the grocery store says we owe more that we expect and we’re sure she is wrong even though we really just misread the label on the shelf.

You see someone in the market and they are acting different and you’re sure something is wrong with them, by the way there acting. But you don’t know what kind of life experiences they have had to live.

The are Varying thing that happen in life and we to often misdiagnose them. Sometimes our misdiagnosis is due to our own experiences or prejudice. Other times it’s simply because we aren’t skilled in analyzing the situation correctly. In other words, we never had adequate training in life’s mechanics.

Interactions can be difficult and can often we misread the process unless we are willing to get our hands dirty and break down the communication machine.

We need to take the time to listen-not just listening to the words but the story behind the words. The backstory is where we learn about other people so we truly understand where they are coming from.

We need to not just go by one piece of the story, we need to pay close attention to the clues around us. Then we can understand the whole story.

Things in life are not always what they seem to be. People are not always what they seem to be. And it’s usually a great relief to find out that our situation doesn’t require a complete overhaul after all. Instead we just need to listen a bit more carefully.

Are You Ready For Christ’s Return?

How bad is the world going to have to get before God finally steps in and Jesus comes back? I get very concerned when I see all the evil things that are happening in the world today. Are we living in the last times?

The Bible warns us against making precise predictions about the exact time of Jesus’s return-but His return is certain, and we may well be living in the last days, “The night is nearly over; the day is a most here.” (Romans 13:12)

Shortly before returning to Heaven Jesus told His disciples that someday He would come back to establish His Kingdom. But before that could take place, He said, certain things would have to happen. For example, He said that before His return the Gospel must be told throughout the world. ( Mark 13:10) Never before has then been possible-but now it is through radio and internet and other modern means of communication.

You also have placed your finger on another sign Jesus gave: Satan’s final attempt to halt God’s work through a massive onslaught of evil. Our word is no stranger to evil; Satan has always been working to stop God’s plans. But God’s enemies now have access to modern weapons of mass destruction, and no one can predict what the outcome will be. Jesus said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of war… Nation will rise against nation.” (Matthew 24: 6-7)

The real question, however, is this: Are you ready for Christ’s return? You can be, by turning to Him and putting your faith and trust in Him. Do not take His Warning lightly, commit your life without delay.

The Bible says: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:13) Throughout Scripture God tells us how to find His salvation. We must be convinced that we need Him. Those who feel self-sufficient will never find salvation in Jesus Christ.