ELIMINATE NEGATIVE SELF TALK - A DEVOTIONAL BY RICK WARREN

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” (Proverbs 4:23 TEV)

Long before psychology came around, God said your thoughts determine your feelings and your feelings determine your actions.

Our minds are really an amazing creation. It would take a computer the size of the Pentagon just to carry out the basic functions of your brain. Your brain contains over 100 billion nerve cells. Each individual cell is connected with 10 thousand other neurons.

You are constantly talking to yourself — all the time. You’re talking to yourself right now! Research indicates that most people speak at a rate of 150 to 200 words per minute, but the internal dialogue that you carry on with yourself (self-talk) you do at a rate of 1300 words per minute.

The problem is, in all that self-talk, a lot of people are like Job. In Job 9:20, he says, “Everything I say seems to condemn me” (TEV). If you're typical, you are your own worst critic. Right? You're always putting yourself down. You could walk into a room smiling, but inside you're saying, “I’m fat. I’m dumb. I’m ugly. And I’m always late.” Most of it is unconscious.

God wants you to stop putting yourself down. When you put yourself down, who are you really putting down? You’re really pointing to the Creator who made you. When you say, “God, I’m worthless. I’m no good. I can’t do anything,” you’re saying, “God, you blew it with me.” That’s why God says it’s wrong to put yourself down.

How do you eliminate negative self-talk so you can become a more confident person? It’s the principle of replacement: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about all you can thank God for and be glad about it” (Philippians 4:8 TLB).

Focus on what you want to be, on what God wants to do in your life. I don’t know any better antidote to low self-esteem than to read God’s Word every day. Study it, memorize it, meditate on it, and learn it in your life. I can’t tell you a better thing to help you raise your confidence level than to get in the Bible and start believing what God says about you.

 This devotional © 2012 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

GHG VIDEOS - NEW BLOG JUST FOR YOU

MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU SAYS JESUS CHRIST

“How many times I would fall?” I hate myself whenever I was confronted with this question in my mind. Countless time I had fallen and I still keep falling in sin. Every time I fall into a temptation I take a decision not to fall again but my decisions go vain.

Whom can I blame except me, for I am the sole reason behind what I am doing. When I take the blame upon myself, all I am doing is nothing but hating myself to the core. Whenever I face any temptation or lust, I forget my Savior Jesus Christ who died for me at the cross. I know Him personally and He is so close to my heart. I love Him so much and I want to live for Him alone. I want to do things which glorify His Name. My heart desire is to live for Him and for Him alone.

But yet when I face temptation and lust, I just walk into it leaving my Saviour behind. Oh how can I justify my wrong doings? I can’t justify it and so again I blame and hate myself. 

As I hate myself, the question which immediately arises in my mind is “why should I live”. I don’t even find a single worthy reason to live as I know my life is useful to none. 

Throughout my life all I gave to my Loving Saviour is hurt and wounds. Several times I told Him that I won’t repeat my mistake but not even one moment I kept my promise. Why should I live when I am not even a blessing to one person? So I decide to end my life.

I want to live to do something for God but I tried my best to do that and I failed miserably. I thought of dying but actually I don’t want to die. I want to live for Jesus Christ but I don’t know how to do that. At this moment, I wish I would be better if someone shows me a true caring love. But none in this world cares for me. They are busy with their own worries. How could they stop and listen to someone in pain when they themselves don’t know the way to solve their own problems. I could not find anyone who loves me truly. No one is there in this world to comfort me.

My heart is filled with so much of sorrow and pain that I want to cry loudly. I was alone on the path of putting an end to my life as I lost all my hope. 

As tears flooded out of my eyes and as I cry loud, I hear the still voice of Jesus Christ. He says to me “My dear child, I love you and I am not far away from you. My love upon you is everlasting. I will wipe away your tears. I will heal your wounds and I will turn your sorrows into joy. I know that you are struggling now because of your weakness. But remember, My grace is sufficient for you. My grace will never fail you. It will strengthen you. I will pour out My Spirit upon you and I will set you free from your weakness. I will hold your hand and I will carry you into the bright and prosperous future which I have planned for you. You are My child and you will always be Mine.”

As I heard His voice all my sorrows were vanished and a divine peace filled my heart for I know His grace is sufficient for me.

Jesus Christ says the same to you today. Whatever be the situation you are in right now, remember His grace is sufficient for you.

THE WALL - 6

LET GO OF THE PAST - TAKEN FROM INTERNET

My Dear Child,

Give up! Give up those hurts of the past. It's time to move on. Satan loves to have you live in the past because that renders you ineffective to live in the present-in the now.

Tell Me, child. What is it that has happened to you? Who hurt you? What mistakes have you made that you regret? Did what happen to you change the fact that Jesus loves you, and He died on the cross for you so you could live in heaven with Him for all eternity?

Can anything or anyone ever change that fact? You know that nothing can ever nullify what Jesus did for you on the cross. If that's true, and it is, then nothing else matters, does it?

There is nothing that can happen to you, nothing anyone can do to you that can ever change the fact that My Son, Jesus, loves you and died on the cross for you so you gain heaven for all eternity. No one can ever take that away from you. No One!

Hold on to that thought. Put things in their proper perspective. When you do that, you'll see that being loved unconditionally, attaining salvation and the right to go to heaven is your ultimate goal. Everything else pales in comparison to that.

Even physical death cannot take heaven away from you, for then the real you-your spirit-just changes abodes. Physical death for Christians is moving from living in the temple of the Holy Spirit, your body, to living in heaven.

I know, My child, I know. Your mind is often filled with hurtful things that happen to you. Sometimes you even say to people "You don't know how much it hurt Me when such and such happened." Well, I ask you again, does what happen to you in the past change the fact that Jesus loves you and died for you, and now you can spend eternity with Him in heaven? I don't have to wait for your answer, because I know immediately your mind said, "No!"

Then, child, nothing else matters! Compared to eternity, all problems are nothing. Loving Me, being in My family, gaining the right to live in heaven for eternity-that's what's important in life. If you lose that, you've lost it all. Don't hold grudges. Forgive! Nothing you can gain on earth can make up for that loss and nothing can happen to you on earth that can take that away from you- Nothing!

Love,
God

CHRISTIAN BEST ONE LINERS - 4

Good morals will keep you out of jail, but it takes the blood of Jesus to keep you out of hell.

Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church.

If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns.

If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again.

Before you remove a fence, always tarry long enough to think about why it was built in the first place. 

There is only one angle at which to stand straight, but infinite angles by which you can be crooked.

A vaccination shot now may hurt, but it can protect from great pain later.

Exercise daily, walk with God.

Your hunger for things of God is a measure of your spiritual health!

The act of prayer isn't in itself the answer, but it brings the answer!

In the dark? Follow the Son.

When God is not the center of our lives, we are off balance.

GHG - 8 (YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES YOU)

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” – Matthew 7:11

Two days back when my father called me through phone he asked me: “Daddy, how are you?” You might be surprised to know a father calling his son, “Daddy”. Many people were surprised about this for the past 28 years.

The story began in the year 1984 when I was born. In 1983, my dad lost his father whom he loved most in the world. He could not able to bear the death of his father. My two brothers were at the age of 4 & 5. My father felt that there was no more hope and he stopped going to his work. There was no more income for our family and they went through a very tough situation at that time. My father din’t went to his work for one year.

Exactly after a year of his father’s death, I was born. When I was born he believed that God gave back his father to him. He was so happy about my birth and started loving me so much. From the day I was born, he started calling me “Daddy”. Throughout these 28 years, only 6 or 7 times he addressed me with my name and the rest of the moments he calls me as “Daddy”.

My dad continued without any work as he felt so happy to spend time with me. Elders around him advised to go to work but he din’t listen to anyone. Exactly after one month I got a severe fever and my parents had no money to take me to a doctor. Seeing my pathetic condition, my dad decided to go for work so that he can take care of me well. Because of the love he had upon me, he started going to a regular work almost after a year.

As my father loved me so much I got a special care and respect among my family members and relatives. Even when my mom talks about me to my dad she uses the phrase “Your Daddy”. Even at the times of my misbehavior my dad never hated me but corrected me with so much patience and love.

He sacrificed many things for me. When I begun to grow and crawl, he saw me moving towards a small bit of cigarette lying on the floor which he smoked a hour before. As he saw me taking that in my small hands, my mom told him that your dad will start smoking cigarette if you don’t stop it now. He stopped smoking from that day onwards.

As years passed by we understood the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and got saved. Before we were saved we used to go to movie theaters as a family. But once we got saved my mom stopped watching movie and all other stuffs. She never forced us to do so but she always insisted my father to be an example to his children. My father tried his best but he can’t stop watching movies.

At one particular week, I had severe fever and doctors diagnosed that I was suffering with Typhoid. My father will sit at the corner of my bed and he will pray to God with tears for my healing. Continuously for two weeks I was sick. My father could not see me suffering like that. As he prayed for my recovery, he felt that he has to stop watching movies. So he told in prayer that if God heals me immediately he will never watch movie again.

God heard his prayer and healed me immediately and my dad stopped watching movies from that day onwards. There were times he got life taking diseases. But he used to say that he want to live because if he dies there won’t be any one to take care of me as he take care of me. God is so gracious that He always answered our prayers and tears. By the grace of Jesus Christ, my father is still alive and he is in a healthy state at the age of 61.

Dad, I can say that you are the best dad one can ever have. I want God to give you much more years to live so that I can be with you for I love you lots.

I can tell you so many things that my father did to me throughout these 28 years. Now I am married and still he loves me with the same love. His love upon me had never changed. Before I get married, he used to tell me like this: “I am waiting for the day God brings my mother to me”. He had a strong belief that I am like his daddy and so my wife will be like a mother to him. Such was his love upon me. Thanks to Lord for He enabled my wife to get adapt with my father’s behavior so easily. 

 Truly my dad loves me so madly and he can’t bear my sadness at all. Whenever I cried, he used to shed tears and pray for me. He always says to me: “Do not cry dad. As long as I am alive I will provide you the desires of your heart and I will provide what is good to you. You should not cry as long as I am alive.”

My dear young friends, if an earthly father can love his son this much, how much more your Heavenly Father will love you. Lord is your Heavenly Father and whatever you ask in the name of Jesus Christ will be given to you. As He promised you will be blessed richly with His blessings which will bring good to you. Never ever think that you have no one to love you truly. Jesus Christ loves you so much. He is still working in you. Do not lose hope for your Heavenly Father is your creator and He will never leave you nor forsake you.

I want you to know that there were times my loving father corrected me in a tough way. I still remember one incident in which he had beat me severely. At that time it was hard but now when I look back the way he corrected me brought so many changes in my life. 

What is the reason for which I was beaten by my father? What change it has brought in my life?

                                                                         ...................... To be continued in GHG - 9