Spring is FINALLY here! I'm finally getting a sense of relief from my winter blues, I love so much the warmer temps that are creeping back in. This time of year always gives me a sense of motivation. I start to think about what I can accomplish over the summer. This time of the year I also feel like I have a second shot at my already failed new year resolutions.
My Small Group just began reading The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry. I think it is fitting to share some excerpts from this book to boost joy and motivation. This book focuses on the Bible verse Phillipians 4:8 to change your mindset to a joyful way of thinking which will in turn permenate all aspects of your life. I really could use some positivity in my life after my winter blues! Time to 'spring clean' my way of thinking. Thoughts that feel warm and good to the soul and radiate positivity is where I really need to spend my time focusing on. Here are are some passages straight from the book that have really stood out to me:
Mental discipline is the ability to keep your thoughts consistently focused.
....every thought moves you either toward your God-given potential or away from it. No thoughts are neutral.
In Job 3:25, we are warned that the things we intensely fear have a tendency to become reality.
Many people use 'to-do' lists to clarify their priorities and guide them through the day. This is obviously a wise strategy, but even more important is a 'to-think' list.
But even in the valleys, there will always be something working really well in your life; and even on the mountain peaks, everything will not be perfect.
This is one of my favorite lines from the book:
Each moment is a new beginning. Your future is not defined by your past.
... remind yourself that negative thoughts do not come from God. God is positive to everything but sin. If a thought brings about worry, fear, or fatigue, it is not from God.
This is another one of my favorites:
Productive thinking and destructive thinking are both merely habits.
Life is too short to be negative!
Everything you need to be joy-filled, you already have!
Whatever you give your attention to will be elevated in your consciousness.
Wow, this one was a reality check for me:
Remember that dwelling on your problems doesn't fix them; it just makes you an expert on them.
How true this one is:
....we live in a society bent on highlighting what is wrong with just about everything... A 70% chance of sunshine is expressed as a 30% change of rain.
This is what I strive for:
The happiness which brings enduring worth to life is not the superficial happiness that is dependent on circumstances. It is the happiness and contentment that fills the soul even in the midst of the most distressing circumstances and the most bitter environment. It is the kind of happiness that grins when things go wrong and smiles through tears. The happiness for which our souls ache is one undistrubed by success or failure, one which will root deeply inside us and give inward relaxation, peace, and contentment, no matter what the surface problems may be. That kind of happiness stands in need of not outward stimulus. -- Billy Graham
And of course, the whole basis of the book:
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things -- Phillippians 4:8 (NKJV)
I'm only on Chapter 3, but this book does give some great insights!
http://the48principle.com/
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