Because I Had to Get Up and Preach Today...

"The Lord is good to everyone. He showers his compassion on all his creation."-Psalm 145:9

The biggest mistake we - saved and unsaved - think is that the bad stuff that happens comes from God. It doesn't peeps, as God does NOT know how to be any way or anything but good. God is just good with the extra 'o' taken out. And that 'o' is what you might be saying right now. 'O' as in "is He?". Well yes my friend! He IS good. Who is bad then, you may ask? It's Satan who only has his limited power here on earth to attack is in our human flesh. Be that as it may, painful and all, if we stick close to God in our souls, where God either lives or wants to live, inside us all, Satan cannot win. God loves YOU. He IS good and knows NO bad. Don't ever let life, people or your own thinking tell you any different.

Be blessed,
Paula xo

Reflecting On...

How quickly something that was spelled out so simply gets so messed up.

How one person's understanding of how another person feels can mess up a relationship.

How petty humans become when these things happen.

Just some reflections on this Monday.

Paula xo

Feeling Jesus...

Photo Source

When you look at other people, what do you see? What thoughts about them cross your mind?

Do you wonder what they do in their spare time? Do you wonder what sort of life they've had ... are having now?

Have you ever thought that Jesus already knew all this when He saw people?

He had an advantage that we never will.

But we can still see others as Jesus does.

In what ways do you remind yourself to see others as Jesus does? Do you remember a particular scripture? Do you 'feel' Jesus inside you?

Be Careful What You Think...

"Your thoughts are building your life - hourly, daily.

Your thoughts are what your destiny is."

- Unknown

Has a Year Really Gone By?

Me ... 1972

 Last night I sat in the quiet of my child-free house eating mini Oreos and thinking that I should really just go to bed. But then I started thinking about my birthday, which happens next week.  Am I really going to be 41?  Forty-one ... even saying it sounds weird.  Me ... Paula Whitehouse ... 41?  Yes!

I don't feel that I am grown up enough to be 41.  I don't feel qualified.  But what qualifies me?  How does 41 feel?

I have no answers to these questions, but I do know that I feel like I do because that is how God made me.  My body's aches and pains tell me that I'm getting older.  With every year, I can see my daughter is getting older, thus I am too.  The gray hair that is slowly creeping into my blonde mane tells me I am getting older.  Then why do I still feel timid, shy, insecure ... that others know more than me?

Again, a question that I have no answer to.

I found out today that someone I respected a lot what not who she appeared to be.  Truths came out that told me that she was a fake ... a big fraud, and that I, unknowingly, fell for her charade.  I tweeted about my trusting nature, knowing all the while that God gave me a trusting nature for a reason.  What reason is that?  Again, no answer available here.

So, as I approach my 41st birthday, and as I look in the mirror at the person looking back at me, I wonder what purpose God has for me.  I know I am exactly today where I'm meant to be, but the feeling of there being more is always bubbling at the surface.

A year has gone by since I left my thirties and turned the big four-oh.  I was quite proud to be turning 40.  But 41, well ... it just sounds too grown up for me.

I pray that God will continue to give me answers to the questions I have, and that I will continue to focus on where He wants me to focus and not on what I want.

Click here for some of my thoughts from twelve months ago.

Life Above the Negativity...

Easter is 40 days away. Yes, that means Lent. What am I doing this year to bring me closer to The One that died to save my sins? I am giving up negativity!

It's so easy to get caught up in the ways of the world and be negative about everything, especially with how the world is at the moment with natural disasters, uprisings in countries, etc. It's easy to complain and blame others for your misfortunes. But these things are not favourable in God's eyes.

I know that I have spent time complaining and being negative in my life. Since battling with depression and anxiety, complaining and negativity are two things that I have been learning to avoid. Whether that be situations, people, music, movies, etc, I have learned to avoid them. I actually feel rather oppressed when I am in a negative situation.

So, what am I doing to give up negativity? I'm joining Reverend Trevor Lund over at Life Above the Negativity for the 2011 International Negativity Fast. Forty days of meditating on God's Word and re-learning how to think, say and do positiveness wholly and solely to honour Him.

I found a choice verse for this fast too:

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." - Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

If you'd like to join me in this fast, see the picture on my sidebar. Also, you can click here and sign up for daily emails, and also 'Like' Living Life Above the Negativity on Facebook. Also, have a look around the site for Bible reading plans, a personalised book of Ephesians, and much more!

It could be the beginning of a whole new life for you!

Longhand Thoughts...

I'm sitting in a cafe as I write this. My favourite thing to do next to my "God-tea" time every evening (and thanks Paula V. for the name!). I have my Bible, a notebook and pen and a much needed coffee. Today I've ordered garlic pizza bread, a small apple crumble and a mug of cappuccino. Delicious!

I have really no idea what to write about today so I'll just start. It's been just over a week since I've posted. This last week of my life was very...how do I describe it really? It was monumental! From the worst anxiety attacked I've ever experienced to finding out - finally - that I start my new job tomorrow. Mix those things in with everything else that comes from both, you could say it's been monumentally huge!

The week has been filled with a myriad of emotions. From feeling wonderfully content to fearful to angry and then to glad. I've been around the emotional merry-go-round one too many times this last week to even think about anymore! But you know the one constant in all of this, besides my WONDERFUL support network? Yes, it's God and His unfailing love for me.

Psalm 25 was a message from God that brought me a lot of peace this week. It's about turning to God and exhorting Him for the wonderful Father He is. It's about asking Him to guide me. Pointing out what He will willingly do for me because He loves me. It's about repenting and laying everything before God so I can accept His mercy and grace and move forward. It's about who God is.

It's a reminder that He is ALWAYS there. Ever powerful, always loving and wonderfully forgiving.

The world may scorn me and push to bring me down, but God's constant presence will keep me walking on the high road. I have discovered a lot of truths about myself over the last week. The fact that I need to learn assertiveness to effectively communicate my needs and wants to others to then reduce my anxiety levels.

I am not someone who is overly shy, but I do feel intimidated easily. If I feel someone is attacking me personally, I retreat. I am a "flight" kind of person opposed to a "fight" kind of person. (But push me enough and the "fight" will emerge!) I am, however, going to learn how to be better grounded in the middle of these two extremes. Between drawing closer to God, and also seeing a Christian psychologist, I am going to become the woman God knows me to really be. The woman that He keeps giving me snippets of just to whet my appetite and keep pursuing Him.

Other events from this last week include the women's connect group I am leading. I am also actively helping, and lending a godly listening ear, to women in need. Women who are where I once was. But more about that in a future post!

Praise God for His goodness and constant presence in my life over the last week, and always! He is changing me and healing me. And I am welcome for both.

The Core...

This is something I wrote at the beginning of the year during a very turbulent patch love relationship wise. I still believe this is true, and not just in love relationships but in all relationships.

The core of a relationship is the love of and for God. The manifestation of this is love for each other, and open and honest communication; sharing each other's hearts and hurts and healings. Walking beside each other through misinterpretation and misunderstanding, and opening ourselves up to humility. Practising the fine art of patience while waiting, for no matter how short or long a time, for God to show us the way. The freedom to reconcile thoughts and feelings with loved ones and friends without judgement. The realisation that errors in judgement and repentance of ways is what this core is all about; what this love is all about. The love that Jesus gives. The mercy and grace that God bestows on us despite our mistakes. Jesus died so that we can be free of every hurt and suffering that the world places on us. That is why He is our Redeemer and man is not. That is why God is our King and Creator and the enemy is not. Love, forgiveness, understanding, and the promise of eternity in His beautiful kingdom are His promises. Our God is good. Our God is great. Our God is gracious.

Look Up and Live!

While on holiday in Tasmania I did a lot of thinking about where God fits in my life, and where He would fit into the lives of others. I thought a lot about how I lived my life over the last twenty plus years and I am very thankful that I am now walking back with God.

After thinking about the place that God should have in my life, I realised that He should be my number one focus. It’s so easy to get side-tracked by what is in front of us instead of seeking God first. I am guilty of not putting Him first, but I am constantly reminding myself that while what I do here on earth is important, it’s not the be-all and end-all of my existence.

My contemplation brought me to have the following thoughts:

Every day should start with the Word, even if it’s just a verse to meditate on during the day. This will allow for the Word to enter and stay in our heart before an extended quiet time when the day allows. Quiet time IS important, so even making an appointment with God daily is one way to make sure that HE gets your focus!

Every thought needs to be a right thought. This means vetting our thoughts. As my dear dad has said, “don’t even think a negative thought; keep them positive.” Our minds need to be re-trained to exclude negative thoughts. If a negative thought does come, put it in check and get rid of it. One way to do this is by placing a biblical slant on it. If it’s something that is from God, then it’s OK. If not then it must go!

Every word we speak should be able to come out of Jesus’ mouth. If it doesn’t, then we must not say it. Our words should encourage, edify and exemplify. The tone of our voice is important, as is our choice of words, and that includes swearing/cursing.

Every action must have an eternal focus on it. While what we do, ie work, house-keeping, etc, is important, these things are immaterial compared to our eternal focus. However these things can be used to glorify Him. We must not let these things become idols and take over our lives and consume all our time. On the flip-side, everything we do is for HIM as our actions are our example of Jesus.

Our thoughts, words and actions are all linked together. One manifests itself into the other and has an effect on how we live. Each moment of every day is an opportunity to live the joy filled life that God has planned for us. He has EVERYTHING under control; we just need to trust Him and give ourselves over to Him.

The world is constantly changing...our lives are constantly changing; but every change brings the certainty that we are one step closer to eternity with Him. What we do with our lives (thoughts, words and actions) and the changes we encounter is up to us. We can let life’s circumstances rule how we spend our time and how we think, and with what we say and do, or we can trust Him.

God is good, faithful, loving and, most importantly, our focus. Look up and live!

(The above photo was taken by me on Somerset Beach, Tasmania facing west towards Wynyard and Table Cape.)

Thoughts on Him...

I am learning so much in my walk with God at the moment. I am drawing closer to Him and falling in love with Jesus the Gentleman more every day. I am blessed with the most wonderful Christian friends, whom I consider family. I am so very, Very, VERY thankful that God provides endless and unconditional love that He never ever left me ONCE when I was not walking right along side Him.

I was born into the church. From as far back as aged 4, I can remember going to Sunday school (my mum was my teacher...and I still have my Scripture book!) and church with my parents. Things changed when my dad decided to stop going to church when I was about 5, but Mum was persistent in keeping God in my life, and that of my older brother.

Fast forward to my 18th year when I decided that I no longer needed to go to church, despite thoroughly enjoying the previous 9 years of fellowship at the church where I attended. Yes, I went off the rails, and while I did feel His presence with me over the next 18 years, it was not until I was 36 that I stepped back into church again.

Now fast forward ahead just over 3 years and I am just amazed and in awe of my Heavenly Father and His love for me. So tonight I have some thoughts to share on Him, my walk, what I've learnt and so on. You may disagree on some points; please feel free to comment or email me to share your thoughts if you wish.

He will never ever let you experience anything that you cannot handle.

Only the strongest will make it through with their faith intact.

He will provide for you; always giving you just as much as you need.

Becoming a Christian doesn't mean you don't have normal human issues...how you deal with these issues will depend on how much you rely on God to bring you through same.

Every single thing that you have done and will do in your life will serve as a living testimony.

We were designed for another world, hence why living on earth can seem foreign at times. Reliance on Him will help maintain the peace we need during tough times.

God's abundant and never ending love for us is something greater than we can ever comprehend.

Life has such a fullness when walking with God that cannot be explained unless you experience it.

My faith does not need to be proven; it's either believed or it's not. It's not up to me to convince those who question it. God will touch someone's heart when He deems it time to.

Everything we need to live a vibrant and worthwhile life is written on the pages in the Bible. Meditating on these words is a VITAL part of our Christian walk. Without His Word as the backing behind our words, our voices are just clanging and annoying cymbals!

God's power must never, ever be under-estimated; He, after all, spoke the sun into existence and raised Jesus from the dead.

The intricacies of nature - what God made - are truly unfathomable. Everything in nature made specifically to His plan.

Life is all about love...not just saying it, but showing it; carrying the burdens of others and doing life together, not in oppostion to each other.

The most difficult part of my Christian walk is learning to stop worrying about what others think, as all has been forgiven and I am free to live as God pre-destined me to.

True respect and reverence for God, our Father, comes by just being like Jesus.

I have many more thoughts but they elude me for now. Maybe it's God's way of telling me that I now need to go to sleep!

Please feel free to share any thoughts that you have from your walk. I am delighting in life with Him at the moment and the freedom, peace and comfort He gives.

(The above image has really nothing to do with this post outside of the nature thought. I parked my car next to this tree at Jasmine's school and it took my breath away so I had to photograph it. Quality is poor due to it being on my mobile (cell), but I just love how the sun is peeking through the leaves onto the berries. God visible!)

Our Merciful God Who Forgives...

⁵For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. (Psalm 86:5, King James Version)

I don't always get it right. I don't take things to God first, or at least I didn't. I do now.

I make mistakes because I'm only human. I think messed up thoughts, I speak crazy words and I do wrong things.

I live with my heart on my sleeve. I am transparent. I am quite happy to say if I am right or wrong. Humility is a learned practice and not something that this world appreciates.

I don't think I have it all together, and will never have it 'complete'. But I know who will.

God. Because He has it all under control.

I do know this though. I serve a Heavenly Father who wants me to be like His Son. Who wants me to demonstrate all the attributes of His Son who came to earth to experience all the hurt, temptations and pitfalls that the human existence offers.

I am to be understanding, forgiving, loving, merciful, gracious, compassionate, kind-hearted and pure. I never thought I could be those things, because I never thought I deserved the love that God offers that allows me to exhibit those fruits of the Spirit.

God has shown me over the last two weeks that I do deserve it. He has allowed me to experience a mixed up yet clear set of circumstances that now has me sitting here at my dining table at 9pm on a Sunday night thankful for the God that I serve. I am blessed that I have the freedom to admit when I'm right and wrong. I am thankful for friends and family who tell me when they think I am right and wrong. I am even more thankful for those who understand the very core of me and accept me for who I am and what I do.

But I am ever so thankful that God loves me, forgives me and shows me mercy because HE. IS. MERCIFUL.

Have you ever met a man, woman or child who is as merciful as God? I have, from time to time, met people who have displayed mercy, but it certainly is a trait that, like humility, is not appreciated by the world.

What do I, or you, have to gain by not showing mercy and forgiveness?

Given that we are instructed to forgive, it is only natural that this include mercy.

Some food for thought here. Some random prattling from me on my take on it all. Understand me or understand me not...God understands and He is here for me.

From today I am moving forward in a direction that I am comfortable with. God has great plans for me that include serving in the church, studying His Word on a more serious level, including Him in my everyday life and not just when it suits me, and being there for others and using my mess as a message. I am travelling with God in my heart and Jesus the Gentleman by my side.

Thank You Heavenly Father for showing me your mercy, graciousness and compassion for my failings and sins. Thank You for forgiving me and being with me - sheltering me under Your wings - during the last two weeks. I thank You for the wealth of knowledge and support that I have received. I pray that understanding abounds all around. I pray I turn to YOU first in everything I do. In Jesus' Wonderful Name, Amen.

Priorities...

God has been teaching me a lot lately.

How to manage my time better. How to control my complex personality, for want of a better way to describe me. How to focus my attention on the things that truly matter. How to channel my thoughts towards what will actually matter in eternity.

I'm finding life to be very challenging at the moment - both in a positive and negative way. By positive, I mean that I am making changes and adjustments that are improving my life. In the negative, I mean that the world and it's depravity gets the better of me at times and brings me down.

Thankfully we serve a God who makes His divine presence known in all areas. In the positive areas, it's through helping me to make worthwhile changes and adjustments that help me live more productively. In the negative areas, it's through reminding me that while the world is like it is, His way is the best way and that I am to not feel scared by what I encounter here.

The world actually scares me, to be quite honest. The depravity of human beings, the way in which humans portray themselves, the low acts that are performed just to make people take notice, and so on. These things really don't matter in the ultimate scheme of things. All that matters is living for God, sharing His love with the world, and following His Word.

Some people, I believe, are followers and some are leaders. The followers get drawn into the depravity of the world that the leaders portray as being 'great, enjoyable and so worth your while'. Sex, alternative lifestyles, drugs, deception, and the like, are all thrown in our faces as worthwhile pursuits. These things are not. God is the only worthwhile pursuit.

God will fulfill every need that you have.
God will satisfy the cravings we have for a sense of belonging.
God will fill the empty void that we have in our soul.
God just will.

There is NO doubt about that.

Why will He do that?

Because He made us to be His. Not the world's. His.

I had the chance to share with some work colleagues last week how God works in my life. I shared how He works in an amazing way. I honestly don't feel worthwhile to be the recipient of everything He has done, and continues to do, for me. He thinks that I'm worthwhile. He made me; He knows me.

I have led a life whereby I could, and perhaps should, be disease riddled, the victim of worse things than I've encountered, and even be in a far worse position that I am financially, spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. Why am I not? Because of Him.

He has sustained me and watched over me for my entire life, even when I haven't walked with Him. Aside from the fact that He loves me so, He has done this so I can be where I am now. In the here and now, strong in my belief that HE alone is worth the glory for my life, despite its ups and downs.

So, back to my priorities. My eyes are fixed on Him, my sweetie, my daughter, my family, friends and work colleagues, and anyone who I encounter who is experiencing what I have in life. Why? So I can pass on His love. That's the number one priority.

I am truly blessed by Him.

Yes to God Tuesday: Chapter Four - Speaking Truth to Your Issues...

I'm a week behind, but I WILL catch up on this amazing study of Jennifer Rothschild's book "Self Talk, Soul Talk", which is hosted by Lelia at Write From the Heart.

Jennifer opens this chapter by talking about the bleeding woman from Matthew 9:20-22 (also see Mark 5:25-34). She talks how “this woman had a single, insurmountable issue, and she had endured it for 12 long years.” Doesn’t that sound familiar? Yes, it does. We have issues that we endure, that “complicate everything”, that “challenge us, drain us, isolate us, and perplex us.” We really don’t do ourselves any good when we have issues, especially when we don’t talk to ourselves the way in which we should. I know that for me, I speak to myself so badly that it amazes me.

This woman, however, knew how to talk the right talk to herself and her soul. She put her talk into actions - she talked and walked by faith - and “she reached out her hand and touched Jesus.” And what did He do? He healed her. She knew that if she could only touch Him then He would heal her, and she was right. Why did she know this? Because “she talked to herself”.

But, she didn’t just talk some namby pamby talk to cover up the fact that she’d tried for 12 years via various means to rid herself of her bleeding. “She spoke words of wisdom and truth to her soul.” She no longer was relying on self help, on doctors to cure her, on magic cures. No, she gave up on all those things, and told herself, in wisdom and in truth, to go to the One who she knew could heal her. She didn’t just talk herself into it, she knew. “Her faith invited healing.” Jennifer expands on this and tells how “Jesus never said her soul talk made her well. He said it was her faith...Her soul talk contributed to her faith, but it didn’t replace her faith.”

I love how Jennifer writes that “it’s essential that we center our soul talk on the truth of Scripture and on our faith in Christ.” I guess the key here is that we need to stop thinking that what WE think and tell ourselves will make everything better. No, it won’t. Only faith and trust in God will do that. We must base our self talk and our soul talk on the truth of that fact.

One way of doing this is what Jennifer tells about what she did one day. She “wrenched her gaze from my own crowd of problems and focused for a moment completely on God.” I’ve done that. I’ve been in the midst of a mental, emotional and physical breakdown and literally grabbed for God, leaned on Him, pleaded with Him and sought after Him to release me from my own crazy self talk. Release from my problems only comes from seeking Him through prayer and reading the Scriptures. His truth is in there, His guidance is in there, but we need to learn to stop trying to talk ourselves into feeling good based on what we know. We know nothing compared to Him.

Jennifer leads us into the topic of self-control. I know that my self-control is weak at times. I do, think and say things that are completely nuts and completely against what I know as truth. My 'insane' mind crowds out my 'sane' mind, which I know is the truth. I need, like Jennifer has, “to rely instead on the Spirit’s control in my life – God’s Spirit.”

Jennifer runs through the four roles that the Spirit has in our lives: Counsellor, Christ’s Representative, Teacher and Reminder. A study question at the end of the chapter asks the reader to identify which out of the four roles are needed most in our lives. I answered that I need all of them. As Counsellor so I accept the truth – His truth – in my life instead of worrying about what people think of me. As Christ’s Representative to quieten myself and to hear what the Spirit is saying to me, and asking Him for help when times get tough. As Teacher so I can learn more from God, become less reliant on self while learning how to understand myself better; to know the Paula that God knows. And as a Reminder that God created me “just the way I am”, that I am special, I am His, and I have a purpose.

I could write more and more about this amazing chapter, but time doesn’t allow for it. What I do need to do though is to make sure that I think “praiseworthy” thoughts so that I (and I absolutely love how Jennifer hits home in only a few words with things) “end up at the destination of truth.”

“...destination of truth...”

We all know where that is; right where God’s Spirit is. Jennifer says that “if we follow God’s Spirit, we trade our negative and unprofitable thoughts for thoughts that are positive and fruitful. He is the One who leads us to know what is worthy of our thought closet and what should be thrown in the Dumpster.”

The bleeding woman knew where to find the "destination of truth". Jennifer's closing sentence in the chapter reads -

"She told herself the truth, and that led her straight to Jesus. May you be that woman."

Yes, may I be that woman, and may you be that woman also.

...He turned and looked at her, saying "take heart daughter...your faith has healed you", and from that moment she was healed..." (Paraphrased from Matthew 9:22 NIV)

Speak truth about your issues to yourself with wisdom that our Lord God blesses you with. Remember who you are in Him. We are not 'fashionistas' from the Dumpster; we wear Heavenly Realm fashion, and we must not forget that.

(My post on "Chapter 5 - Tune In: Awake, My Soul" is on its way soon. Now that the introduction to school week is over, life is settling down somewhat at home. Jennifer has some amazing stuff to share in this book, and the book is well worth the read!)

Yes to God Tuesday - Chapter One: Not So Well with My Soul...

Week one of the new Yes to God Tuesday study has started, which is hosted by Lelia at Write from the Heart. The book for this study is “Self Talk, Soul Talk” by Jennifer Rothschild, and I’m one chapter in and I’m impressed by the book already. The truth be known, she had me at the Foreword by Robyn McGraw, who described what an inspiration that Jennifer is! And believe me, after one chapter in, you will agree!

Chapter one is titled “Not So Well with My Soul”, with the opening line being “It is well with my soul.” Jennifer points out after this that while we may think that all “is well with my soul”, in fact it’s most probably not! The worst thing being; we don’t even realise it! The amount of negative self talk that we manage to bombard ourselves with every day without even knowing it is enough to give me a headache just thinking about it. As I already know from my own experience, WE are our own worst enemy. We undertake “personal attacks” on ourselves with it being “me against me”, as Jennifer most simply points out.

Jennifer quotes John Milton, who “wisely observed” that “the mind is its own place, and in itself, can make Heaven of Hell, and a Hell of Heaven.” What truer words can be spoken about the mind? None, I’m sure of it. We must be mindful of what we are saying to ourselves. We must be on guard at all times, as the enemy is laying in wait for us to say that one thing that will then lead into a full blown negative conversation with ourselves, and we can go from feeling blissfully happy to terribly depressed in about a minute flat...if that!

To combat this, Jennifer writes that “knowing what to say to your soul is one of the most reliable ways to make sure it remains well.” Under the heading of “My Thought Closet”, Jennifer lists examples of box labels that she has stored away in her thought closer over the years. One of them hit me like a brick today while reading, and it was “you should have done a better job”. This instantly made me think that “I should have known better”, to which my thoughts replied, “But I didn’t know any better at the time but I do now.” That is an example of how we need to train ourselves to know what to say to our soul when the negative thoughts creep in. I’m not saying that I’ve got the whole thing down pat, but through the help of some friends, and a good dose of “Battlefield of the Mind” by Joyce Meyer, I have managed to get this far!

I have struggled with “I should have known better” for quite some time now. From a failed marriage to being in a relationship with my daughter’s father knowing full well that it was going nowhere at all to now raising a child as a solo mum. Yes, I SHOULD have known better, but punishing myself now for not knowing better then is not going to change a thing. All it will do is cause me to think more negative self talk, which is damaging to my soul.

Next Jennifer moves onto talking about soul talk and she writes how her “faith has led me to the Bible to find what to say to my soul.” This is where we can find the truths we need to hear in our soul. This is where we can learn to re-educate our battered thoughts, and fill our “closet with some more appealing, better-fitting self talk!” Jennifer writes 3 very important words after referring to the Bible, and they are - "SPEAKING...THE...TRUTHS". We need to say them out loud! Not only will these truths manifest into a more positive way of thinking, but at the same time they will serve as an open opposition to the enemy who is working so hard at making us think negative thoughts.

Jennifer gives many examples of short, sharp verses we can use in such situations, and here are a few -

“Awake, my soul!” – Psalm 57:8
“O my soul...forget not all his benefits.” – Psalm 103:2
“March on, O my soul; be strong” – Judges 5:21

Arming ourselves with the powerful Word of God, in addition to re-training our thoughts, which will then lead to more productive self talk, and soul talk as Jennifer refers to it as, is the answer. We have the resources at our fingertips, so now it’s time to use them.

I love how Jennifer writes that “we have the appalling ability to remember all the wrong things at all the wrong times.” That is SO very true of us mere mortals. It’s such a human, and worldly, way of thinking. We have been trained since birth to more or less always think of the negative before the positive, whereas this is not the way God intended it to be. You don’t read about Jesus always thinking the worst of any given situation in the Bible, do you? No, you don’t, and neither should we. He is our example, so let’s take on board his talk and get some good happening in our minds.

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” Proverbs 23:7 (NASB)

Jennifer writes that, “because your thoughts strongly influence you, you must learn to govern them with some truthful soul talk.” Therein is the answer to overcoming negative and damaging self and soul talk. We must be on guard, and we must pray for God to always guide us and protect us in this area, but we must take the first step and govern our thoughts. Only we can do that.

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” – Roman 12:2

Some Relfective Thoughts...

I seem to be in a reflective mood today, so below are some thoughts that I decided to put down in print. These thoughts are mine and not necessarily supported by all and sundry, but I wanted to share them nevertheless in the hope that they will be read and considered. With the complexities of life, the differences between all of us, our individuality, our experiences, our perceptions and so on, I think it a valuable asset to be able to delve into how another feels to help enhance how we feel.

I'm embarking on a life project at present that is called the 'Exit Wilderness Project'. It's my means of ridding myself of the wilderness that I have wandered in over the past (nearly) 39 years. My aim is to reach the age of 40 next year and be able to say that I am free. I won't necessarily be free of all of the baggage from my past, but I want to hit 40 years of age with a new vigour, a new mindset and the ability to thoroughly enjoy what the next 40 years will bring. The thoughts below are also part of this process.

God has enabled me to be where I am today; to be a different person to who I was yesterday, last week, last month and last year. I am so very thankful to God for this. I feel the thoughts below are a result of the growth I've made in my walk with God, and the ability to live life more open and honest now, and to be accountable for all I think, say and do.

So, here they are...my thoughts...

Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes, and it’s sometimes up to us to mend a relationship gone wrong.

We are all different for a reason; it’s our differences help us to grow and adapt.

People are, at the end of the day, the most important aspect of life; why else would there be so many of us?

It takes a strong person to live by virtue and with integrity; it takes a stronger person to show they are virtuous and have the integrity to admit when they are wrong.

Life is not about possessions or who is right; life is about relationships and people.

God is the only one you can rely on 100% for anything, and I mean ANYTHING; He is the only true, trustworthy friend that we have.

Love is a doing word, not just something you say in between ‘I’ and ‘you’; it links the two by thoughts, words and deeds.

If you look outside yourself, you will find that life and all that it encompasses is amazing; lose your ‘self’ mentality and you will gain your ‘self’ back in abundance. It’s NOT all about you.

Family and friends are given to you for a reason; to build your life, to nurture you, to sustain you and to be there for you even when you think they’re not, to help you grow, to love you.

Blessings come in many forms; a Christmas hamper, a compliment in passing by a friend that what you do matters, the breeze blowing through the trees, so many avenues if you just look out and see.

No matter what our circumstances, it has all happened for a reason; it’s up to us to look passed what is in the now for opportunities for the future.

God does not make mistakes; you, your life, your circle of family and friends, your ‘everything’ is predetermined to enrich your life and build character.

We need to be living our happy lives now and not just waiting for ‘happy’ to come; enjoy every moment, take in the good and you WILL see and be ‘happy’ now!

Accept others for who they are; this allows for their unique selves to shine, and for you to let your uniqueness shine too.

I believe jealousy to be the number one reason for hatred and cruelty; second to that is ignorance and lack of maturity and understanding. The willingness to be happy for others, the desire to expand your knowledge base to enable growth and the ability to forgive will overcome jealousy.

At the end of the day, not one of us is that different to the other; our various differences, though, is what makes us all so precious and relevant to each other.

What we do here on earth is so small compared to the vastness and enormity of the earth and universe as a whole; it does not make what we do insignificant though.