Day 11 - Ask Him

So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. 

Keep searching, and you will find. 

Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

LUKE 11:9 HCSB

"God can do great things through you if you have the courage to ask Him (and the determination to keep asking Him)." p24

"God has promised that when you ask for His help, He will not withhold it...Ask him to meet the needs of your day. Ask Him to lead you, to protect you, and correct you. Then, trust the answers He gives." p25

Day 10 - The Right Kind Of Attitude

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, 

but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

2 TIMOTHY 1:7 HCSB

"So what's your attitude today? Are you fearful, angry, bored or worried? Are you pessimistic, perplexed, pained and perturbed? Are you moping around with a frown on your face that's almost as big as the one in your heart? If so God wants to have a little talk with you."p22

"[God]...wants you to experience joy, contentment, peace and abundance. But God can not force you to experience these things; you must claim them for yourself."p22

"The next time you find yourself falling prey to the blight of pessimism, stop yourself and turn your thoughts around. The next time you're temped to waste valuable time gossiping or complaining, resist those temptations with all your might. And remember: You'll never whine your way to the top... so don't waste your breath."p23

We are either the masters or the victims of our attitudes. It is a matter of personal choice. Who we are today is the result of the choices we made yesterday. Tomorrow, we will become what we choose today. To change means to choose to change. 

- JOHN MAXWELL p23

We shouldn't deny the pain of what happens in our lives. But we should refuse to focus only on the valleys. 

- CHARLES SWINDOLL p23

TODAYS PRAYER

Lord, I pray for an attitude that is Christlike. Whatever my circumstances. Whether good or bad, triumph or tragic, let my response reflect a God-honoring attitude of optimism, faith and love for you. Amen

Sorry for all the quotes today, but I really feel like this chapter relates to me and I can learn a lot from it. My attitude towards life generally stinks and I know that this needs to change IMMEDIATELY if anything in my life is to change. It will help me to just be a more pleasant person as well, and just have a better outlook on life! This blog entry is definitely one that I need to refer back to and learn from.

I have been ill =(

For the past few days I have been quite unwell (I think it's this bug that continues to go around), and so unfortunately I have not ben able to post anything new to this blog. 

I need to catch up to day 11 ( I think) so for the next few blog entries they will be really basic. 

I'm literally just going to submit quotes from each day and not elaborate on them. 

Sorry about that, but I just need t catch up!

Day 9 - No Problems are Too Big

Is anything too hard for the LORD?

GENISIS 18:14 KJV

"...when the challenges of the day seem overwhelming, we may spend more time worrying about our troubles than praying about them. And, we may spend more time fretting about our problems than solving them. A far better strategy, of course, is to pray as if everything depended entirely upon God and to work as if everything depended entirely upon us."p20 

I know I definitely fall into this category. I spend way too much time thinking about problems in my life instead of actually asking God to help me, as He is the ONLY person who can do anything (and myself a little too)! The reason why I don't ask God for help sometimes is because I feel as though my needs are not worthy enough to ask for help from God, or maybe I don't feel worthy enough to ask for God's help. I sometimes think why would he help me if I don't do enough for him..... But then I don't really know what I could do to really help Him..... Oh I am so confused =(

...."we often know precisely what needs to be done, but we may be slow in doing it - especially if what needs to be done is difficult or uncomfortable for us. So we put off till tomorrow what should be done today" p20

This quote above is very true to me and I'm sure to many people. We do put things off till another... then another day and so on. I'm doing it right now. I have a very important job application to fill out, and I am putting it off, even though I really want the job. Why do we do this? Then I'll be working on it the day before it is due to be handed in, and it won't be nearly as good as it could have been if I just hadn't put it off!

"The words of Psalm 34 remind us that the Lord solves problems for "people who do what is right". And usually, "doing what is right" means doing the uncomfortable work of confronting our problems sooner rather than later" p20

"Trial and triumph are what God uses to scribble all over the pages of our lives. They are signs that He is using us, loving us, shaping us to His image, enjoying our companionship, delivering us from evil, and writing eternity into our hearts" p21 BARBARA JOHNSON 

Day 8 - In Turbulent Times, God Teaches and Leads

"Leave inexperience behind, and you will live; 

pursue the way of understanding."

PROVERBS 9:6 HCSB

I cant believe it's day 8 already. These last eight days have gone really fast! Do I feel any different since I started reading Steven Arterburn's, 100 DAYS OF SERENITY - Peaceful Living Through Turbulent Times? Well the answer is.. a little. It has only been eight days, so I can't really expect any life changing differences just yet. However, I do feel a little better in myself, and I do see a few new opportunities opening in my life. The quote below links to what I am experiencing by saying:

"Complete spiritual maturity is nevr achieved in a day, or in a year, or even in a lifetime. The journey toward spiritual maturity is an ongoing process that continues, day by day, throughout every stage of life." p18

You'll be pleased to know that I am doing this blog entry first thing in the morning (well almost the first- I'm showered and dressed and it's 8:30am over here in the UK) compared to yesterday, when it was actually the last thing that I did.... naughty, naughty!

"When we encounter life's inevitable tragedies.......we may be tempted to blame God or to rebel against Him."p18

When I look at the quote above I do not think that I would blame God for any tragedy or disappointments that may come into my life, although I can't really give a true opinion on this as I feel I have not had that many problems in my life... my life is not great, but I can complain! As I have mentioned in a previous blog entry, it's humans who do bad things to others, and cause problems for themselves... not God, so how can I blame him. Todays chapter goes on to state a quote from the book of JAMES saying: 

"Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing" (JAMES 1:2:4 HCSB) p18.

I don't know if I could consider a misfortune a "great joy", but deep down, I will know that it is a test, and I have to remain faithful. My fear is not that I will be angry at God if something bad happens to me because Gods is good, and he will understand my anger. What I fear is that I will loose faith altogether and just stop believing... that I don't know if God can forgive. 

Day 7 - He is Sufficient

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer

PSALM 18:2 HCSB

"It is easy to become overwhelmed by the demands of everyday life, but if you're a faithful follower of the One from Galilee, you need never be overwhelmed." p16

As the quote above states "It is easy to become overwhelmed by the demands of everyday life". I really feel that I fall into that category. Even with this blog, I created it so I could try and understand the word of God, and become closer to him by spreading his word. At this point in time, it is now the end of the day, and I am doing this blog entry as the last thing to do for the day, when really, I should be putting this blog and God first. This blog, and everything that I do relating to God, should be the first thing that I do, not the last thing, after I've finished doing everything else.

The quote below states that God will call me to obey Him, but what if he already has called, and I am, not obeying him? What If I am failing? Does that mean I am going to go to hell because I have not obeyed God? Perhaps not, as God is good and he does forgive sins. But I really should try a lot harder for it not even to be an issue!!!

"God will call you to obey Him and dpi whatever He asks of you. However, you do not need to be doing something to feel fulfilled. You are fulfilled completely in a relationship with God. When you are with him, what else do you need?" p17

Day 6 - Turbulent Times Build Character

The one who lives with integrity lives securely,

but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.

PROVERBS 10:9 HCSB

"Character is built slowly over a lifetime" p14

"As believers in Christ, we must seek to live each day with discipline, honesty, and faith." p14

"During the darker days of life, you can learn lessons that are impossible to learn during sunny, happier days." p15

"...God will not force you to learn the lessons of adversary. You must learn them for yourself." p15

"Jesus - the standard of measurement, the scale of weights, the test of character for the whole moral universe." p15

"I will strive to make my thoughts and actions pleasing to You, so that I may be an instrument of Your peace, today and every day. Amen." p15