Monthly Archives: February 2014

43. Create positive emotions

As part of the PERMA model we started last week I would like to discuss the first letter P:

P - Positive Emotions

If you think logically about it, positive emotions are about feeling good and therefore it is the quickest path to finding happiness. But in our day and age, positive emotions are fleeting and few and far in between, but they are still very important. Therefore, we need to make a conscious effort in finding them. They are all part and parcel of what Jesus came to give us, but sometimes we get so lost in the demands of this world that we lose sight of them. It is then that we need to look for them again and open our hearts to receiving it. First, let's just have a look at a few positive emotions: faith, joy, hope, empathy, gratitude, and the greatest of all, love. For God is love, and in Him is all good things. God wants us to dwell and to savor positive emotions. He created them. Of course there comes times when we might be angry or upset, we can use those emotions too, but the quicker we can bounce back to positive emotions the better for us and our overall well-being.

Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to cultivate more positive emotions in our lives:

  1. Make a list of things that make you happy. Write on the list things that can easily be done on a weekly/monthly basis. For example, you like to spend time alone with God, you like to exercise, you love romantic movies, you enjoy baking, you love chocolate chip ice cream, you love reading action novels, you love creamy coffee, or you love watching and playing sports. Whatever the case may be. But it must be controllable things that you enjoy. Do not put things on your list that are dependent on others; for example, it makes you happy if your kids get along with one another. Now that might make you happy, but you have no control over it. So do not put it on your list. Rather, put things on your list that you enjoy doing and that you have full control over. Then do it on purpose. Make sure that you get to your happy list on a regular basis. Make a point to do at least one of the things on your list every day, and while you are doing it, consciously think how happy this makes you feel. This is truly powerful and will allow for regular positive emotions to flow through you. God has blessed us with so many things to enjoy in our lives, and we need to make sure that we do themJ.
  2. Despite all the negativity all around you, make sure to listen to positive messages too. Try to listen to Christian podcasts regularly. Hearing of Jesus and how wonderful He is and about what He has done for you truly opens doors in your heart to experience positive emotions. We need to hear positive messages regularly, despite all the negative news surrounding us.
  3. Practice gratitude on a regular basis. Frequently write down or simply meditate on things in your life that you can be grateful for. Also, try to think of different things to be grateful for every day. We all have so much to be grateful for, so do not think of the same things every day. When we think of things to be grateful for and express it, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel "good." They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside (https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/ - 3 March 2022). Allow me to share the following quotes with you about gratitude; they are truly profound and can impact your life in such a rewarding way:
    1. "Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy and transform ordinary opportunities into blessings." Proverb - (https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/ - 3 March 2022)
    2. "Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy-because we will always want to have something else or something more." Br. David Steindl-Rast (https://gratefulness.org/resource/what-is-gratitude/ - 3 March 2022)
    3. "We cannot be grateful for all that a given moment brings us; yet, in any given moment, we can be grateful for something. The gift within the gift of any given moment is opportunity." Br. David Steindl-Rast (https://gratefulness.org/resource/what-is-gratitude/ - 3 March 2022)
    4. "Grateful living is important in the world because in our constant pursuit of more and better we can easily lose sight of the riches that lay right in front of us and within us." Guri Mehta (https://gratefulness.org/resource/what-is-gratitude/ - 3 March 2022)

The Bible also exalts gratefulness. God knows how important it is for our well-being. There are many verses, but allow me to just highlight two of them:

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

"So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house" (Deuteronomy 26:11).

Gratefulness is an essential key to happiness and to living a flourishing life. There is a richness locked inside that is priceless. Cling on to that and make sure that you express your gratitude on a daily basis.

  1. We will talk about relationships in the next devotions, but I would just like to briefly mention here that you must make sure that you have friends who can make you feel good about yourself and who will help to evoke positive emotions in your life. If you are surrounded by negative people all the time it will drag you down. People with low energy levels will sap you of yours. Of course God wants us to interact with all people to bring them closer to Him, but make sure that you have godly friends close to you who will lift you up and bring you even closer to God where all positive emotions reside. Make close friends on purpose with people who lift you up. They will help elevate you. Research has shown that you become a lot like the five people you interact with the most. Therefore, choose wisely who you allow into your inner circle. It will truly impact your world more than you think.
  2. Laugh. Try to laugh as much as you can. As Victor Hugo says:

"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." ( https://ir5.irishnight.org/bible-verse-that-says-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/ - 3 March 2022)

 

The Bible affirms this and says that laughter is the best medicine that there is: "A merry heart does good like medicine" (Proverbs 17:22).

Research also shows that humor can help to assist with academic excellence. Students who studied with humor achieved much higher marks than those who didn't. (www.hannahfitzsimmons2018wordpress.com - 3 March 2022)

 

This applies to all areas in life. Humor makes life so much easier and more manageable. It also keeps you healthy like the Bible just taught us. A couple of years ago, I homeschooled my youngest son for a year. He has a great sense of humor, whilst I am more serious about academics and I wanted to get the work done asap. But he always wanted to make a joke first. In the beginning I was so annoyed and simply started working, but God reprimanded me and said that I must loosen up, learn from my son, and enjoy life in between all the chores. I listened and really enjoyed his humor and laughed more than I had in a decade. It was good for me and taught me to see the lighter side of life. I mean, look at all the different funny-looking monkeys and fishes that God created; some of them are truly comical to look at! God has a very good sense of humor. Therefore, try to see amusing things all around you. Spend time on purpose with people who make you laugh or look at clean comedy shows that are funny or even try to laugh at yourself! It is truly liberating. As my father always says: "Tread lightly in life, do not take it so seriously, then you will do well."

 

(Excerpt from Flourishing: God's Way by Ilze Henderson)

 

42. Tools for living a flourishing life

God doesn't want His children just to drudge through life, not looking forward to the future, simply doing what is expected of them and not enjoying anything. He doesn't want that. Yes, the Christian life is not always easy; you might be persecuted for your faith, sidelined because of what you stand for, or you might be pruned by God to bear better fruit in future. But through that whole process God wants you to be able to experience His joy, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. He wants you to live with hope in your heart on a daily basis. Even Peter sang hymns whilst being locked up in prison (Acts 16:25). All the Jewish feasts except the Day of Atonement were celebrations of the goodness of God. They were truly joyful feasts filled with dancing and singing, and it just shows us what God wants for us. We were once in Jerusalem on a Friday night when their Sabbath started, and wow it was joyous! They got together in circles and danced and sang, laughing and rejoicing, family and friends together in unity. It was a wonderful sight to behold, and I realized that it was and still is the true heart of God for His children. The Christian life is a victorious one because Jesus bought us with a high price. He doesn't want Christians just laboring through life, no, He wants Christians to thrive. The word thrive in a thesaurus can mean to flourish, prosper, succeed, boom, bloom, blossom, increase, be healthy, and so on.

But I know for a fact that most Christians do not feel this way, because for most of my Christian life, I haven't felt it either. Most Christians are stressed, anxious, worried, downtrodden, tired, sad, etc. I have felt most of these emotions in my life too. But God has given us resources and tools to use to live a flourishing life, and since I have started to apply these in my life, I have felt a change within me. Even though circumstances haven't changed, I enjoy my life so much more. In chapter 2, we discussed our emotions and how to handle that. That is the first step towards wellness. Here, I would like to discuss the PERMA model with you ( https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/perma-model/ - 3 March 2022). The PERMA model represents the five core elements that need to be healthy in your life in order to live a flourishing life. These elements are mentioned all over the Bible, and although we know these things, it truly helped me to see it all together to be able to practically apply it to my daily life:

P-Positive emotions: Increasing positive emotions

E-Engagement: Engaging with the world and our work (hobbies)

R-Relationships: Creating deep and meaningful relationships

M-Meaning in life: Find the meaning and purpose of your life. Why did God create you?

A-Achievement: Achieving goals through cultivating and amplifying your talents and strengths in life

We will discuss this more in detail now, but what I love about PERMA is that it is all biblical and within our control. Jesus has opened the pathway to Heaven and His grace for us. Now we can do our part by making sure that we really give attention to all five core elements, and then we can be well on our way to living a flourishing life.

(Excerpt from Flourishing: God's way by Ilze Henderson)

41. Renew your mind

"Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is." Romans 12:2

Do not copy the people of this world. Do not behave like they do. This world is all they have and they will cheat and manipulate to get the optimum out of it. They will trample over all who gets in their way, not caring who gets hurt in the process. Do not be like them. Rather train your mind to focus on the spiritual, to live in the wonderful realities of what is true about you. Your mind needs training just as an athlete trains. Athletes practise hard for the big game, the big event. They strain all their muscles to receive the prize. They do not become complacent, but give it all they've got. I designed it that way to teach you important principles. Muscles need exercise to function at its best. Your brain is a muscle too and you need to exercise your brain muscles to think My thoughts. For from thoughts spring forth your actions. And actions will determine your outcome. I came to create a new person inside of you. This new person is special and will live forever. And now your thoughts need to be realigned. Your thoughts now need to follow your new creation, the old patterns need to be replaced by much better ones. Right thinking leads to right believing, right believing leads to right living, and right living leads to spiritual freedom. And when you have attained spiritual freedom you will experience Kingdom life in all its fullness, success in areas you have battled with, power beyond comprehension and true joy springing up from within.

(Excerpt from God Whispers by Ilze Henderson)

40. Find God's will

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

"For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." 1 Peter 2:15 (NKJV)

I often times hear My children say something to the following effect: 'If only we knew the will of God.' Or 'We can never know the will of God, He is too difficult to understand.' And so I can go on. The sad part is that My will is open, available to all My children through My Scriptures. My will is for My children to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing and to give thanks to Me for everything that I bless them with. My will is also that they allow My Spirit free reign within them to change them from glory to glory to become like My Son and to do good in all situations to all men. My will is that My Kingdom expand through the workings of My children. That is My will. I want My children to excel, and I want them to grow into the fullness of who they are in Me. It is actually so simple. But when one is carnally minded, focused on this world and earthly acclaim it is very difficult to understand. But when you are spiritually minded you are at ease, because My life and My peace will flow through you, changing your world around you. Be open to My leading, listen to My voice whispering to you, then you cannot go wrong. When you walk as My representative in this world, you are walking on My pathways and within My will. How liberating is that? You needn't walk like those in the world without clear direction, no, you will be walking on your God-ordained path, with flowers and streams decorating the path.

(Excerpt from God Whispers by Ilze Henderson)

39. Find your real treasure

"This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to His own holy people. For it has pleased God to tell His people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in His glory." Colossians 1:26, 27

Do you realise the significance of the statement that I live within you? Do you realise that I, in My fullness live inside of you? Feel the burning sensation within and come to the realisation that Someone bigger than this Universe is inside of you, governing your life. Someone with infinite wisdom is whispering ancient secrets to you. Unzip these secrets in this life. Everywhere lies hidden treasures, waiting to be discovered.  I will help you to discover them. All you need to do is to read My Word and to renew your mind to a point where you believe what it says about the real you, the new spirit that you are. Then go out and share your revelation and appreciate the things in life that really matters most. Therein lies your treasure, more valuable than gold sprinkled with diamonds. The richest atheists have discovered at their death bed that all the treasures in the world couldn't save them, because at the end of the day it wasn't treasures at all. Your true treasure is hidden in Me, and when you are joined to Me, you will find it, everlasting and without rot and decay, far above this world. All the rushing of this earth amounts to nothing. Time spent with Me encompasses everything. Come and discover more and more who you truly are in Me. I have so much to show you, so much to teach you and with every passing moment spent with Me you will be lifted higher and elevated above this world. Your life will be more rewarding than ever, sharing in My glory.

(Excerpt from God Whispers by Ilze Henderson)

38. God did not give us a spirit of fear

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

Fear doesn't come from Me. Fear is one of the weapons used by My enemy to keep My beloved paralysed and unable to fulfil their destinies. He doesn't want them to operate in the fullness of who they are in Me, and therefore he immobilises them with fearful scenarios. And unfortunately My beloved fall for that. They fear their children's future, they fear that they might contract a deadly disease, they fear that they will never make progress at work, they fear that they won't have enough money to live by etc. And today I tell you, don't fear the unknown. My Spirit is not present in fear. Fear robs you from the joy of living in My Presence. Fear is not from Me and when I call you into the unknown, step out knowing that I am waiting to take your hand. I am with you every step of the way. Never be afraid. You and I are one. I have overcome everything the darkness can ever throw at you. I have exposed all their so called power and defeated them at the cross. Therefore believe in Me and in My Word and take the first step, confident and bold. You are My Body here on this earth, and you share in My divine nature. You are destined to reign with power, love and self-discipline. And when you are armed with My power, My love and the ability to be disciplined in your walk with Me, you can accomplish anything. Look forward to a future without fear, a future with heavenly prospects.

(Excerpt from God Whispers by Ilze Henderson)

37. Use the sword of God

"Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." Ephesians 6:17

"He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God. On His robe and thigh was written this title: King of kings and Lord of lords." Revelation 19:13, 16

Take up your sword and be ready to proclaim My Word over your life. Only My Word is true. Only My Word can fill your life with power. Do not believe the lies that My enemy wants to proclaim over your life. Do not listen to him, but rather fill yourself with the power of My Word. Claim Scripture over your life. Claim it on a daily basis. Live and breathe My Word. I wish My children would realise the awesome power in their hands. My Word is God breathed, it is My authority, and it is who I am. I am the Word that came in human form. So when you claim Scripture, you are claiming My mighty power over situations.  No evil can stand against it; it is helpless, totally devoid of power in My presence. So use your sword, My Word and trample over them. Use your sword and stand firm in the victory that I bought for you at the cross. Use your sword and reinstate My blessings in your life. Speak it out loud, it is God breathed, it is Me. My title is the Word of God, mighty and powerful, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Sadly a large part of My children do not read My Word, do not make it a part of their daily routine. The news gets more attention than My Word does. Take a stand to end this today. See My Word as the true lifesaver that it is and live within the glory it brings.

(Excerpt from God Whispers by Ilze Henderson)

36. Reign in life

"...the church is His body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with His presence." Ephesians 1:23

"Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth." Colossians 3:2

You are not part of this world. You are part of Mine. My world is not like the world where you live in today. In My world there is no sickness, no pain, no crying, no evil, and no failures. And you are part of it. Believe Me when I tell you that you are a supernatural being, part of something so much greater. My Spirit within you is supernatural and you are part of My Body which is also supernatural. Therefore live within the supernatural. Live like someone whose mind is fixed on above and not on the things down below. Live like someone with a heavenly hope. Do not allow the natural to upset you, or to keep you down. Do not allow this world to belittle you. Lift up your head and proclaim the supernatural into your life. It is your birthright as part of My family. All things are possible with Me. When My will becomes your will, you will be unstoppable; you will reign in life just as I promised you would through your spiritual father Abraham. You will be able to stand firm during the storms of life and you will be able to walk on water, above it all. You will be able to do all of this, because this world is not your home. Come and be home in Mine. You will love it there. Come and curl up on the sofa and know that you are deeply loved and greatly blessed.

(Excerpt from God Whispers by Ilze Henderson)

119. New Year 2024

This is the beginning of a new year, 2024 and what a privilege it is to be able to experience it. What a privilege to experience life! God has wonderful things planned for us for this year and we can all wait in anticipation of it! God wants to lead us all into the special plan He has for our lives. We simply need to make the time with Him to hear and understand what it is. Then we need to be obedient and follow His plan, and if we do, we will experience fulfillment like never before. He knows your weaknesses and your strengths and He knows what will work best for you. Take His Hand and follow His leading, you will not be disappointed. This can be your best year yet, but give control over to Him. Let Him lead your way, He knows best.

God showed me that 2+0+2+4 = 8. And 8 is the number of new beginnings. When God unveiled this in my spirit I was very excited. I do not know what you have been dreaming about or what you have been believing God for, but this is the year for new beginnings. Even if it is just a new beginning in the way you think, in the way you conduct yourself or in the way you choose to view the world, it will make all the difference. We all have a choice in life how we are going to view things. We have a choice as to the thoughts we allow in, as our thoughts turn into words, our words into actions and actions determine the course of our lives. And it all started with a thought. We need to align our thoughts to what the Lord determined for our lives according to His Word. We needn't listen to negative news and predictions for our lives, our country, the economy etc. We are masters of our own destiny, when we follow His Word, think according to it and believe what He says to be true.

"I am the First and the Last; there is no other God. Who else can tell you what is going to happen in the days ahead? Let them tell you if they can (and they can't), and thus prove their power." Isaiah 44:6,7 "I carry out the predictions of My prophets!" Isaiah 44:26

Friends, trust God with your future and nothing and no one else. He is waiting for you to come to Him and He will direct your every step. You simply need to look up to Him, focus your thoughts on what is true of you because of Him, then stand back and watch what new things He can bring about in your life. I received the following verse from the Lord for you for this year. May God bless you abundantly and may you look back to 2024 as a year when your walk with the Lord deepened and a year in which you found inner peace, knowing that you are on God's track for your life.

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19

Thank you God that You love us. Thank you for the wonderful things that You are planning for us. We look forward to 2024, knowing that You are already there, guiding us on the best pathway for our lives. In Jesus Name. Amen

118. Christmas 2023

Christmas, what a wonderful time of the year to celebrate the coming of our Savior, the One who came to reconcile us with God the Father. He came so that light can return to the earth and so that we can be overcomers alongside Him. The epistle of John tells us clearly that we are overcomers, not because we have done something to deserve it, but simply because we believe in Jesus, the Son of God:

"For whoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4, 5

We are overcomers, because Jesus came to save us. He brought the victory on our behalf and now we can live our lives from that victory. In Revelation Jesus promises many things for us who are overcomers and that is my message for you for Christmas 2023. Go and spend time with God and ask Him to reveal to you what each of these gifts entail and what it means to you today. These gifts as powerful and have the ability to change your life and your outlook on it. Allow me to share these gifts with you:

-          To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Revelation 2:7

-          He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. Revelation 2:11

-          To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. Revelation 2:17

-          And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations and I will give him the morning star (who is Jesus Himself - Revelation 22:16). Revelation 2:26, 28

-          He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Revelation 3:5

-          He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on Him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of Heaven from My God. And I will write on Him My new Name. Revelation 3:12

-          To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, and I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 3:21

Aren't these promises just amazing? These gifts are for us NOW already, not just someday. We can claim it now. God promises that we can eat of the tree of life, we won't be hurt by the second death, we will have hidden manna to eat as well as receive a new name. We will receive power over the nations and will have Jesus by our side. Our names are in the Book of Life and we are pillars in His Temple with His Name written on us. And ultimately, we can sit with Jesus on His throne. How wonderful is that? Meditate on these seven promises this Christmas. Ask God to reveal more to you and to unveil to you what your new name is. His revelations will be the best Christmas gift, don't you think?

Father, thank you so much for gifting us with all these promises even though we did nothing to deserve it. We love You and praise You and lift Your Name up high. Please reveal more to us and help us to understand fully what You have blessed us with. Thank you for sending Jesus to open up the way for us. We are eternally grateful. Amen.