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10 New Year Resolutions to Renew Your Spirit!

10 New Year Resolutions to Renew Your Spirit!

Simple Resolutions to Enrich & Revitalize Your Life

Spiritual New Year ResolutionsThe New Year is just beginning.

Why not make this year’s resolutions ones that

will enrich and revitalize your life?

If you find there are a million things you intend to do,

but somehow you forget, procrastinate, or

just plain run out of time, I know how you feel.

Sometimes the simplest things are…

the hardest to accomplish.

When you evaluate your to-do list and priorities

this new year, move the things that enrich your life to the top of the list.

Clear out what you can when it comes to those things that drain you, and make simple resolutions that will renew your spirit. Even though they may be difficult to commit to at times, the results will definitely be worth the effort.

10 Simple New Year Resolutions to Revitalize Your Life
(You’ve probably already heard them a thousand times, but they still work.)

1. Read the Bible cover-to-cover this year. Keep a helpful Bible study resource handy to get you through those difficult reading points that may cause you to lose heart.

2. Volunteer your time and talents. Reach out to others through service in community and church based organizations. Be a blessing to your neighbors by serving them in some way.

3. Heal broken relationships. Forgive those whom you need to forgive. Don’t allow unforgiveness to hold you back any longer. Forgive and allow peace to rule.

4. Read a classic book. Enrich your life through some of the classics that you may have yet to experience such as C.S. Lewis, A.W. Tozer, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, etc… And don’t let reading be your excuse now that so many books are available on audio.

5. Make a monthly date night with your spouse. For those of you who are married, dedicate at least one day a month for a special date time with your spouse. Take a day to give your spouse the intimate attentions he or she deserves and enrich your marriage.

6. Pray daily. Bring your thoughts, praises, concerns, and requests to God every morning (at least). Stop trying to live life all by yourself. Talk to God and He will listen attentively and respond specifically.

7. Take a vacation. To many people never take vacations, but a time of refreshing is very important. Even God rested on the seventh day!

8. Renew relationships. Contact a friend or relative you haven’t heard from in a long time. Relationships are important to God and they should be important to us.

9. Visit a museum. Why not? There is a museum for just about everything. Revitalize your life by sparking a long-forgotten interest.

10. Share the Gospel. It is what we are here on earth to do. Make it a priority this year to share the Good News and show your concern for the spiritual welfare of those you come in contact with.

The New Year is a gift from God and a fresh start.

May you start strong, revitalize your life and experience growing prosperity!

Aim higher –

Cheers,
Brenda

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Vision – Why Let a Lack of it Prevent You from Living the Abundant Life of Your Dreams?

Vision – Why Let a Lack of it Prevent You from Living the Abundant Life of Your Dreams?

How to Catch the Vision and Run with it into Your Dream Life!

Vision Your Abundant Dream LifeVision looks forward into the future.

It takes vision if you want to move from…

your present standard of living to –

living your abundant dream life.

A continual focus on…

past problems and defeats,

will only result in fearful paralysis;

and that takes you nowhere.

Where’s Your Focus?

As of today, choose to stop looking at all the things that can go wrong, and instead turn your eyes toward your strengths and assets. Put your focus on what must go right to reach your goals and dreams. Wake up in the morning and go to bed at night, thinking only of ways to do the things you want to do. Do not allow yourself to waste time thinking of all the reasons why you cannot do something.

Kick-start your vision and think repeatedly of the many achievements you are going to accomplish in the future; which will be greater than anything you have ever done in the past. Once you get your focus in the right direction, you’ll find yourself forced to draw upon resources that you previously didn’t even realize you had.

Will You Take the Risk?

Clearly, change is going to involve some risk-taking on your part. But believe me, once you dare to act on your vision and reach toward your dreams, it won’t be long before you start winning in a big way.

Doing things you’ve never done before may prove to be frightening at first. Just keep in mind: Anyone who achieves anything of greatness in their life first takes some kind of risk. Others may not be able to catch the same vision that you have and you’ll find it takes a measure of risk to follow your vision through to your dreams.

Vision of a Dream Life

What is your dream? What vision or picture of a great thing or accomplishment floats to the surface of your consciousness from time to time?

Begin to make your dream a reality by writing it down with as much detail as possible. Write it in the present tense and see yourself as already living it.

“Write the vision, and make it plain, that he may run that reads it.” 
— Habakkuk 2:2

Remember, it makes no difference whether your dream is to start a new business, buy a house, get married, graduate with honors, get a new position at work, or any other goal be it big or small. Whatever it may be, you must step out and boldly go after it.

Sure, there will be times along the way that you miss the mark, but that does not make you a failure. Sometimes plans don’t work out as anticipated, but you still have the capacity to bounce back and try again.

What’s stopping you from walking out your vision into your dream life? Continually remind yourself that you have tremendous reservoirs of potential within you and with God’s help you are capable of doing anything you set your mind to do. All you have to do is decide to do it and know you can. Do not doubt whether or not you can. Simply get it settled that you can and make up your mind this very moment to run with your vision into your dream life.

May you dare to run with your vision and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!

God bless you always –

Soar higher,
Brenda

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Godly Humility – How Can a Humble Heart Put You On the Road to Destination Greatness?

Godly Humility – How Can a Humble Heart Put You On the Road to Destination Greatness?

A Life of Humility that Leads to God’s Richest Blessings!

Godly Humility Leads to Destination GreatnessHumility needs to take root in the heart first…

and then it will begin to grow and expand

into every area of life.

Humility has to be taught to us by God

and is not generally something we easily learn. 

“I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility.” 
— John Ruskin

Power to Change

Humility changes the way we see God and helps us submit our heart to Him. It changes the way we view others and gives us a servant’s perspective. Humility is not denial of self, but it is an embracing of God’s Word within us. It allows us to lay aside our personal wants and needs and adopt His desires and goals for our lives.

“Be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” 
— 1 Peter 5:5-6

Humbling ourselves under God’s hand allows Him to raise us up to greatness at the proper time. Keep in mind; greatness from our perspective is different from God’s. God is more interested in our humility than He is of our ‘great’ works.

Do you want to be blessed? Then develop a servant’s heart.

“Whoever, wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.” 
— Jesus Christ (Matthew 20:26)

Destination Greatness

When we humble ourselves before God, we gain new strength and insight. God prepares us for greatness and blessing. He will often allow intense pressures and adversity to humble us and refocus our thoughts so that we begin to think the way He thinks. Pain, embarrassment, and criticism are like safety checks to keep us from becoming proud and arrogant.

When facing challenges, we have a choice. We can either be hardened by our circumstances or humbled by them. If we choose to be humbled, we will gain God’s perspective and quickly discover that He is guiding us to victory (spiritually and physically).

Don’t be fooled though; if we choose to have a hard heart, we open the door to bitterness and close-mindedness. And remember, God resists the proud. Pride and rebellion are the opposite of humility and they separate us from God.

God says He hates a proud look and a proud heart is a sin. (Proverbs  6:17, 21:4) Pride is not only dangerous it is destructive and does not fit who we are in Christ. Humility transforms us into the image of Christ and empowers us to stand strong through the storms of life.

Many people view humility as a sign of weakness, but it is not. It is a sign of strength and spiritual maturity.

How Do We Gain Godly Humility?

It starts with a commitment to study God’s Word and a willingness to submit to Him. Then God will begin to show each of us individually the steps we must take in our lives to gain true humility. God develops humility within us through the power of His Spirit.

Humility is not something we practice in church or to impress others. It must reflect our lifestyle and who we are deep inside.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” 
— Micah 6:8

In our love for God, we must be careful to walk humbly before Him. When we begin to understand the greatness of God’s love, humility will become our first choice. To bring God glory and honor simply because we love Him is at the heart of true humility.

Needless to say: Living a life of humility may not be easy, but it certainly leads to God’s richest blessings.

May you humble yourself and experience all the abundant goodness God has for you and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!

God bless you –

Cheers,
Brenda

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Intimacy with God – Do You Make This Your Key Priority in Life?

Intimacy with God – Do You Make This Your Key Priority in Life?

Tap into the Great Power Source and Change Your Outlook!

intimacy with GodIntimacy with God is a great power source in life.

Unfortunately, the natural thing for most of us to do…

is become absorbed in our day-to-day problems and demands.

On any given day, many people face stressful situations,

extreme trials, and even heartbreaks with marriages,

family members, or friends. 

All this tends to keep the focus on self.

Learning to Look Beyond

When we learn to look beyond the trials and obstacles and fix our eyes on Jesus, and believe God is Sovereign, we will begin to have a different perspective and response to everything we face. The Bible teaches us that God uses all things, even the painful things, for the good of believers. One of the positive results of trials is the intimacy that can develop when we turn to the Lord for help.

“We know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” 
— Romans 8:28

Intimacy with God – A Key Priority

God desires an intimate, loving relationship with us, and we should make this relationship our TOP priority. Intimacy with God begins with turning to Him and humbling ourselves before Him. It involves regular time in His Word, time in prayer, and patiently waiting for Him to speak to our hearts.

As we develop a deeper relationship with the Lord, we will understand that every hardship has a purpose. We have lessons to be learned and maturity to be gained. And remember, God has promised to meet the needs of His children, if they come to Him, seek Him diligently, and obey Him.

We can’t live above our circumstances in our own strength, but we certainly can by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Steps for a Closer Walk with the Lord

One – Give God the daily worship He deserves because of who He is and His finished work on the cross. Let Him know you love Him.

Two – Take time to confess all known sin; knowing that if you do, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Three – Give thanks regularly to God for all He has done in your life and in your world.

Fourth – Take time to pray daily and ask God to supply your needs.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” 
— Philippians 4:6

What’s stopping you? Why not tap into the great power source in life? For each of us, our priority in life should be intimacy with God.

May you continually walk closer to the Lord and live a life of growing prosperity!

God bless you always –

Cheers,
Brenda

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Self-Esteem – 10 Empowering Ways to Look Your Best and Live with Confidence!

Self-Esteem – 10 Empowering Ways to Look Your Best and Live with Confidence!

Empower Yourself With Confidence and Look Your Best

Empower yourself with confidence on the inside and you’ll begin to look your best on the outside.

We often spend lots of time and money on dressing up our outward appearance with the latest hair styles, lotions, sprays, make-up, designer clothes, etc.

Yet, there are many things we can do on the inside…

that will help us shine on the outside.

10 Empowering Ways to Look Your Best:

1. Help Others. You’ll Be Glad You Did.

How can helping others make you look good? We are here to serve others and in doing so we build our confidence. The satisfaction of helping others allows us to walk tall with our head up knowing we take time to put others first.

2. Talk and Walk with Happiness. God Created You.

Why walk around feeling sad and talking about yourself like a worthless nobody? The Almighty God of the universe created you with a unique divine purpose for your life on this earth. Be happy knowing your heavenly Father favors you and let your talk and walk show it.

3. Choose Joy No Matter What Happens Today.

How can you choose joy when there is trouble in your life? True joy comes from peace with God and putting your trust in Him. You can live with joy and confidence knowing God is with you even in your days of trouble.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.” — Psalm 28:7

4. Be Content With Yourself and Do Not Envy Others.

Why let the stress of jealousy and envy of others make you look your worst? Learn to be content and thankful with who you are and what you have. God made you the unique you for a reason. Ask God to help you change what needs to change in your life and be happy for others when they are blessed.

5. Be Generous to God and the People Around You.

There is nothing like being refreshed to look your best! And God says that those who refresh others will they themselves be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25) When you are generous with your time and money towards God and others, you will enjoy a refreshing from the inside out that lets you shine and look your best.

6. Speak What is True and With Lots of Kindness.

How do you look at honest, kind people compared to liars and mean people? Those who speak the truth with kindness put their best side forward; and it shows on the outside. Honest people look their best, because they live their best.

7. Keep Your Heart Free of Wrong Desires.

Keep your heart full of healthy, positive, godly desires. The desires of our heart are the things we are going to think on and speak on. And these are the things that are going to come to pass in our life. So look your best by letting godly desires manifest in your life.

8. Take Care of Your Appearance.

Okay. So we weren’t all born looking like Barbie and Ken. But we still need to do the best with what we have and learn to ‘accentuate the positive.’ Taking care of your outward appearance increases your confidence, and greater confidence helps you look even better on the outside; a nice little cycle to get started.

9. Be Real. No Need to Fake It.

Can’t you usually spot a fake a mile away? No need to be one. No need to try and be someone else, because you are not. You are you. So just be real and be you. Again, learn to do the best with what you have and be confident in you who you are. The real you looks much better than the fake you!

10. Wear a Smile. Smile God Loves You!

Who can deny a smile to look your best? And who can deny the power of love to put a smile on your face? Even if you don’t have a special sweetheart in your life, you always have a God who loves you. And when you have the love of God in your life, you can’t help but smile and look your best.

Start Today. Begin to put these ten empowering ways into practice, and walk confident and look your best.

May you be empowered on the inside so you can look your best on the outside and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!

God bless you –

Cheers,
Brenda

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Leadership – How Can the Power of Loyalty in a Leader Result in the Blessings of Success?

Leadership – How Can the Power of Loyalty in a Leader Result in the Blessings of Success?

Loyalty is Required to Reap the Full Reward

Leadership is a powerful directing force for any nation, group, or family.

The quality of a leader greatly impacts the followers and where they end up.

And the power of loyalty is a core element that results in leading the people into success.

Loyalty is a Key Qualification for Leaders

It is often thought, when someone is looking to step into a position, that in order to qualify they need to be the most talented or gifted person for the position. However, it is the loyal and faithful who are the most qualified to be leaders.

It is also thought that the friendly, flashy, outgoing person might be the best one for the job. But do not make the mistake in thinking that. A core requirement for leadership is loyalty and faithfulness and not anything else. A loyal person can be taught the skills needed for the job.

“It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” 
— 1 Corinthians 4:2

Loyalty is Required to Reap the Full Reward

Success comes to the loyal and faithful ones. One day we all hope to hear those famous words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

In the good times everyone seems loyal. Those who remain supportive through the difficult times are different from those who come in when everything is working well. No doubt, loyalty is most appreciated in hard times.

Loyalty Needed for a Successful Team of People

One person can only do so much. Growing success requires building a loyal team of people. In fact, no team will be strong and effective if they are not loyal.

It would actually be better to work alone than with a team of disloyal, disgruntled, and disunited people. One disloyal person breeds strife, hatred, and murmuring like smoke that quickly fills the whole house. Whenever there is distrust and disloyalty, the people are on guard and stray away.

Effective leaders exhibit loyalty and faithfulness. People are attracted by genuine love and commitment and repelled by disunity and discord. Loyal leaders influence their followers to be an effective and loyal team of people, who in turn create loyal successors.

Bottom line: Those who benefit from the blessings of success are the faithful and loyal ones. Without loyalty every organization constantly undergoes disintegration. Loyal leaders build loyal teams that remain committed in the good times and bad so that all can benefit from the blessings of success.

May you be a loyal and faithful leader and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!

Be blessed to be a blessing –

Cheers,
Brenda

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Top 5 Proven Techniques for Living a Truly Happy and Joyful Life Inside and Out!

Top 5 Proven Techniques for Living a Truly Happy and Joyful Life Inside and Out!

Learn to Be Happy by Adjusting Your Thinking and Living Habits!

True happiness can be experienced by all who apply ‘happiness habits’ to their day. There are some who are simply born with a happy disposition. But the truth is; most people have to learn to be happy by thinking and living in a particular way.

Often people are happy in life when everything is going just right. Yet those who have learned how to be truly happy aren’t always the ones who ‘have it all.’ External circumstances do not control their level of happiness. They have discovered the secret of being able to experience an underlying peace and well-being; which is the essence of true happiness.

Happy people live their lives differently. And when acquiring any new skill, it pays to learn from the pro.

“We can think of happiness as a skill no different from learning to play a musical instrument…it is possible to train our minds to be happy.” – Richard Davidson, Ph.D. UW-Madison

So if you are ready to let some joy shine through you from the inside out, then take a look at these five key skills.

Top 5 Proven Techniques for True Happiness

1) Notice and Give Thanks for the Happy Things in Your Life

Learn to take note of everything good and positive in your life, regardless of how small. What are the things that you see, feel, taste, hear, or smell that bring pleasure?

Intention activates a part of the brain, the reticular activating system (RAS), which is responsible for turning on our memory and allowing it to bring anything important to our attention. When you decide to look for the positive, your RAS makes sure that is what you see.

We tend to feed the unhappy, negative side of life. Make it a game to see how many good things you notice during the day. Take a few moments to savor the positive things and make it a habit to feed your happiness.

2) Do Not Believe Everything You Think

Do not believe everything you think. Our thoughts are not always true.

For example, you may give a presentation and focus in on the one person with a frown on their face, and think you’re doing a terrible job. Yet the fact is you are really doing a great job, but you do not notice the rest of the group that is smiling and nodding.

It is said that we average one thought per second during our waking hours and the vast majority are habitual, negative thoughts. This whirlwind of automatic negative thoughts can stimulate parts of the brain that involve depression and anxiety.

Learn not to believe every negative thought that wants to hijack your happiness, and instead focus in on the positive compliments. It is important to break the natural tendency to register the negative thoughts, feelings, and experiences more deeply than the positive happy ones.

3) Exchange the Bad Thought for the Happy Thought

When challenged with negative, unhappy thoughts and feelings in a situation, learn to exchange them for equally true, positive, happy thoughts.

For example, have you ever faced a deadline and thought it was going to be impossible to finish on time? Why not exchange that self-defeating thought by searching your mind for an equally true positive thought such as: I regularly manage to get things done on time and I can ask for help.

Learn to be more optimistic and see the glass half full. Pay more attention to the positive part of the truth in a given situation and lean into those thoughts. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength.

4) Appreciate the People in Your Life

People with good social relationships tend to be happy. Under times of stress we need the support of friends and family. And the best way to keep relationships happy and healthy is through appreciation.

“One of the most important things a person can do to raise his or her happiness level is to acknowledge those around them.” – Judith W. Umlas (author of The Power of Acknowledgement)

By showing appreciation to others for the support they give us, we reinforce that behavior; which in turn deepens our relationship with them. Engaging and communicating with others during times of stress has a calming effect and keeps us on the road to happiness.

5) Live with a Passion and a Purpose

Bringing a sense of purpose and passion to your routine activities will boost your happiness. Think about the activities in your life that you are passionate about. What is it about those things that make you happy?

One person may feel like an underpaid janitor, but another may passionately do their job the best they can with a purpose to make the building a beautiful place for others.

Learn to incorporate purpose and passion in your daily life at work and at home. Do all things gladly from the heart as unto the Lord.

The truth is: You do not have to let life just toss you around in unhappy waters. You can choose to learn new skills, live your life differently, and raise your level of happiness. 🙂

May your happiness increase daily and your life be filled with growing prosperity!

God bless you –

Cheers,
Brenda

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Graduation: Your Story

Graduation: Your Story

Writing the Next Chapter in Your Life

Graduation: Your Story (Video by Skit Guys)

“As you graduate you are closing a chapter and beginning a brand new one…
as you write the rest of your story…
Remember to work hard – Remember to listen more than you talk –
Make relationships that will last a lifetime –
Find the right person to marry, and remember you have to be the right person too –
Make sure you take risks – Travel as much as you can –
Always remember to laugh – And most important…
Don’t forget to call your mom, she still worries about you!
Christ said I have come to give you life, and life to the fullest…
This is what you have the chance to achieve –
LIFE – So Go On Living!

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
— Jesus (John 10:10)

This time of year brings many graduations and graduation parties. These are exciting times for young people as they wrap up one chapter in life and move into the next…

It is also a great time to remind us all, regardless of age, that life is constantly moving from one season of life to the next, and it is important to continue to celebrate life!

God bless you always –

Cheers,
Brenda

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