Make A Good Choice

If you are like most people, you struggle with not sinning, and with being disciplined about doing the things you should, even when you don't feel like it. And if you are like me, then you always try to change by doing things like saying you will start reading your Bible for twenty minutes five days every week, or saying you won't cuss for the next four weeks. This usually goes good for the first few days, and maybe even the first week. But then you have a moment of weakness, and only read your Bible four days one week, and accidently let a cuss word slip out. After that you feel bad and feel like it isn't worth it and start to have more times of weakness, and before you know it you are back to the way you used to be, except now you feel like a failure. I've gone through this cycle many times with both sins and disciplines, so I know from experience that the only result is hating yourself more and more. So what can you do differently? Make a good choice. This may sound like the same thing you have been trying to do, but let me explain it first. Instead of making a schedule of when you can and/or can't do certain things, just take each moment as it comes, one at a time. For example, if you stub your toe and the pain makes you want to cuss, stop and think about what the better choice would be. Then decide not to cuss. Tada! You just cussed one less time than you would have normally. The same goes for the Bible reading example. If you are about to watch tv in the evening, stop for a moment and decide to read your Bible before you watch tv. Even if you only read it for a few minutes, you still read it more than you would have normally. So how does this help you get into good habits? As you continue to make a good choice here and a good choice there, you will slowly make good choices more often, until you make good choices more often than bad ones. Now, of course it is still a lot of hard work and it takes a lot of discipline, but this way you will be able to gradually build up your discipline instead of jumping right into it, and you won't feel horrible every time you mess up. God bless you all, and I pray that you will have new success in your struggle to lead disciplined, Godly lives.

The Urge To Organize

Have you ever had an urge to sort through all the clutter that fills your living space? I know I have. I feel that way today. And I've realized something about this urge. It's not random. It's the result of something. The result of my need to control my life. And the reason it shows up at certain times is because those are the times when I feel like my life is getting out of control and chaotic. So I guess organizing my papers and deleting useless files on my computer is just a way to feel a false sense of control, when in reality, I can't control my life. Only God has control over my life. I'm trying to rely on Him, but it's not easy, even though I know I can't really do anything. It's kind of like the zipline at River Valley Ranch. Everyone who rides it is attached to the cable with a harness and tether, so they don't have to hold on to anything in order to not fall. But almost everyone holds onto the tether anyway. I'm glad God is continuing to work in me, helping me to trust Him more and more.

Faith

What does it mean to have faith? Does it mean that you have to believe and feel that something will happen? Or is it something else? I used to think that if you didn't feel like you had enough faith for something to happen, then God might not do it for you. But then I realized that how you feel does not decide how much faith you have. If you simply step out and take a chance, then you are proving that you do have faith, even if you had felt like you had very little faith. Realizing this has help me a lot in my walk with God, and in everyday life.