Tired of Toughing It Out?

What to Do If You're Tired of Toughing It Out
(Overcoming Negative Thoughts for a Positive Life)

Have you ever noticed how so many different thoughts run through our minds every day? Some are good, some bad. Unfortunately, our natural temptation is to focus on the bad; so accepting them doesn't take any effort. The effort comes when we're determined to cast down the negative thoughts, and take a firm grasp of the positive ones.

The Battle for Your Thoughts

Positive minds full of faith and hope produce positive lives. The opposite is also true: negative minds full of fear and doubt produce negative lives, which can ultimately destroy your life. Some people have been hurt so many times that they don't think they can face the pain of another letdown. Therefore, they refuse to hope so they won't be disappointed.

Battles are fought in our minds every day. When we begin to feel the battle is just too difficult and want to give up, we must choose to resist negative thoughts and be determined to rise above our problems. We must decide that we're not going to quit.

When we're bombarded with doubts and fears, we must take a stand and say: "I'll never give up! God's on my side. He loves me, and He's helping me! I'm going to make it!"

Don't Give Up!

No matter how bad the battle rages in your mind, don't give up! Step out and regain the territory that's been stolen from you. Even if it's only an inch at a time, make sure you're leaning on God's grace and not on your own ability.

In Galatians 6:9 the apostle Paul simply encourages us to keep on keeping on! Don't be a quitter! Don't have that old "give up" spirit. God's looking for people who will find the courage to rise above all the negative and pursue the positive.

Whatever you may be facing or experiencing in your life right now, I want to encourage you to stay positive and refuse to give up! God is with you. He'll help you make spiritual progress - strengthening and encouraging you to keep on keeping on during rough times. It's easy to quit, but it takes faith to press on to victory.

Prayer: Trusting God's Presence In The Darkness

Provided by Ellie Mont

Music: "Stands With Me"

THE STONE IS SEALED AND THE DEN IS DARK,

BUT HIS PRESENCE IS LOUDER THAN THE ROAR.

A trap was set by plotting men, and a heavy stone sealed the mouth of the pit. In the dead silence of the cave, the only sounds are the pacing of hungry beasts and the hot breath of the enemy - the terrifying noise of an overwhelming reality. Yet, what the world intended as a graveyard became a monument to God’s unyielding faithfulness. This cinematic anthem builds from a whisper of isolation to a symphonic declaration: the Living God has sent His angel, and the mouth of the lion is shut.

Whatever cage of anxiety, financial pressure, or spiritual warfare surrounds you today, let this song be your reminder. The crisis looking to devour you is completely powerless against the Lion of Judah, who stands right by your side in the dark.

Your Name is louder than the roar!

Your peace is stronger than the war!

I will not fear the lions' den, for You stand with me.

- Provided by "Bible With Life"

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"I am constantly working to transform your life. You need My help continually to keep your hope alive. I stand ready to help you at all times - during stormy episodes as well as times of smooth sailing. I am not only ever-living but also more abundantly alive than you can possibly imagine. There are no limits to what My great Power and Glory can accomplish! I can change the most 'hopeless' situation into outright victory. Moreover, as you affirm your trust in Me - no matter how difficult your circumstances - I am able to transform you: gradually, lovingly."

"Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

- Isaiah 49:23b

"Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young

Meme: Because...

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6-11

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

~

Our nation is faced with a crisis of social deterioration the likes of which we would have thought unimaginable a generation ago. We seem to be a culture gone berserk.

To say that our society is in need of radical transformation is to state the obvious. We're in a “culture war” today, but before we go off waving our swords, we need to know who the real enemy is.

The real enemy isn't school administrators or the media or liberals. The one behind the scenes pulling the strings is the evil one, Satan himself. He's the enemy.

One reason there is so much satanic influence in schools, media, and government is that Christians have abandoned the culture and handed it over to the world. If you hand culture over, Satan will take it over.

The Bible calls him a “roaring lion” because, like real lions, Satan rules by intimidation. Lions roar to scare and intimidate their enemies. They roar after the kill so the jackals and hyenas will be too afraid to run up and snatch it away, even though they can if they work together. Satan rules our society with a lot of noise, because he knows he cannot stop the people of God from taking society back if we ever decide to be the people of God in society. But we're intimidated by the roar. The reason our culture is deteriorating is that Christians are nowhere to be found except in church. There is no morality being handed down anymore.

When we were growing up, even if your mama and daddy didn't give you a moral frame of reference, your schoolteacher did. Or the people next door did. Why? Because Christian morality permeated the culture. Not everyone was a Christian, but most people had a moral frame of reference by which they made decisions. That is no longer the case, because the influence of God is no longer being felt in the culture. We've got to raise a whole new generation of people who know and follow God.

If we Christians will humble ourselves under God, He will give us the power to take our culture back.

Excerpt from “Time To Get Serious" by Tony Evans