Simplifying Your Life – Learning How To Rest – Conclusion
Thank you for joining us again as we continue discussing Joyce Meyer’s audiobook,
Simplifying Your Life – Learning How To Rest.
We left off with:
Over and over in this audiobook, Joyce stresses that it does not make any difference any way – in the situations she has described or in any situation that we get upset over – so why get so worked up over it? Instead – just change your approach.
Joyce continued on by saying that we even pray wrong.
10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:10-12 NIV
Joyce said to pray something Jesus can answer that is in the will of God! She went on to say that, just like the bible says, in the world you will have tribulation, but cheer up – He has overcome the world. She says to go all the way through with God this time for victory! She suggested we pray that we are strengthened with power to bear all things, for patience, strength to go through, not for things that aggravate us to go away.
Joyce directs us to:
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV
She said she puts on the behavior to have power to endure whatever comes her way with a good attitude. It wouldn’t impress anyone if we never had any problems, but if we have similar situations and yet remain happy, peaceful in a consistent attitude – now THAT is impressive!
Let us be happy, calm, peaceful – she suggests we join in or be by ourselves in our own emotions. She talked about how misery loves company but for us not to get upset when we can’t bring someone else down. She also talked about how it makes us angry when we’re around people that are happy when we aren’t, and if this is the case, we need to change our approach.
Simplifying Our Lives – Learning How To Rest – Part Two
We are back to continue discussing how we can simplify our lives by learning how to rest. Joyce Meyer has a lot to say on this subject, and we have thoroughly enjoyed all of the information that she shared in her audiobook!
We left off with this:
She explains that when emotions take off in a different direction, we don’t need to jump on board with them! We become upset initially. The more we talk about what happened, the more we react to what occurred, and the more upset we get about that situation. Let’s work to change that.
Another thing that Joyce addressed is that we are to remain calm in order to hear from God. It is better for us to remain in wisdom. She said that we’ve probably all heard it said before, but we should NOT make a decision when we’re emotional. She stresses to make sure we will be happy when the emotions subside. She talks about feeling the high of emotions when we’re looking to purchase something. Whether we go into debt or not, be sure we can afford it! Joyce says this is especially important if we have to lay plastic down in order to pay for it. She suggests that we think on it, and if we want whatever item we’ve had our eye on that our emotions tried to take off with, to take the time to think on it and then go back. If we take our focus off of the item and put it on something else, the emotions will subside. You will save yourself from going into a lot of debt this way or getting yourself into trouble buying things you really shouldn’t.
Joyce told a story about how she purchased some jewelry one day. She was overcome with all of these good emotions when she saw the jewelry sparkling under the lights in the jewelry store. She joked about how the lights must be different in the jewelry store because when she purchased the jewelry and brought it home, it did NOT sparkle under her lights at home like it did under the lights at the jewelry store. She thought about her purchase, and then the very next day she decided to take it back for a refund. She knew the person she bought it from, so she had to humble herself and freely admit that she purchased something she did not need. Actually, she had pieces very similar to it at home already, so she just needed to return it and admit that she acted upon her emotions when she purchased it. Wow! What a lesson to be learned here if we just reign in our emotions or think on it overnight!
My husband and I just recently did that this past year over a car purchase. We didn’t necessarily need another car, but we saw one that caught our eye. We were so close to buying it that we could smell the leather long after we had gotten out of the car after a test drive. Oh, the color was a beautiful candy apple red, and it called out to me. I slide behind the steering while and into the driver’s seat and felt pure joy when I drove down the road taking it on a test drive. The salesman let us take it home, and we were so very close to buying this car. We took it back, though, and decided to think on it over the weekend. I am SO glad we did because when we shifted our focus, the grip of the new car smell no longer had a hold on me. I was able to rationally think about this purchase and realize that I was acting on my emotions when I was willing to sign on the dotted line. Thankfully and proudly, I did NOT buy the new car, and I did NOT go into debt or deplete our savings account on a purchase that would have been lead by my emotions! Whew! That was a close one!
Five Minute Fridays – See
It’s that time again! Five Minute Fridays with Lisa Jo Baker. Yea! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Today’s word is SEE.
Ready. Set. Go!
I wish that you could see yourself through my eyes. Just once. You are far too hard and critical of and on yourself. You fail to see the beauty that lies within you, as well as the beauty that shines on the outside as well. You think you’re fat when the reality is that you’re so incredibly thin. People have tainted what you see based on the lies that they have told you. It’s sad, so incredibly sad for me to sit here knowing that you see only the negative, the bad, the lies that people have instilled into you. It is true that the longer you are exposed to something, the more you start to believe it. The more you hear those lies, the more you have started to own them as if they were true. They are NOT, dear one. Precious one. Child of God. Hear me! Those lies that they told you are not and never were true. You are so beautiful. You are perfectly and wonderfully made. You have a beauty that shines from the inside because you are a child of God. You have such a sweet way about you, a wonderful personality, and a heart the size of Texas. You care and have more concern and compassion for people. You reach out and show them that you are there to help in whatever way that is needed. You reach down and pick others up that are having a hard time in life. You put yourself in harm’s way to help another. That is beauty. On the outside you are as equally beautiful with your flowing blonde hair and radiantly shining blue eyes. You have the sweetest, prettiest face, and you take care of yourself. It shows. You have a very slender figure on your tall frame, yet you fail to see these things. If I could erase all the horrible things people have said, I would so you could see …
STOP
