BE CONTENT!!!

As long as you keep searching, comparing, and envying what you don’t have, you’ll never have enough. Only when you rely on God and practice gratitude for all he provides will you be able to overcome the dissatisfaction that comes from envy. Envy causes you to resent God’s goodness in other people’s lives and to ignore God’s goodness in your own.

For people always comparing themselves to others—you know, checking their status and updating their profile—every single day brings more trouble. There’s no way for them to see their blessings because the glass is always half-empty. But people who trust God as the source of their happiness have no desire to compare themselves to anyone else. They know that he loves them and remains in charge of their lives, through pleasant circumstances as well as painful ones.

So enjoy what God has given you, instead of longing for what you don’t have. Be thankful for what God has given you, instead of creeping on someone else’s Instagram: “Oh, I wish I had their life!” Guess what? They’re longing for your life in ways you don’t even know about!

Enjoy what you do have rather than desiring what you don’t have.

With Christ’s help, you can win the battle of constantly comparing yourself and envying others. Social media should be a place to see what’s happening in the lives of those you love—not the place to make you envy. Let’s rejoice with those who rejoice. Let’s cultivate gratitude.

Let’s worship our God, not because he gives us everything we want, but because he is worthy of our praise. Let’s worship him because we’ve learned the secret of being content, whether we’re living in plenty or living in want. That secret is that we can do all things through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who gives us strength.

Because he is all we need, let’s pursue him with our whole hearts.

Only in him will we find true joy and true contentment.

Because only he is life, and only he truly satisfies.

What Unforgiveness Does to your Brain...Charles Stone

"Unforgiveness not only keeps us chained to our offender but it profoundly affects our bodies and brains"
We've all been deeply hurt in some way.. a betrayal by a spouse, a behind-your-back criticism from a friend, hateful judgment from a colleague , unfair treatment by a parent or boss. And the deeper the hurt, the harder it is and the longer it takes us to forgive. But sometimes we simply don't forgive. We harbour a grudge. Resentment builds in our hearts. We nurse the offense. As a result, we remain prisoner to our pain and we harm our brain.
When someone hurts us, it's natural and normal to feel pain. God created our brains to help us survive when we feel threatened, it's called the fight-flight-freeze response generated in our emotional centers, primarily mediated by two almond shaped clusters of brain cells called amygdale. When the amygdalae are activated, a series of bio-chemical processes begin. The adrenal glands that lie on top of our kidneys release the stress hormone cortisol into our bodies and the brain releases neurotransmitters into the brain. Those in turn activate part of our nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system. When this system is activated, among other things, our attention gets highly focused on survival, our digestive system stops, our pupils dilate, our saliva glands slow, our blood pressure and heart rate increases, and our muscles are readied for action. Our body prepares itself to fight, flee or freeze.
Unforgiveness can keep our bodies and brains in this state of high alertness and leads to these unhealthy results.

• Rumination: We nurse and rehearse the hurt, which reinforces our negative emotions and burns the event and pain even deeper into our neuropathways. When we're not focused on a task, our inner self-talk will often default to rehearsing the painful solution.
• Diminished Memory: When we remain stressed for longs periods of time (i.e refuse to forgive), cortisol actually causes our brain to atrophy, especially our memory center called  the hippocampus.
• Amplified negative emotions: Prolonged stress also amplifies our amygdlae's sensitivity making us even  more susceptible to further hurt and pain
• Shadenfreude:  This concept describes the secret pleasure we feel when we see those who have hurt us experience misfortune themselves. It actually causes our brain to produce the pleasure neurotransmitter dopamine. It actually feels good to see bad things happen to those we don't forgive. It's  the opposite of praying for your enemies, which Jesus commanded us to do.

So what can we do? consider these insights to forgive those who have hurt you

1. first admit the pain:  when we name a painful emotion ( not stuffing or rehearsing it) we actually decreases that negative emotion's intensity.
2. Begin to choose to forgive the person:  Notice  that i used the word 'begin'. some offences can be quickly forgiven.  some may take a long time to fully forgive . Forgiveness is a process. The deeper the pain, the longer it takes. It's not so much forgive and forget. Rather, true forgiveness is more like remembering it less and less.
3. Draw deeply from God's grace:  At the root of the Christian faith lies grace, receiving God's grace and extending it to others who have hurt us.

The Apostle Paul reminded us in colosians 3:13 to forgive others as Jesus has forgiven us.

 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

By  Charles Stone

RESPONSE TO THE STORMS OF LIFE

As a Minister was addresing a group of young people,be took a large piece of paper and made a black dot in the center of it with a marking pen. Then he held the paper up before the group and asked them what they saw. One person quickly replied, “I see a black mark.” “Right,” the preacher replied. “What else do you see?” Complete silence prevailed. “Don’t you see anything other than the dot?” he asked. A chorus of noes came from the audience. “I’m really surprised,” the speaker commented. “You have completely overlooked the most important thing of all—the sheet of paper.” 
In life we are often distracted by small, dot-like disappointments or painful experiences, and we forget the countless blessings we receive from the hand of the Lord. But like the sheet of paper, the good things are far more important than the problems that grab our attention. 
Someone has written: “As you travel down life’s pathway, may this ever be your goal:/ Keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hole!”
Someone said; “To realize the worth of the anchor we need to feel the storm.” –

IT AIN'T OVER....TILL IT'S OVER

God has plans for your life. Don't throw in the towel just yet. Though it may appear that all hope is gone, that everyone else is finishing the race without you, it Ain't over!!! Don't give up just yet.
Today many want to quit due to the various situations and trials facing their life. However, God has blessings for you that if you don't quit you will see His promise for your life.
Hope-less-situation does not mean God has left you. Just because things don't work exactly how you planned them does not mean that God is not at work in your life.
No matter what your situation is saying, i can tell you that God is at work in your life at the moment.
Nebuchadnezzar thought it would be over for shedrach,meshach and Abednego, but God said it wasn't over.
Job's wife thought it was over and encouraged her to curse God and die, but the Lord didn't say it's over.
It ain't over until God says it's over! When most people think its over, God asks, " Did I say its over?"  Weeping may last for a night, but Joy comez in the morning. It's not over until God says its over because
_
A business can come back together

A family can come back together

A relationship can come back together

A dream can come back together

A hope can come back together-
Cause it ain't over until God says its over.

Keep fighting, keep praying, keep fasting,keep hoping cause it aint over. No! Keep pressing, keep pushing, keep progressing , keep moving cause it aint over.
Keep believing, keep travailing, kee living,keep giving cause it ain't over.
SO KEEP FIGHTING TILL THE VICTORY IS WON!!!!

A STRONG SPIRIT

" A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed"
 It is in the times of pain and trouble that you will discover the condition of your spirit. The difference between a strong spirit and a weak spirit is what you feed it. If you feed your spirit with fear, doubt, and unbelief then, when trouble or pain comes, you will be overcome. But if you have a healthy spiritual life in God's Word, in his house and regularly in his presence, you will have faith and confidence in him despite the circumstances. It doesn't mean you wont experience heartache and disappointment, but it does mean that you will have faith to endure and hope for future. Without hope, your life will eventually drift off course and onto the 'rocks' of despair and hopelessness.
Remember that working through pain is a process, a journey toward a destination. Many times we just want the journey to end- like the kids in the back seat of the car continually asking, " Are we there yet"?- Our trials are similar, Don't put off what needs to be addressed at the beginning of the process hoping that you can avoid or somehow minimize your suffering.
No matter who you are or how many years you've been a Christian, times of challenges and trials will come. Such setbacks take their toll, and we look  to both God and people for comfort, but the bible tells us not to let the troubles of this world devastate us. You must make right choices if you want a strong spirit and what you choose to focus on determines whether you will find peace in your heart or not. Remember, it is in these times you discover that the strength of your spirit and the health of your soul comes from God.

MAKING RIGHT CHOICES

 How often do you think about choices you make? What about the seemingly small or insignificant decisions? Life is all about choices. We make choices every minute of our lives from when to wake up from bed to the cloths we wear, the food we eat and even when to retire to bed. The choices we make goes a long way to determine and affect who we become in the future.
It's relatively easy to identify and resist the big temptations but the truth is that the big issues of life usally begin with the small choices. Often the hardest decisions are the small, incremental ones, the choices that seem harmless enough in the moment.
No one wakes up one day and thinks, today I'll settle for less or Today I'll take a break from following God  and see what happens. No instead, the enemy works on you with a shortcut, a compromise or an easy option now and then. Jesus was tempted with the same opportunities to settle for less than God's best that he tempts you with today. The scale is different but the essence of the temptation is the same.
The devil challenges Jesus about his identity. Twice he says, " if you are the Son of God..." Can you hear him taunting? " If you are really who you claim to be, then you should be able to turn stones into bread and jump off clips!" But Jesus knows how to wield the Sword of Truth, and resist the devil's attempt to provoke him.  Jesus resisted the devil's temptations by relying on the truth of God's word- our greatest resources. Whenever you think you're not talented or smart enough, that you don't have enough resources or support, that you should lower your expectations, return to what God's word tells you. The Bible declares you can do all things through Christ, that you are more than a conqueror.
In every decision, seek the face of God, keep your eyes on Jesus.

FREE FROM SHAME

Shame is the most debilitating burden and obstacle to experience the blessings of God in your life. Shame ties you to the past and sabotages your glorious future. We all have have things in our life that we want to leave behind, but if you don't know how to deal with shame it will cripple your spirit, imprison your soul and have a negative effect on you physically.
Shame is a merciless tyrant that will extinguish your hope if you don't deal with it. Sin is an action, emotions are feelings but shame is a weight and a burden that people carry. Shame can be felt as something pressing down on you. You are designed not to carry shame.

Through salvation in Christ, there is freedom from shame no matter how recent or long ago the events occurred. There is power over the bondage that sin wraps around you. Grace grants us the precious gift of righteousness before God. We don't have to earn it, we only have to ask for it and accept it. You can walk confidently free from your past. Don't let the past rob you of your future, don't let the shames of your past keep you down from moving towards where God wants you to be.

KNOWING YOUR IDENTITY II

There is no such thing as a perfect identity. If you always try to be someone that others will like, you'll end up not having peace in your life. To get have peace in our lives, we must listen to God and get comfortable being who He wants us to be.
It can be tempting to let what others say about us define who we believe we are. But that's not where our identity comes from. You are not what others say and think you are. You are what God says you are.
People will always look at us on the outside. They will think who we are depends on how we look and whether we are cool or not. But God looks at our hearts, and we'll only have peace when we believe who God says we are:  His precious creations that He loves.
You are loved,be yourself ,be beautiful/ handsome. Know who you are and see yourself just as God sees u.

KNOWING YOUR IDENTITY

Identity is defined as who you are. Its what makes you who you are; it's what makes you unique. Still, this can be hard to understand because many of us are still learning who we are each day.
People may call us things like unpopular, or nerd. They may also call us nice things like pretty or say we re good at something. But God says these things are not who we are. Other people do not choose our identity, they dont define us. God chooses our identity. He tells us who we are.
You were made in the image of God. This is who you are to your very core. No matter what you like about yourself or dont like about yourself, your identity is in God.
He says that we are His creation. He made us how and who we are for a reason. And no matter what others say,you matter to God. He created us to have a relationship with Him.
Let no one look down upon you, be little you and make you feel bad about yourself because you are unique and different from any other person walking on the surface of this earth. You are You,there is only one You.
How does it make you feel to know that you were created in God's imags?

SING THROUGH THE STORM

We can all relate to singing and we are all familiar with storms. "Singing" is a choice. It is a very specific action we intentionally make, during life challenges, to keep on keeping on regardless of our emotions or circumstances. Storms will come and go all throughout our lives, but we have a continual choice to make throughout the years. Will we keep singing throughout the storms? If we wait for the storm to pass, some of us may never have the opportunity to sing. We must choose to sing while the storms are still going on- even when situations doesn't make us feel like it.
We must always see challenges and storms in our lives as opportunities and treasures. When it "rains" in our lives do we see it, get frustrated, depressed, angry or sad? Or we see it as an opportunity to see how we will respond , create a memory and make use of it and turn it into a positive?  It's always hard to do this but i hope we can all try this by praising God even through the storms, singing our way out of our troubles. 
What makes a person want to sing through the storm? Is it easier for some than others? I believe it comes down to one thing....an intentional choice, regardless of the circumstances. Make a deliberate decision to try and sing throughout life challenges. Perhaps a certain song will inspire you, some passages or portions of the scriptures can give you significant encouragement and hope.
Remember it is always well with your soul no matter what challenges life brings in your way.
You have to sing through your storms...

GROWING THROUGH LIFE CHALLENGES

When we face life challenges , we must find a way not only to survive them, but in time, to actually grow from them. We must find a way to keep on keeping on, no matter how hard or painful life becomes. As a result we can avoid getting "stuck" and live life in spite of our circumstances.
It may be a difficult time in your life right now, and it may take a significant amount of time to make progress, but if you start right where you are, and just concentrate on taking the very next step, you will eventually be able to grow through your life challenges as well.

Let me take you through these five stages to help you grow through life challenges.

1. Grieve the way you want- know what to expect . Don't ignore your grief. Don't let anyone take your grief away from you. Run to God and be determined to keep on keeping on

2. Ask God "why?"- When the pain is deep, "Why?" is the most natural question to ask. Jesus asked God why on the cross when the pain was too much to bear. God does not owe you an answer, even if He gave you an answer, you would more than likely disagree. As we search for the answer, our goal is to develop a relationship with The Answer.

3. Keep living- Never use your life challenge as a crutch, get out of bed every day. Keep up your responsibilities and relationships. Be grateful for those who are still alive in your life. Treasure the breath of life you have at this moment. Never for a second stop living because you think life hasn't treated you fairly.

4.Reach out to others- Remember the love, encouragement, and the comfort you have received. Don't be selfish, pass it on to others. It is extra meaningful to receive encouragement from others who are also hurting.  

5. Sing it loud and proud- Never waste your life challenge education. Take inventory of the treasures God has given you. Live a life of significance and impact from this day forward. Rediscover your melody. Sing through your storms like never before. Praise your way out of your troubles for you to be raised.

May we enter into the next month refreshed and strong to face all the challenges of life that awaits us and become victors and not victims of life.

LIFE CHALLENGES ARE A HIDDEN TREASURE

If life challenges are a treasure, why do very few people desire it? Why isn't everyone searching for it? When i think of treasure i think of diamonds, mansions, lots of money,etc. I wouldn't naturally think of challenges like grief, disappointment as a treasure, especially since so much pain is involved and it takes so long to complete the learning process. 
I once walked into an office of a senior housemistress and i saw this inscription on her door that says " the storms of this life is only to make us better not bitter". Since then i kept thinking about it.  I came to understand that the only thing to keep me from becoming bitter is that i understand the value of it. I hate the pain , but i have to accept that in order to experience the future blessings.
Life challenges are actually one of life's best kept secrets. If you change your perspective and learn to respond wisely to it. Don't get me wrong, I do not want to always enjoy a healthy dose of this wonderful secret and if i could experience these benefits in another way other than enduring challenges i would gladly do so. But at the end of the day, it makes me a better person. And that is what life is all about.
Challenges grow opportunities like none other and always focus your time and energy on the things that matter and not waste time or opportunities. Always make the most out of it when they come your way.

BEWARE HARMING YOUR 'PERSONAL BRAND' ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that on August 27th, “1 in 7 people on earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family” -- which means about 1 billion people in a single day.

It's a startling statistic and it means human connectivity is evolving at an exponential rate. It also means that when we are online someone, somewhere is watching what we’re doing, what were saying and what we’re posting.

Because of the higher level of visibility social media brings to our lives, it’s important to apply the golden rules of etiquette, manners and respect to your online life just as you do in real life, helping ensure you build and maintain your personal and professional brand now and into the future.

TMI – too much information?: Social media is the perfect vehicle for the narcissist in all of us, with many users believing that we are the stars of our own little movie.

But that doesn’t mean we are and not everyone is interested in the minutiae of our daily lives. Whether lamenting about missing out on the perfect parking space at the grocery store or sharing intimate secrets of a broken relationship, the simple fact of the matter is, no one really cares to read the constant details of your daily life.

So do yourself a favor and edit your postings before updating by asking yourself, “Is this an important detail that my friends and family (and their friends and family) really need to know or is it TMI?”

Negativity: No one likes a 'Debbie Downer' and online negativity can adversely influence both your personal and professional relationships.

On personal social networks like Facebook and Twitter, posting negative comments online can be viewed as passive aggressive or simply mean-spirited.

On professional platforms like LinkedIn, any postings that portray you as anything less than calm, cool and collected should never see the light of day.

Further, more and more companies routinely search personal and professional social sites as part of background checks for prospective employees (and to check up on current ones). You don’t want any negative posting that could brand you as uncooperative, uncollaborative or simply uncool.

Picture Imperfect: If a picture is worth a thousand words, an unflattering upload could paint you into a corner. Whether you’re chugging a bottle of champagne at your sister’s wedding or showing a bit too much skin in a party dress, an inappropriate photo can come back to haunt you.

So before you hit upload in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat, think hard about what a particular photo can do to enhance or detract from your image.

We live in a culturally diverse world and social media puts us into contact with a host of people who may not share our same views on religion, social issues, politics or intellectual interests.

Variety is truly the spice of life, but not everyone has the same tastes. So even if you have a strong opinion about a particular issue or belief, you may want to consider saving your thoughts for the appropriate audience in real time to ensure they do not come across online as discriminatory or inflammatory, particularly in regards to race, gender, religion, sexuality and other hot button issues.

By showing cross-cultural respect and tempering your comments, you can leave an impression that extends way beyond an ill-conceived, reactive rant.

SOUCE: www.reuters.com

(editing by Michael Roddy)

BE LESS BITTER, MORE CONTENT

Do you ever catch yourself starting sentences with the phrase " just my luck"? Do you see yourself as doomed? Are you a brooder over past failures? Do critical comments from other people linger long in your memory? Do you feel cheated in life? Are you surrounded by other people whose lives are carefree and easy?

The extract from all the above is a bitter bile that sits in your belly and wells up your throat. If you are looking for an expecting disappointments and brokenness and failure in your life, you will find them every time. The amount simply depends on the time you spend looking. In our broken and sinful world, there is plenty everywhere. If you approach life with that mind-set, however, you will make yourself miserable and probably others too. "see to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" ( Hebrews 12:"15)

If on the other hand you go about looking for gifts from God, boosts and treats and blessings, you will find them too. If you look for kind and decent people, daily guidance from the Word, and assurance of your worth and value to God, you will find that too. If you inventory your marvelous assets from heaven more than obsess over what you don't have, you will experience a contented heart. 

DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

Psychologist Richard Carlson is given credit for this wonderful two-part advice on dealing with stress: 1. Don't sweat the small stuff. 2. It's mostly all small stuff

Most of us find ourselves getting wound up over issues that, in larger scheme of things, are not at all important. We want to badly to be right that we fry relationships to prove our point. We argue, but to what end? We hold ancient grudges, but whats the point? We assume that we are cursed, that we are doomed to have everything go wrong for us in the end. When we are looking for bad news, we can usually find it.

God has a better way. Just as he choose to forgive us, giving fresh supplies of grace and mercy each morning, he invites us to show that same bigheartedness to the 'fools'around us.
"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense" (proverbs 19:11) We don't have to be right all the time. We don't have to point out every sin and flaw in the people around us. We can let go of the judging and trust that God will get it right in the end.
What matters is enjoying God's love for us and loving the people around us.

IT'S GOOD TO BE HUNGRY

It's good that you don't always get what you want. It's good that you have to wait, that unfulfilled longings make your heart and soul restless. It's good to be hungry.

 Well, ponder this: " The laborer's appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on" (Proverbs 16:26). Think about it from God's point of view. If we were totally full and satisfied in every way, we would slow down and stop. Why work? Why exert yourself? Who needs other people?

Our needs and longings and unfulfilled desires provide the drivers to move us to grow and develop, to seek and explore, to work and toil, to need people and helpers and friends and build relationships for survival.
some degree of struggle and hardship and hunger is also good for us to remind us of our dependence on God. If we had everything, our prayers would droop and finally cease. We will not yearn and desire to put in any more effort in whatever we do.

Don't curse your struggles. Let them drive you on. Let your hunger work for you.

OVERCOME YOUR INFERIORITY COMPLEX

You will never be perfect, and neither will anyone else. Your talents and abilities, past history and circumstances, and dreams and potential are different than anyone else – and these are not liabilities, they are assets. Be you, and be proud of that! Realize that your dreams and goals don’t have to mirror the accomplishments and successes of others, nor should anyone else define what ‘dreaming big’ for you means. You ‘dream big’ for you, and remember that in order to ‘be big’ you have to stop worrying about others’ dreams and accomplishments and cease comparing your different and unique talents to theirs. 

The moment you develop the ability to not worry what others say and think about you, it is then that you have unlocked the key to achieving your potential. 

There will always be people who doubt you and your abilities – unfortunately, many of these people are your closest friends or they actually share your last name. Develop the ability to train your mind to ignore the nay-sayers, the dream-busters, and the opinions of others. 

Ironically, it is these same people who often epitomize the definition of mediocrity because they have never learned how to dream big, take risks, and put in the effort necessary to achieve their own goals and dreams.

WORRY BLINDS OPPORTUNITY

The most recent economic hardships in Ghana serves as a perfect example of masses of people unnecessarily worrying about news and events that are out of their control; all the while, a select brilliant few see the ‘doom and gloom’ as an incredible opportunity to make money and achieve success. 
These optimistic people who have not only learned how to stop worrying, but actually don’t have time for it, have realized that opportunities come before they are prepared and leave before they realize it. They likewise know that had they been worrying during those times, their minds would have been clouded and distracted which would have resulted in them not being able to see and recognize opportunities when they came. Perhaps even more importantly than not worrying – they put forth action. Seize every little opportunity and make the best out of it.

Success does not wait for anyone. Dreams are not achieved as a result of procrastination. Goals are never accomplished when idle minds and actions fill our time. The more you worry, the less you act – the less you act, the more you fail. And if part of your worrying includes the excuse that you do not have time – the reality is that you do not make time.