Browsing Tag

attitude

How To Be Happy – Part 3

Posted on April 27, 2015

Do you feel overwhelmed? Like you’ve got more on your plate than you are able to handle? If you do you’re not alone, check out what Romans has to say about that.

We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles. We can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Romans 5: 1-6 Message

Since the joy of the Lord is our strength, when we shout our praise it gives us strength to go through the tough times we’re in. Most people only sing when they feel joyful. But the Bible instructs us to praise through the troubles. In other words, praise will get you through it faster and while you’re going through it, help you keep your smile in place. Whatever is troubling you, God has an answer. So get your attitude of victory because you’re coming through this trouble.
God loves you and has poured into your heart all you need. Take a minute right now to praise God for the things He has given you and you will find the heaviness of your stresses ease up. [Tweet “Praise is a great way to stay encouraged and make it through the troubles you’re facing. – @studentdevos”]

Speak the word : Father I know you love me and have given me all I need to get through this. I come to You today thanking you for your help (grace) and strength. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. I’m coming through this trouble. I receive Your wisdom when I don’t know what to do. I receive Your healing for the pain. I receive Your love to fill me up. Your peace is mine and I keep my mind on Your supply and help. I continue to speak these things through the trouble.

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How to Be Happy – Part 2

Posted on April 22, 2015

Do you ever struggle with being happy just as you are? Maybe you’ve got a big problem that’s just weighing on your mind. You might think that once that problem is solved, then you’d be able to be happy.

How do you get yourself to be happy regardless of what is going on around you? Well, let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about happiness.

Rejoice in the Lord always- delight, gladden yourselves in Him: again I say, rejoice! – Philippians 4:6

This verse makes it pretty clear that it isn’t someone else’s responsibility to make you glad. No one else can make you happy and no situation can make you happy. In this verse, you are commanded (not merely encouraged) to rejoice and be glad! This verse encourages you to be happy no matter what you feel like, or what problems you might be facing.

I have a friend that tells any sad person they meet that they “have 5 seconds to get happy!”

My friend’s advice to others is really pretty good. She knows that you just choose to be happy- one minute at a time. It’s so simple- and you can learn to train yourself to respond to everything with joy- being glad in Jesus!

So no matter what problems or situations that you’re facing this week, remember that you can choose your response to those situations. When problems or the stress of life tries to get you down, remember that you can choose to be happy!

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How to Be Happy

Posted on April 20, 2015

Where do you find happiness? Is it getting an “A” in Biology? Is it getting asked to prom by your secret crush or perhaps making the baseball team? What determines your happiness everyday?

True happiness isn’t found in things.

True happiness isn’t found in having something, doing something or being something. Being happy is a choice. Everyday you have to choose if you’re going to let problems and the stressful situations you face get you down. If you wait until all your problems and stress go away to be happy, you’ll be waiting a long time.

In the midst of the stresses and problems facing you, you can choose to enjoy your life. Just like you can set the alarm clock on your phone to get up in the morning for school, you can choose to set your attitude everyday.

“The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10

Jesus died so we could have the good life. So why not live life happy?

Here are some tips to boost your happiness:

Look for and expect something good to happen today
Don’t allow your joy to be stolen by the negative things that happen to you everyday
Laugh more at yourself and find something to laugh about daily
Forgive yourself and others for mistakes
Learn to enjoy God, yourself and the people around you

Happiness is a choice. You choose everyday if you’re going to let the worries, problems and junk from your day get you down. Determine that you’re going to decide to be happy no matter what is going on around you. You’ll find that you’ll quickly start enjoying life more!

[Tweet “Determine to be happy regardless of what is going on around you! – @studentdevos”]

3 Ways to Succeed in Sports

Posted on April 8, 2015

Sports can be a really fun part of your time at school. They are a great way to develop good habits and get to know new people. Here are a few tips to help you become a success at any sport you play.

Be dedicated.
Dedication will beat talent every time. You may not be the best athlete ever, but if you’re dedicated you can go far in your school’s sports teams. You can show dedication by going the extra mile. You could run more, or put in some extra practice time. Whatever approach you decide to take, after awhile you’ll find that you’re coming out ahead on your sports team. No amount of talent can substitute for hard work and practice. If you put in the time and work, you’ll be sure to get noticed.
Be Mentally Tough.
If you’re mentally tough many times you can win against someone who is physically better than you at sports. A lot of success in sports comes down to mental toughness. If you get defeated mentally, you will lose the game physically. Keep your mental focus, and you can win the majority of the games you play. Unless your opponent is a lot better than you in terms of talent, you will be surprised at how many games you can win by keeping a good mental attitude.
Have Fun.
School sports are supposed to be fun. However, its easy to get wrapped up with the winning and competition that you forget that the point of school sports is to have fun. School sports are a good way to get to meet new people and find out which sports you enjoy playing. More than likely, you won’t go on to play these sports professionally, so have some fun while you’re playing.

Following these tips will help you to be more successful at the sport you’re involved in. Remember to always put God first in anything you do. In any sport you play, remember that you’re there to bring glory to God. Don’t get all wrapped up in the drama and excitement of sports that you forget to give God the glory. He’s there and willing to help you out in anything that you put your hand to.
[Tweet “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. – Matt 6:33”]

Pray: God, I come to you right now in the name of Jesus and I ask for your wisdom in the sports that I play. Help me to have creative strategies and ideas that will help me succeed. I desire to put you first in everything I do. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Go Deeper: Read Little Black Book for Athletes (Little Black Book Series)

Are You A Friend of Failure?

Posted on March 25, 2015

Most likely your goal in life is not to fail. Failure isn’t something that is rewarded in society. If you fail your math test, you don’t get a high five from your friends. If you fail to remember your girlfriend’s birthday, you don’t get a party thrown for you. If you fail to remember to do your homework, your teacher doesn’t give you extra credit. Failure is not something that people are searching for. If we’re honest, most of us would like to avoid failure at all costs.

However, failure isn’t always as bad as it seems. There can be times in your life that failure can be your friend. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

When It Helps You Learn.
When failure helps you learn it isn’t bad. Instead of holding your head down because you failed, choose to look at failure as an opportunity to learn. When you learn from your mistakes, you grow stronger.
One time I had a chance to learn from failure came when I bought a new car. The car I purchased hadn’t been checked out by a mechanic. When I got it home, to my horror the car ended up costing more to fix than the purchase price. I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. I learned to not buy a car unless its been inspected by a mechanic.
When It Motivates You.
Failure isn’t always bad if it motivates you to do better. I learned this lesson when I had a job as a waitress. I was bad at waiting tables. I was so bad that my boss told me I should look for another job because I wasn’t catching on. I could have given up. I could have said this just isn’t for me, or I won’t get it. However, I let my failure motivate me to do better. I memorized the restaurant’s menu. I came in early to practice entering orders in the computer. Eventually, with some time, I got really good at my job.
Failure isn’t bad when you’re able to let it motivate you to do better. Click to Tweet When you fail, don’t let it stop you. Instead use your failure to push you to be better.

The good thing to know about failure is that everyone experiences it. One of the best stories in the Bible about failure is the story of Moses. Moses knew that God had an awesome plan for his life, and he got a little too excited about it. In his excitement, he ended up killing another man. He failed big time.

The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” – Exodus 2:4

The great thing about Moses though was that he did recover from his failure. He was able to accomplish the plan that God had for him and his life. He was able to walk away from a huge failure and step into the awesome things that God had for him.

It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. – Hebrews 11:27

Moses led Israel out of slavery and become one of the great heroes in the Bible. He didn’t let his shortcomings stop him.

I don’t know what you’re facing. You might have messed up in a big way. You may feel like there’s no hope or that you’re worthless because of your failure. However, that’s not the truth. The truth is we don’t always make the right decisions and we don’t always do the right thing, but if we will let failure teach us and motivate us to be better, we can become a friend of failure.

Sometimes You Win–Sometimes You Learn for Teens: How to Turn a Loss into a Win

This book will help you turn a loss into a win in your life!

God’s 4 Overlooked Lifehacks

Posted on March 2, 2015

Lifehacks are awesome! There is nothing better than finding a smarter or more efficient way to do something. One of the best lifehacks I’ve seen is one where you charge a phone without power using a watermelon. It sounds nuts, but its really impressive! I had no idea that a phone could be charged without power. That is just one of hundreds of examples of great lifehacks. Have you ever thought about the fact that God provides us with some lifehacks in the Bible?

God has come up with some great ways to make our lives easier. So let’s check out four of the lifehacks God offers us in his word.

Jesus. This is the most amazing lifehack God provides us with. See our sin keeps us from God. If we’ve sinned in anyway we can’t experience heaven or a relationship with God. God did what we were unable to do. He gave us Jesus who paid the price for our sins. Jesus is the ultimate lifehack. If we will believe that Jesus is Gods son and confess him as our Lord the Bible says we can have eternal life. That is great news. Jesus is the ultimate lifehack!
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heartthat God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9
Learn More
Love. It can be really hard to love someone who hasn’t treated you the right way. If someone has been mean to you the last thing on you mind is showing them love and kindness. However, God has you covered in this area. He’s provided you the love you need to be kind to others. The Bible says in Romans 5:5 God has put his love in our hearts.
“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:5 (NIV)
That means God has given you the love you need to be nice to those who give you a hard time or bully you. God gave you the lifehack of love.
Learn More
Tithing. Tithing is giving 10% of your income to your church. It might seem strange to give such a large part of the money you make to your church. However, it’s amazing how much God is able to bless you as you give. God has a way of providing in supernatural ways for you if you put Him first in your giving.
“The Lord All-Powerful says, “Try this test. Bring one-tenth of your things to me. Put them in the treasury. Bring food to my house. Test me! If you do these things, I will surely bless you. Good things will come to you like rain falling from the sky. You will have more than enough of everything.” – Mal 3:10
Tithing is an awesome lifehack. God tells us to give our money to Him not because he wants to take things from us, but because He wants to get more to us. Tithing puts you into partnership with God. If you choose to tithe you’ll be blessed beyond what you can imagine!
Learn More
Peace. Most people aren’t living with peace in their lives. They’re stressed out, wondering if they’ll be able to juggle all their priorities. They might be worried if the guy they like will ask them to prom, or if they’ll fail giving their Oral Comm speech. However, if you tap into God’s lifehack of peace, you don’t have to get stressed out like everyone around you. You can keep your cool, knowing that God is on your side. He’s not going to let you down.
If you put your trust in God, He will come through for you. He won’t leave you without hope or without comfort. You can find peace in knowing that the God of the universe is looking out for you!
“I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. – John 14:27 (NLT)
Learn More

God has provided some awesome lifehacks in the Bible. Don’t be afraid to tap into those hacks to get help. Doing things God’s way isn’t always what seems easy or makes sense, but if you follow after God He will reward your life richly!

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Tips for Successful Relationships

Posted on February 11, 2015

Relationships are tricky. Whether its a friendship, parent, boss, teacher, boyfriend, or girlfriend, it can be hard to know how to handle difficult relationships. How do you handle the parent that you don’t agree with? Or the teacher that rubs you the wrong way? Or the boyfriend that broke up with you for no apparent reason?

The book of Ruth offers some awesome suggestions for handing difficult relationships. Ruth found herself in a bad spot. Her husband died. She had to decide what she was going to do next. She chose to follow her mother-in-law to a new country. Ruth didn’t have to go, but she chose to. Then when they arrive in the new country, her mother-in-law wasn’t all that nice to be with. She was sad and depressed. Not the kind of person you’d respect and work hard for. Ruth did something amazing though, she stayed with her mother-in-law and stayed true to God.

But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. – Ruth 1:16 (NLT)

There is an important lesson in here when it comes to relationships. Its this, respecting God and authority will help you out in the long run. That is exactly what Ruth did. She respected her authority, her mother-in-law. Regardless of Naomi’s attitude and outlook on life, she chose to respect her and stick with her. Ruth also chose to stick with God. She chose to serve God and follow after Him.

The awesome thing about these two decisions is how they brought Ruth success. Ruth ended up marrying a very rich and successful guy. She got an awesome outcome to her life’s story. And it all started with her simply respecting authority and God in her life.

Authority relationships in your life can be tough. It can be hard to respect those in charge of you. But its important to do. It can bring you into success in ways you’ve never imagined, just like Ruth.

The other thing Ruth did was to follow God. Her decision to follow after God wasn’t easy for her. But it led her into good things.

Look at your own life? Have you made the same decision Ruth did? Have you decided to follow God? No matter where that might lead you? Have you put your trust in Him? And have you been respectful of the authority that is in your life? Doing these two things will set you on a path to success that you’ve never dreamed of! Choose to follow God and respect authority.

Imagine the Possibilities

Posted on February 2, 2015

Your imagination is a very powerful thing. It can bring good or bad things into your life. When I was still single I wanted to be married more than anything else. I was tempted to give up on my plan to remain sexually pure because my wife to be was nowhere in sight. What kept me encouraged was imagining myself married. I would imagine myself happily married and having kids. I imagined myself outside on a nice spring day mowing the lawn and my wife bringing me lemonade while my little kid was playing around the house. One day a few years ago, my wife and I had bought our first house and I was out cutting grass and all this came back to me that I had imagined all this before.

The word “Imagination” is used over a dozen times in the Bible. Most of the time it’s referring to when people have used imagination for sin and evil. This is often true, however, your imagination can also be used for good. Here is a verse that the Bible uses the word “Imagination” in a positive light.
1 Chronicles 29:18 (KJV)
O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee

The author of this verse, Ezra is writing about a prayer that David had wrote. In the prayer, David is thanking God for all the amazing things He had done for the people of Israel. He prayed that they would keep these things in their imagination, so they wouldn’t forget.

Your imagination is a powerful thing. Its so powerful, that you can’t do anything until you have imagined it first. Anytime you sin, you imagined it first. You see yourself doing it and you associate with the good feelings it might bring if you did it.

Just like this verse says however, you can imagine good things. Anytime the Bible says you can do something even when you don’t feel like you can, imagination plays a part in helping you do it. For example, if you see in the Bible that you can pray and someone will be healed but you’re shy, you need to imagine yourself doing just what the Bible says until you see yourself doing it. Remember you can’t do it until you first imagine it in your mind.

I know a minister who was in the middle of a major building project. He was believing God would help provide for a building for his Bible college and growing staff. The building would costs several million dollars and he felt that God wanted Him to build it without borrowing any money. This minister said that during the building process, he would go to the empty site and imagine it finished. He would go as far as taking empty paint cans and would tie rope from can to can to mark the walls of rooms in the building. He imagined himself opening doors and going into the next room. He wouldn’t allow himself to step over one of the ropes on the ground because in his imagination that was a wall. Several years later the project had been completed and his Bible college was having an opening celebration ceremony. Someone asked him if he was excited to see the finished building. He said he was actually more excited back when he was imagining it because it had become just as real to him then.

You use your imagination everyday. However, challenge yourself to use it positively for God. Imagine yourself doing things we see in the Bible. When it seems like the dreams in your heart are far off and you could never accomplish them yourself, begin to use your imagination for good.

Tips for Dealing With Stress

Posted on January 28, 2015

Life is busy. Each day you try to cram in school, sports, music, friends, family, job, and God. It can be quite the feat some days trying to balance all the things you do or should be doing. Most likely you’ve got pressure from your parents to do well in school, sports or music. You’ve got pressure from your friends to hang out with them, to dress a certain way, or maybe even act a certain way.

There’s lots of stress and pressures that come upon you each day. Stress is a part of life, but what are some ways that dealing with stress can be, well, less stressful?

Here’s a couple of suggestions for dealing with stress.

Rely on others. When you’re really overloaded with the pressures of life, its okay to ask for help. You can rely on others to help. It might be asking a friend to help you with your math homework. Maybe you could ask your brother to help you this week with your chores at home by walking your dog. Or perhaps you could ask your parents for some advice in managing all your tasks.
It doesn’t matter who you ask for help, just remember, you’re not alone. There are people in your life that can help share the load. Don’t be afraid to ask others for their help or advice.
Rely on God. God didn’t put you on the earth to figure it all out on your own. He’s willing and able to listen and wants you to share with Him what you’re going through. Don’t be afraid to get open and honest before God. Share with Him your thoughts and get His wisdom on how to deal with the stress in your life.
Remove the extra stuff. Many times, stress comes by simply committing to too many things. You might have volunteered for the winter dance committee, the basketball manager, and spending time mentoring younger kids. While all those things are great, you realistically don’t have time to do them all. You may have to say ‘no’ to a few things that you want to be a part of. When you do, you’ll free up more time in the day to do the things that are really important.
Determine real pressure. Make sure that if you’re feeling stressed that the pressure you feel is real. Perhaps you feel stress because you feel like your parents want you to do better at soccer. This might not be the case. Your parents may not be putting any pressure on you to do better at soccer. This pressure is just in your head and in what you think they want you to do. You’ve got to learn to separate the real pressure from pressure that is in your head.
Communicate with others. If you’re stressed and you simply have too much to do, communicate with others about it. For example, if you’ve got a huge project due on Monday and a huge band concert that you have to practice for on Saturday, let your teachers know. Sometimes, if you’ve got a good track record with your teacher, they may let you turn in a project a day late. Its worth communicating with others to see if there is a solution to your situation.
Find stress relievers. Find out what helps you de-stress. It might be taking a long bath, reading a book, or taking a bike ride. Whatever it is, be sure to carve out a few minutes each week to do it. Finding things that help you relieve your stress is really important.

These are just a few tips to help you deal with stress. Life is stressful at times, but its great to know that when you’re feeling the pressure you can always go to God. God is always willing and able to help you with the pressures of life. He’s able to give you the wisdom you need to get through any tough situation. So no matter how stressed out you feel, take comfort in knowing that God is there for you and cares about everything that you’re going through.

Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us – Ephesians 3:20 HCSB

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What a GoPro Can Teach Us About Trusting God

Posted on January 7, 2015

GoPro cameras are an awesome invention. They let you capture the world around you in new ways. You can ski with them, surf with them, attach them to your dog, your head, or maybe even your little brother. There are tons of crazy things you can do with a GoPro camera.

One of the great feature the GoPro is it’s waterproof case. It can be submerged and still be okay. That’s a lot like us. Life can be really hard at times. You can have days where you feel like you’re getting battered, bruised and held under the water. It could be anything from friends not treating you right to doing the wrong set of math problems for your homework.

The good news is that no matter how hard life gets or how tough things might seem, you can put your trust in God. See God promises to never leave you.

“Be strong and be brave. Don’t be afraid of those people because the Lord your God is with you. He will not fail you or leave you.” – Deut 31:6

God will never leave us. He will never fail us. He’s like the GoPro’s waterproof case. As long as the GoPro camera is in the case, the GoPro is safe from the elements. Water can’t hurt it. Snow can’t hurt it. The camera is safe when its in the case.

That’s how we are when we put our trust in God. When we lean on Him, rely on Him and make Him our trust than no matter what is going on around us, we are safe.

“You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.” – Psalm 91:4

God will always have your back if you put your faith and trust in Him. So challenge yourself to put your trust in God. Don’t live your life in fear and discouraged by what’s going on around you. Instead put your trust in God and see God come through for you.

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