Browsing Tag

habits

6 Traits of Successful Teens

Posted on January 5, 2015

Many teenagers define success in lots of different ways. Some would say success is having lots of friends. Others would say its making lots of money. Still others would say success is doing well in sports or at school. If we’re totally honest, lots of us don’t really know how to define true success. With everyone’s different definitions of success, its can be confusing to understand what success truly is.

Here are six traits that successful people all share.

A successful person reads the Bible.
“My son, don’t forget my teaching. Remember what I tell you to do. What I teach will give you a good, long life, and all will go well for you. ” – Proverbs 3:1-2 (ERV)
A successful person does not forget God’s teaching, or what God has said in the Bible. To be a success in life, you need to pay attention to the things God says in His word. If God tells you something in His word, then you should apply it to your life and live it out. Being a success is all about letting God’s word have a voice in your life. Don’t tune God’s word out, but rather make God’s word something that you don’t forget.
A successful person trusts God.
“Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge” – Proverbs 3:5 (ERV)
A successful person trusts God even when it goes against what’s popular. Trusting God sometimes goes against what seems to make sense at the moment. Trusting God sometimes can be really scary. However, trusting God always pays off. Successful people know that putting their trust in God is the way to really win in life.
A successful person is humble.
“Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the Lord and stay away from evil.” – Proverbs 3:7 (ERV)
The successful person knows that they aren’t always right. They also know that its better to not just make decisions based on their own knowledge but to get others involved. Humbling yourself to ask for help is an important trait of a successful person.
A successful person gives.
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and the first part of your harvest.” – Proverbs 3:9 (ERV)
The successful person makes giving a part of who they are. This person knows that God rewards those who give. Giving is a trademark of success.
A successful person accepts correction.
“My son, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be angry when he corrects you.” – Proverbs 3:11 (ERV)
A successful person can accept correction. Even though its not easy to be told when they’re wrong, the successful person knows that correction is important to growing as a person. Without correction, people can’t grow and learn. The successful person accepts correction even when its hard.
A successful person learns.
“Those who find wisdom are fortunate; they will be blessed when they gain understanding.” – Proverbs 3:13 (ERV)
Learning is important. People who become learners are always growing and getting better. Learning isn’t easy, but its important. So decide to find time to learn. A successful person look for ways to learn from others and gain wisdom.

Being a successful person isn’t about the friends you have, the clothes you wear, or how much money you make. Its more about who you are. Its about developing character in yourself and getting to know God in a deeper way.

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6 Things To Add To Your New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on December 29, 2014

Its almost a new year! Time has really flown by. Since this is the time of year that everyone seems to think about starting over, or setting goals, let’s look at a few really great goals you can add to your list of New Years Resolutions.

Know God. This year, challenge yourself to make knowing God a priority. Really put some effort into knowing God. The best way to get to know God is by reading the Bible. Don’t make excuses like the Bible is outdated, boring or hard to read. There are tons of versions of the Bible that can make reading it easier. You can listen to several versions of the Bible online at bible.com. You can also find a great podcast or check out some of our devotions on reading the Bible. Don’t make excuses, spend time in the Bible by finding a way to read it that works for you.
“All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him from death. ” – Phil 3:10 a (ERV)
Open up. Life is really busy. It can be easy to get caught up in your group of friends and what is going on in their lives that you forget to pay attention to those around you. Your school’s hallways are filled with people that need Christ. All around you, there are tons of opportunities to love others. All you have to do is be open to being used by God. Ask God to show you people around you that are hungry for God. Invite them into your life. Hear what they have to say, and see how God would have you minister to their needs. Its not hard, here’s a devo with some encouragement on how much God wants to use you.
Invite someone to church or youth group. One of the easiest ways to lead someone to Christ is to ask them to church or youth group. You might feel a little silly doing it, but challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and ask someone in your life to church with you. Believe God that their heart will be touched, and that they will come to know Christ as a result.
You never know what your invitation might mean to the person. A teenager I know asked one of her friends to a youth group event. Her friend came and asked Jesus into her heart that night. What this teenager didn’t know was that her friend had planned to commit suicide that night. That teen’s simple invitation to church literally saved her friend’s life. You don’t know what something as simple as asking someone to church might do for someone else. You might be the only chance your friends have of hearing the gospel. Find more devotions on sharing your faith.
Read. With all the history books you have to read for school, the idea of more reading can seem really lame. No matter how lame it sounds, challenge yourself to read some personal growth books this year. You could pick up a book on leadership, or how to make lasting friendships. It doesn’t really matter what the topic is about. Simply find a self-help topic that interests you and challenge yourself to grow as a person in the next year.
Grow. Its easy to get lazy in life. Most likely, you’ve gotten comfortable in your routine, in your friends and with your classes. When things are going good, its pretty easy to slip into lazy mode. However, challenge yourself to not just stay where you’re at right now. Challenge yourself to grow in the next year. Step out of your comfort zone and do something that you wouldn’t normally do.
You might decide to sign up for a missions trip to Brazil with your youth group. Maybe you decide to help clear out your neighbor’s garage. Or perhaps its talking to that guy at lunch that always sits by himself at the back table. Whatever it is, challenge yourself to grow this year. Don’t let the year slip away without doing something extraordinary.
Give. Don’t let this year be a year that you forget to give. Push past selfishness and give more this year. Choose to hold off buying that video game, and give a little extra to your friend’s missions trip.
Decide that on Sunday nights instead of hanging out with your friends to go visit your grandma who can’t get out and about anymore. Whatever makes sense to you, whether is giving time, money, or something else, choose to give more this year. No matter how much or how little you have, you can always find room to give something to someone else this year.
“Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” – Luke 6:38 (ERV)

These are just a few suggestions on things to add to your new years goals. What are some other goals that you’ve set for yourself in the upcoming year?

3 Ways to Improve Your Self Esteem

Posted on December 8, 2014

Sometimes, its really hard to feel good about yourself. When you see the girl at school who always looks perfect, not a hair out of place. Or you watch your older brother who always says and does the right thing. It can be easy to begin comparing yourself to others and feel like you don’t measure up.

So how do you deal with those days when you feel less than amazing? How do you deal with the feelings that you don’t measure up, or the temptation to look or act differently to be accepted?

We’ve put together a list of three ways that you can feel better about yourself, and improve your self esteem.

Make a list of what makes you special. You might feel like you really stink compared to other people, but most likely that’s not the case. Most likely, you’re a pretty amazing person, you’ve just got to take some time to think through what is so great about you.
Think about it, and begin to list the things that make you special. Maybe you really pay attention to those that don’t have friends. Perhaps you’re good at drawing, or math. Find out what it is that is awesome about you. And make a list of those things. Then when you’re feeling down, or need a self esteem boost, you can pull that list out and remind yourself that you’re really pretty great!
Change what you’re thinking. Many times feeling bad about yourself happens because of what you’re spending time thinking about. Maybe you’ve been comparing yourself to someone else and feel like you come up short. Or maybe you’ve just spent too much time thinking about all your faults. Sure, we all have faults, but it doesn’t good to think about them so much that it makes you unhappy.
Take a little bit of time to think good thoughts. Thoughts of how much God loves you and the value he places on you. As you change what you’re thinking about, you’ll find that you’ll be happier and your self esteem will be higher.
“Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. ” – Philippians 4:8 (CEV)
Change what you’re saying. Watch what you say about yourself. If you keep saying you’re fat, ugly, or unlikeable you’ll start believing those things about yourself. Choose to pay attention to what you’re saying and eliminate those words that are hurtful and untrue about yourself.
Replace negative words with words of truth that God says about yourself. Make a decision to speak words of life over yourself and watch as your self esteem begins to grow.
If you don’t know where to start, here are a few scriptures to help you develop a healthier self-esteem.

Developing a healthy self-esteem doesn’t come over night. If you’ve gotten into bad habits about how you think and speak about yourself, it may take some time to redirect those habits. Don’t get discouraged if it takes some time to feel good about yourself. Stick with it, and know that you can overcome and have a healthy self-esteem However, if you ever get to the point in your battle with self-esteem issues where you need help, get it. Don’t be afraid or embarassed to ask. Your parents, pastors, or teachers can really help you out if you need it. Get the help you need to develop a healthy self-esteem.

Finally, go to God and be open and honest about what you’re dealing with. He is so ready to listen to you and help you. Tell him how you feel and ask his help in developing a healthy self-esteem.

4 Things to Learn From Sarah

Posted on November 19, 2014

Do you remember hearing about Sarah in Sunday school? Or maybe you’ve read the story about her in the Bible. She might seem kind of lame because she lived so long ago and you might feel that its hard to relate to her life and story. However, Sarah’s life can teach us four important lessons.

1. Sometimes you have to give things up. Sarah had to give some things up. She was living in the land of Ur. She probably had a nice house. She had friends, family and probably a few awesome places she liked to shop. She was probably very comfortable where she was. But then something crazy happened. God lead her husband Abraham to leave the country they lived in and told Him to go to the land He promised Abraham. What that meant for Sarah was saying goodbye to all her friends and family. Can you imagine how hard would that be? She had to leave everyone she knew and travel to this land that God provided.
The great thing is that Sarah did it. She gave up what was comfortable around her to seek God’s plan for her and her husband’s life. She chose to follow after God and not after stuff. And she is an awesome example we can look up to in regards to trusting God.

2. Its okay to doubt. God told Sarah that she would have a child. Not that big of deal, except for the fact that Sarah was 90 at the time. She was way past the age to have kids. Sarah went to far as laughing out loud when she heard the news that she would have a baby.
This is encouraging because it shows us its okay to have doubts. Its how you channel those doubts that is important. For example, sometimes when God leads us or directs us, we can have a moment where we doubt what God says. We might think that its impossible. But we shouldn’t stay in the place of doubt.
The good news is that Sarah didn’t continue doubting. She might have doubted at first, but then she chose to believe what God said. Because she believed God, she had the baby just like God had said.
By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. – Hebrews 11:11 (Message)

3. Following God isn’t always easy, but its always worth it.
Most likely, Sarah would have enjoyed taking the easy route. She could have avoided living in tents for lots of years. She could have enjoyed getting to live in an awesome house, but she decided instead to trust God and go for an eternal reward for serving Him.
Hebrews 11:9 – By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. (Message)
Sarah knew that by trusting God, she would get awesome rewards. She put aside comfort and trusted in God. God rewarded her with a son and become an ancestor of Jesus. Many times following after God isn’t the easiest option. The good news is that following after God always brings great rewards.

4. Never leave your wingman.
Sarah proved that she was faithful. She had the opportunity to be a queen. Pharoah liked her and wanted her to be his wife. However, Sarah stayed with Abraham. She stayed faithful when it might have been easier to say yes to a home, riches and being a queen. Despite all that, Sarah stayed by Abraham’s side.
It might be easier at times to not stay with the people or church that God has put into your life. It might seem like it would be easier to just ditch those people. However, there are benefits to being faithful. Sarah’s life proves that. Stick with the people that God has placed in your life.

These are just four things that can be learned from the life of Sarah. She was an awesome woman that trusted God and paved the way for Jesus to be born. She trusted God when it might not have always been what was comfortable or felt easy. So the next time you happen to read the story of Sarah, don’t just skim over it, but realize that she was an amazing woman who did great things for God!

Taking Responsibility For Your Actions

Posted on September 3, 2014

Have you ever placed the blame on someone else for something that you did? I remember one time I really wanted to do that. I was trying to make my cousins laugh, so I began writing curse words on the side of my grandparent’s camper. I did this after my cousins had encouraged me to do it. I gave into peer pressure and wrote all kinds of bad words on the side of the camper in the dust. To my utter horror, one of my cousins told my grandma what I had done.

Needless to say, I was pretty mad for getting caught. I couldn’t believe my cousins had encouraged me to write bad words on the camper, and then they turned around and told my grandma on me. I was the one who got in trouble when they were the ones encouraging me to do it. I wanted more than anything to blame them for my actions. I wanted to tell my grandma that my cousins were the ones that encouraged me to write the curse words on the camper in the first place.

It didn’t matter though to my grandma. I was the one who wrote on the camper, so I was the one that got in trouble. I learned a valuable lesson that day. I was responsible for my actions. Sure, someone might have encouraged me to do the bad thing, but in the end, I was the one who did it. So the mess I had gotten myself into was my own fault.

One of the hardest things to do in life is to take responsibility for your actions. Its so much easier to blame someone else or your circumstances for where you’re at in life. However, its when you begin to take responsibility for your actions that you begin to really become a person of character.

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

So I encourage you to take responsibility for your actions. Its not always fun, but it will help you grow into a person of character. In the end, you’re the person resposible for where you are in life and your relationship with God. You have to choose. Its a bit like the verse below.

But maybe you don’t want to serve theLord. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. “- Joshua 24:15 a

When its all said and done, its really up to you to choose your actions. Its up to you whether you serve God or not. Its up to you how far you go in life. So choose to make wise decisions and run after God. In the end, you’ll grow and become a person of character.

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4 Reasons Discipline Is Okay

Posted on August 27, 2014

You probably cringe at the word discipline. You might think of that time you got in trouble for stealing your brother’s allowance and were grounded for a month. Most likely, you don’t think about discipline in a positive light. Discipline is usually never easy and most of the time hurts your flesh. But discipline can be good too. Here’s a few reasons why.

Discipline helps you grow – As much as it stinks to be disciplined by a parent, authority figure, or someone else, it can also help you grow. Being disciplined points out areas in your life that you might be weak in or in need of some tweaking. Though discipline hurts, in the end, you come out learning and growing!
Discipline makes you stronger. – Discipline seems to always hurt a bit when you’re in the middle of it, but if you keep a good attitude and your heart right, you find out that you’re able to come out on the other side stronger and better for it.
Discipline keeps you humble. – Discipline has a way of keeping you humble. There is nothing like being corrected to really keep you from getting a big head or thinking too much of yourself. Discipline keeps you humble.
Discipline helps you learn. – Most of the lessons in character I remember from growing up came from being disciplined. There is something about being corrected and disciplined that makes you remember your mistake. If you choose to not get upset but to learn from being disciplined, you’ll find that you’re able to grow into a person that has more character.

Discipline is a good thing, even though it hurts sometimes. It helps you grow and learn. So no matter where discipline comes from (parents, teachers, etc) remember that God has placed those people in your life to help you grow stronger and learn from your mistakes.

Let us know your thoughts: What comes to your mind when you think about discipline?

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens This is an awesome book with great suggestions on how to develop good habits. The habits you develop can make or break you!

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3 Ways to Motivate Others

Posted on July 30, 2014

One important part of being a leader is learning how to motivate others. But, being able to motivate others doesn’t just happen automatically. Rather, its something that you can learn to do and grow in. Motivation isn’t manipulation or forcing others to do something you want them to do. Motivation wins people over and influences them for an advantage that is beneficial to both you and them. That’s why motivation is way better than manipulation. When people are manipulated, they end up feeling upset and used. When you learn to motivate someone, they’re much more likely to be happy about what they’re doing. Here are three ways to help boost your motivation skills.

Earn their trust. In order to motivate someone, you’ve got to earn their trust. You’ve got to be open and transparent with them. You can’t be someone who isn’t a person of their word or who isn’t trustworthy if you want to be a good motivator.
Be a person of your word. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Don’t just make random statements, but choose to always
Believe in yourself. People like to follow someone who believes in themselves. You don’t have to have all the answers, but a little confidence goes a long way in motivating others.

The last thing to do when growing to be a better motivator is to ask God for His wisdom and help. He can lead you and direct you when it seems that no one else can. His wisdom is way better than what any leadership book or seminar can teach. Following after God and tapping into His help when leading others will take you far!

Why Your Words Are Like A GPS

Posted on May 7, 2014

Have you ever used a GPS? Its a pretty neat invention. You can speak or program a destination into it and then it will devise a route for you. What we don’t realize is that every day we are programming our direction in life by the words we speak- whether consciously or unconsciously.

For example, you get ready to take a test and say “I’ll probably fail this” and you are shutting yourself down from doing your best. Or you may say “nobody likes me” and the result of that will be that your downcast attitude repels people from you so you get what you say.
How about on purpose, saying what you WANT, not what you feel?
If you want energy to win as an athlete or a musician you can say “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Phil 4:13

Pro 18:20 says “A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; he shall be satisfied with the product of his lips.” This isn’t talking about the food you eat as much as the words you speak (although the size of your belly does indicate what you’re putting into your mouth as well!) You live with the consequences of the words you think and speak just like you live with the consequences of what you eat by the size of your belly.

Set your life for success by thinking before speaking and then speaking faith-filled words of what you want to see. It’s really pretty easy to understand and with practice, you can learn to say only those words that you want to see happen.

To do: Start listening to your speech. What are you saying that you don’t want happening in your life? What aren’t you saying that you wish was happening? As easy as programming a GPS, you can program your life for success.

Prayer: Thank You Lord for giving me a mouth that I can set the course of my life. I want to speak the words that will cause the plan you have for me to succeed. I want to bring You glory with my thoughts, my words and my actions today. Direct me and correct my words and thoughts today.

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Your Rockin’ Christmas Checklist

Posted on December 23, 2013

Christmas season is in full swing! Stores are crammed full of people doing their last minute shopping and you’re probably gearing up for all the good food that you’re going to eat in the next few days. Because Christmas is such a busy time, its easy to forget some stuff, so we’ve got a checklist guaranteed to help you get rocking around that Christmas tree!

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Decide to be happy – Its easy to fall into the habit of unhappiness at Christmas time, and its usually the small things that steal the fun right out of Christmas. It usually starts with simple things, like being jealous about the presents a friend got, or feeling upset because you were forced to go to Aunt Lucy’s house instead of hanging out with your friends. Choose to not let the simple things make you unhappy this Christmas. Decide no matter what to be happy and you’ll be rocking around the Christmas tree in no time!
Be thankful – No matter how stinky your Christmas seems, you can always find things to be thankful for. One thing to be thankful for at Christmas is the fact that Jesus came into the world to pay the price for your sins. You’re not getting what you deserve, which was hell. Instead Jesus paid the price for your sins so you can party it up this Christmas season!
Remember what Christmas is Really About – There’s usually so much going on at Christmas that sometimes its easy to forget what Christmas is really about…JESUS! Spend some time thinking about what Jesus means to you, and be sure to thank Him for what He’s done in your life.

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Keep in mind this Christmas season how awesome Jesus is. Think about all He’s done in your life, and take time to be thankful. If you do, you’ll find that you’ll be rocking around that Christmas tree in no time!

Listen: Christmas This Year by TobyMac

3 Reasons Why Reading Your Bible Is Like Brushing Your Teeth

Posted on December 4, 2013

Brushing your teeth isn’t usually the highlight of your day, in fact, you might even sometime not want to brush them in order to get out the door earlier in the morning or to get to bed quicker at night. Even though brushing your teeth can feel like a chore sometimes, teeth brushing can teach us about reading the Bible. And hopefully, make reading the Bible seem a little less boring.

Brushing should be a habit. Imagine if you only brushed your teeth once and never touched your toothbrush again. My guess is that you’d have some pretty gross teeth and stinky breath. Well, just like you shouldn’t brush your teeth only once, you shouldn’t read your Bible only once. The Bible is a book that you need to get into. You’re not going to get it all by reading it once.
“Never stop reading The Book of the Law he gave you. Day and night you must think about what it says. – Joshua 1:8 (CEV)
Brushing keeps you fresh. Your breath gets just plain nasty if you don’t brush your teeth. That’s a lot like reading the Bible. Reading the Bible helps to keep us fresh. The Bible is filled with instruction, wisdom and guidance to keep us going strong through life. Getting into the Bible is a great way to encourage yourself and stay fresh in your walk with God.
Brushing makes you feel better. Don’t you love that awesome clean feeling that you get after you brush your teeth? The same feeling is available to us when we read the Bible. The Bible will encourage us and make us feel better. Whether you’re going through a problem, need some healing, or just plain want to be encouraged, reading the Bible is your answer.

The Bible is a powerful book. It has the power to change the way you look at life and the way you feel. If you haven’t already, choose to make reading the Bible a habit. You’ll be glad you did.

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Spice up your Bible reading with a new version of the Bible! We love the The Message//REMIX Paperback Wood: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Its an easy to understand and fun to read version of the Bible.
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