[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] How to enjoy life despite your circumstances by Joyce Meyer

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "Donna" <godsgirl54 at att.net>
To: <thefamilyoffaith at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] How to enjoy life despite your circumstances
by Joyce Meyer
Date: 
Fri, 7 Oct 2011 08:51:26 -0400

 
How to Enjoy Life Despite Your Circumstances 
by Joyce Meyer 
Which of these phrases do you utter to yourself most mornings? Do you
greet each day with an expectant, positive attitude about what the day
holds, or do you feel like pulling the blankets over your head, dreading
what awaits you outside your front door? 




We must combat the dread that tempts us to stay in bed by keeping a
positive attitude and mindset. Our attitude is so important to how we feel
each day. The kind of day we have is, to a great degree, determined by our
thoughts and actions. If we dwell on negative thoughts, expecting the
worst, our actions will reflect those thoughts. 

It's impossible to reach your God-given destiny if you allow negative
thoughts to fill your mind. Dread is a close relative of fear, and allowing
it to remain in your mind, sets you up for misery and robs you of joy. 

Once, I experienced a feeling of dread as we were planning our trip to
speak in India. I was excited about the wonderful opportunity there, but
all I could focus on was the long flight and poor conditions that exist in
that country. I'm grateful that I knew how to dispel those negative
feelings with positive thoughts about what could be accomplished during our
time there. If I had allowed myself to dwell on the negative aspects of the
trip, it would've taken away the joy and excitement God wanted me to
experience. Dread is a trap, and you must be determined not to fall into
it. If not being sure of the future or facing new things causes you to feel
dread or fear, remember Philippians 4:13 says, ...I am ready for anything
and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me.... 

There'll always be roadblocks to keep us from enjoying the wonderful life
God has provided for us. With all the stress and pressures of everyday
life, we must make a decision that we're going to enjoy life regardless of
our circumstances. 

Every single day is filled with all kinds of situations that could upset
you-like losing your car keys or getting caught in a traffic jam. But when
you know what's going on, you can choose to be in control. 

You must take responsibility for your happiness. You're the one person
you're never going to get away from, so you'd better learn to like
yourself. It's impossible to enjoy life if you don't enjoy yourself. We
have a well of wonderful things on the inside of us, and no matter what's
going on around us, we can drink from that well within. We can find
strength right there inside of us to do what we need to do. 

I've learned that life is so much better when we don't have unrealistic
expectations-for ourselves or other people. There was a time when I got
upset and felt sorry for myself for days when my husband, Dave, wanted to
play golf. But God helped me to see that each of us has different ways of
relaxing and unwinding. For Dave, it's golf. For me, it's shopping or
watching a good old classic movie. As long as we keep things in balance, we
can enjoy the freedom of doing what we like best. Understanding this has
brought about a wonderful freedom that allows both Dave and me to do the
things we enjoy.

You can enjoy this same freedom in your own life. Living in freedom-and
allowing others to do the same-is a healthy and positive approach to life
that pleases God. 

We must also learn that we can be extraordinarily happy while living an
ordinary, everyday life. Expecting life to be one long series of exciting
events is setting yourself up for disappointment-and that'll steal your
joy! So learn to be content with life as it is. 

With God's help and your determination, you can learn to be happy and
enjoy every single day of your God-given life. Start your days by saying,
"This is the day the Lord has made. I willrejoice and be glad in it. Good
morning, Lord!"





Jesus said if I can believe all things are possible, so I believe. Mark
9:23