CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:4-8

Dear Lord, I rejoice in you! Let the joy and rest I find in knowing you be manifested in my life as a gentle and quiet spirit.  Thank you for being near.  Today I choose, by faith, not to be anxious about anything.  Instead, I’m presenting it all to you, and trusting you to work all things together for my good.  Thank you, Lord.  You’ve been so good to me.

Holy Spirit, teach me how to recognize and remain in the peace of God, even when my circumstances are anything but peaceful.  I know that peace guards my heart, my mind, and my health, too. Forgive me for those times when I get so focused on everything that’s wrong with my life.  That gets me nowhere.  Instead, I’m fixing my thoughts on what is right in my life: everything that’s true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Amen.

The Proverbs 31 woman was noble and dignified.  But there is nothing noble or dignified about a complaining woman.  Capable women don’t complain.  They take action to change the situation or have enough faith to accept the things they cannot change. The best gift you can give yourself and those around you is an optimistic, can-do attitude.  Our physical health and emotional well-being are directly tied to our mental state.

A huge step in the journey to becoming the woman God wants us to be – capable, dignified, virtuous women – is learning to discipline our minds to focus on what’s right rather than what’s wrong.

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind”(Rom.12:1).  The mind is a primary  battlefield and will either help or hinder our goal of becoming the woman God wants us to be.  By renewing your mind with positive, personal statements of God’s truth, your thoughts become your ally rather than your enemy.  That’s the reason the daily Affirmation is such a vital part of this program.  Keep in mind, however, that it won’t be enough simply to read the Affirmation. As you fill your mind with the truth about who God is and all the good things he has done in the past and desires to do in the future, the negative will eventually get washed away.

• Begin reciting your Affirmations daily. Each morning, you can rewrite the day’s Affirmation on a Post-it note or index card and carry it with you everything you go.