Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.
Take the time today to examine your wants, needs, and priorities – ask God for his guidance and wisdom. Which of these do you really want and will make you happy? Take the time to reprioritize.
I recognized that there is nothing better than to rejoice and to do well during life.
Ecclesiastes 3:12
Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
If you are feeling fearful at this moment, courage is only a prayer away. While in prayer, think about the way God has created you – to be a powerful and loving follower of His son. Know that Jesus will be beside you as you face your fear.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7
The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and we miss it, but we aim too low and reach it.
Ask God today to provide you with confidence and the will to truly pursue the best version of yourself. That's what He expects of you.
I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:14
Life's biggest challenge is deciding what's important - then disregarding the rest.
Ask God for insight to truly identify and prioritize the things in your life that really matter, and for the courage to dismiss the distractions.
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?
Matthew 23:17
Perceive and rejoice that life is abundant, that beauty and goodness are amply available . . . that your happiness is in your hands.
You don’t have to look very far to sense the beauty of God’s creation. Seek God’s help to allow you to realize that you can be in control of your attitude and happiness today (and everyday).
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the one bringing good news, Announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, saying to Zion, “Your God is King!”
Isaiah 52:7
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
Ask God to lighten your heart today, and seek opportunities to truly enjoy life with those around you. Too much seriousness can slowly diminish your capacity to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
Fill us at daybreak with your mercy, that all our days we may sing for joy.
Psalm 90:14
A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.
Unwrap your arrogance and focus on being big and bold for God. If arrogance and pride creeps into your day, say the Bible passage below and repeat if necessary.
The eyes of human pride shall be lowered, the arrogance of mortals shall be abased, and the LORD alone will be exalted, on that day.
Isaiah 2:11
God does not want your personal relationship with Him to remain private.
Throughout the New Testament, we are encouraged to share the Good News with others so they may know Christ as we do. Find an opportunity today to tell someone how happy you are that you have a personal relationship with God.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness,
Acts 4:29
Happiness is not a matter of events, it depends upon the tides of the mind. – Alice Meyell
Don’t wait for something to make you happy – look inward. Take the quiet time to talk with God about what you can do to be more at peace and happy in your life. This time spent in prayer will be a good beginning.
Psalm 4 Trust in God - For the leader; with stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
Psalm 4:1
Too often we underestimate the power of touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. – Loe Buscaglia
Begin today by making it a practice to do the positive gestures listed above throughout your day. You will affect everyone in a positive way and likely aid in turning a life or two around [in addition to your own!]
However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
James 2:8
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. – Henry David Thoreau
Remember to put the foundation of Christ under everything you do. Take a few minutes before acting to make sure your actions will be pleasing to God. This will make a solid foundation for your life here on earth and after.
That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built.
Luke 6:48
It's never too late to be what you might have been.
Throughout history, there are numerous examples of individuals who did not realize their potential until very late in their life. Seek God’s inspiration to chase your dreams no matter what stage of life you are in.
Noah complied, just as the LORD had commanded. The Great Flood. Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came upon the earth.
Genesis 7:5-6
Swallowing your pride rarely leads to indigestion.
The next time you receive praise for something you have done, take the opportunity to give credit to someone else. As a Christian, you should ultimately give credit to the one from which all your strengths and talents flow.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12
A man is what he thinks of all day long.
Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. Ask God to guide your thoughts today in a positive direction in order that you may become a better example of His love.
Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
Live your life so that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shutters and says “Oh no, they are awake!”
Make Satan shutter today. Smile, don’t frown. Laugh, don’t get angry. Encourage, don’t criticize. Love, don’t hate. Make every interaction with others today an opportunity to please God.
Then the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Romans 16:20
If you want to get the best out of someone - you must look for the best that is in them.
Just about everyone you meet is motivated and inspired by positive feedback. Take time today to thoughtfully identify and acknowledge the good things in others.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.
Hebrews 13:16
If God should choose to leave our prayer unanswered, let us listen carefully to His silence.
If you find yourself disappointed that God is not answering a prayer, think about some prayers that went unanswered in the past. What pain might have been avoided? What blessing did you receive instead? Find peace in knowing that He is always looking out for you.
In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.
Luke 6:12
We tend to worry most over things we have no control over.
Take something that is worrying you today, especially something you have no control over, and give it up to God in prayer. Focus your emotions on those things you can control – loving your family, caring for your friends, doing your best in your vocation…
Psalm 71 Prayer in Time of Old Age I - In you, LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
Psalm 71:1
Is it not wonderful news to believe that salvation lies outside ourselves?
Thank God that we don’t have to rely on our own imperfect selves for salvation. Reaffirm your salvation today by taking a minute right now to thank God for the gift of His Son and the knowledge that we are saved through Him.
Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed,” lest my foes rejoice at my downfall. III - But I trust in your mercy. Grant my heart joy in your salvation, I will sing to the LORD, for he has dealt bountifully with me!
Psalm 13:5-6
July 4th ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. - John Adams
As you celebrate the freedoms you enjoy this weekend, remember that our devotion to God is key to this freedom. Thank God with open prayer when you gather with others this weekend.
Let bronze be brought from Egypt, Ethiopia hurry its hands to God.
Psalm 68:32
He who cannot forgive others destroys the bridge over which he himself must pass.
You'll never know when paths will cross again. Work today to mend a bridge with someone who has wronged you. Ask God for the strength to forgive as He did.
If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
Matthew 6:14
Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. – Thomas Jefferson
Make sure you are unstoppable each and every day by always keeping a positive attitude. Make sure it is positive both on the inside with yourself and God, and on the outside with your interactions with others.
Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,
Philippians 2:5