Joy versus Happiness; How Does That Work?

November 14, 2011 by 21 Comments
Share on Tumblr Share

 

Joy versus Happiness; How Does That Work?

by Olga Hermans

  A prerequisite for life is that you have to go through a few things and I can tell you that my husband and I have gone through a few things. The key is that you have gone through it and that you don’t get stuck in the middle. In this life, you do not have time to have a pity party.

Jesus told us that we would have tribulations in this life, but we should be of good cheer, because Jesus has overcome everything that we will face in our life and that makes us more than overcomers, right?

Jesus didn’t promise us a rosegarden without any of the thorns, but what He does promise us is that He would enable us to rise above it and become victorious.

You do not have to stay in victimhood from what you have gone through. When you are supposed to be focussing on one thing, the enemy will throw something in your path to distract you from what you are supposed to be doing. But when you are sold out to Jesus and He is the one that you have submitted your life to; you and God become a majority.

God is not a respecter of persons, what He has done for others, He will do for you.The difference is what are you willing to let Him do through you? That is the difference. All these things that we go through can cause a lot of stress. In order to slam the door on stress, we have to cultivate a fruit of the spirit and that is the fruit of joy.

When you cultivate the fruit of joy, you will slam the door on all stress. The devil is not mainly after your family or your finances or even your health, because he knows that if he can steal your joy; he is going to steal your health, many times your family and your finances.

Most of us as Christians don’t have the light of joy; they have no joy in their speech and no joy in their mannerisms and as a result, the world is looking at us and saying: “you are not any different than us.”

You are attracting people to you with your joy, or you are repelling people away from you. Joy is a fruit of the spirit. You need to know how to apply and grow and plant the seeds that will bring forth a harvest of joy. You see, everything comes forth through a seed-faith principle.

There are certain seeds of joy that you have to learn, practice, cultivate and grow in order to receive the fruit of the spirit of joy. You see, gifts are given, but fruit is grown by making the right choices, but most people don’t know what the seeds are. Once you grow this fruit, you are going to be insulated from the effects of stress.

The definition of joy is “a feeling of contentment and it comes from within. It is not based on external circumstances. It comes from within, from an inner sense of fulfillment. Happiness is different. Happiness is a feeling of pleasure based on external circumstances and what other people say and do.

The longer I live, the more convinced I become that life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it. ~Dr. Charles Swindoll

You have to learn and practice reacting with joy. Once you learn how to plant these seeds, then you are learning how to grow this fruit of joy that is going to insulate you from stress.

Happiness is also important. Happiness is many times an entry way to joy, but it is based on external circumstances. There are many things that can make you happy.

Anything that appeals to your five senses can make you happy. Anything that feels good or tastes good such as a delicious piece of chocolate cake if that is one of your favourite foods or if you like watching a game. A good massage could bring you happiness as well. But what happens if we let happiness have its way, it can lead to overindulgence, sin and addiction.

One piece of chocolate cake might be great, but two pieces or a whole cake is dangerous to your health. Sex within the marriage is good, but if you turn to affairs, or turn to pornography; it becomes a sexual addiction and then it leads to sin and that leads to a stronghold. Happiness is good, but if you take happiness too far; it is going to get you in trouble.

That’s why there are happiness traps. Happiness traps are simply money, materialism, power, prestige, careers, affairs, alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling. All these are happiness traps. Yes, they will produce happiness for a season, but in the end they will lead to stress and then you lose your joy, you lose your peace, you lose you sleep and you lose your health and eventually you lose your life because of it.

You have to identify your happiness traps: they go like this: “if I only had more money, I would be happy”. “If I only had a better job, I would be happy,” “If I could only lose 40 pounds, I would be happy,” “If I only would live in that beautiful home.” All those “only’s: a better husband or a better wife or…if I only had a relationship.”

These are happiness traps. Research shows, that possessions, things and circumstances at the most will only produce 10% of happiness; at the most! Isn’t that amazing? When you look at rock stars, star athletes, musicians and movie stars. These people have mansions, they have boats, they have jewellery and so forth, but you know what?

Most of them don’t have happiness, so they turn to drugs or they turn to alcohol. They turn to prescription drugs because at the most, these things produce only 10% of your happiness.

Most people don’t understand that people are chasing these things. They keep chasing and when they get to the very top of that ladder, they see that they wasted all of that time chasing all of those things and end up ignoring the very things that could have been producing their happiness.

Realize that your personality, your temperament, your genetics and your disposition account for about 50% of your happiness. 40% of our happiness comes from things that we think, our actions, our behaviour, our reactions, and it is simply things that we have control over according to some happiness research that was done.

Most people are going for that 10% happiness, not realizing that things, circumstances, careers, ambitions, materialism and money produce at the most only 10% of your happiness. Well, you have to come back for part 2, where we will talk some more about Happiness versus Joy. I hope you will!

You can subscribe to The Daily Choice which brings an encouraging message 5 days a week to your inbox by clicking here

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: 3 Your Actions Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Living the Life You Really Want Is Not Always Easy

November 10, 2011 by 7 Comments
Share on Tumblr Share

 

Living the Life You Really Want Is Not Always Easy

by Olga Hermans

 

 

Living the life you really want is not always easy, but you can do it. Let me show you how. God has a plan for your life. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed or what kind of mistakes you have made, the vision He has given you is still in you and it is time to pursue it. If you are willing to pursue your dreams, nothing can keep them from coming to pass!

Has your dream become fuzzy? Has everything around you, your circumstances, what people say, or what the economy says affected your dream? Have you come to that place where you have decided that it will never come to pass? Or, is that dream still somewhere deep, down inside of you? If it is, then it’s time to dust off your unfulfilled dreams!

It’s time to create a proper atmosphere in your life so that your dream will become a reality. It is important that you know that before you can change your present situation; you have to look ahead to where you want to be. You cannot keep focusing on your present circumstances. You need to know where you are going, so you can set your goals for getting there when you arrive.

“… Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables,
that he may run that readeth it.” Hab 2:2

This is a very important verse in the Bible, because that is how God works and we should do the same. The only way to know what you want to do and know where you are going is to think about it and to write it down.

Hebrews 11 says that God is an architect and a builder. Architects and builders have blueprints; they have plans. Noah had a plan to build the Ark; Moses had a plan to build the tabernacle; Solomon had a plan for the temple; and He has a plan for your life.

Every time you read your vision that God has put in your heart, you can run with it. It keeps you focused. It motivates you. It propels you forward. What puts a dance in your step and a smile on your face? If you haven’t experienced anything like that in years, then it’s time to get away with Him.

There are times that we have to shut ourselves away with God. It can be in your own house, where you find peace and become still before Him. Once you hear the Father reveal His plan to you, you write it down and run with it. Then, you never give up until it becomes a reality.

Don’t let it overwhelm you. Life doesn’t happen all at once. It happens in minutes and hours. Take each day as an opportunity to seek God about what He would want for you to do that particular day.

It doesn’t matter how old you are. You can act on the dreams and ideas He has put in your heart. People may want to put you out of pasture, but God never does that. He is with you no matter what. So, don’t waste your precious life only dreaming, and not acting upon it.

He didn’t care that Abraham was an old man when He gave him an idea of his future as the father of many generations. He doesn’t care if you are five years old or ninety-five years old. He sees your potential and the impact you can have on the future, regardless of what age you are.

Get determined for the dream in your own life, to move forward, to keep on living and learning, and doing something. You should be constantly dreaming, constantly believing the Father will help you achieve higher heights. You gotta know that what you dream of will come to pass, if you have faith in God, in yourself, and in the dream.

It is your responsibility to not only dream and be determined in your dream, but also to move into the direction of your dream. Don’t spend too much of your energy on what other people have done in the past, or you will continually be living in the past. The past never sees the future!

It All Starts On The Inside

God drops a dream in your heart in the form of a picture of that dream. In other words, you have to see it on the inside. When you see a promise in the Bible, that promise is designed by the Holy Spirit to paint a picture on the inside of you. Words create images. The Word says, “I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health.” The Holy Spirit will take that scripture, those God inspired words, and create an image on the inside of you.

From that moment on, you will begin to have an image of health and prosperity on the inside of you. When you meditate on the scripture, your image is going to become more real on the inside of you than what is happening on the outside.

The Bible says that “as man thinks in his heart, so is he.” God’s Word is designed to paint images. You can see it this way – your heart is the canvas, the Holy Spirit is the Artist, and the Word is the oil. As you fellowship with Him, the Holy Spirit will paint an image on the canvas of your heart of the way God sees you, not the way the world sees you.

We don’t think in words, we think in images. When I speak the word house to you, you automatically think h-o-u-s-e and, it’s likely that you think of your own house. But if I would say a mansion and you don’t live in a mansion, then you don’t see your own home any longer, you will see an image of somebody else’s home.

That is the very reason why God put His Word in print, so you and I would get an image of what He promises us. God is not a respecter of persons. He is not going around picking out a few people and dropping a dream in their hearts because He loves them more than He loves someone else. He wants to plant a dream in the heart of everybody.

In order for that dream to drop into your heart, you must be in communion with Him. You must have time and fellowship with Him. The more time you spend with Him, the more real your dream will become. As a result, you will begin to look for it; you will begin to expect it to come to pass.

Never give up, keep looking for it. Get the image of what God has planned for you deep down on the inside and constantly see yourself walking in your dream. Seize your destiny. Don’t let it slip away. Click here for more information.

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: 6 Your Destiny Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Discover Your Purpose, Let It Ignite Your Passion and Turn It Into Profit

November 9, 2011 by 18 Comments
Share on Tumblr Share

 Discover Your Purpose, 

Let It Ignite Your Passion and Turn It Into Profit

By Olga Hermans

 

Since the time that I connected with Sandi Krakowski online (definitely a divine connection), my life has not been the same. To me it is one of those divine connections that only God can bring. My life has bumped up a level into a direction that I could not have gone to myself. I had been looking for places to learn about blogging and marketing online, but only got confused by all their teaching.

At this moment I am finishing off the Gold Group where she coaches me through the process of blogging twice a week, setting up my auto-responder and especially how to relate to my readers. This January, I am going step it up and join her Sapphire group and am so excited about it. I can’t learn enough from her.

She has taught me so many keys and principles that only can come from an expert who has gone through it herself. My Alexa ranking has come down to 137,553 at this very moment from over a million within a few weeks time.

I am very thankful that she came into my life and I give her more than 2 thumbs up; it has been one of my best choices that I have ever made in my life.

 

Sandi keeps telling us: “IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU!” Ouch and ouch again. You know why? Because I want to tell people what I know, because I think I know what people want to know. But that doesn’t have to be the truth. Sandi keeps telling us over and over again “Listen to you audience, what are they asking for?”

I must say, that is not something that you learn in a day. It is a complete switch in my thinking and my approach to blogging. That’s why we have a survey on The Choice Driven Life, where we ask questions and our readers can answer them. You, who have filled in the survey have helped me so much. I gained so much insight. If you haven’t had a chance to fill in the questions, please do that now by clicking here.

Let’s get back to Sandi’s book. I met Sandi personally in Chicago last spring where she had organized an event with a lot people who are coached by her. I had known her for a couple of months and when I met her personally I knew one thing right from the beginning: she is the real deal. She is not someone who covers things up or holds things back. No, she is right in your face.

While I was listening to her, I kept thinking, “she is reading my mail” again and again. And then it dawned on me…this is what the book is all about. She encourages us in so many ways to get to know our readers more than our product.

God gave us one mouth and two ears, right? So, we have to double up our listening and slow down on our own talking. I made a commitment to listen to what you as my readers are going through in life and answer your needs the best way possible. THIS is one of the things that I learned from Sandi Krakowski.

 

 

If you desire to discover your purpose. Let this book ignite your passion and turn it into a profit. You will learn how to build a relationship with your family, your friends, your co-workers and your readers. You too, can build a relationship with your Facebook friends. It is fun and a good thing to do! This book might be for you; it’s FREE !!

You only have to pay the shipping costs; what a deal! Check it out!

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: Books Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Walk in The Favor of God

November 7, 2011 by 14 Comments
Share on Tumblr Share

How to Walk in The Favor of God

by Olga Hermans


What does it mean when we talk about the favor of God? I can presume that we all have experienced favor one way or another in our life, right? What is that, favor? What does that look like?
And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands–yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it. Psalm 90:17 Ampl.

When the Father laid out the plan for your life, He lined up the right people, the right circumstances, and the right breaks. He has already released His favor in your life, supernatural opportunities and divine connections. The breaks you need have already been predestined to come across your path.

You need to stay in faith and go out each day and be a person of excellence and you will experience the many blessings that the Father has for you.

In 1993 we left Canada for economic reasons to go and live in The Netherlands. It had always been my husband’s dream to live Canada, so we didn’t take moving away very lightly. But we always kept thinking back to our time in Canada and started to think about going back to Canada again in the beginning of 2000.

When my son was 21 or 22; he came to us and told us that he wanted to go and study in Canada to live there. At that moment there was not much that was keeping us in The Netherlands. Both our parents had died; our daughter was living in England at that time and had plans to live in Australia.

But because we hadn’t been back to Canada for so long, we knew it would be very difficult to reinstate our residency.

So, we flew into Seattle in September 2004 and drove to the border at Peace Arch. As we stopped at the custom’s booth; the officer asked us how we would like to enter Canada. They gave us the option between entering as a visitor or as a returning resident.

This totally flabbergasted us and we said; is it still possible to enter as a resident? Then we had to go into the office where we stood in line to wait for our turn.  Then, another booth opened and that officer called us out of the back of the line and insisted we come to him.

We handed him our paperwork and after a few minutes he came back with our paperwork and said: I’m going to waive all the requirements! He stamped our passports with the required stamps and said: “Welcome back to Canada”! 

That was the favor of God; His approval and His goodness for sure. It was a great experience, which made us feel very special. He loves to bestow favour on His children.

When God gives favor; people favor us, and often for no reason they can even explain. Favor is actually a part of grace. In the English New testament, the Word ‘grace’ and the word ‘favor’ are both translated from the same word ‘charis’. So the grace of God is the favor of God.

And the favor of God is the grace of God; that which causes things to happen in our lives that need to happen through the channel of faith. His power is doing something for us that we can neither earn nor deserve.

Think about that! God wants to give you special privileges. His favor will cause people to go out of their way to bless you without even knowing why they’re doing it.

How does favor work? Things just fall into place. Obstacles disappeared. What happened? You just walked into the blessings of the Lord. They were already lined up. You just walked into them. Just like when we arrived at the Canadian border, God had it all lined up already and we just walked into that blessing. It was a marvellous thing.

Esther, Daniel and the Hebrew children, Ruth and even Jesus received favor from God that caused them to be accepted instead of being rejected in specific situations. They may have been rejected in some areas, but they were accepted regarding the things He had sent them to do.

Esther needed favor with the King. She was selected to bring deliverance to her people, who were in danger. She stepped out in faith and went into a place that was hard for her in the natural. He gave her the favor she was believing for, and she fulfilled His call on her life.

Ruth was a Moabite, so there was no way for her to be accepted by the Israelites without favor from God, because the Moabites were idolaters. But God gave her that favor because she loved and trusted Him. She did nothing special to deserve it, but her heart was right.

Ruth had gone though heartache and pain as a young woman. Her husband was killed in a battle. When her mother-in-law Naomi was moving to a different city, Ruth decided to go with her and help take care of her. There was a great famine in the land. Food was scarce. Ruth went out in the fields every morning to glean wheat left by the reapers. That is how she and Naomi survived.

One day, Boaz, the owner of that field, came to visit. His workers told him about the young widow Ruth who picked up what the harvesters had missed. Boaz told his workers to drop handfuls of wheat on purpose for Ruth.

When you walk into one of your favor moments, people will go out of their way to be good to you. Many times they don’t realize why they’re doing it. It’s simply because you stepped into a time of favor that God released into your life.

You see Ruth was just minding her own business, doing her very best and being faithful. All of a sudden she started seeing all this wheat lying in front of her. Think about it. She didn’t have to struggle any more. She didn’t have to search the field trying to find a little here and a little there. All she had to do was picking up the wheat piles left for her.

Extraordinary things began to happen for Ruth. She received blessings that she did not have to work for. That’s the way our Father is. All of a sudden you get breaks that you didn’t deserve.

Due to His favor, she married Boaz, “a man of great wealth”

Ruth 2:1, and their ancestral line brought forth David from whom Jesus was descended. Ruth no longer worked in the field. She and her husband (Boaz) owned it.

God’s supernatural favor flowing in your life is not based on your background, looks or personality. His favor is based on the Word of God and believing what it says about you. Favor can break through barriers set before you, and it is available to every believer.

You can subscribe to The Daily Choice which brings an encouraging message 5 days a week to your inbox by clicking here

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: Walk By Faith Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Tests, Trials, and Temptations

October 20, 2011 by 11 Comments
Share on Tumblr Share

Why Tests, Trials, and Temptations

by Olga Hermans

When it comes to LIFE, everyone must live it. David Horton

 

Did you read that profound statement? This might sound very obvious to you, but I think we sometimes forget this. We usually think that we are the only ones who deal with problems or experience tests, trials, and temptations.

Or on the other side, people think that there shouldn’t be any trials in life and when they arise they like to neglect them or deny them and live like an ostrich who puts his head in the sand and choose not to face the trials or challenges in their life.

Other people might feel guilty right away and think they left the door open to the enemy or that they missed God somewhere down the road and now they are out of the will of God.

The truth is though, that it doesn’t matter where you are in life or who you are; we all live on the same planet, we all deal with the same devil and we are all in the same boat.

Psalm 34:19 gives us a great perspective on this:

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

I had a mother in law who just never wanted to talk about problems; she just smiled and actually never wanted to acknowledge that there was a problem. She would say something like: Oh Harry (that was her husband) don’t be so serious, you should look at it from a different angle. There is no problem, what are you talking about?”

Do you also know people like that who never like to talk about a problem even to the point of never even acknowledging that there is a problem? Then there are people who always see a problem; every day of their life. And the only talk about why it is happening and how it all came about and so on and so on.

We have to know that crises of life come to everyone; we ALL will experience hardships. They are not a sign of an open door or sin in your life; they come to you because there is a devil out there who hates you and wants to destroy you. Let me give you a FREE tip: circumstances are never a sign of you being in or out of the will of God. If that were the case then the Apostle Paul must have never been in the will of God because his circumstances were always strenuous.

Here is another tip: when problems occur—and they will—don’t focus on the problem. Realize that it is never God’s will and God is never behind the problem.

When problems arise in your life don’t start asking why it is happening, because that will only lead you to discouragement. Situations like that are never easy, but you have to strengthen your back bone and start to focus on how to get out of the problem instead of focusing on how the problem came into your life.

This is the moment to use your faith for God to deliver you. How do you do that? Start with what you know. Think back on what Jesus did for you; He delivered you from it ALL! Every disease, every sickness, every calamity ….everything!! Every trial out there is already conquered. He made you more than a conqueror, remember?

It all depends on how you look at it

One more thing for your deliverance from your tests, trials, and temptations; you have to see yourself the way God sees you. The time we were in Bibleschool, they always taught us that if we were dealing with sickness for instance to never think of ourselves as a sick person seeking healing, but rather as a healthy person resisting the devil and his sickness. This is profound!

Many people think that tests, trials and temptations come from God. No!! The enemy is there to deceive you and to get you on another path and waste all your time. Have you ever had a bad thought coming in, one that feels good? Then you do as whatever that though was to only feel very bad because you did it? That is how he plays with you.

He gives you the bad idea and then after he come to accuse you and condemn you and tell you how bad you are and why you did such a stupid thing. And now you are all discouraged.

Many people believe that the tests, trials and temptations are what make us strong. As long as we think that way, we also think that God sends those trials our way. But the truth is that a crisis of any kind doesn’t make you strong. Of course you can use them to GAIN strength, but THEY do not make you strong.

Here is an example. A weight in and of itself is not what makes a weightlifter strong, he only uses the weight to gain strength, but the weight in itself doesn’t make him strong.

 I remember a friend discussing this with my husband, that nobody gains strength by just laying on a weight bench and having that heavy bar across his chest with those heavy weights on it. No, you have to lift that weight to gain muscle strength. You don’t gain strength by just thinking about getting strong and hoping and wishing you would gain strength. Of course not.

The moment when he starts taking that weight and starts pushing that weight away from himself, he becomes stronger.  The weight doesn’t make him strong – it’s what he does with it.

So many people have thought and still think that tests and trials make us strong, but that is not true. We all experience them because we live in this world where the law of gravity is at work. BUT when we use our faith and when we use our words to push them away, than we become stronger and stronger.

Don’t be reluctant, be bold and stir yourself up to become strong in your faith. Speak to that mountain and tell it to move in Jesus’ name. Don’t assume that God wants you to walk through the trials and temptations to make you strong. There are no trials in heaven, why would God want you to have them here on the earth? There is no sickness in heaven, why would God want you to be sick here on the earth? That doesn’t make sense, does it?

You can subscribe to The Daily Choice which brings an encouraging message 5 days a week to your inbox by clicking here

 

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: Making Choices in Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Consider 15 Ways Of The Ant

October 17, 2011 by 28 Comments
Share on Tumblr Share

Consider 15 Ways Of the Ant

by Olga Hermans

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise; Which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, Provides her food in the summer, and gathers her supplies in the harvest. How long will you sleep, 0 sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down and sleep; So will your poverty come like a robber or one who travels [with slow but surely approaching steps] and your want like an armed man [making you helpless]. (Prov. 6:6-11) Ampl.

 

There are 15 ways of the ant for us to consider:

1.  The ant is one of the most laborious insects that exists, which means that the ant is a hard working little animal. It gives more effort than any other animal or insect in existence.

Success never happens by accident. No, it happens because a person has made a choice to do what it takes to succeed. What is true in the natural is also true in the world of the spirit. Do you know a hard working person? My coach Sandi Krakowski is such a person; she trains every day, lifting weights and all that good stuff.

This also works in the world of the spirit; you reap what you sow. If you spend time with God, you gain more wisdom and understanding of things. Ants are successful because they are diligent in all they do.

2.  Ants are the most developed of all of the insects. They work very well in teams; they do not go off on their own. They always work together; you could say they are company-oriented. They go and search for food, so that everybody will benefit from their hard work.

3.  Ants gather food at the right time in the right season. When it is time to take care of business, you will see the ant do just that. They are like farmers, they harvest their hay in summer to have enough until the next summer. Ants have a commitment, they just love hard work.

You know, most people love to live in their own comfort zone. When you want to discover the life you were born to live, you have to get up and do something. Not waiting until a crisis arises and then get up and do something. Not only work when the heat is on. They pray when tests and trials come their way. They exercise when the doctor tells them to or else they might have a heart attack.

4.  Ants love their own young; they always protect them. They are very fond of them. If there is a younger ant, the older ant is going to look out for him. The young are important.

5.  Ants are caretakers so to speak; they look ahead, they have keen foresight for others. They are always taking care of others in the community and looking to see if there is another ant that might need help.

6.  Ants do not need to have all the attention; they work quietly without show. They do not need the  encouragement of others; they just work. They don’t depend a pat on the shoulder and tell them they did a good job. They are able to motivate themselves.

7.  Ants don’t give up before the job is done; they don’t get tired, they just keep going.

The time to believe for your healing and your finances is while everything is going good. The time to walk in love is when everything is ok, so that you have all the reserve you need when you need it.

8. Ants are organized; they work for the good of all. They have these astonishing systems of organization.

God is very organized. If He wasn’t; everything would be lopsided isn’t it? The sun and the moon are in the proper place, if the sun would get to close we all would burn, if it would get too far away, this planet would be too cold for anything to live on it.

9.  Ants are ingenious carpenters and masons, building their own systems of homes and underground tunnels. They wouldn’t wait for a welfare check from the government, no way. If they need something done, they do it themselves.

10.  Ants keep their homes meticulously clean. Being clean in your own home is more important than you think. How can you be given more responsibility for something if you cannot take responsibility of your own home or your own car for that matter.

11.  Every ant has a definite job and an assignment. They don’t sit around watching others do the work. If you don’t have a job that’s one thing. But if you aren’t looking for a job, that’s another thing. No ant is sitting down just watching other folks work. The other ants kill an ant that watches others work, because it is a burden to the community. There is destiny waiting for you!

12. Ants are very protective; they fight to the death to protect their homes and young from enemies. You need to protect your own home and not be tearing down your own household. They are your loved one; talk good things about them or don’t say anything at all!

13.  The ant is a very social being; they do things like we humans do them. They will be with all the other ants and do all the other things. If you don’t want to do that; they kick you out.

14.  Ants always want to learn; they are intelligent and wise. They are eager to find out how things work; they learned their lessons. If they face a problem, they want to make sure it will not happen again. Some people fall into the same sin over and over again, because they don’t consider their ways.

15.  Ants know how to motivate themselves; they don’t need somebody else. They don’t need a boss or the pastor looking over their shoulder, or anybody else. Ants know what is required of them and they do just that. They have drive.

That’s why there are millions of ants. You can rub out an anthill, come back tomorrow and they will be right back. That hill will be going right back up. They are going to do just what they need to do to win because they have self-motivation. They don’t need a queen ant. They don’t need anybody else. On their own, they have drive.

People don’t do things because they don’t realize the value of it. If you would be like the ant, you would win. Consider her ways! They are intelligent, the Bible says. And if you do it, do it God’s way, and you are going to get results.

You can subscribe to The Daily Choice which brings an encouraging message 5 days a week to your inbox by clicking here

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: 3 Your Actions Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How Spicing Up Your Life Can Make You Happier!

October 10, 2011 by 17 Comments
Share on Tumblr Share


How Spicing Up Your Life Can Make You Happier!

by Olga Hermans

Happiness does not depend on your circumstances … it is a choice that you make. The first step is to make a conscious choice to boost your happiness; the bottom line is if you want to be happy, you need to make a decision to be happy right now.

An extraordinary number of people are asking questions about their own happiness on the internet, and many are not satisfied with the answers they often find. Why not? Don’t they want to make a choice? Happiness and other positive emotions play an even more important role in health than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine by Carnegie Mellon University Psychology Professor Sheldon Cohen.

If you want to spice up your life to be happier, you must develop a habit of happiness. You must learn to relax and go with the flow, instead of getting frustrated. You have to believe that God is in control, and that means you have no need to be stressed out or worried.

Moreover you need to be grateful for what you have, rather than complaining about what you don’t have. A habit of happiness boils down to staying on the positive side of life. Each day is full of surprises and inconveniences, so you must accept the fact that not everything is going to always go your way. Your plans are not always going to work out just as you scheduled them.

The Bible says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” 1Thess. 5:16 The Msg. Bible says: “Be cheerful no matter what” Another translation simply says, “Be happy all the time.” That means no matter what comes your way; we can have smiles on our faces. We should get up each morning excited about that day.

I can tell you that this does not come naturally to me; I am a person that really has to work on this. I have a more serious and observant personality. Although I can really cheer up when circumstances are good and all that good stuff. So, if I want to spice up my life to be happy and I do, I have to cheer up a little.

I have learned the hard way to not be so rigid and be set in my ways. Life is too short to live it stressed out. Besides, prolonged stress can damage your health and significantly shorten your life. I don’t want to live with knots in my stomach because some person is not doing what I want them to do.

You and I can make a choice to be more flexible and have a more easygoing attitude. Think about it. Ten years from now, many of the things that we are allowing to create stress in our life won’t even matter. You and I won’t care that we were stuck in traffic or that Thanksgiving will be different that we had planned.

Make a decision that you’re going to be happy even if you get stuck in traffic, even if the waitress spills something on your new outfit, even if you have to wait in that long line.

God did not create you to be a negative-thinking person. He didn’t make any of us to live depressed, stressed out, worried, or frustrated. God intends for you to be happy, content and to enjoy your life.

Take an honest look at your life. Are you as happy as you know you should be deep down inside? Do you get up each day excited about your future? Are you enjoying your family? Enjoying your friends? If not, what is stealing your joy and causing you to get upset? Why are you worried?

It is a good thing to take inventory and then take it one step further. Begin renewing your mind in those areas. Many times, you can make a small change; a minor adjustment in your attitude, or a minor adjustment in how you treat people; a minor adjustment in how you respond to problems and it will make a huge difference in your life and in your level of joy. This definitely will spice up your life.

There is so much sadness in our world today. Many people are sick physically because they are living so stressed out, uptight and worried. The apostle Paul said, “I have learned how to be content no matter what state I am in.” In other words, “This doesn’t come automatically.”

We must do the same thing. Happiness is not going to fall on us. It is a choice we have to make. Being positive doesn’t necessarily come naturally. We have to make a decision daily. Our mind, left alone, will often drift toward the negative. If we don’t stay on the offensive, little by little we will grow more sullen. Soon, we’re not as much fun to be around.

We start to find fault. We get critical. Refusing to allow these negative habits take hold of us will spice up your life and can make you a much happier person. When you get out of bed in the morning and put a smile on your face, Set the tone right at the start of your day.

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: 5 Your Character Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Prevent Stress -12 Ways to Prevent it Before it Takes Control

October 3, 2011 by 18 Comments
Share on Tumblr Share

 

Prevent Stress – 12 Ways to Prevent it Before it Takes Control

by Olga Hermans

Stress is one of the greatest enemies we face in life. A National Health Interview Survey tells us that 75% of the general population experiences at least “some stress” every two weeks. Stress also contributes to the development of alcoholism, obesity, suicide, drug addiction, cigarette addiction, and other harmful behaviors.

Unhealthy stress has reached epidemic proportions today. Its effects are felt in every segment of our society. The truth is, God didn’t design you to live under stress. He created you for a place of pleasure and good things. He intended for your lives to be in harmony with Him, with each other and with nature.

Yes, things happen in our everyday lives that produce stress. Things happen that are beyond our control. What is in our control, however, is how we confront and deal with those situations.

You can take this simple stress test at home on your own. Take the word “stress” and make something out of every letter of that word. Do it in the negative, and then do it in the positive. Here’s what I came up with:

Stretched to the limits. Everybody knows how it feels when we are stretched to the limits. When we take a rubber band and stretch it until it doesn’t go any further, it snaps. We can stretch ourselves to the point that we can’t do any more and we feel like we are at our breaking point.

Time thief. A survey done in the 1970’s asked, “What is your biggest need?” The answer was “Money.” A survey repeated in the 2000 revealed that the biggest need was “Time.” People everywhere are saying there’s not enough time in day to get your work done. You know how an hourglass works isn’t it?

It is shaped like a funnel, and then it opens into a larger container. When you get to the last few thousands of particles of sand in that hourglass, it speeds up. Well, we’re closing out this age of time and so as we’re narrowing down, time is speeding up and it’s getting faster and faster, and that’s why you don’t have enough time in the day. That causes stress.

Responsibilities. Some people just do too much; they have to many things on their plate. So maybe you have to manage your responsibilities that you have taken on. The things that you’re doing don’t have to be necessarily bad things; just might have taken on too many projects.

Emotions. Your soul is made up of your mind, your will, your thinking faculties, and your emotions. Emotions can give the greatest feelings of pleasure one could imagine; they can also poison our lives and be a source of torment. Emotions are fickle! We can go to bed feeling one way and wake up feeling entirely different.

When you’re stressed out,” it can cause your emotions to lose control. The smallest challenge can bring you to tears. God has a great plan for your life and it is one that includes emotional stability and peace of mind.

Speaking doubt and unbelief. When we are under stress, we have a tendency to speak things that are contrary to God’s Word. We have to control the words of our mouth and the thoughts that are in us. Just because you’re under stress doesn’t mean you throw everything you learned out the window!

Satan. You can just make two lists on paper. Draw a line right down the middle, and anything bad happening to you comes from Satan, and anything good happening to you comes from the Lord. John 10:10  One of the great, big, gigantic snares Satan tries to put in our path is offenses and unforgiveness, getting upset, having hurt feelings, and always going around upset with somebody over something. That causes stress.

Now, we will look at the positive things of the word S-T-R-E-S-S

Secret Place. Psalm 27:5 says, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; and he shall set me up upon a rock.” This psalm has been one of my most favourite ones for a long time now.

When you are in trouble, there is always that place (under the shadow of His wings) that you can run to. If you don’t have the money to pay your bills on time, then you get yourself behind those closed doors in your prayer closet, and you allow the anointing of God to begin to multiply in your life. God will begin to give you sources and extra income and job increases in your life to cause you to be able to come out on top. Go to the secret place and get away with God.

Thoughts. We’re to bring every thought that doesn’t line up with God’s Word into captivity. 2 Cor. 10:4 You have to capture those thoughts. You have to harness them. I’m telling you, God will work in your behalf.
You have to be able to push away negative thoughts. God’s Word is positive and uplifting; we need to come to that place where we honor God with our thoughts, as well with our actions and our deeds.

Resist the Devil. James 4:7 says: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Resist means to withstand, to oppose, to strive against, set against. And how do you resist the devil? With the written Word of God. You resist the devil with “It is written.” He is a spirit, and you fight him with spiritual weapons. Quote the Word of God to him.

Expose the devil. Do you know Proverbs 6:30? This is a great promise!
Satan is a thief. He will try to steal everything from you. If you let him, he will rob every area of your life. He will try to steal your work, your family, your relationships, your health, your finances, your time and your peace. When things have been stolen from you, make sure that you get it back in Jesus’ name.

Smile Everyone knows how to smile. It’s one of the greatest gifts God has given us. A smile makes people feel good, and people look beautiful when they smile. Living your life with the “joy of the Lord” will chase off negative and stressful circumstances.

Shake it off and step up! We all have times when we seem to be bombarded with bad situations, but there is a right and wrong way to handle these times of distress. Do you know the story of the little donkey?

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do about it. Finally the farmer decided that the animal was too old to justify the efforts it would take to get him out of the well. So he asked his neighbours to help him shovel dirt into the well and end the donkey’s life.

As the dirt began falling on the donkey’s back, he realized what was happening and cried horribly. (Do you know the feeling? “I just feel like everything is caving in on top of me”?) And then, to everyone’s amazement, the donkey quieted down. After shovelling in a little more dirt, the farmer looked down into the well and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovelful of dirt that hit the donkey’s back, the donkey was doing something amazing; he was shaking it off and then stepping on top of it. As the farmer and his neighbours continued to shovel dirt into the well, the donkey just kept shaking it off and stepping up!

This is a beautiful analogy to shake off the stress that is falling upon us; shake it off and use the situation to get to a higher level in your life!

You don’t have to be stressed out or stretched to the limit. You have a secret place of the Most High God that you can run to, and He will cause you to overcome this stress, this overwhelming time in your life. Not only that, you can go through this challenge with a smile on your face, your head held high and joy in your heart. God is on your side.

 

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: 4 Your Habits Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What Does It Mean To Set Your Face Like Flint

September 29, 2011 by 25 Comments
Share on Tumblr Share

What Does It Mean To Set Your Face Like Flint

by Olga Hermans

… I set my face like flint, confident that I’ll never regret this. Isaiah 50:7
or I know that I will not be put to shame.

 

 

Have you ever heard that sentence? I heard it a couple of times this last weekend through people and then my pastor mentioned this very sentence on Sunday morning again. It was one of those sentences that stays longer with you than normal. I thought I’d dig in, do some research and write about it.

Setting your face like flint means determination. Do you know that you only can be as passionate as you are determined? When you are determined, you refuse to give up; you set your face like flint. People who have dreams overcome obstacles, because they want to see their dreams fulfilled. They did what they needed to do in order to enjoy what they like to enjoy.

God gave us the fruit of self-control and a free will, but we have to make a choice to use it. The less people use their will to make decisions they know they are right, the weaker they become. Setting your face like a flint and being determined is the decision to do whatever you need to do in order to have what you say you want to have.

We need to be diligent. Doing what is right one or two times or even a few times won’t always bring victory. Being diligent on a consistent basis and doing what you know you need to do over and over for a longer time, is the key.

You need a determined attitude, engage your will and be willing to do that particular thing forever if that is what you need to do. You won’t quit, you won’t stop, you set your face like flint and you are determined.

Real winners don’t put time limits on their commitments. They are committed with no conditions, and when they begin, they have made up their minds to finish.

The Bible says the diligent man will rule and he will be rich. Prov.10:4 and Prov.12:24

You cannot be diligent without being determined, just like you cannot be determined without being passionate. Determination is a mind-set and diligence is the effort that goes with it. You and I know people who decide to do something, but their decision is not a quality decision. They may pick up on something and do it for a little while, but when the first trouble appears, they’re gone and fall off to the wayside.

It is so easy for us to think we will do right than it is actually to do it. The doing makes the difference and it requires the diligence. The last part of our verse today says that God will never fail us if we do our part. God tells us what to do in order to have a good life and He gives us the grace to do it. However, we have to make the decision and realize that nobody can make it for us.

We all have to be willing to grow up spiritually, but we should also be determined not to give up during the maturing process. God tells us in Hebr.12 that when we are taught and corrected by God we should keep a good attitude and not give up. God has a plan for you, but He also must prepare you for the plan, and He will lead you as long as you keep your eyes on Him.

Most of us are determined until something happens that shatters our dream. What we do and how we respond to a crisis in life will make all the difference. Some people party and drink, or take drugs. In my FREE report I talk about the story of Joseph who had a dream of which he thought was shattered, but then he discovered that the very circumstances he thought were stealing his dream were leading him to it.

It is very important to remain positive and not start counteracting with lack of restraint. Some people eat excessively, others spend excessively, and others stop taking care of themselves and their household. A lifestyle of doing whatever you want to do is not going to eliminate your pain. The only thing that will eliminate it is setting your face like flint and being determined to have God’s will in your life and nothing else.

Remember to do all He has called you to do, not what He has called someone else to do. If you do what you are meant to do, you will be doing something that you enjoy and that really fits you.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said it this way: “if a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michael Angelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.”

Every success requires that you know that God is always on your side. You will be confident that you’ll never regret it and know that you will not be put to shame. Isaiah 50:7

Paul said that he was determined to know God. Phil.3:10 Don’t ever be satisfied to know about God, but get to know Him. Develop a deep, intimate relationship with Him for yourself and not through someone else. My background is the Catholic church where I only knew God through the priest. I wrote a book on prayer; check it out. You will learn keys and principles how to relate to God and hear His voice and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in your time of prayer.

Many of you just need a good dose of determination, a spark of passion that will ignite a steady stream of hope, enthusiasm, and commitment to keep going. That is the only thing standing between you and real victory. Make up your mind regarding what you believe, have God’s word to back it up, and don’t ever back down. Say daily, “I am determined to be all God wants me to be, do all He wants me to do, and have all He wants me to have.”

Will you set your face like flint from now on for the rest of your life, and never live one more day without determination and passion? Will you determine to be all you can be, and the best you can be? You have what it takes. You can do whatever you need to do though Christ, Who gives you strength.

Let us know what you are going after or what is that one thing that you think stands between you and your Destiny. Will you? It probably will help a lot of readers; thank you!!

You can subscribe to The Daily Choice which brings an encouraging message 5 days a week to your inbox by clicking here

 

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: 6 Your Destiny Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What About 2012?

September 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Share on Tumblr Share

 

 

What About 2012?

 

Prophecy delivered by Kenneth Copeland
on November 10, 2011
Washington, DC Victory Campaign

“What about 2012? What does it hold? What’s in store? What’s in store for the nations? What’s in store for Israel and what’s in store for the Church? I have a great storehouse. Much more has been stored up in the storehouse of riches beyond your wildest dream that I laid up for you before the foundation of the world. Much more is stored up there than what the Church has ever called for. I never have held back on the Church,” saith The LORD and the God of plenty. “I’ve made it available to you. I put it in My WORD. I gave you a promise and stood behind it with the blood, precious blood of your Savior. But there has been a backwardness in My people about laying hold of the things that I have provided for you. But I will say this: There is a people in the land. There is a people around the world. There is a people strong and mighty, growing much stronger and much mightier and more bold to lay hold and put their claim of faith on the things that I have laid up for you and it thrills Me,” saith The LORD, “because it’s been yours all the time.

“Ah, but what about 2012? 2012 is a year full of surprises. Some surprises are going to shake people up. Some surprises are going to shake people down. But for those who are listening to My voice, those who have made themselves available to My Spirit and to My WORD, you’ll have surprises. Oh, not like the world and not like a lot of carnal-minded Christians. Your surprises will come as suddenlies. Like in My WORD when it said, ‘And suddenly there came upon them.’ And you’ll stand up with a big smile on your face and say ‘I just got a suddenly, didn’t I? Oh! Yes.’ But it’ll not take you by surprise because I said in My WORD I’d show you things to come. I said in My WORD what I speak the Holy Ghost will hear and He will speak it to you. And there are those of you who are seeking My voice and seeking My WORD and seeking My Name and looking at Me in My face while I’m looking at you in your face. And together we’ll walk in this and together we’ll walk through this and there’ll come a time when you’ll just smile at Me and I’ll just smile at you and you’ll say, ‘Ha. Ha. Ha. I knew that all the time. Praise God. My Father showed me that was coming and I was all prepared and it didn’t come on me as a suddenly. But this other surprise that came on me. Oh, what joy. Oh, what thrill. Oh, what goodness. I wonder what else my Father has in store for me. Hallelujah. Praise God.’

“2012? I’ll tell you about 2012. It’s going to be a year of great joy for those who know joy. It’ll be a time of marvelous breakthroughs. This is a time of victory. It’s a time when people begin to realize that My WORD is a living WORD, that My Spirit is the living Spirit, and that you are My voice in the earth. And your voice is the voice of victory. So rejoice and shout and understand that the breakthroughs that you’ve sought and watched over, prayed over, stood in faith for, ah, don’t turn loose now. Don’t turn loose now because they’re at hand. They’re right at hand. They’re right on top of you right now. Praise God. Hey!

“Have no worry. Do not be in fear about the United States of America. Don’t be in fear over the failure of this republic. This is not the time for this nation to fail. I’m not done with it yet. And it may come as a surprise to many; this nation is not done with Me yet,” saith The LORD. Hallelujah.

“We have a job to do. And this year will be like none other where this nation is concerned. And many will say, ‘Oh, woe is us! Oh, woe is us!’ And you know what? Oh, woe will be them.

“And there are others who’ll say, ‘Oh, we can’t win! We can’t win!’ And to them they can’t win.

“Ah, but to those of them who say, ‘Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. This is a time of greatness! America again! Oh, and it’s my nation and it’s God’s nation and we’re right where we’re supposed to be. He has us right where He wants us, and our future is bright because God is still LORD over the United States of America.’

“So rejoice and give forth a glad sound because The LORD of glory is still on the throne and prayer changes things and together we’re going on to greater victory.

“Oh yes! 2012 is a time of greatness Miracles that seemed as if they would not come but they’re here. There is an atmosphere conducive to miracles that’s been growing and growing and will manifest greatly in the first quarter of 2012 and continue throughout the year and on into 2013. I’ve been looking forward to 2012,” saith The LORD. “I know how it’s going to turn out. I’ve already dealt with it in My WORD. Your future is looking better all the time. But of course you’ll need to look at it through My eyes,” saith the Spirit of grace. “So as I said before, rejoice, for your time has come.”

Share on Tumblr Share
Filed Under: Prophesies Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »