Your 4:8 Potential - Pt 2

How has it been going this week?  Have you found yourself making conscious decisions to "think 4:8"?  Has it been easy?  Maybe not, but I am sure that you have had a much better week because you have "chosen" to focus on the positive,  the power of God's love for you, and His amazing promises.  Perhaps you have felt a bit "stretched" !  I just want to encourage you to keep the "excercise" going, and before you know it, you will have developed some disciplined muscles in your thought life, and will begin to see your faith moving mountains!  Today we will be discussing he rest of the 8 steps of the 4:8 potential that we began yesterday.  

Step five- Eliminate negative self talk and introduce joy talk. - Stop beating yourself up!  Changing the way to talk to yourself changes your self concept faster than any other single way.  Proverbs 18:21 tells us that both life and death are in the power of the tongue.  We may all KNOW this, but it's worth repeating, the words you mutter to yourself have the power to encourage or discourage, to motivate, or deflate, to generate joy or repel it.  When you use your mouth to argue for your limitations, guess what?  You get to keep them!  Remember, the words you use today will create the world you'll experience tomorrow!  Here's a thought- imagine your part of reality show and every word you speak is going to be aired on national TV - would your words accurately reflect your faith in God, your blessings or your worries.  How about beginning to speak only what your seeking.  Speak as if you believe in your prayers,  Begin to cut out one by one, every expression or remark that is inconsistent with the person God wants you to be.

Step Six - Practice extreme self care - Caring meticulously for your mind, spirit and body, is a natural by product of a godly self-concept.  wehn you neglect the habits of good health (proper sleep, diet, excercise) you make yourself more vulnerable. Here are some questions to answer to see how well you are taking care of yourself:

• Am I living the life God intends for me?
• Do I have a clear compelling vision for my future?
• Am I investing time alone each day with God?
• Does anyone in my life hold me accountable to my "best self"?
• Do I consistently make health producing food and drink choices?
• Am I excercising in some way almost every day?
• Am I getting sufficient sleep most nights?
• Do I have at least 3 close personal relationships?

Use your answers to help pinpoint what you need to be working on.

Step seven - Dwell on the person God wants you to become- There is much more to all of us than our current reality!  Before you can dwell on the person God wants you to become, you must define what you believe that is.  I love Ephesians 3:20 "God can do anything you know, far more than you could imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!  He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his spirit deeply and gently within us.  Use your imagination, not your memory!

Step eight - Act with joy now- Anyone can be happy when the circumstances are right, but joy is different - joy is proactive happiness.  It is the learned capacity to display your faith ahead of time by means of your daily mental attitude!  Most people say "when I see it, I'll beleive it."  I love the line to one of the Hillsong United songs "Tear down the walls"  It says "I don't need to see it to believe it!"  the kids and I have been singing that line over and over around the house - so simple, yet so profound!  Is your joy based on what "you see" but what "you believe?"  Powerful huh?  The bible is full of people who believed God's promises and let that shape their attitude, even when they couldn't see it.  Abraham and Sarah (heb 11:1 "by faith Abraham even tho he was past age and sarah was barren became a father becuase he considered Him FAITHFUL who had made the promise.") 

How about acting  the way your would if your prayer had ALREADY been answered.  That's faith, and that's having the capcity for Joy whether you see it or not - that's living in the power of the 4:8 potential!

So my prayer for you is that you have begun a journey to "change the direction of your life by changing the way you think"  Take the limits off of God, beloved, believe for the extrordinary in and through your life!  If you haven't ordered the 4:8 book yet, go to my link under recommended reading and get it - it will revolutionize the way you live!

Have an awesome weekend!  It's gonna be great @CCC this week, PDennis is going to wrap up the road trip...grab a friend and come on out -

xoxoxox