Dear Father,
Thank you for your spirit; your spirit who does not make us timid or weak, but gives us power, love and self discipline. Thank you for giving us power through your spirit; the same spirit who made the blind see, the paralyzed walk, brought the dead back to life and made man be able to walk on water.
Everything we have here on earth is yours. This earth is your kingdom. Thank you for loving us and being in control of everything. Father, how did you create the sun? How do you make the moon glow year after year after year? How do you make trees grow every season? How do you make the heart beat over and over? How do our inner ears sense movement for many many years?
Help us humble ourselves so that you will lift us up. We pray for more of your strength and less of our strength. More of your thoughts and less of our thoughts. More of your words spoken and less of our words spoken.
For if you can part the red sea, you can open our minds to move us to do your will. If you can help men walk through a fiery furnace unharmed, you can guide us through difficult circumstances in life and bring honor to your name in the process. If you can make an axe head float, then you can give us strength to carry burdens. If you can make a donkey speak, you can help us communicate in love. If you can close the mouths of lions to not eat Daniel in the lions den, you can help us keep our mouths shut. If you can bring down a giant with a stone, you can help us take down the habits in our lives that are not bringing us closer to you by making new habits.
Open our eyes father. Help us see your chariots of fire. Keep blinders off our eyes. Help us see where you want us to go. Give us more of your spirit. Please give us a double and triple dose of your spirit. Holy spirit, provide us with the clarity to know what you want us to do and the courage to do it. Provide us with an irresistible urge to act on your behalf.
Amen.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
When Will Power Defeat Our Habits?
"I just can't do it captain...I don't have the power," stated Scotty from Star Trek. Scotty was right, we don't have the power. If I can't, we know He can. If we can't defeat our habits with our power, I believe the Spirit's power can help us create new habits. If the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self discipline, I believe He can help us make new habits (2 Tim 1:7). If it's not by might nor by power, but by your spirit, I believe the Spirit can help us create new habits (Zech 4:6). If we are not to conform any longer to the patterns of this world, which are the habits that we all get into, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds, I believe God's spirit can help us make new habits (Rom 12:2).
Monday, December 12, 2011
"Your habits will always defeat your willpower." John Ortberg
It doesn't seem like it takes long to create a habit, but it does seem like it takes a while to break a habit. It seems as though our bodies have a predisposition toward making habits easily. Have you ever noticed how a certain routine, once practiced a few times, becomes difficult to give up? For me, running has become a habit. One would think that would be something that an individual should have an easy time giving up. However, if I don't run, I feel as though I haven't brushed my teeth. I feel dirty, sick, unhealthy and defeated.
A recent habit that has been changed for me is the location of our file cabinet at work. For eight years, our file cabinet was always in the same place. Now it has been changed to a new location. I was used to always walking a certain direction and getting what I needed. It has taken me about a week to stop walking toward the old location to where the file cabinet was held.
The following is a segmental transcript of John Ortberg in the Podcast: "All In: Healing...All My Soul" 11-15-2011 Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
http://www.mppc.org/series/all/john-ortberg/healing-all-my-soul#.TuK2zrqRpaw.facebook
"Habits are deeply entrenched patterns way below the surface...insidious, like a disease, that just leak out when I'm not even trying. Self serving words or tones, the way I cater to someone important, attractive or wealthy when I don't even like that in me. I don't know how to turn it off. I don't know how to shut it down. I do not understand what I do. For what I want, I do not do. What I hate, I do. I have desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. John states, "habits are relatively permanent pattern of behavior that allows you to navigate the world. Our capacity for habitual behavior is indispensible for human life. Habits are enormously freeing. They become as natural as breathing. You are mostly a collection of habits. Without understanding this, spiritual life can be a source of enormous frustration and defeat."
"When sin gets into the way we think, and want, and desire, and perceive, and feel, and choose, and walk, and speak, and act, and behave, and relate, when sin gets into our habits it is a trajedy of unspeakable proportions."
"A habit is a behavior pattern so engrained that we don't have to think about it and it becomes as natural as breathing. They become second nature."
"When Paul talks about nothing good in my sinful nature, he is not talking about one ghost fighting it out with another ghost some place. Sin, evil, wickedness, deception, anger, Racism, greed, ingratitude, pride have become second nature to us all. You can overcome a habit with willpower for a moment or two, but over the long hall your habits will always defeat your willpower.
Surender to your will. Die to yourself and your wants and ways. Arrange yourself in a way where you can aquire new habits. Study scriptures together. Pray together. Give, serve, confess, replace sinful habits with Jesus habits. Do not let sin reign in your body so that you obey it's evil desires...do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God. Enter into a new way. The way of Jesus so that you can be given by God the freedom from sin that your will can never give you. Offer the members of your body. Offer your mind to read scripture so you can think of different thoughts of love and joy and peace. Offer your hands to practice giving so you can be freed from habitual greed, offer your feet to go somewhere and serve in places where you see there are human beings that have bigger problems than I do. Offer your lips to practice gratitude or silence so you discover it's possible to live without complaining...so that gets into my body. Offer your ears to listen to God so that you get new habits. Jesus was a collection of habits. Jesus was a new way."
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right whatever is pure, whatever is right, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about these things." Phil 4:8
A recent habit that has been changed for me is the location of our file cabinet at work. For eight years, our file cabinet was always in the same place. Now it has been changed to a new location. I was used to always walking a certain direction and getting what I needed. It has taken me about a week to stop walking toward the old location to where the file cabinet was held.
The following is a segmental transcript of John Ortberg in the Podcast: "All In: Healing...All My Soul" 11-15-2011 Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
http://www.mppc.org/series/all/john-ortberg/healing-all-my-soul#.TuK2zrqRpaw.facebook
"Habits are deeply entrenched patterns way below the surface...insidious, like a disease, that just leak out when I'm not even trying. Self serving words or tones, the way I cater to someone important, attractive or wealthy when I don't even like that in me. I don't know how to turn it off. I don't know how to shut it down. I do not understand what I do. For what I want, I do not do. What I hate, I do. I have desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. John states, "habits are relatively permanent pattern of behavior that allows you to navigate the world. Our capacity for habitual behavior is indispensible for human life. Habits are enormously freeing. They become as natural as breathing. You are mostly a collection of habits. Without understanding this, spiritual life can be a source of enormous frustration and defeat."
"When sin gets into the way we think, and want, and desire, and perceive, and feel, and choose, and walk, and speak, and act, and behave, and relate, when sin gets into our habits it is a trajedy of unspeakable proportions."
"A habit is a behavior pattern so engrained that we don't have to think about it and it becomes as natural as breathing. They become second nature."
"When Paul talks about nothing good in my sinful nature, he is not talking about one ghost fighting it out with another ghost some place. Sin, evil, wickedness, deception, anger, Racism, greed, ingratitude, pride have become second nature to us all. You can overcome a habit with willpower for a moment or two, but over the long hall your habits will always defeat your willpower.
Surender to your will. Die to yourself and your wants and ways. Arrange yourself in a way where you can aquire new habits. Study scriptures together. Pray together. Give, serve, confess, replace sinful habits with Jesus habits. Do not let sin reign in your body so that you obey it's evil desires...do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God. Enter into a new way. The way of Jesus so that you can be given by God the freedom from sin that your will can never give you. Offer the members of your body. Offer your mind to read scripture so you can think of different thoughts of love and joy and peace. Offer your hands to practice giving so you can be freed from habitual greed, offer your feet to go somewhere and serve in places where you see there are human beings that have bigger problems than I do. Offer your lips to practice gratitude or silence so you discover it's possible to live without complaining...so that gets into my body. Offer your ears to listen to God so that you get new habits. Jesus was a collection of habits. Jesus was a new way."
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right whatever is pure, whatever is right, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about these things." Phil 4:8
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Are habits helpful or harmful?
I think that depends upon the habit. Some habits are helpful. Examples of helpful habits include our ability to tie our shoes without thought, brush our teeth properly with ease, get dressed, type messages, use a spoon, exercise, etc.
Harmful habits may include mindless web surfing, too much time reading useless information and eating too much or the wrong types of foods.
According to John Ortberg in the Podcast: http://www.mppc.org/series/all/john-ortberg/healing-all-my-soul habits cannot be overcome by willpower, but only by creating new habits.
Harmful habits may include mindless web surfing, too much time reading useless information and eating too much or the wrong types of foods.
According to John Ortberg in the Podcast: http://www.mppc.org/series/all/john-ortberg/healing-all-my-soul habits cannot be overcome by willpower, but only by creating new habits.
Habits: What Are They?
What is a habit? Thefreedictionary.com defines a habit as "A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through
frequent repetition." It also states a habit is an addiction. I find the unconscious part of the definition interesting because I see people using their unconscious systems all the time to move from one place to the next.
When we stand up to go outside we don't have to think about how to move. No one pauses to contemplate exactly how they are going to stand to move unless they have a problem moving. Once we learn how to walk, we do it so much that it becomes unconscious...just like habits.
We don't have to stop to think about things like tying our shoes, brushing our teeth, preparing our breakfast or taking a shower. The only reason we have to pause to give thought to these activities is if something has changed that would render our habit no longer helpful.
We have habits that help us complete tasks, but what about habits that help us communicate with one another and ourselves? How do habits impact the way we think? How do habits impact the way we feel about ourselves and those around us?
When it comes to growing, making progress, getting stronger, building emotional, mental, spiritual and physical health, I believe we need to pause to look at the habits we are currently relying upon to survive. We also need to be mindful regarding the new habits we form.
When we stand up to go outside we don't have to think about how to move. No one pauses to contemplate exactly how they are going to stand to move unless they have a problem moving. Once we learn how to walk, we do it so much that it becomes unconscious...just like habits.
We don't have to stop to think about things like tying our shoes, brushing our teeth, preparing our breakfast or taking a shower. The only reason we have to pause to give thought to these activities is if something has changed that would render our habit no longer helpful.
We have habits that help us complete tasks, but what about habits that help us communicate with one another and ourselves? How do habits impact the way we think? How do habits impact the way we feel about ourselves and those around us?
When it comes to growing, making progress, getting stronger, building emotional, mental, spiritual and physical health, I believe we need to pause to look at the habits we are currently relying upon to survive. We also need to be mindful regarding the new habits we form.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
A Collection of Habits and Conditioned Reflexes
Are we mostly a collection of habits and conditioned reflexes?
Thoughts lead to behaviors which lead to habits which help in forming conditioned reflexes.
Thoughts lead to behaviors which lead to habits which help in forming conditioned reflexes.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Eagles Wings
Have you ever had a moment in your life when you were able to totally let go of your situation and let God take over? Do you remember what that felt like? I sometimes imagine those moments as though I am flying like an eagle. Exodus 19:4 states "You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to me." Isaiah 40:31 states, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
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