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January 2005 ETC Corner
A New Year, A Better You
By: Rachel Olsen, Speaker Team Member
While we should strive for improvement and growth through out the year, January is a time of renewed commitment for many. It's a fresh beginning - a period of renewal in the midst of winter. Here are some tips to better you -- mind, body and spirit -- in 2005. Pick a couple from each category and aim to implement them this month.
Mind
- Make sleep a priority each night - sleep is memory fuel.
- Become an optimist, and you'll think more clearly.
- Take some "down-time" during busy periods of life. When stressed or working extremely hard, stop and take three "cleansing breaths" by breathing in through your nose to the count of five, hold it for a count of three, and blowing out through your mouth to the count of five.
- Improve your memory and build your mental strength by memorizing scriptures that assure you have wisdom and a sound mind in Christ.
Body
- Add an extra glass of water to your diet - our bodies are over 60% water!
- Take a quality multi-vitamin.
- Eat something fresh each day - an apple, carrot, orange, avocado or broccoli sprouts for example.
- Increase your daily movement by taking the stairs rather than the elevator, parking far from the building and walking, taking your dog out for a run, or - my personal favorite - turning up the music and dancing in your room.
Spirit
- Read some portion of your Bible each day - any amount is beneficial!!
- Subscribe to Proverbs 31 free "Encouragement for Today" devotions.
- Nurture your spirit while you wait. Choose a Christian book or tape - you can find some on this website - to keep in your purse or car to pass time waiting at the bank, dance studio or practice field.
- Plan a 5 minute "Spirit Break" for the middle of your day and spend that time praying, reading or singing to some worship music.
Making just a few small changes to your routine each week or month will keep you from becoming overwhelmed with your to-do list. As they become habit, however, you will gradually become a wiser, healthier, and happier woman. Here is to a better you in 2005!
Purposeful Living
By: Marie Ogram, Speaker Team Member
Purposeful living requires planning. As the old saying goes, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." How will we reach any goals if we fail to make any? Setting priorities and reaching goals are pathways to a successful life.
Setting Priorities
To aid you in setting your priorities, here are the Seven Principles -taken from Proverbs chapter 31 - used by Proverbs 31 Ministries as a guide for everything we do.
THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF THE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN
1. The Proverbs 31 woman reveres Jesus Christ as Lord of her life and pursues an ongoing, personal relationship with Him.
2. The Proverbs 31 woman loves, honors and respects her husband as the leader of the home.
3. The Proverbs 31 woman nurtures her children and believes that motherhood is a high calling with the responsibility of shaping and molding the children who will one day define who we are as a community and a nation.
4. The Proverbs 31 woman is a disciplined and industrious keeper of the home who creates a warm and loving environment for her family and friends.
5. The Proverbs 31 woman contributes to the financial well being of her household by being a faithful steward of the time and money God has entrusted to her.
6. The Proverbs 31 woman speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction as she mentors and supports other women, and develops godly friendships.
7. The Proverbs 31 woman shares the love of Christ by extending her hands to help with the needs in the community.
Notice that the foundation of our hierarchy of priorities is the fact that God desires to be first in our lives. Then and only then can we set right goals. Then and only then will we make choices that bring glory to Him. Then and only then will we make choices that value our families over work, hobbies or friends.
Since the needs of our families will change as children grow, as parents age and as we mature, we must regularly review our priorities and re-determine how best to live them out.
Reaching Goals
Living a life guided by clear priorities and clear goals is living a life with a clear life plan. Perhaps you are asking why we really need a life plan. In the book Living Life on Purpose by Lysa TerKeurst (Moody Press), Lysa shares:
A Life Plan:
* Helps add value to our lives.
* Helps me see life from an eternal perspective.
* Helps me move past my mistakes.
* Helps me to see my potential.
* Serves as a filter for my decisions.
* Helps point me in the right direction.
* Will help me to be able to give an account on the Day of Judgment.
We must not look to the world for purpose, but to God and His Word, the Bible. Our primary goal should be to accomplish God's will for our lives. But, in order to know the will of God, we must have a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. This is not simply knowing we should trust Him, but transferring that knowledge into action, asking Him to lead our lives.
It's great to have goals, but we also need to have a plan to meet those goals - a plan from the Lord.
Acts 5:38-39 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men: you will only find yourselves fighting against God. (NIV)
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. (NIV)
By taking each priority or goal and breaking it down into specific actions, we get a plan. Say, for example, I want a closer relationship with God. How can I reach that goal? What is going to be my plan of action? It may look like this:
GOAL:
A closer relationship with God
STEPS TO TAKE:
1. Start by reading through a book of the Bible, perhaps 1-2 chapters per day if I've already been reading. If I'm new at reading the Bible, 3-5 verses a day may be where I start.
2. Then I'll pick some Scripture to memorize - a few verses that speak to my current situation in life, or maybe a passage that is meaningful to me.
3. I'll spend time in prayer talking with God. I'll also ask the Holy Spirit to help me understand what I'm reading.
The more we know God, the more we will look to Him for our priorities, and rely on Him to help us reach our goals. For He is the one who places noble goals in our hearts.
For more great help with in-depth life planning, get Living Life on Purpose and the accompanying Life Planning Journal by Lysa TerKeurst, available through this website.
Daily Planning Guide
Created by Gail Porter
Try this sample chart provided by author Gail Porter to create your own purposeful "to-do" list.
Click here to view chart
Are You Struggling?
Complied by Rachel Olsen, Speaker Team Member
Here are some selected Scriptures by topic to look up, write down, pray and memorize as you chart your course towards renewal.
FINANCES
Deuteronomy 8:18
Psalms 102:17
Psalm 132:15
1 Timothy 6:17-19
HURTFUL SPEECH
Matthew 5:11-12
Matthew 12:36
Isaiah 51:7
Job 5:21
LONELINESS
Genesis 28:15
John 15:13
2 Corinthians 6:18
Proverbs 18:24
SHAME
Romans 10:11
Psalm 119:80
2 Timothy 1:12
1 Peter 4:16
SICKNESS
Exodus 15:26
Jeremiah 17:14
Matthew 9:6-7
James 5:14-16
2 Corinthians 12: 1-10
Remember Mark 10:27 - through God all things are possible!
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