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http://odb.org/2015/02/05/habits-of-a-healthy-mind/
Habits Of A Healthy Mind
David C. McCasland
Psalm 37:1-8
Trust in the Lord, and do good. —Psalm 37:3
There is much said today about improving our health by developing habits of optimism, whether facing a difficult medical diagnosis or a pile of dirty laundry. Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina, says we should try activities that build joy, gratitude, love, and other positive feelings. We know, however, that more is required than a general wish for good feelings. We need a strong conviction that there is a source of joy, peace, and love upon which we can depend.
Psalm 37:1-8 gives positive actions we can take as an antidote to pessimism and discouragement. Consider these mood boosters: Trust in the Lord, do good, dwell in the land, feed on His faithfulness (v.3); delight in the Lord (v.4); commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him (v.5); rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, do not fret (v.7); cease from anger, forsake wrath (v.8).
Because they are connected to the phrase “in the Lord,” those directives are more than wishful thinking or unrealistic suggestions. It’s because of Jesus, and in His strength, that they become possible.
Our one true source for optimism is the redemption that is in Jesus. He is our reason for hope!
Lord, we can’t manufacture hope, and even if
we tried it wouldn’t be real. Help us to find
hope in You because of what Jesus has done
for us. We know You are walking beside us.
When there’s bad news, our hope is the good news of Jesus.
Psalm 37 is one of the many “wisdom psalms”—psalms that give instructions on how to live wisely. In this psalm, David deals with the perennial perplexity of the injustice of life—the wicked go unpunished while the righteous suffer. He tells the righteous not to fret, be envious, or be angry, for God will ultimately bring justice (vv.1-2,9-10,20,35-36,38). Instead, they are to be patient, to trust, to delight, to rest fully in God, and to continue to live godly lives (vv.3-8). For the “Lord upholds the righteous” (v.17), takes delight in them (v.23), and will not forsake them (vv.28-29).
Bible in a Year:
Exodus 36-38; Matthew 23:1-22
Today I am reading day 320 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
Biblical Obedience: Love + Trust + Action
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
Today, the word obey has a negative connotation. We view obedience as a forced, unwilling decision to do something we don’t want to do because we’re afraid of punishment.
But that’s not the kind of obedience that’s in God’s Word. Obedience in the Bible means this: love + trust + action.
It starts with love, as Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (NIV) Obedience comes from knowing that God loves you and you love him in return.
A lot of people think obedience is about fearing God, but God wants us to see obedience to him as a relationship of love. And out of love comes trust. If you trust what God is saying to you, and you believe that he loves you, then that will lead to action.
You need to have all three because action without love is just rote religion. And love without action is just mere talk.
Today I am reading day 305 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
What Will You Give Jesus?
What do you give the guy who’s got everything? What do you give to Jesus? You can give him your trust.
Because God gives you a choice, he doesn’t have your trust until you give it to him. Faith is voluntary. God will never force you to trust him. It is up to you to decide how much you will trust God this year.
So let me just get real blunt, what are you expecting God to do in your life in this year? If you expect him to do a lot, God can do a lot. If you expect him to do a little, God can do a little. If you don’t expect him to do anything, he won’t do anything because Jesus says, “According to your faith will it be done to you.” (Matthew 9:29 NIV)
Are you going to trust yourself, are you going to trust the economy, are you going to trust somebody else, or are you going to trust God?
Today I am reading day 209 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
God Smiles When We Trust
Imagine this scene: One day God comes to Noah and says, “I’m disappointed in human beings. In the entire world, no one but you thinks about me. But Noah, when I look at you, I start smiling. I’m pleased with your life, so I’m going to flood the world and start over with you and your family. I want you to build a giant ship that will save you and the animals.”
There were three problems that could have caused Noah to doubt: 1) Noah had never seen rain because prior to the flood God irrigated the earth from the ground up; 2) Noah lived hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean; 3) There was the problem of rounding up all the animals and then caring for them.
But Noah trusted God completely, and that made God smile.
Trusting God completely means having faith that God knows what is best for your life. You expect him to keep his promises, help you with problems, and do the impossible when necessary.
Trusting is an act of worship. Just as parents are pleased when children trust them, your faith makes God happy. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
In what areas of your life do you need to trust God completely?
Today I am reading day 93 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
Lean on the Lord
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
Leaning on the Lord means depending on Him. What do you do when you lean on something? You trusting it will hold you up. When you lean on God it means more than just “I believe in God.” It means, “I am trusting Him to hold me up.”
Who or what are you leaning on for strength? Are you leaning on the approval of other people? That is a very shaky foundation. People are going to let you down. Nobody can hold you up all the time because they’re human beings.
You can’t even trust in yourself. Have you discovered that you often let yourself down? You make promises to yourself all the time you don’t keep. If you say, “I’ll just depend on me!” you’ll disappoint yourself. So what do you do?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV)
Leaning on the Lord is scary. It’s uncomfortable sometimes. It can make you think, “Is God going to come through? Is He going to hold me up?” But that’s what leaning in faith is all about.
Today I am reading day 71 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
Don’t Understand? Trust God
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
You may be facing a dead end right now – financial, emotional, relational – but if you will trust God and keep on moving in faith, even when you don’t see a way, he will make a way.
It will become more understandable as you head down the path he sets before you, but understanding is not a requirement for you to start down the path. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter till the full light of day.” (NIV) One day you will stand in the full light of eternity and view the big picture. You’ll see God’s purpose behind the path he specifically chose for you.
In the meantime, do what Proverbs 3 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Be patient. God knows what He’s doing. God knows what is best for you. He can see the end result. You can’t. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays — all the things that make you ask “why” — one day it will all be clear in the light of God’s love.
But for now, we’re learning to trust God.
Today I am reading day 46 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
Biblical Obedience: Love + Trust + Action
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
Today, the word obey has a negative connotation. We view obedience as a forced, unwilling decision to do something we don’t want to do because we’re afraid of punishment.
But that’s not the kind of obedience that’s in God’s Word. Obedience in the Bible means this: love + trust + action.
It starts with love, as Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (NIV) Obedience comes from knowing that God loves you and you love him in return.
A lot of people think obedience is about fearing God, but God wants us to see obedience to him as a relationship of love. And out of love comes trust. If you trust what God is saying to you, and you believe that he loves you, then that will lead to action.
You need to have all three because action without love is just rote religion. And love without action is just mere talk.
Today I am reading day 33 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
Trust Leads to Good Health
Psalm 116:7 Be confident, my heart, because the Lord has been good to me.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know.
Proverbs 14:30 GNTD Peace of mind makes the body healthy, but jealousy is like a cancer.
God has given you the gift of your body and it comes with an owner’s manual – the Bible. In it are all the instructions you need to take care of yourself and live a long life.
You already know the basics – proper nutrition, exercise, a good night’s rest. Today I want to look at the first of four health factors you may not have thought of for living long and well.
Trusting God is good for your health — “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV) Why is trusting in God good for your health? When you trust Him then you don’t worry.
Psalm 116:7 says, “I said to myself, “Relax, the Lord is going to take care of you'” (NCV). If you really trust in God, you’re going to be less stressed.
You have a choice – You can either worry or worship. You can either pray or panic.
The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. Relax, because God will take care of you!
The Bible says in Proverbs 14:30, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” (NIV). It’s not just what you eat that matters, it’s what eats you. You can have all the right macrobiotics and organic food, but if your body is filled with resentment, worry, fear, lust, guilt, anger, bitterness, or any other emotional disease, it’s going to shorten your life.
Today I am reading day 4 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
Ask God to Help You Get There
Genesis 24:12 He prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today and keep your promise to my master.
Once you have found your promise in God’s Word, pray and ask God for success, just as Eliezer did in today’s verse.
Is it really okay to pray for success? Yes! If you aren’t praying for success, what’s the alternative? Are you going to pray for God to make you a failure?
Eliezer clearly shows us that it is okay to ask God for success in accomplishing a goal as long as the motive is right. When your success helps people and honors God, praying for success does not become a selfish act.
So my question to you today is this: Are you praying about your goals? Are you praying about your future? Are you praying about your dreams or are you just kind of keeping them to yourself?
Your prayers reveal a couple of things. First, they reveal how serious you are about your goals. If you don’t pray about them, you really don’t care about them that much. If you only pray about them once, they are not a desire, they are just a whim.
The other thing your prayers reveal is how much you are depending on God to reach your goals. If you never pray about your goals, never pray about your job, never pray about your finances, you are not depending on God in any of those areas. The more you depend on God, the more you’ll pray.
Today I am reading day 19 of NIV Once-A-Day At the Table Family Devotional:
Trustworthy
Psalm 119:138 The rules that you have given are completely fair and right.
• Who do you trust? Why?
• What does it mean to be trustworthy?
For thousands of years, people have tried to prove the Bible wrong. They argue that its stories are fiction. They claim its teachings are narrow-minded and outdated. Ultimately, though, their arguments don’t stack up. After all this time, the Bible’s reputation stands. The life principles it teaches are just as relevant today as they were a thousand years ago. Billions of people have built joyful, fulfilling lives on its words.
Like those people, we can trust God’s Word enough to base our lives on it. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” It’s one thing to say you trust the Bible; it’s another thing to live as though you trust it. That’s the kind of trust God is looking for — the living kind.
How do you know if you are living God’s Word and not merely hearing it? The Holy Spirit will let you know. Ask God to help you take a good look at your life. Ask him to show you how trusting his Word is obvious in the way you live — as well as how your trust is not so obvious.
My Prayer to God
Dear God, thank you for giving us something we can trust in our undependable world. Give us the wisdom and strength to keep trusting your Word, no matter what. Amen.
Today I am reading day 14 of NIV Once-A-Day Promises Devotional:
God Directs Your Ways
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.
Here’s an exercise for the next time you find yourself up to your neck in question marks. Whenever you’re wondering which path to go down, and perhaps feeling pressured by the fast pace of life to make a quick choice, ask yourself: Am I looking to and leaning on God?
Do I put more stock in God’s counsel than in my own ideas or the opinions of others? Am I open to the idea that God may very well ask me to do something that everyone else thinks is crazy?
Do I honestly want what God wants—in every part of my life? Am I willing to wait until I have a clear sense of his leading?
If you can answer “yes” to these questions, God promises to direct you. How good is that?
God’s Promise to Me
• If you trust me and seek me, I will show you the way to go.
My Prayer to God
You want me to trust you, Lord, with all my heart, and I want to do that. You’re worthy of my trust. Forgive me for the times I doubt. In times of uncertainty I know I need more than mere human understanding. I need you! I want your will, God. Please show me which way to go.
Lord, lead me everyday 