STEP 14 - Today is Our Life!

Yesterday was history, we’re not able to make changes to what has happened, but we can evaluate and keep the profitable gains for our today and our future.

 

Matthew 6:11 give us today our daily bread.

 

The Lord’s Prayer focuses on today!

 Matthew 6:19-21

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

 

Today doesn’t require too much planning and not having to worry about tomorrow is a relief.

I’m not saying don’t plan, what I’m saying is to trust God, plan but don’t allow it to steal today. Don’t put yourself in the negative lane of worry, fear and doubt, stay focused on today and look for the many blessings that show up when you trust God, he will work everything out.

 

Think about a time your day was going great! You felt good, prayed, read your word, played some good music, the atmosphere was full of peace and joy, and you knew it was going to be a prosperous day; you were excited, thankful and felt blessed.

 

Then something unexpected happened in a moment that caused your whole day to shift (at least during that moment that’s what you were thinking). You didn’t expect it and next thing you know this comes out of our mouth; this is going to ruining my “whole day.”

 

That’s what we put out in the atmosphere no matter what the situation; we immediately give away 5+ hours of a good day because of a 30-minute mishap.  We can give away our peace, joy, just about everything, if we don’t pay attention.

 

It even has the ability to bleed into the next few days if we are not careful how we use our words today and how much we put in the atmosphere while sharing the event with others.

 

My question is “was it a mishap or is it just life happening?”

It all depends on how you look at things and by transforming your thinking you’ll start trusting God and His word more than how you feel during those moments and not give away so many hours to a negative space.

 

You’ll start taking back your peace and joy given today; able to think about placing these situations in a continuous category that won’t be able to steal the fruit of His Spirit so quickly.

 

Life is happening and that’s a beautiful thing, you won’t be caught off guard, you’ll expect something to happen, and your view will switch, you’ll notice it’s not happening every day and some weeks it’s not happening at all.

 

Let’s say you got a flat tire causing an accident or the water heater stopped working or your refrigerator started making an unusual sound and you noticed the food is not cold like before.

 

Life is happening, tires don’t last forever and neither do appliances.

 

If you and those involved in the accident walked away with breath, that’s a blessing. Maybe you have to pay for repairs and the money isn’t available or your car is out of commission, yes those are factors that will affect tomorrow but again, today you are breathing and have a choice to not allow life situations to steal all that Christ death has given us; choices and the word that tells us not to allow negativity to steal anything that belongs to us.

 

Many times, we categorize negative issues or events that we experience as draining, stressful or useless when in essence it all depends on how you look at it.

 

Did you learn anything from the situation? Will it help you in the future and if so, that’s a gain. Can we say we’ve gained some wisdom or learned how to think about the situation in a more positive perspective?

 

Did the accident cause us to think about slowing down, not feeling rushed or paying more attention to the traffic? 

 

We can accept that negative things happen to good people, and they’ll continue to happen but how we respond is the most important thing to focus on, are we growing in wisdom or are we allowing the negative to steal our gifts from our Heavenly Father?

 

We can also think about other ways to look at negative situations and pull as much positive energy as you can to the surface and then you’ll realize the negative energy starts to diminish, becomes powerless and won’t have such a bad impact as in the past.

 

You’ll start changing how you look at things and start searching for the gems; the learning, the growth versus feeling defeated.

We do not have to look back with resentment or condemnation; we must look at how we show up for ourselves and others today?

 

Christ death provided us with a path of Victory in everything we do. We don’t have any limitations that can keep us down if we are in His word, walking by faith and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

Ephesians 4:21-24

21 When you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

We can’t look at how things “seem” we must look at how things can be in Him and strive to embrace those changes that are available for the children of God today.

 

Thinking about the future for some reason seemed to be more important than what’s happening today. It’s something our parents taught, with good intentions in mind.

They asked what we plan to be when we grew up, encouraged us to get good grades so we’re able to attend the college of our choice which will open many doors to a profitable career, a better life.

 

I’m guilty, I encouraged my children to go to college so they could secure a better paying job, but my mindset has changed; maybe because I’m older and realize the “NOW” in living today, has just as much importance as our yesterday history and tomorrow future. Don’t get me wrong, I support education, but we must not forget about living today.

 

Embracing the now is a way to build a stronger foundation for your future, your tomorrow and not at the cost of living in the present. I’m not saying that planning isn’t a good thing but don’t allow it to steal the present.

 

Let’s not get so caught up in planning for our future that “now” doesn’t exist. Now is passing by and we don’t even see the blessings that are taking place in the midst of every situation.

 

Matthew 6:33-34

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 

We must seek His kingdom first and that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take care of other areas, such as health, finances, nurturing relationships, mental peace and nurturing ourselves.

 

Let’s think about your health now, today, not yesterday, nor tomorrow, just today. All we can be responsible for is today, we can’t change yesterday, nor can we alter tomorrow, it hasn’t happened. We can plan for it and I’m sure you’ve heard the great saying “if you want to make God laugh” plan for tomorrow.

 

What’s your current eating habit today, your physical activities versus how much time is spent scrolling through the social media sites, binge watching or playing video games, etc.…. the entertainment list can be long.

 

How long is your physical activity list?

 

Have you studied the importance of water and how the lack of water opens doors to many dis-eases?

 

The earth and our body’s make-up is another confirmation that we serve a mighty God.

 

The world is made up of 71% water and our body is slightly lower, dependent on age, body type, etc. but it’s around 60%…let’s take a moment to think on that!

 

Another key component to improved health is your portions.

 

It is so true when they say, “we are what we eat” and that even means what we drink. If you continue to drink an extra-large portion of sugary drinks, you’ll look in the mirror and realize you’ve become an extra-large portion.

 

I’m talking about unhealthy extra-large, not body frame and proportions.

 

All of these “today” steps will help you in managing stress and later you won’t deal with so many dis-eases that stress is best friends with.

 

Thinking and living today not only provides better results for our physical being, but there are also many mental benefits that come along with a balanced life.

 

The word balance is just what it means, “a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.

 

Strive to have balance now and later you will soar higher.

 

You don’t like walking or working out…live a little longer; you’ll have to walk in order to avoid dis-eases. There’s an old saying, you’ll lose it if you don’t use it. Our body responds to how we move and once we decrease our activities, we decrease our usage.

 

3 John 1:2 beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

STEP 15 - Click

Disclaimer - I do not own the rights to this song; music is a form of worship that brings unity, peace and unconditional love.

If you are not a Christian, consider giving your life to Christ today; don’t let another day go by, we are not promised tomorrow.

SALVATION - Click