General - stevenikki

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 NLT

I love the practicality of Paul’s words of encouragement. Don’t worry instead, pray, tell and thank!

Is it really that easy? Maybe we should try and see if it works.

Pray about everything is simply allowing God space in your life. Staying constantly connected.
Tell– This is all about getting to the root of a request. Remove the whining, complaining, manipulation and simply tell God what do you need? Or, what you think you need.
Thank God for what He has already done. Gratitude is the enemy of worry!

I believe Pray, Tell, and Thank helps cultivate a stronger relationship with God which leads to peace (v7).

But wait!

If this simple idea works with our relationship with God, I wonder if it would work with other relationships? Consider your closest relationship may be a spouse, a close friend, or a family member.

What if we created space for others in our everyday, busy lives? What would it look like to strive for a more consistent connection?

We all have needs and request. Sometimes in relationships, we use negative tools like manipulation and criticism to try to get what we need. What would it look like to make a simple request?
I need __________. This seems like it would be easier. However, this would force me to really consider what I need and communicate it but, maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Gratitude is the key to strength in any relationship. Tell someone how grateful you are for them. Get back to the simple, strong words “thank you!” Thank you for loving me. I am grateful that you are in my life.

These ideas could cultivate a stronger relationship with God and each other.

Give it a try!

Growth Plan Part 2

I recently read an article that was encouraging goal setting. Which is a good idea that I practice. However, as I read the goals, I quickly thought these are not goals but rather habits.

For example, one goal was to complain less. We are all guilty of complaining too much. Complaining less would make our lives better. As I see it complaining less is a habit that needs to be developed.

Goals help develop healthy habits which lead to healthier lives.

If I want to complain less, I need to set a few goals to help develop this habit.

Complaining less Goals:
• Track how often you complain and about what.
• Write down three things a day you are grateful for.
• Every time you complain commit to doing something positive.

Goals are a specific task that have a fixed endpoint.
Goals help develop and maintain healthy habits.

Healthy Habits are actions that are engrained in us, that have become natural because of continued repetition. Healthy habits are the things we do without thinking.

I had a bad habit of listening to the news multiple times a day. Too much bad news (most news is bad news) will affect your life. I needed to change my habit. So, I set a goal to listen to a new podcast every time I was in the car. I also set a goal to read more books and to exercise more which took more time. So, I didn’t have the time to watch and listen to the news. My goals changed my habit.

Here are a few more examples:
Habit: Read Scripture
Goal: Read the Bible in a year
Habit: Exercise
Goal: run a 5k
Habit: Be more loving
Goal: Acts of kindness

Part of a good growth plan will include good goals that will develop healthy habits.

What goals are you going after? What habits are you trying to develop?

stevenikki

Category Archives: General

Stronger Connection

Goals and Habits

I recently read an article that was encouraging goal setting. Which is a good idea that I practice. However, as I read the goals, I quickly thought these are not goals but rather habits.