Enjoy Happiness

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re You Happy? What is it in your life that would make you happy?  Do you embrace inner happiness? What is it that would make your life more fulfilling? How we feel about ourselves can determine how long we live.

As you go about your daily life you will notice people who seem very pleasant in public but behind closed doors they are living in hell within themselves. What is holding you back from your happiness? Are you struggling with unhappiness, sadness, inner turmoil? These things may come from unhappy or unhealthy relationships, a job that is disliked, unfavorable circumstances, and some people just don't know why they are unhappy.

How can you be happy?  What can you do to find the happiness that you deserve? 

In this article, I am going to share with you ways that you can find happiness, and make the most out of every day.

Happiness is decided ahead of time.

When you wake up in the morning, do you get up dreading the day ahead?  If so, begin changing this habit.
Make up your mind to have a great day. Make up your mind that you are going to have a day of victory.

 
•    Thank God that you are alive
•    Start the day off in a grateful attitude
•    Count your blessings
•    Declare that "this is going to be a great day"

Be Grateful

Being grateful is one of the keys to living a happy life.  Instead of complaining about what you don’t have be grateful for what you do have.  Being grateful can turn around relationships, save marriages, and even save jobs.

•    Express gratitude on your job (be thankful for your job and think about the people that are unemployed , instead of complaining about to work load, be thankful for

the extra work that would allow you to stay employed,
•    Don’t take your health for granted
•    Make it a point to make everyday a special day


Find something positive to be thankful for.  Don’t take life for granted. I heard a story from a young man I went to school with who was in a terrible accident in which his car caught fire.  He was trapped inside and no one was able to get him out; the rescue and paramedics had not come yet.   As people stood around this young man said that two people in white came and got him out.   Later after the rescue and paramedics team came, he asked for the two men who pulled him out of the car, no one saw these two men or who they were, but neither could anyone tell how he had gotten out of the car.  He is grateful everyday for life, as that day could have been his last day.
We need to realize life is very short. Tell your loved ones that you love them every day; give them a hug every day.

On the gloomiest day just remember that just above those clouds the sun is shining.

Be Positive

If you found out you only had a few weeks to live would you live it being unhappy, upset, holding grudges?
Our mind naturally wants to think about unhappy and negative things but you have to change your focus.  But you must stop focusing on the negative, and realize that every day is a gift from God. Look at what is right instead of what is wrong.

Decide how you are going to live. Sometime we are not grateful for something until it is or almost taken away from us.  My mom used to always say “you never miss your water until your well runs dry”.

Yes, it may be hard to stay focused or positive when things are going wrong, when we lose our jobs, when death happens. But we must work at train our mind to see the good and condition ourselves to focus on the positive.

Circumstances may change the way you feel but it doesn’t

have to change your mind. Don't let a few clouds sour your life.  Life is full of difficulties and adversities but keep your head up. It is natural by human nature to be discouraged but the bible says "count it all joy when you fall in to various temptations ".

If you don’t feel like you have the strength to go through, ask God to give you strength and help you to keep a good attitude. When you face disappointments, your feelings will get in the way and tell you that you won't make it but don’t believe your feelings. Talk back to those negative thoughts and replace them with positive declarations of faith by saying " it will be a great day, God has favor in my future, My trust is in the Lord because I know He cares for me, I will not be defeated, my hope is in the Lord"

Claiming God's Promises

Are you claiming the promises of God? Or are you just basking in the sun and waiting for the next wind to blow? There are several reasons why God's people are not prospering. Here are five:

1. SIN - When your life is full of sin and disrespect for God, the confidence you should have is not there. You lose your confidence. Like a child who had done wrong and becomes very hesitant about asking his parents if he could have a treat or go out to play. Sin causing us to go on a guilt trip when we done wrong and know it it wrong but we decide to continue in it. (Just one more time)

2.UNBELIEF. There is a saying, "If you pray don't worry, and if you worry why pray". God wants us to be blessed and too many of us don't believe that. God does not want us living in poverty. I have heard people say things like "God can't bless people with a lot of money", or "Money is the root of all evil". I have even heard a lady say "God wants me right here where I am" so she doesn't try to do any better than where she is.

3.POOR MENTALITY. Some people have a poverty mentality. They either grew up poor and thinking that it's ok or they have had a really bad experience with finances. People with a poverty mentality are always concern about how much "it" cost. Always buying something using it then returning it for a refund. Always looking for that hookup or free item. Don't get me wrong, It is okay to love the sales racks but learn to treat yourself without the worries sometimes. Stop turning down something expensive when God has blessed someone else to give it to you.

4. FEAR OF GIVING. Sometimes people will look at what they have, it may not be a lot, but there is someone who really needs it but they are so tight that they will hold on to it instead of helping the person in need; or we don't honor God when we hold back on our tithes and offerings. Faith comes into play when we replace fear with Faith. Give in Faith inspite of what it looks like. Let this be your year of Great Grace! Don't allow the enemy to keep you from what God has meant to be yours.

Claim the Promises of God!

Here are some of the Promises that God has given us: When you pray, claim God's Promises specifically in prayer:

Hebrews 13:5b
"... for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Isaiah 41:10
" Fear thou not; ... I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Phillipians 4:19
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus".

Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Don't stop here.  Get your bible and find other promises God has made to us and claim them when you pray according to his Word.

Faith

There is a book entitled, " If you want to walk on water You've Got to get out of the Boat" by John Ortberg. I am in the process of reading this book. and I have been so enlightened by the emphasis on obedience and faith. Directly and indirectly.

Sometimes in life you have got to realize that many of us are not even close to success because of fear of stepping out of the boat. That boat could be anything, it could be your friends, situations, jobs, or even our own mindset.

In a lot of cases,  your friends are the reason you  haven't decided to make the decision to do something different in order achieve the results and the success you desire. You may share your success desires with your friends and because of their mentality, they shoot you down telling you that you can't do it or you're not smart enough, or you don't have what it takes.  You can't always tell people what your personal desires are because they are so common with you that it is easy for them to plant a seed of doubt in your heart.

Situations that you may have experienced can cause you not to pursue your dream. People have been programmed by their past to believe that getting ahead is not for them.  They may have grown up around people who were always broke or always giving up and it became a part of their lives, so they put up a brick wall which prevents them from stepping out of that boat; stepping out of that comfort zone.

Some people get so caught up on the deadend job that they have that they are afraid to pursue anything else.  But yet they sit there and complain that they don't make enough money.

Stepping out of the boat requires obedience and faith. The obedience to do what God has told you in your heart, and the faith to believe God will see you through it.

You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength -- Philippians 4 :19

If you'd like to get a copy of this book click below.

--Ruth